Reviews

Todo en vano by Walter Kempowski

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a_rxsnbrg's review against another edition

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dark slow-paced

2.0

abigailleoniereads's review against another edition

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3.0

I’m trying to decide if this is a really good book or just a bit dull..?

It’s a slow read, not a page turner, but it is extremely atmospheric of the period and people. I didn’t get particularly attached to the characters..I’m a bit confused how I feel basically! Rainy day, sitting cosy by the window read. Definitely an insight to the everyday people who weren’t on the front line of WW2 Germany.

cody240fc's review against another edition

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4.0

Deep and complex even with its understated delivery. I imagine a lot of readers felt this style diminished the novels impact, however the story was actually more impactful because of this approach: it illustrated how war minimalizes an individuals significance. Kempowski spends 2/3rds of the book building his characters, and then in the final chapters they are swept away almost as an afterthought. And that is the point. 300,000 refugees died during this refugee trek in the winter of 1945, most of whom were quickly forgotten. Kempowski witnessed these horrors with his own eyes, and his novel is an impressive testament to those marginalized victims of warfare. Highly recommended.