Not to be dramatic, but one of the best books I've ever read. No wonder it won a pulitzer The many characters, careening timelines, historical accuracy, pacing, and building of narrative with minimal dialogue absolutely blew my mind. I have never read a book crafted like this. I had my doubts at first with the poeticism and jumping timelines that I could not follow, but when it all came together at the climax, it was all so perfect. The characters--I really appreciate von Rumpel as a villain. His plight from geologist to conspiracy-obsessed nazi is very realistic and compelling. One of my favorite book villains perhaps. The intricacies resulting from Marie's disability were unique and created much of the book's tension. It made me contemplate what times of war were like for people with disabilities. Werner's story of being drawn/forced into the charms of nazi Germany was so realistic. For me, this explained more easily than the history books how this war began. I could go on and on about all the other characters. I love that we saw each one through to the essential end of their story. It is so rare to be able to connect with this many secondary characters without it getting confusing. The ending--This book could have ended much earlier than it did and I would have been happy. I like the stylistic choice to follow the characters post-war. I like that it showed that war promises happy endings to no one.