5 comments about The Book Thief.

1. The Book Thief was suggested to me by Aine Gleadhill of Belfast She is an author and a great reader. She knows me well. The book clutched at my heart and would not let go even when the story ended. Picking up the next bool was more than a little difficult. I let The Book Thief lay on the table and went back again and again to review the amazing wisdom and philosophy... Fear of Death keeping us from living.
   
   Roisin



2. I have to say that I don't particularly like the layout of the book with its bold, terse intrusions that seem to be an attempt at some sort of post-modern technique that, in my opinion, detracts from rather than elucidates the story.
   That said I did like this book. The grim Reaper as narrator (and even the aforementioned technique) work well when dealing with the evils of the Nazis. This may be particularly instructive as the modern world continues with the old us vs them dialectic.
   Zusak's tale brings to mind Gunther Grass' poignant little book "Cat and Mouse," with its rendition of boys growing up and coming of age during the Nazi era in Danzig. As much as I liked Grass' book, Zusak's is better in my opinion: broader in scope, characterization and even historical perspective. Where Grass uses the obvious metaphor of the cat toying with the mice until it kills them, Zusak's Is more subtle: the idea perhaps that every life is a book and that in dire times one may have to steal a life.
   I've given only four stars not only based on the format, but because I thought some of the dialogue needed a little more work.
   
   Michael D. Edwards, Author of the recently released "Royal Ryukian Blues" a memoir of Okinawa.



3. A little girl's world is thrown upside down; the sudden death of her brother and his snowy graveside set the scene for an act of thievery that will mark her new beginning.
   
   Set in fictional Molching, Germany, The Book Thief follows the trials and tribulations of Liesel Meminger as she begins life anew with her foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann, while the Nazi idealism in Germany grows stronger.
   
   As you accompany the narrator, Death, from Liesel's arrival on Himmel Street through the next five years, you will experience the ups and downs of adolescence, the courage to stand up for what you believe in, and the utter tragedies of war. You root for Liesel as she learns to read and develops a profound love for books, especially those which are stolen. You go along as she and her best friend Rudy Steiner commit various acts of `teenage-ism'. You sit on pins and needles as Liesel and her family risks everything by hiding a Jew in their basement. And one of the most intriguing aspects of the journey is the insights Death gives you into his perspective of war along the way.
   
   Prepare to be pulled into the chaotic world of a little girl who is growing up in Nazi Germany. Don't think it's another German-Holocaust-Anne Frank like book. Don't be put off by the fact it's listed under Young Adult (which I completely disagree with). And think about picking up this book and enjoying one of the most brilliantly written, enduring stories of our time.
   
   Also reviewed at [...]



4. I don't think I have ever read a book that was narrated by Death before. It definitely gave the book an interesting perspective. The Book Thief tells the story of Liesel Meminger who comes to live with the Himmerman family in Nazi Germany after her mother can no longer care for her. Death tells the different times he meets Liesel and how she came to be known as the Book Thief. It also gives a glimpse into how it was to live in Munich during the time of the Nazi's and also the trials the Himmerman family goes through to hide Max, the Jewish son of Hans Himmermans' old deceased war buddy, after Hans made a promise to help his widow if she ever needed anything.If this story were told from the perspective of one of the actual characters (Liesel, Hans, Max, or Rudy-Liesel's neighbor and best friend) I don't think the story would have been nearly as good. It's the story told from Death's point of view and how among all the people in the world and all the suffering at the time this girl stood out to him and his telling of her story and those around her which puts the book in a class by itself.I like books that allow you to put a human face on tribulations endured. For the Holocaust the Diary of Anne Frank did that, Elie Wiesel's Night did that, and the Book Thief accomplished this also. Great, although very sad read.



5. Very rarely do I read a book that touches me so much. Don't get me wrong, I've read lots of great books that get 5 stars easily, but this book deserves more than that.
   I did not expect very much from this book. I had to find out why so many recommended it. How interesting is it to read about a girl that steals books? Sounded boring. Well, Zusak proved me wrong. Death, as the narrator, did an amazing job. You completely bonded with each of the characters, not just the main one. You start loving every one of them as if they were your own friends, parents, sons, and daughters.
   I wish someone had warned me to read the ending in private. It was embarrassing bawling on an airplane!
   Don't be put off by this book categorized in the young adult section.
   Easily one of the top 5 books I've read in my life.

5 comments about The Master Sniper.

1. A good thriller, and worth your time, but there's a chunk of narrative in the middle of the thing that sits like a big turd in a punchbowl. It's a tennis game involving a non-central character, and it's not necessary or resolved later in the least. No further reference. Cut that and you have a 4-star instead of a 3-star read.



2. A very good action book, especially if you like WWII stories & snipers!
   
   The story starts a little slow, flipping back and worth between the German sniper Repp and the American officer Leets and his British counterpart Outhwaithe, but kicks into high gear and never lets up a few chapters in.
   
   This novel was Stephen Hunter's 1st book, written in 1980. For a 1st novel, its excellent.
   
