kimberlycarrington's review against another edition
4.0
[Thanks Netgalley for the ebook. This review is my honest opinion but just another opinion, you should read this book and judge it by yourself] -English review below-
Definitivamente, este no es el libro ideal para leer en este momento pero, por otro lado, es ideal para leerlo ahora.
No es una novela romántica (lo aviso ya que casi exclusivamente es lo que leo) y, si bien la historia de amor es básica, lo importante es el contexto y el viaje de Hetty, cómo se puede pasar de ser una nazi convencida a arriesgar todo por ayudar a judíos.
Ver todo desde el punto de vista de ello es terrible y descorazonador, sobre todo viendo cómo podemos establecer demasiados paralelismos con la situación actual. Reconozco que es algo que todo lo relacionado con esa época me toca especialmente y he acabado llorando porque la vida puede ser terrible e injusta y, aún así, siempre puede haber cosas buenas. La historia de amor me ha parecido bonita pero muy muy triste (cuánto he adorado a Walter) y el epílogo me ha dejado el cuerpo fatal pero, a la vez, me ha alegrado (cosas de loca, lo sé
Definitivamente, este no es el libro ideal para leer en este momento pero, por otro lado, es ideal para leerlo ahora.
No es una novela romántica (lo aviso ya que casi exclusivamente es lo que leo) y, si bien la historia de amor es básica, lo importante es el contexto y el viaje de Hetty, cómo se puede pasar de ser una nazi convencida a arriesgar todo por ayudar a judíos.
Ver todo desde el punto de vista de ello es terrible y descorazonador, sobre todo viendo cómo podemos establecer demasiados paralelismos con la situación actual. Reconozco que es algo que todo lo relacionado con esa época me toca especialmente y he acabado llorando porque la vida puede ser terrible e injusta y, aún así, siempre puede haber cosas buenas. La historia de amor me ha parecido bonita pero muy muy triste (cuánto he adorado a Walter) y el epílogo me ha dejado el cuerpo fatal pero, a la vez, me ha alegrado (cosas de loca, lo sé
jessbattersby's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
thenewsgal's review
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
arrow_reads's review
5.0
-historical fiction, WWII
-coming May 12
Another 5 ⭐️ read for me. You step inside the home of a German family in the 1930’s. Hetty Heinrich’s father becomes a high-ranking Natzis during the rise of the Thousand Year Reich. She must choose between the convictions of her heart and duty to her country.
This is a well written historical fiction where I learned more about the life in Germany during this horrible time of history. Once I picked it up each time to read it was hard to put down. It was infuriating to hear about how evil humans can be. Yet, it was encouraging to see such courage and sacrifice for the love of others.
-coming May 12
Another 5 ⭐️ read for me. You step inside the home of a German family in the 1930’s. Hetty Heinrich’s father becomes a high-ranking Natzis during the rise of the Thousand Year Reich. She must choose between the convictions of her heart and duty to her country.
This is a well written historical fiction where I learned more about the life in Germany during this horrible time of history. Once I picked it up each time to read it was hard to put down. It was infuriating to hear about how evil humans can be. Yet, it was encouraging to see such courage and sacrifice for the love of others.
etherealfire's review
5.0
I won this book in a GR Giveaway but never received it - probably due to COVID 19/PO Box issues. So I finally grabbed it from SCRIBD. This was a grippingly intense book, telling the story of the changing, growing POV of the protagonist, a daughter of an SS agent and giving a larger than life account of various people's existence living in Germany under the Third Reich.
A chilling and rather timely-told tale, it is terrifying to see how easily manipulable hate and fear and ignorance truly is and how it can be such an utter force of destruction. It also shines a light on the ability for people to find and own their humanity and courage, even in the face of almost insurmountable odds. I loved this book!
