The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for When Time Stood Still
Because When Time Stood Still was Book of the Day, some of our most trusted members have carefully looked over the cover, the description, and other aspects of this book as a part of purchase-intent focus group. We then asked each participant in the focus group if they planned to buy and read the book, and why they planned to buy and read the book or not. Their answer to that question and reasons are displayed below. We call this awesome feature The First Ten Focus Group.
Keep in mind, the responses from the members are not reviews. This is purchase-intent focus group which means the participants are people who have NOT yet bought or read your book. A purchase-intent focus group is an important and extremely useful marketing tool for any product, not just books. For other products, you might walk on the street and show people an item in a package and poll them about whether they would buy if or $X or not. These kind of focus groups are one of the ways big marketing companies find the ideal price points for products and test the effectiveness of different packaging. The focus group can help you identify your market so you how to target ads of your book, and it can (but may not) provide you new useful info about your "packaging" (e.g. your book cover, your book synopsis on Amazon, etc.). The point of the focus group comments is to give you information from people who have not bought or read your book about why they plan to buy your book which will help you in marketing the book. These are not reviews or critiques of your book because they are not from people have read the book. This is a marketing tool, not reviews. The trick of book marketing and book advertising is that you have to convince people who have not read your book yet that your book is worth buying and reading. For marketing, it doesn't matter much if people love your book after reading it if you cannot convince potential buyers before they read it that they will love it.
IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable. This is because we only poll about 20 or so readers, and all readers have to say "no" to almost all books. Over a million books are published each year. Even a very active reader cannot come close to even reading 1% of books out there.
This is also why publishing books is such a tough industry.
Ekta Kumari
This true story offers an inside look into the mind of a young native of Germany during the WWII. The storyline covers the author's telling of the horrors she experienced and a sweet love story with the backdrop of this war. I wouldn't have read the book based on its blurb and the genre as I wasn't interested in reading a memoir or anything related to a war zone. Though, the author has done a great job in telling her story with the emotions she felt in the moment. The thing I liked the most is that her recollection of events is vivid. I also like that she takes note of the places and time where possible. The narrative comes alive with the details she offers. I wasn't able to find any editing errors, so I would rate the book as professionally edited. I did see an official OBC review but wouldn't read the whole book as I'm not much interested in the themes of war and romance. I wouldn't suggest the author anything for improvements.
First Ten review added on May 7, 2022, at 6:16 am by Ekta Kumari.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Manang Muyang
The title gives no hint about the book, but the cover makes one think it is a memoir. The blurb confirms that it is a memoir of the author, focusing on the time of WWII. I am not keen on reading war stories at this time, so I would not have sampled the book outside of the program. There were a few errors in the bit I read. A couple of them follow: At 3% of the book, "A shop where parvenu, our hated boss once said" needed a comma after "boss." At 9%, "I start to walk faster and they did the same" should have used "started" for tense consistency. I liked the conversational first-person narration, complete with humorous asides. The dialogues also livened up the story. Apart from the errors, I did not find any need for improvement. I am reading the rest of Gisela's entertaining memoir. The official OBC reviewer mentions that the book is basically a love story ("definitely chaste enough") told by a young German lady. I am not a fan of romances, but I am prepared to make this an exception.
First Ten review added on May 7, 2022, at 4:57 am by Manang Muyang.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
va2016
The title "When Time Stood Still" and the cover that contains photographs of some people outdoors do not convey the theme of the book. There are only three Amazon customer ratings, which is not a sufficient number for me to decide to sample the book. The Amazon summary states that the book is about a war story. As I am generally interested in war stories, I would have skipped sampling the book if not for the First Ten program. As I sampled through the book, I found the narration describing a war story in Germany. As I am not interested in this theme, I am not going to read this book in full. I found the sample professionally edited. I didn't find any grammatical or mechanical errors. I didn't like anything specifically about the book. I don't have any recommendations for the improvement of the book. Although I found one OBC review of the book, my decision to not to read the book in full is based on my own sampling.
First Ten review added on May 7, 2022, at 4:54 am by va2016.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Sonya Nicolaidis
The coloration and the layout of the cover of this book is so uninspiring, that I doubt I would ever have stopped and picked it up in a bookshop. However, the title was nice, if a little corny, and above all the OBC reviewer’s comments were full of praise for the story. I really liked that it was from the point of view of a German girl in the war, as this point of view is not explored that often. I really loved the detail that’s included and the atmosphere that is conjured up, especially when the author describes running down into the cellar when the air raids were on. It felt very scary. I didn’t really like the headstrong and selfish nature of the author - she seems to have thought only of herself and little for the welfare and feelings of her family and she is very headstrong. I guess that’s why she has the material to write a book! Although it is clear that English is not the author’s first language, it is very correct and I saw no errors pointing to a professional edit. I definitely would suggest a redesign of the front cover, though. This is an interesting and exciting chronicle, and wartime love stories interest me, so I would definitely read this one.
