gibby_'s review against another edition
Oh My Gosh!!! This was an amazing book! I needed to read a book for school and I chose this one. I picked a really, really good book! Speaking as a kid, this would be a really good book to read to your children, parents, if you wanted to brief them on World War 2. I am about to start this part in U.S. history in history and I know a lot more, and it has given me a little insight into the world during the 40's.
lynnietakalele's review against another edition
4.0
I liked it and was still thinking about it days later, always a good sign! I thought some of the dialogue was a little too modern, but who cares, I still LOVED the explanation of history in it, especially the chronology. I did think the author took for granted that the main character would absolutely take her parents' viewpoint. It would have been more realistic for her to waver a bit more in her ideology. I would like to read more by this author.
narratedbyrein's review against another edition
1.0
I have some very strong feelings about this book. I was actually LOVING the first 50-ish pages but than it began to drag. I would have dnfed this if I wasn't reading it for a school project. I absolutely DESPISED the ending and was really mad at it. The ending was not very satisfactory in my opinion. I do understand why the ending was done the way it was done but that doesn't make me hate it less. I ranted about this book to my friends for over an hour straight and wish I had recorded the conversation. One of my least favorite books of all time.
lizbusby's review against another edition
This book was generic WWII edu-fiction. It tried to step it up a bit with being from the German side and SCIENCE, but even Einstein couldn't save it from being a boring and overdone topic.
lacywolfe's review against another edition
4.0
Lasky provides the perspective of a German girl (whose family does not support the Nazis and is friends with many Jewish families) amidst Hitler's rise to power prior to WWII. The historical aspects are made easy to understand providing a good foundation for further studies.
kwurtzel3's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this book, I really did. It reminded me a little of [b:One Eye Laughing, the Other Eye Weeping: The Diary of Julie Weiss, Vienna, Austria, to New York, 1938|168713|One Eye Laughing, the Other Eye Weeping The Diary of Julie Weiss, Vienna, Austria, to New York, 1938 (Dear America)|Barry Denenberg|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172360055s/168713.jpg|162916], part of the Dear America series - which Kathryn Lasky also wrote for. This seemed to be less mature - targeted more towards a thirteen-year-old audience, perhaps?
There wasn't nearly enough action for me - the plot kept building and building and was suddenly cut off, something I wasn't impressed by. I also couldn't seem to get the character of Rosa - she was completely two-dimensional and uninteresting.
Overall, though, it wasn't bad. Especially the characterization and portrayal of Einstein - that was fascinating!
There wasn't nearly enough action for me - the plot kept building and building and was suddenly cut off, something I wasn't impressed by. I also couldn't seem to get the character of Rosa - she was completely two-dimensional and uninteresting.
Overall, though, it wasn't bad. Especially the characterization and portrayal of Einstein - that was fascinating!
lemon_drop's review against another edition
3.0
Tackles the goal of explaining Hitler's rise to power in 1932/33 and how it impacts the life of 13 year old Gaby, daughter of a physicist colleague of Einstein. The focus is on the use of censorship, propaganda & mob manipulation during the rise of the Nazi party. The "ashes" here are from the book burnings, not the camps. This is not really a holocaust story, but might help someone see how Germany let Hitler get there.
I liked it, but I thought it was unevenly paced....which could have been the intention given the subject matter. I'm not sure what kind of teen I'd offer this up to. Someone with strong interest in politics & literature would love it... but otherwise I'm not so sure.
Also, my copy had tons of typos & errors....over a dozen or so. Like someone rushed to get it published. weird.
I liked it, but I thought it was unevenly paced....which could have been the intention given the subject matter. I'm not sure what kind of teen I'd offer this up to. Someone with strong interest in politics & literature would love it... but otherwise I'm not so sure.
Also, my copy had tons of typos & errors....over a dozen or so. Like someone rushed to get it published. weird.
tatted_librarian's review against another edition
2.0
I lost interest in the story very quickly. I wish I finished it, but it got excruciatingly boring.
backonthealex's review against another edition
4.0
Life is pretty comfortable for Gabriella Schramm, 13, called Gaby by friends and family. Living in 1932 Berlin, her upper middle class family is better off than most Germans at the time. Her father is a renowned scientist, teaching astronomy at the University, and is friends with Albert Einstein. Her mother, an former pianist who gives lessons at home now, hob nobs with Baba, a well-respected Jewish society columnist for the only newspaper in Berlin that isn't pro-Nazi. Gaby's older sister, Ulla, is scheduled to begin studying at a conservatory in Vienna next year. And Gaby, who loves to read anything she can get her hands on, including Ernest Hemingway, Jack London, Mark Twain and my personal favorites Rainer Maria Remarque and Erich Kästner, is looking forward to reading Heinrich Heine's poetry in Gymnasium after summer vacation.
But things are beginning to change, both within Gaby's family and all over Germany. First, Ulla insists on remaining in Berlin for the summer instead of going to the family's lakeside vacation home, claiming she has a bookkeeping job at the cabaret where her boyfriend Karl, an engineering student, works. But when Karl and Ulla come to visit, Gaby begins to suspect that Karl is a Nazi supporter. She had already suspected the same thing of the family housekeeper, Hertha and the man who maintains their Berlin apartment building. In fact, Gaby has noticed a significant increase in the number of Brown Shirts (SA) and Black Shirts (SS) all over Berlin despite the ban on them.
