Rating: 3/5
Review:
Worthy but a bit turgid
Only three stars for a novel on this subject from a deservedly highly-respected author will probably be regarded by many people as tantamount to sacrilege, but the truth is that this book failed to engage me fully either in its story or its characters.
The novel is based on the true story of real people who opposed the Nazis rise to power and then, at immense personal risk both in Germany and in exile, tried to alert the world to the evil the Nazis represented. It is an important and inspirational story which I ought to have found gripping and moving, but I'm afraid it was neither for me. I find it hard to put my finger on why - it is well researched, Anna Funder writes good, clean prose and the story itself is of very direct personal relevance to me. Somehow, though, it felt rather turgid and worthy. I also found the fractured timescale annoying; it's not so much confusing as very distracting and it felt like an unnecessary trick which kept preventing me from really engaging with the story.
I can see why plenty of other reviewers have thought this a very good book, and I wouldn't want to put anyone off trying it, but for me it was quite a struggle to get through and ultimately rather disappointing.
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