First Ten review added on May 7, 2022, at 4:53 am by Sonya Nicolaidis.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Shrabastee Chakraborty
From the premise as revealed in the official OBC review and other published reviews, I wanted to read the book. I found no errors in the first ten pages. The protagonist described the experience of living during the war. She, her parents, and her sister would have to use the cellar as a bunker during the bombing. I liked the fact that the fear that accompanied them each second was palpable even within these initial pages. It made me keen to know more about their lives. I had no suggestions for improvements as the book seemed perfect. Based on my reading experience, I would love to read the whole book.
First Ten review added on May 7, 2022, at 4:53 am by Shrabastee Chakraborty.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Stellah Chege
Gisela's story is fascinating. I love the fact that it recounts her experiences in Germany at the time. I would not have read this book based on the cover and the OBC reviews that I saw. Books about the world Wars trigger me since I cannot begin to imagine the atrocities that people faced. Based on the fist ten pages, I presume that the book was professionally edited. I do not suggest any improvements so far.
First Ten review added on May 7, 2022, at 4:45 am by Stellah Chege.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Dzejn_Crvena
Outside this program, I wouldn't have sampled this book because the cover is not colorful enough to catch my attention. I changed my mind when I learned from the OBC review and the sample that it's a biography set in World War II. The author worked as a typist for compulsory war services in Germany. She had a lover, who joined the military when the war began. Later, she transferred working to Kiel, and she was grateful to be away from the threats of bombing and chaos. I'm looking forward to reading more about the perspective of a nationalistic young German as she lived through it all. I like the idealistic musings of the author as she wished to be in another place to meet new people and learn their language. The book seems professionally edited, and I don't have suggestions for improvements.
First Ten review added on May 7, 2022, at 4:37 am by Dzejn_Crvena.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Sou Hi
Without this program, I wouldn't have read this. The official review from OnlineBookClub and the cover look alright, but there are only three ratings on Amazon. Besides, I'm not interested in WWII or the author's love story. Reading the first ten pages did not change my mind from my original guess.
I like the emotional narration. The author recounted her life in Hamburg and her journey to Russia quite well. The editing is fine, and I have no suggestions for improvement. However, I think she was rude and judgmental about other women, such as the married officer's girlfriend or the nurses on the train, and I don't like that. I will need more of the content to see if I should read the rest of the book. For now, I won't buy it.
Error example: People hastily boarded trains shouting or kissing loves ones good-bye. -> It should be "loved ones"
First Ten review added on May 7, 2022, at 4:04 am by Sou Hi.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Catherine Hsu
If I had not read the sample as part of the First Ten program, I would have read the book. World War II is my favorite historical time period to read about, and the ratings on Amazon are high as well, in addition to an interesting blurb. After reading the sample, I have not changed my mind. I thought it was really interesting to include small details like diet during war through a conversation between Gisel and her mom about having to eat turnips again. There was nothing I disliked as the writing was also really fluid and it was professionally edited. I would not change anything. The official review on OnlineBookClub did not affect my decision and I would also recommend this to readers of historical fiction.
First Ten review added on May 7, 2022, at 3:25 am by Catherine Hsu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Verna Coy
The cover of this book is striking in that it draws a reader’s mind to the events of history. The ugliness of war is a prevalent danger in this story. I avoid war stories, so I don’t plan to read the whole book. That said, what I liked best about the sample is the way I immediately was drawn back into that time. The feeling of that era is communicated wonderfully through this narrative, and I know that is something fans of this genre will appreciate about this book. I found no reasons for improvement to it. It seems to be put together well. I didn’t notice things such as errors or format problems. It seems quite professionally edited to me. I enjoyed reading the detailed Online Book Club review. This book would be perfect for readers who enjoy stories set during the period of WWII. The history is rich, and drama is a large part of the lives and storylines that happened in that time.
First Ten review added on May 7, 2022, at 3:23 am by Verna Coy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Gabriella H
Neither the cover nor the title attracted me to this book. However, from the OBC official review, the book seemed interesting, and I became curious about Gisel's story. I like that it is a non-fiction story because it means I can get the perspective of someone who actually witnessed WWII. I enjoyed the first ten pages, and I like the writing style. This seems like a book I can read with ease, so I look forward to completing it. My decision wasn't influenced by the blurb, editorial review, or customer reviews. I have no suggestions for improvements. If I weren't a part of this program, I wouldn't have even sampled this book because the cover looks unappealing to me. I noticed one error in the first ten pages while reading. The error I noticed is the omission of the article 'an' before 'artist' in this sentence, "He was a bookworm with a huge library, and even though he was a businessman, he wrote poetry and could have been artist in architecture." (Location 270).