   The story / plot of this book is amazing,once you find out what Repp's mission is, it will blow you away, this book should have been a movie long, long ago.
   
   The Germans have a new weapon "Vampir (Vampire)", a highly sophisticated nightvision apparatus that attaches to a rifle, allowing the shooter to work at night and "Vampir" shoots a special 100 % lead round that makes very little sound when fired. Their is only one "Vampir" and the Germans have got their best man for the job, a German named Repp "der Meisterschutze (The Master Sniper)" as fellow Germans and the Jews know him. Germany is losing the war and its almost over, but Repp has one more mission to complete, a mission that could change the world.
   
   An American officer named Leets has a hunch that something big is about to happen, he just doesnt know what or who it is, yet!
   
   Good action, great characters and great storytelling from Stephen Hunter!
   
   "Dirty White Boys" by Stephen Hunter was entertaining, I think "The Master Sniper" was a little better. Can't wait to read "Point of Impact" next!



3. This is a fun book about the end of WWII. The story line moves well and, as with all Hunter's novels, is well written. Truly an enjoyable read.



4. I agree with the author in his letter that in the book Master Sniper he is trying to create a believable character from the German point of view, which too many books failed to do. Stephen Hunter had certainly achieved his goal. Nevertheless as a thriller this book is not as fast paced as I would have liked to. This is NOT a criticism of the literary value of this book. Rather it is a simple statement from my own point of view. When I read a Crichton or a Dan Brown it typically took me no more than three days to finish it because I couldn't put it down. But this one took me 10 days or so to finish because it just did not have the same kind of edge.



5. This was 4th Hunter book(Time to Hunt, Havana, Pale Horse Coming and this one) I've read.
   The book was pretty usual Hunter good, up until the last few pages when, all of sudden,
   the "Master" sniper turned into a jayshooter.
   Not so great compared to other Hunter books.
   
   Can someone explain why the German sniper
   missed the shots in the final scene, please?
   I just don't understand how that happened
   (won't narrate it for fear of spoiling).
   
   Thanks,

5 comments about Kill Zone: A Sniper Novel.

1. I'll skip running the plot, the back cover copy lays it out pretty well. It is a great story, full of action and intrigue, but...
   
   The book has some editing errors, most notably several changes of tense and an occasional lapse into first person, but more troubling for me was the distracting level of brand name-dropping. It's almost like the authors were getting paid for product placement. Do we really need to know model and brand of battery in the sniper's scope? Wouldn't it suffice to say the bad guy drove a BMW? Even a BMW 7 series, but "a BMW 735il SE" just distracts from the story. There is a specific brand name mentioned in every chapter, and often several on a single page. It is like a literary version of those product placement movies. The detailed descriptions are unnatural and forced.
   
   But the plot held my attention anyway until...(spoiler alert, but who cares. I wish I had known this before I bought it).
   
   They kill off the main character's love interest. After spending pages getting the reader attached to this character and her relationship with the hero, building our empathy for her, she's killed off 3/4 through the story. Maybe that's supposed to be clever. Maybe it's supposed to "make the story real". All it did was make me throw the book in the trash in disgust. If I want real, I'll walk outside.
   
   Mr. Coughlin, you have my utmost respect. It's obvious the story came from your heart.
   
   Mr. Davis, what you did to Mr. Coughlin's story was criminal. I'm not sure how this got published, other than out of respect for Mr. Coughlin's service. The story (which I assume came from Mr. Coughlin) is good, but the writing is just plain bad. It's books like this that keep the video industry in business.



2. Though this book was not a hard to put down as the two previous books it was very good. I am waiting for the next one in the series.



3. The authors seem to think
   - There are 50 senators
   - Andrew Jackson is on the ten dollar bill
   
   sigh



4. Aside from military issues mentioned in other reviews (F14 wings may swing but don't fold, the extractor of a rifle bolt would withdraw the cartridge rather than leave it seated in the chamber to be "checked") this book had more editing errors than most commercial fiction I've read. To list a few, a product made in Britain or Europe (such as the "Excalibur" sniper system) would be calibrated in meters, not yards. It mentions the fact that on Carrier On-Board Delivery aircraft the seats face the rear but then claims the passengers are thrown against their seatbelts when the tailhook catches the trap wire - how could that happen if they face rearward? The sniper uses a rangefinder function to see that one of his targets is over 500 yards away, but then only has to crawl "1½ football fields" to reach the body after shooting him. So while many of us are bothered by ideas such as a completely suppressed .50BMG rifle, one who's optics are "gyro-stabilized" rather than firmly mounted to the action, F16s landing on carriers, Senior NCO's arranging flights for field-grade officers aboard experimental NASA aircraft, GPS "trackers" - indeed, the whole idea of having a GPS receiver built into a sniper rifle (why?), there are plenty of gaffs to interrupt the reading pleasure of just about anyone.
   
   For anyone who can tune out all those distracters and ignore the rip-off of Stephen Hunter's "Swagger" novels, this book could be a pleasant read. And I'll admit I'm going to read the next book in this series (checked out from my local library) just to see if the editing has improved any.



