Review of Fate and Faith
1 posts
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Fate and Faith" by william wood.]
Fate and Faith by William Wood is a historical fiction book with the Second World War as a backdrop. Shortly before the outbreak of conflict, a young French woman of Jewish origin decides to go to Krakow to dedicate herself to her passion, which is music. Geopolitically speaking, she couldn't be going to a worse place.
In Poland, having been raised in a Christian environment and for self-preservation, Ruth decides to hide her Jewish origin. She, however, will be pursued by an anti-Semitic Pole. The reader will experience a toxic environment that is an immense cauldron where the reader will find intrigue, gossip, betrayal, hatred, adultery, courage, and much more. The scenario is so terrifying that the reader ends up being tolerant of some human vices of lesser relevance.
What is most striking is that the author did not stick to childish clichés that are so common in similar books. The author did not describe all Germans and their descendants as bloody psychopaths who randomly shot children. The character Emil Mendler is a decent German who found himself trapped in the immense state bureaucracy and still tried to help the Jews. In order to avoid making the book seem simplistic and cartoonish, it is necessary to understand the difference between Schutzstaffel members who were, in fact, murderous and fanatical psychopaths and the average German of the time, which might or might not have been sympathetic to Nazism. That's what I liked the most about the book.
That's a professionally edited book. Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying that the editing is impeccable. I found four minor grammatical errors in this 331-page book. However, these errors are minor: the German field marshal Erwin Rommel is called "Irwin Rommel," there is one misspelled verb, and I also found two punctuation errors. Other than this, the book is pretty much flawless.
Fate and Faith by William Wood is a book that has all the features that historical fiction lovers want, namely historical accuracy, romance, and action. There are sharp and acute descriptions that brilliantly show both the lowest human emotions and the mental confusion of some characters in a historical event as absurd as World War II. At some moments, the characters do not know if they are Christians or Jews, and some wonder if they owe allegiance to their country or their moral conscience. A book dealing with topics like the Holocaust and war is automatically heavy. However, this book has no swear words or any sexual content. I recommend this work to historical fiction lovers over 14 years old. Younger teenagers will hardly absorb all the lessons this masterpiece can teach. I give it 4 out of 4 stars.
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Fate and Faith
View: on Bookshelves |
Fate and Faith by William Wood is a historical fiction book with the Second World War as a backdrop. Shortly before the outbreak of conflict, a young French woman of Jewish origin decides to go to Krakow to dedicate herself to her passion, which is music. Geopolitically speaking, she couldn't be going to a worse place.
In Poland, having been raised in a Christian environment and for self-preservation, Ruth decides to hide her Jewish origin. She, however, will be pursued by an anti-Semitic Pole. The reader will experience a toxic environment that is an immense cauldron where the reader will find intrigue, gossip, betrayal, hatred, adultery, courage, and much more. The scenario is so terrifying that the reader ends up being tolerant of some human vices of lesser relevance.
What is most striking is that the author did not stick to childish clichés that are so common in similar books. The author did not describe all Germans and their descendants as bloody psychopaths who randomly shot children. The character Emil Mendler is a decent German who found himself trapped in the immense state bureaucracy and still tried to help the Jews. In order to avoid making the book seem simplistic and cartoonish, it is necessary to understand the difference between Schutzstaffel members who were, in fact, murderous and fanatical psychopaths and the average German of the time, which might or might not have been sympathetic to Nazism. That's what I liked the most about the book.
That's a professionally edited book. Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying that the editing is impeccable. I found four minor grammatical errors in this 331-page book. However, these errors are minor: the German field marshal Erwin Rommel is called "Irwin Rommel," there is one misspelled verb, and I also found two punctuation errors. Other than this, the book is pretty much flawless.
Fate and Faith by William Wood is a book that has all the features that historical fiction lovers want, namely historical accuracy, romance, and action. There are sharp and acute descriptions that brilliantly show both the lowest human emotions and the mental confusion of some characters in a historical event as absurd as World War II. At some moments, the characters do not know if they are Christians or Jews, and some wonder if they owe allegiance to their country or their moral conscience. A book dealing with topics like the Holocaust and war is automatically heavy. However, this book has no swear words or any sexual content. I recommend this work to historical fiction lovers over 14 years old. Younger teenagers will hardly absorb all the lessons this masterpiece can teach. I give it 4 out of 4 stars.
******
Fate and Faith
View: on Bookshelves |
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