First Ten review added on May 7, 2022, at 2:42 am by Gabriella H.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Jennifer Garcia 555
I am not a big fan of non-fiction. I usually avoid this genre. I do like the title of this book, but I still would not pick this book to read. I read an official OnlineBookClub review and realized that this book is a story that is told from the German side of WWII. This sounded interesting and made me excited about reading the sample. I did not see any editing errors in the sample pages, so this book seems professionally edited. I like how the author speaks directly to the reader. She asks the reader questions as well. This made the book engaging. I have no suggestions for improvement. Readers that enjoy WWII stories would probably enjoy this book. The story seems a bit too depressing to me, so I will not buy or finish reading this book.
First Ten review added on May 7, 2022, at 2:26 am by Jennifer Garcia 555.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Annelore Trujillo
I would not have sampled this book based on the genre, blurb, OBC review, cover, title, customer reviews, and editorial reviews. I don’t usually read non-fiction books. After reading the first ten pages, I won’t be finishing this book. I thought I might like it when it started off talking about the war. However, it quickly switched to talking about all of the girls at work and each of their partners. This wasn’t for me. I liked that the years were included. The book did seem to be professionally edited. There wasn’t anything specific that needed improvement.
First Ten review added on May 7, 2022, at 2:12 am by Annelore Trujillo.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Astral Magi
The cover and intriguing title attracted my interest, and I would have read the book based on these alone if I hadn't read the first ten pages. The official OBC review, as well as the first ten pages, persuaded me that the real-life adventures during WWII would interest me. I liked that the book is a true account of life during WWII, and the customer reviews influenced my decision to read it. I couldn't think of anything that needed to be improved, and I didn't notice any errors. I believe that the book was professionally edited.
First Ten review added on May 7, 2022, at 1:17 am by Astral Magi.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Rodel Barnachea
Upon poring over the book’s official OBC review and Amazon page, I decided not to purchase the title. I don’t need a reminder that not all Germans are monsters during the time that Germany was led by Hitler. I am also not intrigued by the author’s love story that took place against the backdrop of World War II. I also didn’t like how the memoir “deliberately left out most of the horrors of war.” Sampling the book failed to change my mind. I would not purchase it because nothing in the sample compelled me to read the rest of the biography. Other reasons I already stated above are factors I considered in making my decision. The first ten pages include a preface, the first chapter, and a few pages of the second chapter. What I liked most is when the author talked about how they used laughter and jokes as a way to improve their depressing work situation. I was not able to note any errors in the Amazon sample. The book seems professionally edited. I have nothing to suggest to the author.
First Ten review added on May 7, 2022, at 12:26 am by Rodel Barnachea.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Scerakor
After reviewing the title, genre, cover, blurb, and review of this book, I might have read this book. I love books about World War II and this one sounded unique After reading the first ten pages I didn't change my mind and therefore will be reading the rest of this book as I already have my copy. I loved the descriptions in this book. Even just describing the girls that worked for Walter were more than enough for me. The book was well written and edite; I didn't see any errors in the sample that I read. Although rare, I didn't specifically see any changes that I would have wanted in to see in the sample I read. There was an official OBC review, but it did not affect my decision at all.
First Ten review added on May 6, 2022, at 11:07 pm by Scerakor.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Mutai Marshal
I wouldn't have read this book outside the First Ten program. This is because its cover page suggested that it is a biography; a genre I don't relish. From the first ten pages, I didn't find anything fascinating. Gishi and Hans' relationship failed to evoke any thrill. Neither the sample nor the OBC review changed my mind about this book. Since I don't love memoirs, I will not buy this book. It seems exceptionally edited, and there are no suggestions for improvement that I can offer.
First Ten review added on May 6, 2022, at 6:52 pm by Mutai Marshal.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Jeremie Mondejar
From the cover photo, readers will think about the Nazi, World War Two and a successful marriage beyond a life threatening situation. The sample confirms my pre-reading thoughts. This is a memoir of survival from the dreadful world war events. I will read this book because I want to know more about the Nazi. I like the tone of the tale because it's not monotonous and I can also imagine the author's description of the intense bombing attack. Plus, OBC review hypes my reading interest. I don't see any typos as well as anything that needs improvement, so I assume this book has been professionally edited.
First Ten review added on May 6, 2022, at 5:58 pm by Jeremie Mondejar.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Kira Bonita Reece
I think the cover of this book is dreary, so I would not have chosen to read this book based on the cover, blurb, title or the genre.