5. Kill Zone is the first in a series of books about USMC sniper Kyle Swanson. I found the thinking processes and actions of the hero to be extremely fascinating. The book at times is very violent and brutal but the story on the ground in Syria is played out within a much larger backdrop story with interesting characters and I found it to be very plausible...no need to "suspend disbelief" as in so many of the action/thriller novels now being written. This is not a "big battle" novel stuffed with military acronyms that put you to sleep but a tough guts in your face story.
   
   This was a great read and I look forward to reading the rest of the volumes in the series with great enthusiam!

5 comments about Berlin Noir: March Violets; The Pale Criminal; A German Requiem.

1. I've just started reading this trilogy, and it's already clear that these are early works. They were written a year apart, 1989-90-91, and, as other reviewers have noted, the author relies on some low-end tactics to keep his story moving. The good news is that he has done his homework- the period details are convincing, if not overbearing. The bad news is that he equates "hard-boiled noir" with paragraph after paragraph of black-humor similes. The dialogue, intra- and inter-character, is festooned with Third-Reich references disguised as gallows humor, "Galgenhumor", in the form: "As______ as a ________" Insert some vaguely appropriate, embarrassing nazi directive or habit. They get pretty contrived. It's a writing tic I've seen in fiction by new, young writers. I will continue reading on the assumption that the stories will justify wading through them.
   Three weeks later, after trudging through the overworked and contrived similes, they have disappeared and been replaced by decent, observant, imaginative writing. Late in March Violets there is a set-piece scene in the Berlin Sportspalast during the 1936 Olympics as the detective watches Jesse Owens in action; by this time, Kerr is hitting on all cylinders and it works beautifully. The Pale Criminal starts well and gets better. These stories embed the reader in their time and place very convincingly. If you can get through the first half of the first book, the effort will be rewarded.



2. You can't do better than a full immersion in the world of Philip Kerr and Bernie Gunther. I would have thought it impossible to meld hard-boiled detective fiction with an all too real Nazi Germany, but Kerr brings it off in spades.
   
   As for the similes that bother some reviewers--get over it, it's noir.



3. This is my first detective fiction in a long time. The 3 stories totally drew me in and I couldn't put the book down. I was impressed with Kerr's accurate and detailed geographic descriptions, although the frequent street references became tedious - a cafe in Berlin is located on such-and-such street, which intersects with this street; like I was reading a Michelin Guide. Maybe it's me, yet in "March Violets," Kerr makes a lot of references to fish when describing people. "Pale Criminal" focuses more on pathology than the other stories.
   
   I'm still trying to understand the purpose of Gunther's brief sexual encounters with women. They don't add anything to the plot. I concluded he inserts these scenes as teasers at a point when the reader's attention might start to drift. It had that effect on me. Just when I was ready to place my book marker between the pages... whoa, a little sex in the story. Lots of emphasis on smoking. I'd be surprised if Gunther didn't succumb to a stroke or lung cancer by the mid 1950's.
   
   It helps to know some German and even German history from 1930 - 1948. If you do know German, you'll discover the author does not (at least not very well). Kerr makes some errors in dialog that wouldn't translate correctly from German to English. Regardless, you'll still appreciate the stories. Just ignore the fact the author is a Scot and you're reading his version of what a German detective is like.
   
   I didn't like the Bernie Gunther character at first, yet by the time I got to "German Requiem" (the last story in the trilogy), I admired his rough and raw sense of honor. In that same story, bringing Arthur Nebe back from the dead was clever. It would have been gracious, however, to somehow acknowledge it is well documented he was repulsed by Reinhard Heydrich's "Final Solution" and is responsible for saving 1000's of lives from the gas chambers (Nebe asked to be transferred to the International Police, but his request was denied).
   
   I highly recommend Berlin Noir.



4. The book is exactly what was ordered. So I would rate the merchandise AOK. The seller, however, took a week to ship the book, and I received the book 3 weeks after purchase. Won't buy from seller again.



5. When reading Berlin Noir, don't expect continuous action. Good spy/detective novels don't need it. Instead, appreciate how Philip Kerr blends an easy-to-read style with his mastery of Nazi Germany's geographic and historical details, as well as his insights into the techniques used by intelligence. You'll find that the lulls in each of these stories actually serve to set up the next round of cat-and-mouse deception. Do be forewarned that you'll groan at the many strained metaphors -- I awoke feeling hollower than a dug-out canoe; with my heart beating like a fork in a bowlful of egg-white; my shirt collar was as snug about my neck as the bandage on a coward's arm. These are small quibbles, though, because this 800+ page work is good stuff.
   
   One of the rewards of reading book reviews is when I find an unfamiliar author like Kerr who has written highly recommended novels in a genre I like. Berlin Noir now goes on my bookshelf right alongside other selected novels for others to borrow.

5 comments about Mother Night: A Novel.

1. Howard W. Campbell is an American playwright and poet who lives a quiet and secluded life in Greenwich Village. It is many years after the end of World War II. Campbell's cover is finally blown: he is uncovered as an evil, pro-Nazi radio propagandist. The truth is that Campbell really worked as an American spy in Germany during the war. Campbell's mailbox becomes innundated by pamplets from modern day krypto-Nazis and Campbell becomes a much hated man. What can Campbell do but turn himself over to Israeli agents and be tried for his war crimes and crimes against humanity?
   
