Started February 24th, finished February 27th
This book was lent to me by my mum as she thought my interest in Europe during WWII would be piqued. It tells the tale of a Polish half-Jew who has been sent to the Netherlands to live with her mother's Non-Jewish family. I won't spoil the tale but the main character ends up in the Lebensborn programme.
I found the book to be a little 'Chick lit romantic' for my tastes. The style didn't seem to suit the seriousness of the situation being written about. However I soon realised I could either get over myself and get on with reading the story or continue to bitch to myself about it.
As a story it's good. As a description of the inside of a Lebensborn hospital it seems very good. It's obviously been well researched. However I still can't get the subject matter, the story and the way it's told to gel for me. It just doesn't ring true.
The author seemed to want to get across certain points in her book. Mainly that not all Germans not even all the soldiers were National Socialist Party sympathisers and that not all foreigners were National Socialist Party haters. Points I'm glad to see made. I particularly liked the way the author used the term Wehrmacht. One which is usually lazily ignored in preference for the incorrect term 'Nazi'.
The biggest downfall of this book was for me the 'romantic' way it was written. The main character may have been a romantic wuss but it was taken too far. There is a horrific occurence in the book which seems to have very little effect on her. Something I just couldn't believe. It was very wrong for the author to make so light of it to me. The romantic outcome of the book just didn't wash either.
3.5 out of 5 pawprints
I would like to see interviews with both German and foreign women who went into the programme. I wonder if there is anything published from the Channel Islands? When I've had time to let this book settle in my mind I think I'll try and look up some factual memoirs.
I'd love to hear the opinions of others who have read this book.
Total so far, Books - 13, Pages - 3,559
Next - Cabal by Michael Dibdin
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2 comments:
Ooh, so close...until you wrote "chick lit romantic." That phrase gives me a horrible no feeling.
Random, somewhat tangential question: Have you ever heard of the book Aimée & Jaguar: A Love Story, Berlin 1943? I have the book and it's near the top of my pile for this year's book bin. I've seen and love the movie but find it heart-breaking and difficult to watch.
I hadn't heard of it before. The book is now on my Amazon wishlist :-)
Is the film a documentary?
It seems this horrid time is being read by a lot us lately. My friend recently blogged about 'J’ai donné la vie dans un camp de la mort' (I Gave Birth in the Camp of Death), unfortunately it's not available in an English translation. her blog post is here http://karode.wordpress.com/2011/02/26/jai-donne-la-vie-dans-un-camp-de-la-mort/
For these kinds of tales I like to hear real stories. I think there's too much temptation to 'chick-lit romance' them in fiction. The real tales themselves need no fiddling with to move me.
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