A chilling and rather timely-told tale, it is terrifying to see how easily manipulable hate and fear and ignorance truly is and how it can be such an utter force of destruction. It also shines a light on the ability for people to find and own their humanity and courage, even in the face of almost insurmountable odds. I loved this book!
kitkat122000's review
3.0
I received an advance copy of this book from Harper Collins by way of the The Book Club Girls & NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Young Hetty is dazzled by the Nazi party in pre WWII Germany. Her father is quickly moving up the ranks & her family is climbing the social & economic ladder. She sees only the positive in Hitler & his philosophies the way a trusting child often does but as we age we learn the world isn't quite as black & white as it seems. After seeing the humiliation of a longtime friend because of his religion she learns more about the darker side of the Reich & begins to question her long held beliefs. Questioning only leads to trouble for Hetty & she is soon forced to make an impossible choice.
Maybe I'm over WWII historical fiction, or maybe this just wasn't the book for me to try & read at the moment but I really didn't click with this one. Hetty & Walter are underdeveloped as love interests & remembering that she's only 17 made her so much harder to connect with. Every action she takes is only because of young love. Love puts everyone in danger & love makes her take chances to do the right thing. I don't like it. Hetty jumped from being in love with her father & the party to being in love with Walter - she never did anything that wasn't for or because of the love of a man. She put so many people in danger throughout the book that I felt so disappointed by her constantly, which was a shame & made it difficult to connect with this book.
I also felt that the most interesting part of Hetty's life was in front of her & it was only hinted at in the prologue section. She became a resilient woman in the face of so much adversity in post war Germany, she made sacrifices & worked to help others but we never got to see it. That's a story I would want to read.
Despite my negative impression of Hetty the book was very well written. The authors prose was beautiful & well thought out with great descriptive touches. It drove home the shiny surface of the Reich for those on top with the darkness for those below. If you are looking for a wonderful glimpse of 1930's Germany this book delivers that in spades!
Young Hetty is dazzled by the Nazi party in pre WWII Germany. Her father is quickly moving up the ranks & her family is climbing the social & economic ladder. She sees only the positive in Hitler & his philosophies the way a trusting child often does but as we age we learn the world isn't quite as black & white as it seems. After seeing the humiliation of a longtime friend because of his religion she learns more about the darker side of the Reich & begins to question her long held beliefs. Questioning only leads to trouble for Hetty & she is soon forced to make an impossible choice.
Maybe I'm over WWII historical fiction, or maybe this just wasn't the book for me to try & read at the moment but I really didn't click with this one. Hetty & Walter are underdeveloped as love interests & remembering that she's only 17 made her so much harder to connect with. Every action she takes is only because of young love. Love puts everyone in danger & love makes her take chances to do the right thing. I don't like it. Hetty jumped from being in love with her father & the party to being in love with Walter - she never did anything that wasn't for or because of the love of a man. She put so many people in danger throughout the book that I felt so disappointed by her constantly, which was a shame & made it difficult to connect with this book.
I also felt that the most interesting part of Hetty's life was in front of her & it was only hinted at in the prologue section. She became a resilient woman in the face of so much adversity in post war Germany, she made sacrifices & worked to help others but we never got to see it. That's a story I would want to read.
Despite my negative impression of Hetty the book was very well written. The authors prose was beautiful & well thought out with great descriptive touches. It drove home the shiny surface of the Reich for those on top with the darkness for those below. If you are looking for a wonderful glimpse of 1930's Germany this book delivers that in spades!
lemonysea's review
4.0
This novel provided an interesting perspective: it describes the life of a young woman during her youth in the years leading up to the start of WWII. I really appreciated the point of view of Hetty, whose father was a high-ranking member of the Nazi party in her town. While she originally follows that ideology (because it’s what's promoted at home, and expected), as she grows older and *things happen*, she develops a different perspective and makes some life-changing choices. While it’s always troubling to read WWII novels, I do find myself drawn to them, in large part because this horrific part of our history should never be forgotten. While the plot and outcome of the lives of the main characters may have been a little predictable, that didn't bother me because I was interested in the characters. I thought this was a very good début novel, inspired by the author’s family history. The narration by Marisa Calin was really enjoyable.
thisreadingnurse's review
4.0
As a fan of historical fiction, I immediately fell in love with the writing of Louise Fein. This book explored WWII, life in the Reich, and the power of love. The deeper in love Hettie falls, the more she sees life through a different glass - which is a concept that defies time.
This gripping story mesmerized me and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction!
This gripping story mesmerized me and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction!
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