   Campbell, himself, suffered personal tragedy during the war. He fell in love with and married a German woman named Helga who had died during the war. All Campbell wants is to be reunited with his beloved Helga (obviously impossible). This a very powerful and sad, yet comic, novel. Vonnegut analyzes the guilt that people often feel when they become so involved and overly identified with an evil cause. That person may actually come to believe that he really did and said horrible things (and Campbell did just that) and forget that he was really working for the other side. Vonnegut tells his tale in a poignant, frightening, and often comic way, for which the author has been justly celebrated.



2. It's hard to overdo the superlatives when reviewing Kurt Vonnegut, so when describing the classic "Mother Night," "unparalleled" comes pretty easily. This is an extraordinary novel that will smack you like a two-by-four between the eyes on many levels. There's man's inhumanity to man in the unthinkable atrocities of Hitler's Germany, told unvarnished yet without the more typically requisite hand-wringing. And then there's the deeply emotional love story told, I thought, with a passion uncommon in Vonnegut's scalpel-edged cynicism and black humor. But most extraordinary in this masterpiece is the dissection of moral dilemma, told from the viewpoint of protagonist Howard W. Campbell. Campbell was born in America but lived in Germany since childhood, rising to become Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbel's chief radio voice of The Third Reich - an American spewing hate for America and for Jews while heaping praise upon his jack-booted Nazi masters. A man justifiably despised by Israel and the west as a traitor and monster, except for one cruel Vonnegutian twist: Campbell is a deep - very deep - undercover agent for the US, who throughout the war infused his hate-speech with coded messages greatly aiding the war effort of the ally forces.
   
   Campbell tells his story in 1961 while in an Israeli prison cell awaiting trail as a Nazi war criminal. From his days in Germany treading a dangerous path between the fascists and the shadowy spy master who pulls his strings to a cloistered secret life in New York City following the war, Vonnegut spins a tale that is wholly immersive - a haunting story of a man who has played both on poles for so long that his morale compass can no longer distinguish north from south. And if Campbell's life and head wasn't already muddled enough, Vonnegut delivers one final mean twist via the Soviet Union that is as ironic as it is unexpected.
   
   A few years back, the talented Martin Cruz Smith wrote a scorching soul-searcher, "December 6" of an American ex-pat in Tokyo immediately prior to Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. Looking back, and taking nothing away from Smith's extraordinary effort, it seems clear that "Mother Night" influenced and inspired Smith in crafting his own treatise of the kind of moral vs. patriotic conflict that war can produce. "Mother Night" is that kind of book - one that you'll remember, one that will haunt you - one of those rare books you'll want to keep handy to refer back to from time to time. A milepost of American fiction from a 20th Century master - a classic that is long overdue in replacing Charles Dickens or Willa Cather in the fiction our kids are fed in high school English classes.



3. I love this book. I think it is an excellent and somewhat terrifying examination of the concept of moral responsibility. The narrator is conscious of the harm he can cause if he manipulates the truth so he consciously realizes that he is even more guilty of atrocities than those who truly believe in their cause and commit evil out of ignorance or some kind of deep psychological disturbance (or blind faith). Wow.



4. This is one of Kurt Vonnegut's greatest pieces of literature that offers the reader a look into what happens when you pretend to be something you are not. Whether you make a new face for yourself believing it to be for the right reasons or not, there are always consequences. Having agreed to become a spy within Nazi Germany, our protagonist is so effective at spewing propaganda that when the time comes no one believes the actual truth of the matter regarding Howard Campbell Jr.
   
   His life after the war in a cramped New York apartment is both terrifying for him and depressing, if not boring at times. The real poignancy of this story comes from the interactions between what our main character is supposed to be (a brutal Nazi supporter), truly is (one of the greatest spies of WWII), wants to be, and what happens because of the choices he has made in his not-so-real life.



5. My first Vonnegut book shook me firmly and often. Here is the best book I have read so far this year. American Howard W. Campbell Jr. winds up living in Germany in the pre-world war years, due to family circumstances. When war breaks out there, he is an unassuming playwright. He is recruited as an American spy agent, and agrees, without much conviction, to give it a try. He is wildly successful, not only for the Americans, but for the Germans as well. His role there as a radio propagandist earns him legions of devout young followers, and he quickly rises in prestige among the German Reich. And his own identity, if he ever really had one, becomes murky in the life that has taken shape for him. The story follows him as decades go by after the war, and he is living an unassuming life in America again, except for his status as a Nazi war criminal. He has seemingly been abandonded by his Amercian government.
   
   The book is short, and is packed with powerful moments. It is impressive how the imagery and moods are so effectively laid out with each short scene. Every few pages evokes emotion that should have taken many chapters to achieve. Campbell is a brutally honest character when it comes to his analysis of his own nature, feelings, actions and intentions. The story is told in the format of a journal he is writing about his experiences, while awaiting his war trial. Verdicts are left to the reader, as to what his responsibility truly was. I found him to be a very tragic figure, all in all, perhaps unable to sort out for himself what his true identity and nature was.
   