The sample seemed professionally edited and no improvements are needed for this book. After reading the sample, I have decided to read the entire book. This is my first time reading a World War book from a German's perspective and Gisela's story seems intriguing. I think I can look beyond the cover and enjoy reading this story. The official OnlineBookClub review also persuaded me to read this book.
First Ten review added on May 6, 2022, at 5:48 pm by Kira Bonita Reece.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Jorge Leon Salazar
The cover and title are eye-catching and consistent with the time and the author's memoir. I think interested readers should be attracted. In general, I like memoirs that convey teachings. The blurb expresses the book is about the life of Gisela who at twenty escaped the horror of war in her hometown of Hamburg, Germany. She arrived in Russia, where she met the love of her life. Gisela Roediger recounts her World War II experience in a riveting memoir of love, commitment, loss, and the resilience of the human spirit. The customer reviews are flattering. Based on these aspects, I could give this book a try. The first ten pages date back to 1942. Gisela tells from her perspective of the war as a young German woman, who although suffered the horrors of the war, had not yet become aware of its magnitude. I think she was part of many young people of the time who were manipulated and did not perceive the war with objectivity. It appears logical to me that her concerns were to have adventures, dreams, and seek a better life; it is what young people feel regardless of their reality. The fact that she and her family suffered from the bombing shows that German civilians were also victims. I found the way she expressed herself about a fifty-seven-year-old lady derogatory, but I think she tries to reflect the thinking of an immature twenty-year-old girl. The expectation remains of what Gisela will experience in Bucharest and then in Russia. I learned some German, the word "fraulein." The official OnlineBookClub review indicates that this book presents a distinct perspective of WWII since it focuses on an innocent love story. Plus, it highlights that the author's goal is not to recount the horrors of war. The editing looks outstanding since I did not see any detail to comment on. Overall, I didn't see anything that I believe could be improved. What I read was entertaining and glimpsed a different sight of the second world war but it did not completely capture me. In summary, I will not read the rest of the book.
First Ten review added on May 6, 2022, at 5:08 pm by Jorge Leon Salazar.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kirsi Cultrera
This book really looked beautiful at first; a touching cover picture and an interesting blurb. All the available information considered, I was sure I would read this book. I love war stories, and this one sounded unique, as I haven’t heard of another one that would show the war from a German viewpoint. Unfortunately, the sample pages were a disappointment. The writing style was dull and non-descriptive. The protagonist felt distant, and even the descriptions of the bombings did not connect with my feelings as they should. I discovered rather fast, that this was not going to be my book. Even reading the well-written Official OnlineBookClub review could not change my mind. For the reasons described above, I chose against reading this book. The book appeared errorless, and I believe it to be professionally edited.
First Ten review added on May 6, 2022, at 4:26 pm by Kirsi Cultrera.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
MsH2k
I read nonfiction often, but based on the title, cover, and blurb, I would not have sampled this book if I were not part of this program. I am not in the market for a WWII memoir with this focus at this time. It was easy to picture Gisel and her life through the pages of the story. The book also appeared professionally edited; I did not notice any grammatical errors in the first ten pages, and I have no suggestions for improvement. The featured OnlineBookClub review was excellent, and it reinforced my decision not to finish this book. There are many great WWII memoirs in print, but I am not in the market for this one at this time. Other customer and editorial reviews had no bearing on my decision.
First Ten review added on May 6, 2022, at 3:55 pm by MsH2k.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kaitlyn Canedy
If When Time Stood Still hadn't been the OnlineBookClub's book of the day, I likely would have skipped the sample of it. I do not like reading books about war, and I knew this book was about war when I saw the cover. However, after reading the description, I decided I wanted to learn what the war was like for people on the other side during World War II. The customer reviews did not affect my decision to read this title. I like how honest Gisela was about her dreams while contributing to the war; she still had hopes and wants like everyone else. Due to the different perspective this book takes, I will be reading the rest of it. I noticed no grammatical errors in the first ten pages, and there is nothing I can think of that needs improvement. An official OnlineBookClub review exists for this title, but I did not need to read it to make a decision. World War II was difficult on many people, so readers who want to read about what the war was like from a different angle may enjoy this book.
First Ten review added on May 6, 2022, at 3:06 pm by Kaitlyn Canedy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Soraya Bayah
I could feel the hurt in each sentence. Yet, each sentence also had a sense of hope for a better future back then. I dearly hope that future was fulfilled. I found errors in the form of non-capitalized letters after a semi-colon. Page 3, "Christel worked next to me; (she) was twenty-five but looked seventeen with her short, brown curly hair and a face like a Botticelli angel." This error kept reappearing throughout the text. I am currently more into fiction, so I prefer to skip this book. Still, I am sure it will appeal to fans of memoirs. I might pick up this book from the genre, cover, title, and reviews like OBC, as all are interesting and convey that this is a meaningful memoir. I will keep this book in mind for later when I would like to enjoy such a memoir. I wonder how the two long-distance lovers finally met. I enjoyed the writing style and found myself picturing myself during the same unfortunate circumstances. Indeed, this is a well-written book, but I will skip it for the time being.
