Reviews

The book so well-written and has made upon me deep impression.
It's tells about Germany,1933,when Nazis came to power.
Major characters are a rich Jewish family. The book describes their destiny.
It is read easily though It asks so many important moral questions.
I loved this book and it's very much recommended!

smuds2's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

UNFINISHED

REVIEW RATING SYSTEM - [ 1 = FELT DECEIVED, 2 = NOT WHAT I EXPECTED IN A BAD WAY BUT WASN'T A WASTE OF TIME, 3 = WHAT I EXPECTED FELT LIKE MY TIME WAS USED AS EXPECTED, 4 = PLEASANTLY SURPRISED, 5 = THINKING ABOUT IT MONTHS LATER ]

RULES : (1) can not give anything a 5 outright, must either be a re-read or a update to score, (2) can not give incremental ratings, except for 4.75 which is functionally a "revisit in case it is actually a 5", (3) I should always end with a "this leads me to think" of 2-3 ideas this book roused in me.

Overview:
About jews in germany in the 1930’s as Hitler is rising in power and nationalism is gaining momentum
3 brothers and their families. The business man, Martin (and his family), Gustav (and his entourage), and Edgar (and his underlings and family)
All have a different reaction and play a different “role”
Martin “what is honor, why strive for it”?
Edgar “logic oriented”
Gustav “untethered, pure emotions”
Last third of the book on gustavs quest to be a political activist
Berthold “Honor? Or what is a good german”
Ruth “?”
Salesman “the appeaser”
The Rector, someone who doesn’t care about the message, just the format.
Background context
Repeated themes
Logic over unreason, spoiler alert, unreason wins
Honor vs no honor, gustav dies for honor. Is it honor?
What is a real german? To be german is to be not german
How nazi ideology rotted structures before you even knew.
Toleration, or why it CAN be overrated
Jewish identity as malleable(not something that intrinsically exists)
To be in a position to require rescue - is that fair? Gustav needing to be rescued
Destruction of Norms
Contemporary comparisons
I think this book is missing the essence of dual realities
The idea of structure degradation, weaponization of structures, is very scary and relevant
The paradox of tolerance still present
… the “language” or trump vs the “language” of hitler
The fire hose of info today vs lack of info then
This edition, mcsally editions
Annotations were a bit annoying tbh
Introduction was very good
Persephone books looks like a cool publisher

sheltoneezer's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

“Man can say: ‘Stand still, wave.’ Man can hold on to the ephemeral, he can change it into a tangible thing; into the written word, cut it into stone, make it eternal.”

the_old_gray_cat's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

Brilliant and heartbreaking story of a large, prosperous Jewish family around the time Hitler rose to power. Feuchtwanger wrote this book in the 1930s in Germany as history was being made; he survived the Holocaust by luck and through subterfuge and connections. His writing has not received the attention it deserves. Strongly recommended as a thought-provoking work which not only vividly documents one of the most important years of all history, but which also makes us think about what is a life's work, what is honor, and how would we choose to behave in such extreme circumstances.

My one complaint is that the female characters are decidedly all minor. The book focuses only on male characters, with the wives, mothers, mistresses, and one young female Zionist given rather short shrift.

chicagobob's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

Fascinating and well written and frightening novel that I would never have heard of but for my book group. Story of a Jewish family (affluent, well educated) in Germany in 1932 and 1933--written by a German Jewish author who completed it in October or early November 1933.

Highly recommended.

More...