   Broken down, this could be another case to support the "war is hell" theme. But it is, at its heart, a study of human character. It is, I believe, a celebration of the written word. Vonnegut throws that party like few I have read.

5 comments about Heat Lightning.

1. Condition of book was as advertised, shipment was prompt and packaging was great. Book was another Sandford thriller which I thoroughly enjoyed.



2. This was a petty good, quick read. Virgil Flowers is an enjoyable character; good sense of humor. The plot had plenty of interesting twists and turns; kept my interest. Good ending. I also enjoyed the international slant. Its a good great but not great; I've read better books from John Sanford. While reading it, I just had the feeling that it was written quickly. The writing seemed clipped. The characters and sense of place could have been developed further. I enjoy reading John Sanford's books. But this one is not on top of my list of favorites. Probably a good book to read on a long flight.



3. I thought Lucus Davenport was the premire character in the John Sandford novels. Virgil f---ing Flowers may be even more fun. Taking after my own heart, Virgil is a fisherman first, serious crime solver second - sort of. This novel takes Virgil to new levels, testing him through a love affair, old murders tied to the Vietnam War and racial tentions involving the resident Native American population in Minnasota. Fast moving, tense, and entertaining, with a dash of good old Lucus, this book was a nice surprise. I will definately be looking forward to the next in the seriesJohnny's Jacket.



4. This is a no-nonsense fast paced, plausible novel that does not dawdle & waste time with rhetoric.
   Lucas Davenport assigns a series of mysterious "Lemon" murders to Virgil Flowers.
   The murders, we find, are revenge for atrocities committed in Vietnam in 1975. The murders target certain GI's that took part in the original crime. The plot makes for a very plausible story which just keeps moving right along. No wasted dialogue in this book



5. Mr. Sandford could have conveyed the same great story without the profanity, but then I guess it wouldn't have been as realistic for most people. Outside of that, I truly enjoyed this book. I'd never read a Virgil Flowers novel, only Lucas Davenport. I like this character just as well.

5 comments about Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil (Penguin Classics).

1. This book should be required reading for everyone concerned with the state of the modern soul. I agree with the reviewer who countermands the relativist notion that we are all potential Eichmann's. In fact, Arendt is one of the most forceful advocates for the call to moral responsibility that is our one effective resistance to tyranny and genocide.



2. I am a bit surprised that this book was so controversial when it was first published. Most of her observations--unique in 1963--are common knowledge today. Arendt analyzes and discusses Eichmann from her perch in the audience during his Israeli trial which occurred after the Mossad's glorious black ops abduction. Eichmann proved to be much more a mailman personality wise than Fuehrer. As a mind he was a disappointment to those who believed that a malevolent virtuoso lurked behind his acts. While he was a true believer, he was not able to justify his crimes to even himself on the stand. My favorite quote from the text is "Despite all the efforts of the prosecution everybody could see that this man was not a `monster,' but it was difficult indeed not to suspect that he was a clown." As a native German speaker Arendt's perspective was invaluable as she recorded his daily wrestling with language which was both pitiable and humorous. Eichmann would have been a nothing had it not been for Nazism and he ended his life with the ignominy he deserved.



3. I apologise for the flippant tone of my title, but this phrase of Arendt's seems to sum up the entire, absurd and sickening conundrum presented by Eichmann. Arendt is not, by and large, a humorous or entertaining writer, but she is a clear and thoughtful one, and such flippancy is not the norm. What she seems to have established, and the paradox is so absurd as to defy belief, is that Eichmann, a senior figure in the realisation of the Final Solution, was not an anti-Semite at all but a "Mitläufer". He accepted his association with anti-Semites in the tone indicated, but seemed not to think much of them and to have some respect for Jews. The image that emerges appears to be not that of a pack of ringleaders but that of a herd of murderous but rather dim sheep, where even the shepherd bleats and runs off the cliff.
   
   This starts as an absurdity when you first encounter it, and then as you proceed through the book the sheer terror of the possibility that it is true soaks into your bones. The possibility must occur to the sceptical reader that Eichmann was merely trying to present a positive face to the court that was sure to hang him. Eichmann, frankly, doesn't sound that bright. In fact, he sounds like a fool. Arendt asserts, and I think convinces, that Eichmann simply lacks the intellectual gifts to dissemble effectively. When he is not remembering something that impinges on his own career advancement - apparently his central obsession - his memory appears to be confused and his errors not consistently tending to his own exoneration.
   
   I accept Arendt's account, partly because she is so convincing a thinker but partly because it tends to resolve a paradox that I have been dealing with for years - that the most advanced civilisation in Europe could have bent its hand to the Shoah and annihilated one of its own most advanced and civilised minorities. Eichmann was not a monster, so a nation of monsters is apparently not necessary. Eichmann was normal, "Or at least, more normal than I am after examining him," according to one psychologist. He seems to have been a good boss, and kind to his subordinates. He loved his family. He had enough self-knowledge to doubt his own role and accept his own arrest and execution, going to the gallows with dignity. His moral responses to the violence of the Holocaust started off normal - and remained that way for about six weeks.
   