First Ten review added on May 6, 2022, at 1:44 pm by Soraya Bayah.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Sanju Lali
It was evident to me from the title that this book is about the author's memories. I read the OBC official review of this book to see what is inside it. The OBC official review gave me the idea that this book says that all the Germans were not monsters during the second world war. This idea inspired me to read the first ten pages sample of this book. After reading the first ten pages, I realized that this book was not professionally edited because I found some grammatical errors in the sample. For example, the sentence, "She was twenty-one years old and already married for two years." The sentence could be as follows. "She was twenty-one years old and had already married for two years." In this sample, I liked the author's aspirations at age twenty for visiting different countries and seeing different cultures. I loved the positivity of the author. To my dismay, I could not visualize the ground situation clearly from the description of the scenes due to the irony mixed with it. My suggestion to the author would be to go for a round of professional editing and to describe the ground situation during the war without any irony. Looking at all the aspects of this book, I decided not to purchase and read this book today until the author considers my suggestions.
First Ten review added on May 6, 2022, at 1:09 pm by Sanju Lali.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
gen_g
I think it's quite obvious that the book belongs to the historical fiction genre, specifically, war fiction (in the time of World War II). I am not looking for books in this genre, so I would not have sampled it. There is an official OBC review (a positive one, too), but this would not have changed my mind regarding sampling because OBC reviews generally do not have the power to influence my decision. This is because OBC reviews generally are too short (this is my personal opinion and should not be taken as a criticism), which means that I do not get depth of detail I require before making a decision to sample. After sampling, I have found numerous errors. To elaborate, at location 86, the comma in "...heaven in hell, and far more..." is wrongly inserted – there should be no comma placed before a conjunction that precedes a dependent phrase. I suggest more rigorous editing because I expect published works to be wholly error-free. What jumps out to me the most is that the author tends to dump information, which reduces the reader's immersion. For example, when describing Helga and Christel, the reader doesn't really need to immediately know their ages (twenty-five for Christel and twenty-one for Helga) and how old they look (in addition to their choice of spouse)! Hence, I suggest working with an editor to rework the writing; the author could work in these details more organically for a smoother reading flow. Additionally, I would also like to suggest that an English translation be added at the bottom of the page when using foreign words (e.g. "papagallos" at location 232). This is to aid comprehension. I feel that the book is still not ready for publication, given the lack of finesse in narration and the lack of consideration, i.e., using foreign words without an English translation, given that the book is written in English. I think it is obvious that I will not be reading the book.
First Ten review added on May 6, 2022, at 12:07 pm by gen_g.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Rosemary Owolabi
Had I not actually sampled the first ten pages as part of this program, I would have chosen to read this book based on the cover, title, genre, blurb, customer reviews, and editorial reviews that I saw. Because the dedication of reviewers wouldn't be in vain, they served the purpose of letting readers get it right.
The book is free on Amazon and you don't need to use the Kindle Unlimited app to download it. Reading the first ten pages changed my mind from the original guess. I would read the book because "Time Stood Still" by Gisela Roediger seemed like an honest, easy-to-follow kind of story. Gisela, deliberately, wanted the readers to feel, visualize, and put themselves in the positions of the terrified people that were running away from the war that was about to happen in their (location) country as far back as 1939. It was easy to imagine what the people of the family were going through, bear-footed, cold, in a hopeless situation that could turn out to be costly and deadly. I want to know where the story takes the young lovers. And how the characters were able to overcome their fears of the traumatic aftereffects of the war and love with the lessons they learned from it all.
Based on what I read, the book seemed to be professionally edited. I didn't notice any typos or errors.
What I liked most about the bit that I read was the coping mechanisms the characters put in place, like laughter and jokes. and also daydreaming of a better life, starting their own business. and traveling to other countries to learn about their languages and cultures. And not focusing on the negative attitude of the boss, Walter and some of the supervisors who kept keen eyes on the workers (them) with no freedom of movement and close monitoring were really affecting their socializing and productivity. But they usually find ways of making themselves happy.
What could be improved would be nothing for now because the story seemed to be developing. though I didn't see the name of the main female character that was narrating the story in the first ten pages.
The book had an OnlineBookClub forum review that I saw, but this didn't affect my decision.
