readingcaffeinated's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you to Neemtreepress and Mmbtours for a copy for this book in exchange for a honest review.
Following the stories of three generations before, during and after the fall of the Berlin wall this novel gives us a glimpse of a time in history and the growth we have come to expect as the normal way of life.
I normally don't read these intense drama stories, but found some solace for my own personal history in this book. This book is intense, amd although some of the literary magic got lost in translation (in my opinion) I got swept up in this story the more I read.
This book is a bit slower in pace, giving you ample time to process and deal with the intensity of the story. As with most war based stories, it isn't a pretty story, it's not a kind story, but it is a book that will change you.
This is definitely not an easy read novel, but a striking, stay with you kind of novel. There are quite a few trigger themes in this book, like domestic abuse and death.
I think the translation has an impact on the flow of the read, but you do get into the flow after a few chapters if you stick with it.
If you read books like the Kite Runner you'll probably want to pick this one up as well
Following the stories of three generations before, during and after the fall of the Berlin wall this novel gives us a glimpse of a time in history and the growth we have come to expect as the normal way of life.
I normally don't read these intense drama stories, but found some solace for my own personal history in this book. This book is intense, amd although some of the literary magic got lost in translation (in my opinion) I got swept up in this story the more I read.
This book is a bit slower in pace, giving you ample time to process and deal with the intensity of the story. As with most war based stories, it isn't a pretty story, it's not a kind story, but it is a book that will change you.
This is definitely not an easy read novel, but a striking, stay with you kind of novel. There are quite a few trigger themes in this book, like domestic abuse and death.
I think the translation has an impact on the flow of the read, but you do get into the flow after a few chapters if you stick with it.
If you read books like the Kite Runner you'll probably want to pick this one up as well
katecks's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyed this. It read like a true story rather than a work of fiction. There were no major dramatic events. The story moved along at a steady pace bringing insights into the impact of major historical events on ordinary people's lives.
kmspedden's review against another edition
2.0
I did not finish this novel and I'm sorry to say that. It had a promising premise because I've read very few books that center around Germany after the war. Add in the fact that it spans different time frame and different people I wanted so much to come from it. But there was a problem, The book was too hard to get into. It felt a bit like stream of consciousness writing in the beginning and while it does help you get to know who the narrator is when it's done well it just left me a bit confused. Throwing the reader in the way this story did I felt like I was missing something or hadn't read the novel from the beginning because I was just confused by what was happening and it wasn't the best way to start something. So while I'm sure this novel will be enjoyable to others it just wasn't for me.
kwdibble419's review against another edition
3.0
Distant Signs by Anne Richter is the story of Marget and Hans. In alternate chapters and timelines, we follow their childhoods, marriage and life after WWII, but before the fall of the Berlin Wall. In chapters featuring their parents we learn something of the heartbreak and loss of the war itself. The atmospheric setting instills a further sense of gray gloom as East Germany's people suffer under the government's communist regime.
We meet Margret and Hans shortly after the Berlin Wall was erected. And although the Wall itself is never addressed in the book it is clear that life is hard for many, except the political elite, which includes Margret's father. Hans' family is not so lucky, with his father disabled from the war and his mother working long hours to care for them while tending the farm and gardens.
This is truly a story of ordinary people living ordinary lives. But while we are privy to their thoughts and actions there is little background to put the story in context. It could have been set in Stalin's Russia or Franco's Spain, except for the occasional references to German culture and tradition. It ends with the couple's daughter living in France, following the fall of the Berlin Wall, but we never hear about the momentous event directly.
A stark contrast is drawn between characters as we learn each story in individual chapters separated by years. The differences in Margret's life and Hans' life illustrate the differences that nearly break them. They struggle mightily to understand one another and their marriage is strained, their relationships with each other's families are strained, even their children don't seem to evoke an emotional connection. The story is a thought-provoking study of relationships, and how people can be affected by family, the changing political tides and their social standing.
Distant Signs is a melancholy, perhaps heartbreaking story, with a glimpse of hope that things will improve, that life will move on and that our children's fates don't have to be the same as our own.
Thank you to MMB book tours and Neem Tree Books for a gifted copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.
We meet Margret and Hans shortly after the Berlin Wall was erected. And although the Wall itself is never addressed in the book it is clear that life is hard for many, except the political elite, which includes Margret's father. Hans' family is not so lucky, with his father disabled from the war and his mother working long hours to care for them while tending the farm and gardens.
This is truly a story of ordinary people living ordinary lives. But while we are privy to their thoughts and actions there is little background to put the story in context. It could have been set in Stalin's Russia or Franco's Spain, except for the occasional references to German culture and tradition. It ends with the couple's daughter living in France, following the fall of the Berlin Wall, but we never hear about the momentous event directly.
A stark contrast is drawn between characters as we learn each story in individual chapters separated by years. The differences in Margret's life and Hans' life illustrate the differences that nearly break them. They struggle mightily to understand one another and their marriage is strained, their relationships with each other's families are strained, even their children don't seem to evoke an emotional connection. The story is a thought-provoking study of relationships, and how people can be affected by family, the changing political tides and their social standing.
Distant Signs is a melancholy, perhaps heartbreaking story, with a glimpse of hope that things will improve, that life will move on and that our children's fates don't have to be the same as our own.
Thank you to MMB book tours and Neem Tree Books for a gifted copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.
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