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guybrush's review
3.0
Excellent story, but too gruesome
The writing is very good, the plot and pacing are perfect, the details are engrossing ... but I spent most of this book cringing because if the horrors described. I was looking for historical fiction, or a romance, or a sweeping epic ... not a depiction of why war is hell.
I appreciate why the author did this, to illustrate the contrast and the journey, but it was too much for me.
The writing is very good, the plot and pacing are perfect, the details are engrossing ... but I spent most of this book cringing because if the horrors described. I was looking for historical fiction, or a romance, or a sweeping epic ... not a depiction of why war is hell.
I appreciate why the author did this, to illustrate the contrast and the journey, but it was too much for me.
wolfshine's review
5.0
A fascinating insight into love and war. When the novel begins, we’re thrown into the story behind a photograph and see our star-crossed lovers thrown together. In the beginning, everything seems straightforward, but as Hitler progresses in his Nazi regime, all bets are off.
I loved how much research the author did because all the details of the war, country, and situation were very realistic. The heroine in our story was brave, choosing to fight on the front lines rather than to hide. I can’t imagine how the story would’ve progressed with a different heroine.
While historical fiction isn’t really my cup of tea, I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish.
I loved how much research the author did because all the details of the war, country, and situation were very realistic. The heroine in our story was brave, choosing to fight on the front lines rather than to hide. I can’t imagine how the story would’ve progressed with a different heroine.
While historical fiction isn’t really my cup of tea, I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish.
rachelmabarca's review
5.0
Graphic and hope-filled
I loved the dynamic of this story! Two sides of one war, intersecting when it seems impossible, and triumph amidst desolation of the earth, humanity, and the soul.
I loved the dynamic of this story! Two sides of one war, intersecting when it seems impossible, and triumph amidst desolation of the earth, humanity, and the soul.
my_reading_nest's review
5.0
Ellie Midwood doesn't hold back in her writing. She does a ton of research on the historical aspects of her books so she is able to just weave the fictional storyline in through the real history. Those are the kinds of books I absolutely love. It really makes history come to life. At least for me.
Reading the heartbreaking emotions of Ellie and Werner as they had to go through the different aspects of the war was so hard. Even some of the small decisions they made were pretty life altering in our lives today.
All those small decisions that each of them made during WWII, that we read about were made by real people like this fictional couple. Real people had to live with the consequences of their decisions for the rest of their lives.
I definitely recommend you grab a copy of this book ASAP.
Reading the heartbreaking emotions of Ellie and Werner as they had to go through the different aspects of the war was so hard. Even some of the small decisions they made were pretty life altering in our lives today.
All those small decisions that each of them made during WWII, that we read about were made by real people like this fictional couple. Real people had to live with the consequences of their decisions for the rest of their lives.
I definitely recommend you grab a copy of this book ASAP.
now_booking's review
4.0
Wow.
This is a hard novel to categorize. It’s historical fiction and wartime fiction for sure, going deep into the atrocities that happen in war. But it’s also an epic love story with the kind of Deus Ex Machina coincidences you get in a romance novel. And of course it’s a coming of age story for two young soldiers during WWII, Werner and Kira.
I liked this novel a lot because it’s really well written- heartbreakingly, viscerally so. Both protagonists are incredibly strong characters, neither of them is perfect, both of them commit atrocities- in fact, at certain points in the novel, it’s almost a competition of who has bloodier hands, but no matter what, you never lose your sympathy for two young people caught up in a war not of their making and trying to survive.
I feel like the ending was a little too convenient and rushed and not as creative as the rest of the novel but overall this tale of star-crossed lovers was a really interesting historical depiction of the Soviet-German conflict during World War 2. This is not a novel that makes a specific judgment call on the Nazis or the communists as being bad or good. Obviously, there are references to the racist and fascist regime of Nazi Germany but this book doesn’t necessarily therefore make it that the soldiers of Nazi Germany were the villains of the novel. This is a novel that portrays how devastating war is even to those who volunteer to serve and protect their countries and how far removed these soldiers are from the ideologies and strategies they are made to fight for. This novel is also a cautionary tale against war and violent conflict. I recommend it highly.
This is a hard novel to categorize. It’s historical fiction and wartime fiction for sure, going deep into the atrocities that happen in war. But it’s also an epic love story with the kind of Deus Ex Machina coincidences you get in a romance novel. And of course it’s a coming of age story for two young soldiers during WWII, Werner and Kira.
I liked this novel a lot because it’s really well written- heartbreakingly, viscerally so. Both protagonists are incredibly strong characters, neither of them is perfect, both of them commit atrocities- in fact, at certain points in the novel, it’s almost a competition of who has bloodier hands, but no matter what, you never lose your sympathy for two young people caught up in a war not of their making and trying to survive.
I feel like the ending was a little too convenient and rushed and not as creative as the rest of the novel but overall this tale of star-crossed lovers was a really interesting historical depiction of the Soviet-German conflict during World War 2. This is not a novel that makes a specific judgment call on the Nazis or the communists as being bad or good. Obviously, there are references to the racist and fascist regime of Nazi Germany but this book doesn’t necessarily therefore make it that the soldiers of Nazi Germany were the villains of the novel. This is a novel that portrays how devastating war is even to those who volunteer to serve and protect their countries and how far removed these soldiers are from the ideologies and strategies they are made to fight for. This novel is also a cautionary tale against war and violent conflict. I recommend it highly.
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