First Ten review added on May 6, 2022, at 5:25 am by Rosemary Owolabi.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Rita Nuncia
When Time Stood Still by Gisela Roediger is a memoir recounting the author's experience as a German young lady during World War II. The book starts with the author's experience when the war began; how she, her parents, and her sister would run down to their makeshift bunker in the basement of their home to hide while praying that their house would not be the next bombed house. After reading a review of this book, I was not excited about reading it, and I would not have read it without the First Ten program being the reason. This is because of the emotions that I experience when reading books about war. After reading the first ten pages of this book, I am honestly interested in knowing how the author survived and also found love. Therefore, I would love to buy and read the whole book. This book seems professionally edited as I did not notice any grammatical or typographical errors while reading the first ten pages of the book. I like most of the manner in which the author started this book. It made it interesting from the beginning with a tone of suspense, which is different as most memoirs tend to be boring. I do not see anything that needs to be improved, as what I have read so far is properly written. I read an OnlineBookClub official review and it gave me an insight into what to expect from this book.
First Ten review added on May 6, 2022, at 4:24 am by Rita Nuncia.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Ari Martinez
If it wasn't for this program, I wouldn't sample this book based on its title, cover, genre, blurb, or Official OnlineBookClub review because I don't tend to read books that deal with war, and I didn't like what the reviewer mentioned about Gisela's "apparent naiveté." After sampling the book, I will not read the rest of it because it didn't feel like a romance novel I would enjoy due to its backdrop. From what I read, my favorite part was when Gisela's grandmother laughed at her love letters. I thought it was funny, and that line said more about the content of the letters than anything else. The book appears professionally edited, and I don't think it needs improvement.
First Ten review added on May 6, 2022, at 3:20 am by Ari Martinez.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Vidhi Adhikari
I liked the cover with the vintage pictures and the detailed description of this book as they were enough to ascertain that I will enjoy this book since I love reading memoirs, especially those set in war-time. The lack of customer and OBC reviews didn't change my first impression of the book. There were some grammatical and punctuation errors in the sample, that should be looked into ('Miraculously, my diary was saved and, in my dream,'). The most fascinating thing for me was that this book was a stroke of luck, since the author had lost her diary containing the details of the war. Because of this, I will be finishing this book. I would only suggest including a reviews section in the beginning of the book to enhance its appeal.
First Ten review added on May 6, 2022, at 2:23 am by Vidhi Adhikari.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Hazel Arnaiz
The cover and title hint at historical fiction or a memoir. The blurb says it is a memoir of a German woman during WWII. Although I seldom read memoirs the subject seems intriguing. Hence, I will sample the book. What I appreciate after sampling is that it presents the concept of war and enemies from another standpoint. It would be interesting to see images for more context. I suggest adding photographs. For editing issues, here are some examples.
Location 195. Grammar. Consider adding an article.
In the back of my mind, I saw a fjord from my office window and mountains in [] distance.
Location 270. Grammar. Consider adding an article.
He was a bookworm with a huge library, and even though he was a businessman, he wrote poetry and could have been [] artist in architecture.
The official OnlineBookClub review gives balanced feedback, which I find helpful in considering the book.
First Ten review added on May 5, 2022, at 5:38 pm by Hazel Arnaiz.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Emy Katherine
The title caught my attention, but I would not have read the book based on the genre and cover. As I am not interested in reading non-fiction books, I did not change my mind after reading the first ten pages. Even though I found no editorial reviews, the OBC review and the positive customer reviews gave enough information to intrigue those who enjoy inspirational memoirs. The Amazon blurb was detailed, too. Throughout her book, the author shares how she experienced life-threatening situations, dealt with poverty, and found love when she left Hamburg and started working for the German Navy in Russia during World War II. I appreciated the descriptive writing style as she described how she lived in fear of being bombed when she lived with her family in Hamburg. The book had editing issues, though. For example, it should be written "Eneas" instead of "Ene-as." (location 144 of 3657 • 2%) It should be written "I got a job as a steno-typist" in the following sentence: "After an interview, I got a job as steno-typist and would be in Norway within fourteen days." (location 201 of 3657 • 4%) It should be written "an artist" in the following sentence: "He wrote poetry and could have been artist in architecture." (location 259 of 3657 • 5%) Other than another round of editing, I found nothing that needed to be improved.
