Challenge #40 ~ “A book with a place name in the title.”
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
My opinion in three sentences:
A well-researched tale into an often-overlooked element of history, partially set in a circus – sign me up, please! As stories go, Matthias captures some strong atmospheres and presents a really strong character of Max, unraveling the workings and motivations of German society in the Second World War. Lina, the other characters and the romantic elements, however, fail to support these elements in crafting a breathtaking and soul-crushing love story, instead weakening the impact and, sadly, letting it down a bit.
(Without spoiling anything) the best bit:
It’s almost bizarre that the best and worst thing about the book is its characterisation. Max is a complex character, and needed some true justice to capture and convey his beliefs, the influence of German society on him and the growth of his character as he interacts more with Romani culture. Matthias had this down to a tee, even if the older Max was a little harder to comprehend, which somehow makes it more of a shame that this didn’t extend to some of the other characters in the story.
A warning for the book:
Instalove! You may be mistaken into thinking from the premise that it’s going to be a heart-wrenching tale of lost love, into which the reader is deeply invested. (And, boy, would it have swept all five-stars with ease if it had been.) No, it’s a very sudden instalove between the characters, and this just added a layer of superficiality that I couldn’t get behind, and left me thinking how great the book could have been if the love story had wound its way into my heart.
Recommended for fans of:
- Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
- Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
- The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson
Dreaming With Your Eyes Wide Open 