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Reviews
The Last Palace: Europe's Turbulent Century in Five Lives and One Legendary House by Norman Eisen
sarahtokar's review against another edition
3.5
Learned a lot about Czechoslovakia's history, which I appreciated (first period as independent country; occupation by Nazis; post-war battle among pro-democracy, native communists, and pro-Soviet factions; Prague Spring; role of Shirley Temple Black; Velvet Revolution). The author's style didn't really impress me, and the details kind of dragged at times.
paperbacksandpines's review against another edition
4.0
"He had been distracted by the palace for too long, and his obsession had left him too prone to sudden swerves of temper and too forbidding a figure. Instead of a bridge to his children, the palace was a barrier."
You may be wondering whether reading another nonfiction book set during WWII can have anything new to offer. The answer is yes. This book started by introducing Czechoslovak Otto Petschek who was born into wealth and privilege but grew his family's fortune to astronomical heights. He conceived of and oversaw every detail in the construction of his 148 room grand villa that was to be a marriage of the best Western influences, not to mention the costliest building in his country. Sadly, the Petschek family enjoyed less than ten years in their residence before being forced to flee from oncoming Nazis.
Petschek's villa then fell into the hands of Rudloph Toussaint, a German army officer who, first and foremost, remained loyal to the German army, not to the Nazi's and the S.S. His loyalties were divided and when forced to make hard choices, he made ones that wouldn't implicate his own beliefs. Toussaint and Petschek's trusty steward, who remained on the grounds during the war, safeguarded the Petschek's most valued possessions. However, just prior to the arrival of Toussaint, and, after his ousting at the end of the war, they were unable to prevent the willful destruction and theft of many of the palace's items left behind.
In 1945, strong willed American Ambassador, Laurence Steinhardt, finagled his way into leasing the Residence from the Czechoslovak Ministry of National Defense, even though it still belonged to the Petschek family and the Ministry of National Defense did not have the authority to lease the property. In doing so, the villa to become the American Ambassadorial Residence and Steinhardt prevented the villa from falling into further disrepair, paying for the upkeep out of his own pocket. I would have thought that things would have improved for Czechoslovak Jews after the war but this really wasn't the case. It seems the Czechoslovak people traded one form of enslavement by the Nazis for another with the Communists.
In the midst of these narratives, we periodically read about a young Jewish girl named Frieda and her family, first in the pre-war years, then, immediately following the end of the war. We don't find out why she is in the story until later in the book.
In 1968, Shirley Temple Black unexpectedly became a witness to the Prague Spring, a period of political liberalization and mass protest to Czechoslovakia's Communist state after World War II. More than twenty years later she returned to Prague, this time as the American ambassador, again in a period of massive protests and unrest.
Fast forward to the Obama administration when Norman Eisen has been named the American Ambassador to Prague, a triumph and an irony for the son of Czechoslovak Jews.
This book gave me so much context for WWII, even though I've read countless books about the war. I loved how the Petschek villa was a character onto itself, a representation of Czechoslovakia itself and I couldn't help but root for its survival and triumph. I would highly recommend this book.
You may be wondering whether reading another nonfiction book set during WWII can have anything new to offer. The answer is yes. This book started by introducing Czechoslovak Otto Petschek who was born into wealth and privilege but grew his family's fortune to astronomical heights. He conceived of and oversaw every detail in the construction of his 148 room grand villa that was to be a marriage of the best Western influences, not to mention the costliest building in his country. Sadly, the Petschek family enjoyed less than ten years in their residence before being forced to flee from oncoming Nazis.
Petschek's villa then fell into the hands of Rudloph Toussaint, a German army officer who, first and foremost, remained loyal to the German army, not to the Nazi's and the S.S. His loyalties were divided and when forced to make hard choices, he made ones that wouldn't implicate his own beliefs. Toussaint and Petschek's trusty steward, who remained on the grounds during the war, safeguarded the Petschek's most valued possessions. However, just prior to the arrival of Toussaint, and, after his ousting at the end of the war, they were unable to prevent the willful destruction and theft of many of the palace's items left behind.
In 1945, strong willed American Ambassador, Laurence Steinhardt, finagled his way into leasing the Residence from the Czechoslovak Ministry of National Defense, even though it still belonged to the Petschek family and the Ministry of National Defense did not have the authority to lease the property. In doing so, the villa to become the American Ambassadorial Residence and Steinhardt prevented the villa from falling into further disrepair, paying for the upkeep out of his own pocket. I would have thought that things would have improved for Czechoslovak Jews after the war but this really wasn't the case. It seems the Czechoslovak people traded one form of enslavement by the Nazis for another with the Communists.
In the midst of these narratives, we periodically read about a young Jewish girl named Frieda and her family, first in the pre-war years, then, immediately following the end of the war. We don't find out why she is in the story until later in the book.
In 1968, Shirley Temple Black unexpectedly became a witness to the Prague Spring, a period of political liberalization and mass protest to Czechoslovakia's Communist state after World War II. More than twenty years later she returned to Prague, this time as the American ambassador, again in a period of massive protests and unrest.
Fast forward to the Obama administration when Norman Eisen has been named the American Ambassador to Prague, a triumph and an irony for the son of Czechoslovak Jews
Spoiler
who had been forced from their homes and families and put into concentration camps during WWIThis book gave me so much context for WWII, even though I've read countless books about the war. I loved how the Petschek villa was a character onto itself, a representation of Czechoslovakia itself and I couldn't help but root for its survival and triumph. I would highly recommend this book.
kteddycurr's review against another edition
3.0
Maybe because I had no idea what I was getting into when I started the book, but I was primarily interested in the house itself, its building and things that happened to it specifically. Which means I lost a bit of interest when the story strayed. Good read otherwise
williammcclain's review against another edition
5.0
I would give this 6 stars if I could. Fascinating true story and window to 20th century Europe.
jamies_bookreads's review against another edition
3.0
The story was interesting, however the audiobook performance made it a better read to me. I would give narration a 4/star.
andreaharrislong's review against another edition
5.0
Wonderfully written history of the last 100 years of the Czech Republic, as experienced through five very different individuals. The country’s experience with fascism and communism, under the veil of nationalism, also made me reflect on what is happening in America and other parts of the world today.
anthea_june's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
kathykekmrs's review against another edition
5.0
This is a really good book. This is the history of the building that the United States would make the US Embassy in the Czech Republic. It was built by an eccentric Jew with a large coal fortune in the ninety twenties. He traveled all over Europe to make sure he had the best of everything or at the very least really good replicas. This book goes into the Nazi Party coming to power and taking the building Then the Russians came and destroyed it as the Soviet Government did not honor the history. The United States wanted to buy the building, but it was a hard sell since the true owners had emigrated to the United States and England just before Krystallnacht. They would have given the palace to the United States Department of State. This is not the way the US government acts, generally. They believe in paying for the buildings and lands that they appropriate. Parts of the palace were able to be restored and the building witnessed much of the history of the twentieth century. Shirley Temple Black was the Ambassador when the Berlin Wall came down in 1989 and her relationship with the Czech people is in the book. This is written by the Ambassador under President Obama and intersperses his family's history throughout the book.