   After that - and here's the resolution - the normal became inverted. Proper organisation of death transports, the observance of orders and the tidy identification and packaging of Jews became the "good" thing to do, and in the atmosphere of a totalitarian state and the conformance of all around one I am not sure that many of us would do otherwise. Hence my terror. Being a good guy is no defense. The banal become evil when the law itself is morally "illegal"; even the good become evil. This could happen anywhere, at any time. Staggeringly, the urge to conform and be a "good German" even seems to have extended to prominent Jews, who played a role in the "Judenräte" which facilitated the orderly deportation and murder of their fellows. This observation, however - and again I accept Arendt's case - seems to have got her into hot water with US Jews, who largely responded with a storm of vitriol and in effect excommunicated her. I hope that this generation sees her and this book more kindly, because I think she is correct and this book is important.
   
   A few other oddities evaporate when one sees things Arendt's way, such as that the methodology of the Final Solution was designed to reduce distress for its perpetrators and that even the victims quietly cooperated.
   
   Arendt deals with the character of Eichmann, the nature of evil, the paradox of the cooperation of Germans and (German) Jews alike, the possible irregularities of the trial - Eichmann broke no law that existed in his nation at the time, had been kidnapped and could legitimately have been demanded by German courts, which have according to Arendt been depressingly "understanding" when dealing with Holocaust figures - and the course of the Shoah in Germany and outside. Her account of the course of the Holocaust elsewhere throws a more positive light on parts of Europe than I have tended to see in the past. There is real hope in her accounts of Bulgaria, Italy, Holland and especially Denmark, where even German officers exposed to moral normality began to sabotage orders and most of the Jews made it to Sweden alive. On the other hand, there is that depressing banality of evil and a clear signature of European, Christian anti-Semitism which confirms my impression that Nazism merely extended and exploited a traditional Christian agenda, changing it from theological to racial. In Romania, spontaneous pogroms of such brutality took place that - further absurdity on the way - the SS intervened to save Jews from butchery. (Gassing being presumably more humane. How can one read this and remain normal?)
   
   Another conundrum that arises is how to deal with a genocidaire who is only giving orders. Eichmann basically just transported people. His hand was on no trigger. In fact, quite often the disposal procedure was run by the very victims themselves, so the only hands on triggers were those of the dead. Who, in such a case, do you prosecute? (My answer to this is deplorably anti-intellectual - "Eichmann". The Israelis and more widely the the Nürnberg trials arrived at the correct and the only conceivable resolution.)
   
   Another reason for controversy over this book may be that Arendt undermined Ben-Gurion's narrative of the Shoah as merely the culmination of millennia of anti-Semitism predating Christianity itself. If it did, I am not sure that I agree; anti-Semitism was quite definitely behind the Shoah. It could hardly be otherwise. What Arendt establishes is that it did not suffice, and that its absence was no defense.
   
   A generation and more has passed since this book's publication. I hope that it will now be viewed more coolly and more positively, as it is a work of unique historical and philosophical value. Tens of thousands of pages of transcripts from the trial are held in Israeli national archives, providing a record of this rare captive specimen of a genocidaire, but Arendt's is a unique intellectual voice, speaking in the accent of a German Jew but not bending to the nationalist narrative of the Israel of her day. She speaks coolly, and I think correctly.
   
   The evil are not remarkable. The evil are you and I in another place and time.



4. The book is beautifully written! It made for a lively discussion. The subject I would not have chosen on my own, but
   found it to be one I thought aboutfor awhile after reading it. Penguin is a publisher I choose to read frequently.



5. I understand the controversies this book must have caused to the sensitivity of the sufferings of the Jews, but I can't help but being amazed by the courage of the author and her indefatigable power of analytical intellect. My understanding is that no matter how sensitive the issue was, the author had to bring out what could be one of the most unfavorable aspects of the trial on this individual, which is the political manipulation by the Ben Gurion government used to justify the state of Israel. Perhaps by vilifying and punishing one individual, the world may lose the perspectives of the moral collapse of the entire European society, and the implication that no one is exempt from the potential of evil, either by active participation or passive condonation/compromise, or simple indifference. She is sharp in her criticism of discrepancies and hypocrisies in the laws, trials, and media coverage. Although she does not present any solutions or potential alternatives, her perspectives are broad, and very very insightful, particularly in retropect of the last 50 years since the report--Genocides in Africa, oppression of women in Muslim countries and what has been going on in Israel occupied Palestine, and lack of united mechanism to handle these crimes in the international politics.

5 comments about A Drink Before the War.

1. Dennis Lehane, who's now had many books turned into movies, started here with "A Drink Before The War" starring Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro. These two Boston bred best friends own and operate a detective agency. Lehane's use of these characters, their own demons, and overall grittiness of every aspect of early nineties Boston is phenomenal. Lehane is able to make the lead characters likeable but seriously flawed and not by any stretch of the imagination, straight laced "good guys". The racial overtones ring true and the antagonists are deplorable but sadly believable. I now look forward to reading each of Lehane's novels. A Fantastic writer!