First Ten review added on May 5, 2022, at 5:21 pm by Emy Katherine.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Yvonne Monique
In my opinion, the book cover is not very attractive and does not give a good idea about what the book is about. That is why I would not pick this book up if I would see it in a bookstore. The customer reviews, blurb and OBC review give a thorough explanation of the book's content, but make me realise that this is not a book for me. My family lived the horrors of WWII, and I am unable to sympathise with the Germans of that era. The famous sentence of 'Ich habe es nicht gewusst' (I did not know), seems to be the main thread of the story, which is something I am unable to believe. The book seems to be professionally edited and is written in a coloquial writing style. Although the author's story has historical value, I personally could not empathise with her account of the bombing of Hamburg. That is why I will not read the rest of this book. I have no suggestions for improvement.
First Ten review added on May 5, 2022, at 4:33 pm by Yvonne Monique.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Laura Ungureanu
I'm not a fan of memoirs, so I had no interest in this book when I saw the cover. However, my interest was ignited after reading the blurb and the OBC review, so I was willing to see more. There were some positive Amazon reviews. The account of a love story during WWII felt interesting enough to give this book a try. I loved the author's warm and familiar writing style. I really felt like I was meeting her co-workers when she began describing them. The amount of details she recalls is incredible. I would recommend adding the dates before starting a chapter, as it could be confusing sometimes. I enjoyed this book a lot anyway, so I want to keep reading it. The editing was done professionally.
First Ten review added on May 5, 2022, at 3:56 pm by Laura Ungureanu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Stephanie Runyon
The cover of the book was somewhat bland, but the title and pictures fit perfectly. I would not have sampled the book based on the history aspect. I liked the light-hearted writing Gisela used to describe her transition from Germany to Russia. The story did have some errors, but they did not detract my overall enjoyment. Aside from editing, there is nothing to improve on the book. The OBC review did not influence my decision to continue reading. I found this to be a fresh look at a difficult time. I did not read anything else online.
ERROR: There was so much to see here and I had to remind myself that this wasn't a pleasure-trip, that soon I was going to sit behind a typewriter. There should be a comma after the word and.
First Ten review added on May 5, 2022, at 3:17 pm by Stephanie Runyon.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
markodim721
I would choose to read a sample of this book because of the title. I read the Official OnlineBookClub review, customer reviews, and the blurb but they did not influence my decision. I didn't find any editor reviews. The cover of the book is unimaginatively designed. The title of the book makes readers think and attracts attention. I will not read the book because I am not in the mood to read memoir books at the moment. While reading the sample I did notice a couple of minor typos (the waiting…. waiting…. until… It should be: the waiting... waiting… until… - no need for extra periods) but other than that the book seems like it is professionally edited. Reading the sample did not change my mind from my original guess. I like how boss Walter is described both when it comes to his physical appearance and when it comes to his character because he looks very authentic. I don't think anything needs to be improved in the book.
First Ten review added on May 5, 2022, at 3:15 pm by markodim721.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kajori Sheryl Paul
'When Time Stood Still' is written by Gisela Roediger. Gisela was a German living in Germany during WWII. In the book, she talks about her life between 1942 to 1945. I liked a lot of things about the book. Gisela's banters with Helga and Christel were heart-warming. The way she addresses the reader makes her account all the more personal. I like the way she talks about life in Germany during the war and her dreams of seeing the world. There is nothing in need of an improvement. I found some errors. It could have been "..with me entering what may become our deadly cage tonight.." instead of "..with me entering to what may become our deadly cage tonight.." However, these are minor errors. Many might even consider them subjective observations. So, I think the book is fairly edited. The OBC review is insightful. I would have read this book based on the cover, title, genre, blurb, editorial reviews, and customer reviews as I am a huge fan of WWII stories. I will definitely read the book as I liked everything about the first ten pages that I have read so far.
First Ten review added on May 5, 2022, at 1:58 pm by Kajori Sheryl Paul.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Chinazo Anozie
I wasn’t interested in this book from the title, cover, genre, and customer reviews. However, this changed when I read the description and the official OnlineBookClub review. I was intrigued by the author’s story, so I will buy and read this book. I loved reading about the war from the eyes of the author, a young German girl at the time. It was very refreshing seeing the war from her perspective, even though she seemed really naïve. This book seems professionally edited because I did not notice any typographical errors. I only wished that the author had translated some of the German phrases scattered throughout the book.
First Ten review added on May 5, 2022, at 1:22 pm by Chinazo Anozie.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Bertha Jackson
The cover of this book and its title clearly shows that this book is a memoir. I am not fond of memoirs that revolve around WWII, so I would not have selected this book to read. The blurb, customer reviews, and the OnlineBookClub review did not change my mind about not reading this book. There were no editorial reviews to influence my decision. I like how this book revolves around a romance during the war. The author does an excellent job of drawing readers into her life and dreams of her future. Although I am intrigued by this book, I will not finish reading it because of the crimes against humanity that occurred during this war, and I will not take a chance reading about it. Although the book looks professionally edited, I did find an error at 6% of the sample, “He was a bookworm with a huge library, and even though he was a businessman, he wrote poetry and could have been [an] (insert) artist in architecture.” I have no recommendations for the author.
