grise's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
bethnellvaccaro's review against another edition
4.0
Somehow I went into reading this graphic novel cold, having no idea it would be about the Goebbels children and their ultimate murder. It took me a while to get used to this book but it is powerful. I don’t know that I could have made it through the original novel, just too harrowing.
lauren_endnotes's review against another edition
4.0
Voices in the Dark by Ulli Lust, is a graphic interpretation of the novel 'Flughunde', by Marcel Beyer, translated from the German by John Brownjohn and Nika Knight.
The book is a dual narrative of Hermann Karnau, an acoustics engineer who works for the Third Reich to record and do "research" (you know what that means in Nazi Germany). He is tasked with recording sounds of the top brass, including Hitler himself doing mundane things like coughing and humming for posterity of the Third Reich. Kernau, in his work, meets Joseph Goebbels and his six children. The second narrative follows the Goebbels children, narrated by Helga, the 14/15 year old eldest daughter.
It took awhile for the narrative to develop. Slowly, with a lot of extraneous and sometimes disgusting details of Kernau's obsession with sounds of all types. The story takes a very dark and disturbing turn as the Red Army closes in on Berlin, and we get a flash forward to modern day, and a recollection of the final hours.
It is sad. It is exhaustive, but I'm glad I read it. I read Ulli Lust's graphic memoir, and this couldn't have been more different. It shows her range as a writer and artist.
The book is a dual narrative of Hermann Karnau, an acoustics engineer who works for the Third Reich to record and do "research" (you know what that means in Nazi Germany). He is tasked with recording sounds of the top brass, including Hitler himself doing mundane things like coughing and humming for posterity of the Third Reich. Kernau, in his work, meets Joseph Goebbels and his six children. The second narrative follows the Goebbels children, narrated by Helga, the 14/15 year old eldest daughter.
It took awhile for the narrative to develop. Slowly, with a lot of extraneous and sometimes disgusting details of Kernau's obsession with sounds of all types. The story takes a very dark and disturbing turn as the Red Army closes in on Berlin, and we get a flash forward to modern day, and a recollection of the final hours.
It is sad. It is exhaustive, but I'm glad I read it. I read Ulli Lust's graphic memoir, and this couldn't have been more different. It shows her range as a writer and artist.
briface's review against another edition
3.0
Children on an upper official in the Third Reich are enfriended and recorded by a TR sound engineer. It's pretty dark and bleak.
viandemoisie's review against another edition
3.0
While the story is great and the ending is a well executed show stopper, it is hard to feel any kind of sympathy for nazis.
emmkayt's review against another edition
4.0
A disturbing, claustrophobic graphic novel about a young German scientist in the last days of the Second World War. Obsessed with making sound recordings and with the human voice, Karnau seizes any opportunity to further his scientific pursuits, regardless of the human suffering this entails. He also encounters Josef Goebbels and his family - if you're unaware of how that all ends, you may want to leave it that way as you read. This was based on a German novel, and it's reflected in the complexity of the story. Dark, troubling, very good.
bluehairedlibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
I wish the first half of the book had been more like the last half of the book. This is super dense, full of information about sound recording technology and soundscapes. I enjoyed the book a lot more when it became more about the people themselves than the main scientist's research.
quackthump's review against another edition
4.0
This graphic novel follows the story of Hermann Karnau, who is obsessed with the noises of the universe, but particularly the noises of people. He records noises of all kinds, many of them gruesome, like the death rattles of soldiers dying on the battle field. He is given funding to pursue research on the voice and its part in creating the ideal Aryan, for he believes the soul is in the voice. His work brings him into the circle of Joseph Goebbels and his family, and the book splits into Hermann's memories and those of Helga Goebbels. This split shifts the focus from Hermann's work and makes the story more of a reflection of the German experience of the war, particularly the experience of a family who believed in Hitler to the end.
If I were to teach this book, I would consider the history classroom, of course, but also perhaps a speech/language/hearing course to discuss how research on the voice has progressed over time. It would not be appropriate for elementary-age children, but it would fit in a high school or college setting. I hope it would inspire further inquiry into the German experience of the war and perhaps how experiences varied vastly across classes. I think it leads well into discussions about the gruesome research experiences that were approved during this time, and whether any information of value came from that research.
If I were to teach this book, I would consider the history classroom, of course, but also perhaps a speech/language/hearing course to discuss how research on the voice has progressed over time. It would not be appropriate for elementary-age children, but it would fit in a high school or college setting. I hope it would inspire further inquiry into the German experience of the war and perhaps how experiences varied vastly across classes. I think it leads well into discussions about the gruesome research experiences that were approved during this time, and whether any information of value came from that research.
sridharancr's review
2.0
Great graphical portrayal, and ambience. But the story left me cringing. What started of as a unique perspective, a different point of view on the Third Reich quickly evolved into a very disturbing read.
soavezefiretto's review against another edition
4.0
A mixture of real accounts and fiction more horrifying that the worst horror film you ever saw. I recently told Ulli Lust that after reading this I felt like after reading "From Hell" - like I had read something dark, something important, and like I desperately needed to take a shower. (Yes, I chatted with the author. Deal with it.) So, if you enjoyed "From Hell", I would definitely recommend. Also, if you are interested in the more gruesome but also more banal aspects of nazi rule and life. And if you love graphic novels.