Back in school after vacation, Gaby and her best friend Rosa are overjoyed to begin studying literature with the very beautiful, kind, well-dressed Frau Hofstadt, who is picked up everyday by a mysterious limousine. But, at home, the talk is more and more about the political situation, which in 1932 is all over the place, though everyone is relieved when the Nazis loose seats in the Reichstag (Parliament), hoping that that will be an end to Hitler and his Nazi party.
But that's not what happens at all and through all kinds of twists and turns, Hitler is named Chancellor by President Hindenburg at the end of January 1933. And with amazing speed, Gaby watches her previously safe, happy world fall completely to pieces.
The period 1919-1933 was such a complicated time in German history and politics. The Nazis referred to it as the Kampfzeit, the time of struggle to gain acceptance and power for their radical policies. Lasky covers only 1932-1933 in Ashes and kudos to her for successfully tackling it in a novel for young readers. There is lots of talk about events that actually happened, and Lasky provides enough information to understand it without overwhelming or boring the reader.
Ashes is a well-written novel, and although it is a little slow in places, given the time and place of the action, it is indeed a worthwhile read. I particularly loved that each chapter begins with a quote from a book Gaby loves and which foreshadows what happens in that chapter. And since Gaby witnesses the Nazi book burning on May 10, 1933, it is all the more poignant a reminder of some of what was lost in that tragic event.
The novel is told from Gaby's point of view, which gives us her very subjective, but very astute observation, not only of what is happening around her, but how she thinks and feels about it all, A fine example of that is when she witnesses her former math teacher, Herr Berg, being removed from her school by the Nazis for being Jewish, and disappears. The reader feels her shock, disgust, sadness and despair all at the same time.
Some of the scenes may feel a little cliche and I am not the first person to realize that Karl resembles Lisle's Hitler Youth boyfriend from The Sound of Music, and that there is a scene similar to one in Cabaret, in which everyone in an outdoor Biergarten joins a Hitler Youth in singing a Nazi song. But, these scenes also make a necessary point (and people have traditionally joined in singing in Biergartens in Germany, it wasn't just a Nazi thing to show support).
Ashes is a nice contribution to the body of Holocaust and World War II literature and on its own, a very interesting book about a very complex time made accessible by good research and skillful writing.
This book is recommended for readers age 11+
This book was purchased for my personal library
This review was originally posted at The Children's War
But things are beginning to change, both within Gaby's family and all over Germany. First, Ulla insists on remaining in Berlin for the summer instead of going to the family's lakeside vacation home, claiming she has a bookkeeping job at the cabaret where her boyfriend Karl, an engineering student, works. But when Karl and Ulla come to visit, Gaby begins to suspect that Karl is a Nazi supporter. She had already suspected the same thing of the family housekeeper, Hertha and the man who maintains their Berlin apartment building. In fact, Gaby has noticed a significant increase in the number of Brown Shirts (SA) and Black Shirts (SS) all over Berlin despite the ban on them.
Back in school after vacation, Gaby and her best friend Rosa are overjoyed to begin studying literature with the very beautiful, kind, well-dressed Frau Hofstadt, who is picked up everyday by a mysterious limousine. But, at home, the talk is more and more about the political situation, which in 1932 is all over the place, though everyone is relieved when the Nazis loose seats in the Reichstag (Parliament), hoping that that will be an end to Hitler and his Nazi party.
But that's not what happens at all and through all kinds of twists and turns, Hitler is named Chancellor by President Hindenburg at the end of January 1933. And with amazing speed, Gaby watches her previously safe, happy world fall completely to pieces.
The period 1919-1933 was such a complicated time in German history and politics. The Nazis referred to it as the Kampfzeit, the time of struggle to gain acceptance and power for their radical policies. Lasky covers only 1932-1933 in Ashes and kudos to her for successfully tackling it in a novel for young readers. There is lots of talk about events that actually happened, and Lasky provides enough information to understand it without overwhelming or boring the reader.
Ashes is a well-written novel, and although it is a little slow in places, given the time and place of the action, it is indeed a worthwhile read. I particularly loved that each chapter begins with a quote from a book Gaby loves and which foreshadows what happens in that chapter. And since Gaby witnesses the Nazi book burning on May 10, 1933, it is all the more poignant a reminder of some of what was lost in that tragic event.
The novel is told from Gaby's point of view, which gives us her very subjective, but very astute observation, not only of what is happening around her, but how she thinks and feels about it all, A fine example of that is when she witnesses her former math teacher, Herr Berg, being removed from her school by the Nazis for being Jewish, and disappears. The reader feels her shock, disgust, sadness and despair all at the same time.
Some of the scenes may feel a little cliche and I am not the first person to realize that Karl resembles Lisle's Hitler Youth boyfriend from The Sound of Music, and that there is a scene similar to one in Cabaret, in which everyone in an outdoor Biergarten joins a Hitler Youth in singing a Nazi song. But, these scenes also make a necessary point (and people have traditionally joined in singing in Biergartens in Germany, it wasn't just a Nazi thing to show support).
Ashes is a nice contribution to the body of Holocaust and World War II literature and on its own, a very interesting book about a very complex time made accessible by good research and skillful writing.
This book is recommended for readers age 11+
This book was purchased for my personal library
This review was originally posted at The Children's War