First Ten review added on May 5, 2022, at 11:36 am by Bertha Jackson.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Amy Luman
I won’t be finishing this book. It is non-fiction and the subject is not interesting to me. Ms. Roediger seems to me to be trying to justify her actions. The cover gives a glimpse into the life of Ms. Roediger, and the title is appropriate to the subject matter. The reviews, including the OBC one, and the blurb, give a true picture of what the reader will find in this book. I didn’t read very far, but what I did read seemed to me to be professionally edited, and I can’t suggest any improvements to it. I liked that even though Gisela’s job was not very exciting and ruled by overbearing men, she was able to find like-minded friends in Christel and Helga.
First Ten review added on May 5, 2022, at 10:48 am by Amy Luman.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda
Honestly, I don't like it when authors use personal pictures on the cover of a book. Unless one knows the author, in which case it must be endearing, it always looks unprofessional and blurry. Hence, the cover wouldn't have caught my attention. I found the blurb fascinating, because we usually read WWII stories from the perspective of the Jewish people or the allies, but not an "insider in Germany." The book also has high ratings, so I would've bought it based on my first impressions.
I liked the first ten pages, especially how the author talks directly to the reader. This "simple" technique truly helped me get immersed faster in the story (i.e. "Can you see my family running down the wooden stairs with me entering to what may become our deadly cage tonight?") I also appreciate the humor, which is especially precious in such dire times as the ones Gisela lived. For example, how she calls her bosses: "(Ene-as was “the one asshole” and Andre-as “the other asshole.”)" What I didn't like was that she is portrayed as insensitive at times. For example, when she thought she was leaving for Norway, she didn't even give a second thought to leaving her family. We see this also in the way she answers to her roommate, Irma: "You liked him enough to create this ‘catastrophe.’” But, overall, the first ten pages confirmed I will enjoy reading the whole book. I found a couple of editing flaws. For example, in position 125, where the ellipses should be formed only by three dots: "feel the air trembling from the noise, and imagine the waiting…. waiting…. until a temporary relief is upon us." I suggest fixing these minor flaws and improving the cover. Perhaps the author could use just one picture and improve the image resolution. The official OBC review, which I found particularly brilliant, furthered my enthusiasm for the book.
First Ten review added on May 5, 2022, at 10:17 am by María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Timothy Rucinski
I absolutely despise the cover. It looks like a child's 4th-grade book report. The mixed typefaces are also quite unattractive. Had I seen this book on a bookstore shelf, I would haven't given it a second glance. Now, regarding the Official OBC Review, having read this was a memoir, I was fairly certain that I would not read it. I don't care for most memoirs. I read no other reviews or blurbs. After reading the first several pages I decided to read no further. What I liked most was the scene where Gisel's family heard an incendiary bomb hit the roof of their house, then run to extinguish the flames. This was a very poignant scene that truly captured the horrors of war. There was nothing that I disliked about what I read. I just don't care for the genre. As a suggestion for improvement, I would encourage the author to come up with a less busy cover.
First Ten review added on May 5, 2022, at 9:38 am by Timothy Rucinski.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Theresa Moffitt
I really like the cover of this book. The title is intriguing and the photographs add a personal aspect to the book. It looks like it is a memoir. Memoirs can be interesting to read and I enjoy reading them when they are written well. I would have been curious about the story and picked this book up based on the cover alone. I haven’t read any customer reviews or blurbs about this book. However, the onlinebookclub.org review was very positive and rated it a 4 out of 4 stars. It explained that the book was written by a woman who lived in Germany during World War 2. The focus is on her life and not just about the war. The central theme is a love story. This increased my interest in the book. The first ten pages describe how the author had to hide in a dark cellar during the war. Her description of the cellar and how she felt at the time was chilling. She then described the job she held when she was 20 and how she met her boyfriend, Hans, when she was sixteen. I didn’t see any errors in the first ten pages, so I believe the book was professionally edited. I also didn’t see any area that the author could improve upon. Based on the first ten pages and the OBC review, I would like to finish reading this book.
First Ten review added on May 5, 2022, at 8:13 am by Theresa Moffitt.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Total ~ 49%
When Time Stood Still earned a score of 49%.
In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 49% plan to read the whole book.
IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable.
Over a million books are published each year. Any given person could not even read .0001% of the books out there. This means readers have to be very selective. Even taking the time to look over reviews and blurbs, let alone read samples, is more time than most readers can afford for most books. The First Ten is a powerful focus group that addresses those issues. It creates a helpful tool for authors, publishers, and other readers.
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