Review: Creative and Thought-Provoking
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 25, 2012
The main character, Ludwig, is a likeable and fascinating character from Germany that the author presents with clever dialogue and great scene setting. In fact, I liked Ludwig. As I read this book, I cared about him and could envision him sitting across from me, as if he were telling the story to me personally. The author's ability to build characters is excellent.But the narrator is not Ludwig. He is another fellow. I don't want to give away the whole book, but I will say that the way Fred Schafer tells this story offers a page-turning perspective and one that puts you in alignment with the characters throughout their wonderful journey.Through Ludwig, we are introduced to a philosophy about life. It reminded me of the Celestine Prophecy. The book gets exciting as we go along on Ludwig's adventures, first beginning with him running away at the age of 15. He eventually marries Gina and they go through the ups and downs of financial disparity, recovery, starting a family and eventually traveling to America, the land of dreams. Ludwig and Gina are both dreamers, too. By the time you reach the conclusion, you will be in love with both of them and their amazingly realistic perspectives that most anyone who has experienced life can relate to.I waited for the bang, as the title suggests, and of course the author makes you wait until the end. (Smart thinking!) You will discover what the "bang" is, exactly and it will make you sit back for a moment in its pensive delivery. But if you don't read it, then ..."perhaps in another existence, you may find out more about it."  Then again, why wait?