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| photo by Amy Brandon |
"You are privileged to read these words so many are barred from. And why are they barred? Because the Nazis know that their real enemy is the independent thinker."
from White Rose, Black Forest by Eoin Dempsey
I don't read on Kindle as much as I read print, but a few weeks ago, a friend recommended White Rose, Black Forest by Eoin Dempsey to me, and when I went looking for it, Amazon First Reads seemed liked the best way to get it. I don't know if I'll stick with the program, but I thought I'd give it a try. If anyone has had any experience with the service, tell me what you've thought.
White Rose, Black Forest was an entertaining read. At first I wasn't sure I was going to stick with it, because it begins with a girl contemplating suicide, and I just wasn't sure I was up for that kind of book. Turns out, it's pretty much the opposite of that kind of book. Here are some key elements:
- a remote cabin in a snowy wood in the Black Forest in 1943
- a strong female protagonist who happens to be a Nazi dissident
- the daring rescue of an enemy spy by said protagonist
- the enemy and the dissident snowed in alone for weeks
- the dissident's ex-boyfriend, now a Gestapo officer
- an escape attempt through the snowy woods with a stay in a cave (I love a cave)
What will happen? Read it and find out. While much of the plot defies belief, it is an entertaining, escapist story, and if you're like me, a break from reality will be much welcomed. Also if you're like me, you will have to try your best to ignore how quickly and underhandedly Hitler's Fascists took over Germany in the 1930s. Scary stuff.
8 comments:
Hi Amy, Thanks for stopping by my blog. I have been reading some of your posts.
Escapist books can be fun. I have read a fair amount about the Nazis and their rise. The fact that they took over so fast is indeed disturbing and should forever be a warning.
Hi Brian, Thanks for visiting. I look forward to reading some more of your posts too. It's always fun to find a new blog to explore. I've decided to stick with escapism for now and read a Colin Dexter mystery before I get back to anything heavier. Happy Reading!
Hi Amy! Thanks for stopping by Unfinished Intellectual and commenting. Looks like you and I have similar interests, and I look forward to reading your blog!
Hi Trisha, Same here! Thanks for visiting.
Hi -- Thanks for your comment on my blog! The book you are reviewing sounds like it might be a good read, but a bit unrealistic about the hardships of life during World War II. A big issue at the end of the war was mass starvation: there just wasn't enough food for people. This would affect the characters in a story of the type you seem to be describing.
best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
What a terrific photo. Where is that? I'm not aware of the Amazon First Reads program -- perhaps I should be. Any perks that come with it? The story sounds like a good escape -- as long as the escape thru the woods is successful :-)
Hi Susan, I took the photo on a hike from a small town in Austria on the way to Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany. I can't remember the name of the Austrian town, but it seems like the hike was only a couple of miles. At one point we crossed through an old East German checkpoint on foot. Very cool
I'm kind of scatterbrained about understanding perk programs. At this point, I can't figure out if amazon is going to make me buy one book a month or not, but I figured for $1.99 I can wait and see what happens. At least I got this book for $1.99. Also the March email only offered 5 books, so maybe that's the catch--not much on offer? I don't know.
This story is exactly that: a good escape! Plus I love descriptions of snowy hiking etc :)
Sounds like a very intriguing read! :)
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