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theiofthestorm's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
5.0
rachel_the_managing_editor's review against another edition
4.0
This whole book is standing on the ground, watching the slow climb to the top of a roller coaster no one wants to be on, when only you can see that the builders didn't finish laying the track on the other side. An unfolding disaster in slow-motion. (Not the prose; the content.)
in_themoonlight's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Torture, and Genocide
booksinbedinthornhill's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Like watching a car-crash in slow motion . . . but knowing the outcome before it even begins. Written in 'real time': 1933--Hitler's ascension to power and the corresponding impact on Germans, be they Jewish or Christian.
bronwynmb's review against another edition
5.0
Holy cow. Trite to say, I know, but everyone should read this. For a while it was a pretty typical family saga, which I like, but there’s an undercurrent of unease. And then it hits. I don’t even really know how to talk about this.
Feuchtwanger wrote this in ‘33 and yet it feels like it must have been written later. When people say no one knew what was going on this book shows the lie of that. A few chapters in the last section are a bit of an info dump, but they don’t read that way, showing Feuchtwanger’s skill. They’re hard to read, but they show what people knew. Other parts show how easy it was for people to dismiss what was happening.
Between this and Manja by Anna Gmeyner (published in ‘39) there really can’t be any believing that people didn’t know what was happening. Like today, it’s easy for those not affected to ignore what’s going on. But people know. We should all know better. We can’t let these things keep happening.
Feuchtwanger wrote this in ‘33 and yet it feels like it must have been written later. When people say no one knew what was going on this book shows the lie of that. A few chapters in the last section are a bit of an info dump, but they don’t read that way, showing Feuchtwanger’s skill. They’re hard to read, but they show what people knew. Other parts show how easy it was for people to dismiss what was happening.
Between this and Manja by Anna Gmeyner (published in ‘39) there really can’t be any believing that people didn’t know what was happening. Like today, it’s easy for those not affected to ignore what’s going on. But people know. We should all know better. We can’t let these things keep happening.
tmbrundage's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.25
angie_ranck's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
audra_spiven's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0