Review: This one is a keeper
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 6, 2013
I utterly loved this book.  It focuses on so many odd threads in WWII--the propaganda, why non-Germans would help the Nazis, the dawning awareness of what they were doing, and how that affected some differently than others.  But make no mistake. This is a character-driven book, and the characters are sketched with great depth, sympathy and understanding. Yes, I think the author was a bit light on how bad the Nazis were, but given the characters in the novel, that makes sense. He surely does not sugar coat them, and the sense of menace she creates is very real. That she could cover the events of the years 1938-1945 while still exploring the human beings she depicts so fully speaks wonders about her writing ability, and her sense of proportion.There is one absolute howler, that I have to mention, though I still give this book 5 stars plus. She reports a game between the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers, both with records like 6-4 and 4-6, and mentions a 65-yard run play leading to a final score of 21-7.  I suspect the author is, to put this delicately, not a sports fan. Of baseball or football.  But even though that made me laugh out loud, I overlooked it because the rest of the book is so engrossing.  I did not want it to end at all. I wanted to know what happened to all of the main characters.  To me, that is what makes a book superior.  The author left us wanting more.  So kudos to her, and if you are a WWII junkie like me, or just want to read a really compelling story, you should buy her book.  You will be glad you did.