2. I've picked up my fair share of mysteries throughout my life. Frankly, when it comes to that genre, it doesn't take much to satisfy me. Give me a mildly dark, non-gory (although with this I can take or leave), whodunit and I'm happy. It doesn't need to be complicated. Just a well-written page-turner is all I ask for. And for me not to predict the whodunit before he/she actually, you know, does it (Though if I do figure it out, it must've been extremely simple because very rarely do I figure out the whodunit). For me, that's what mysteries are all about. A Drink Before the War wasn't exactly the perfect mystery, but it was still pretty damn good.
   
   Now, the whodunit aspect of the whole mystery genre isn't really present in A Drink Before the War because in the beginning, we already have an inkling as to who exactly dunit. This book unravels what exactly they did and the consequences of those actions. The "mystery" wasn't as dark as I usually like them (think Criminal Minds dark) and wasn't what kept me reading at all. That aspect was unexpected.
   
   Usually when I start a new mystery series, it's really the mystery that has to keep me intrigued. It's good to like and connect to the characters, but I, first and foremost, need to find the mystery intriguing. This didn't happen with A Drink Before the War. I did like (not love) the mystery, but what I loved were the characters; so much that I could ignore the lackluster mystery. Patrick (who's the narrator) was charming, smart, and funny in that self-deprecating way. It was refreshing to see a man in literature be aware of his shortcomings. Angie was pretty kick-ass in her own right especially towards the end.
   
   Now, their romance. Everyone who knows me knows that I'm not a romance fan unless it's Young-Adult (excluding Twilight), actual chick-lit, or various fanfics. I usually end up rolling my eyes at out-and-out romances and definitely if you have a well-written novel and just add romance in it so that the blurb can include romance to the list of all that's amazing about a particular book. You know the ones that have "Intrigue, horror, and romance! What more can you possibly ask for?!" I've seen many a book ruined by having a romantic subplot just for the sake of saying it's there (The Abortionist's Daughter). And in mysteries, the person just has to fall in love with their partner because there are no want-able, single people outside the bubble of their actual workplace. But color me surprised by thinking that this romance between Patrick and Angie...actually worked. I could see why these characters would be attracted to each other and that particular subplot was [gulp:] kinda, sorta, my favorite part. This book basically has me questioning where exactly did my life get off track that I'm enjoying a romance subplot where I previously never enjoyed one before. That's a bit life-affirming. Still, I'm hoping it was a one-off.
   
   Anyway, A Drink Before the War was a pretty good mystery. Sure the mystery aspect wasn't as dark as I like them and I found it a bit lacking (hence the four star rating and not five star), the characters are ultimately what made me enjoy this as much as I did. I'm definitely looking forward to reading the rest of the series and learning more about these characters.



3. I'd have to say I am a mystery/thriller connoisseur and have read many similar novels from Lisa Gardner, Sandra Brown, David Baldacci, and James Patterson, and I would rate this novel above all of them. Unlike most authors of this genre, he actually spent time fully developing his characters. They are in no way flat, predictable, or fake. They are multideminsional and engaging.
   
   I also loved that there was a subtle message to the story that could be taken away. That is definitely an oddity with these kinds of novels that are all about thrills, gore, and humor. (Not that this novel lacked any of these qualities!) And the subtly was also refreshing. If a novel has a message to it, it is usually delivered in a very blunt, obtrusive, rant format, but here it was part of the descriptions of things and people. You had to read into Patrick's narration to see what the novel was trying to get at. I liked.
   
   As for the story itself, also a good choice of subjects. You read a book about two PIs and what do they usually investigate? Serial killers and psychopaths. Things that rarely happen in real life, and certainly don't happen to two individuals over and over and over. Lehane chose gang warfare. Something that is much more prevalent and realistic in society and for two PIs to deal with.
   
   So, all in all, a fantastic read. Refreshing and realistic. I bought the whole series for my vacation and am looking forward to getting to know Patrick and Angela better.



4. I'm sure A Drink Before the War has some merits, but I just finished reading it, and I can't think of any off the top of my head.
   
   The plot and subplots are hackneyed, convenient, and predictably resolved; the characters are by and large stock, even offensively so; the philosophizing is much, but sophomoric at best; sarcasm and hyperbole pass for wit and style; the violence is great in quantity, but desperately short on believability or inventiveness; the backstory could not be triter; and the prose purples all too frequently.
   
   Not what I had expected from a guy credited with writing at least three episodes of The Wire.
   
   Still, I have a weakness for noir, even thoroughly mediocre noir--hence the generous rating.



5. My husband loved A drink before the war, by Dennis LeHane. He likes mysteries, gritty inner-city tales, crime fiction with clever misdirection and intriguing characters, and this book has it all. It also has fast-paced writing, a fascinating first-person narrator, incisive point of view, and a realism that pulls the reader straight in from first page to the last. I'd delayed reading because I feared the novel might just be another long police procedural, but now I've read one I'll certainly hope to read all of LeHane's Kenzie and Gennaro books.
   
   Kenzie grew up in Boston. He has a backstory with a violent father that's quietly hinted at but only very slowly revealed, reflecting his own desire not to dwell on it. Another backstory involves Kenzie's feelings for Gennaro who works with him. But Gennaro is married, with problems all her own that Kenzie's not allowed to solve for her. Their relationship is fun. Their dialog is superb. Their concern for each other is naturally down-played and powerfully real. The two of them would carry the reader even if the story weren't so very intriguing. With a clever plot as well, politics, people, race, and larger than life figures that somehow fit the scenery perfectly, this book is definitely a winner. I can't read the next one yet because my to-read list is simply too long. But I'm looking forward to it and I know I'll enjoy it. LeHane now joins that select list of authors that my husband and I both love, and his characters join that group of imaginary people that we talk about while riding in the car.

5 comments about A Duty to the Dead.

1. This novel is the first in a new historical mystery series set in Britain in World War I. It introduces the main character, Bess Crawford, a British Army nurse. She is outspoken, intelligent, resourceful and independent. The novel opens with the sinking of the Britannic (sister ship to the Titanic) in Greek waters. It is an effective opening grabbing the reader's attention right away. Bess is injured in the sinking and invalided home to recover with her parents. Her father is a retired Colonel who served in India, where she was raised. This background should provide fertile material for the series.
   
   The plot involves Bess visiting the Graham family to deliver a message from a dying son of the family. I won't give away any spoilers but the story is engaging and not terribly complex. It is set primarily in the Kent countryside and the usual eccentric cast of villagers - the vicar, the matriarch, the tutor, the country doctor - is on display. The time period and the fact that Bess Crawford is an army nurse invite comparisons to the Maisie Dobbs series. This new series compares favorably to the Maisie Dobbs series, they both depict the sorrow and sacrifice of WWI Britain but this series seems darker to me, with characters not quite as well rounded as the Dobbs series. I would recommend this book; it is a straightforward historical mystery that does a good job of putting the reader in the time and place with a mystery that is just intriguing enough to satisfy.



2. It's 1916 and Bess Crawford, who mostly grew up in India, because of her Colonel father, is serving as a wartime nurse on the Titanic's sister ship the HMS Britannic, which has been converted into a floating hospital. Like the Titanic, the Britannic is destined for the ocean deep. The ship is torpedoed, but fortunately Bess survives with only a broken arm.
   
   One of her patients, a officer named Arthur Graham, who Bess might have been a little in love with, made her swear a deathbed promise, that she would go to his family and deliver these words, "Tell Jonathan that I lied. I did it for mother's sake. But it has to be set right."
   
   Since a deathbed promise is a sacred thing, Bess goes to the country home of the family Graham in Owlhurst, which is in Kent. There she finds Arthur's brother Jonathan suffering from wounds that mar his face as well as his temper, and another brother bitter because of his clubfoot and then there's the third brother, the oldest, locked up since he was fourteen for killing the maid.
   
   But did he kill her? And how come the Graham's aren't too interested in their dying brother's message? And how come people in Owlhurst die in weird accidents? And how come the family doesn't seem to want to help the oldest Graham brother? Bess is going to help, because he escapes and forces her.
   
   This is a very satisfying story, though sad at times, because of the way the returning vets are treated. The shell shocked were shunned and when Bess tries to tell people it's an affliction caused by the war, she's ignored. Somethings never change. That notwithstanding, this is a gripping story with a brave and fascinating heroine. I understand the Todd writing team are going to do more stories with Bess Crawford. I can hardly wait.



3. I truly enjoyed this book. Not only is it full of facts, the writing is so good you forget you are reading a book. The story line is fast, mysterious, and almost like trying to solve a series of puzzles. I cannot wait until the next in this series is released.



4. A Duty to the Dead starts off like an English Victorian novel, with clearly drawn characterizations of upper class English people in 1916, in the middle of WW I. Before long, the threads of a compelling mystery appear. First, the Germans sink a hospital ship with a pre-feminist nurse on board. Bess Crawford survives the sinking, then goes back to England for R&R, after promising to carry a message from a soldier who died in her care, back to his younger brother in England.
   
   Bess discovers a series of murders, which originally appeared to be accidents or suicides. She is drawn into a complex web of family relationships and the necessity of protecting "family honor." This book is a real page turner, where you will be regularly surprised by the twists and turns of the plot, although each of them are logical in retrospect.
   
   I gave this book 5 stars, because it is well written and an excellent read.



5. A very very nicely done inauguration of a new series by Charles Todd.
   Set during WWI, readers of the Maisie Dobbs series will find a lot to like in Bess Crawford, however this is not a carbon copy or ripoff of Maisie. Bess is definitely her own woman with her own ideas. Strong like Maisie, but different enough to keep the reader's interest all the way through.
   I look forward to many years of getting to know Bess and her compatriots.

No comments about Simon Wiesenthal: The Life and Legends.