Official Review: Between These Walls by Michael Newman

[Kelebogile Mbangi]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Between These Walls" by Michael Newman.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Between These Walls is a historical fiction book by Michael Newman. The scenes in this gripping novel unfold in different locations and cover decades of history, including Hitler’s rise to power and the establishment of Israel as an independent state.

It is the summer of 1988. Daniel Singer, an assistant art curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, is dumbfounded by the arrival of a large envelope. The contents of the package are official-looking documents that haven been written in German. Daniel’s efforts to make sense of the documents uncover a grim truth about his roots. The documents also lead to the exposure of a ghastly injustice that involved two German families and that happened more than four decades ago, just a year before the end of WWII. The documents and the truth they hold forever alter Daniel’s perception of his time spent in Israel and Egypt and his involvement with Israel’s Mossad spy agency in 1973.

Between These Walls has not been written in chronological order. Each chapter encompasses significant events in the life of one of the characters. For example, chapter 4 introduces us to Arnold Weisz in the winter of 1944. Chapter 5 then takes us back to the early 1930s where we learn of Arnold’s life as a young lawyer before the Nazis’ Nuremburg race laws strip him of his livelihood. Although the story did not unfurl sequentially, this did not affect my comprehension of the plot as a whole nor did it affect the book’s readability. It made me wonder how all of these seemingly unrelated events and characters would come together. To my great delight, the ending did not disappoint. Everything merged together seamlessly.

Pictures of documents, identification cards, and means of correspondence between characters have been included in the book. These pictures look authentic and made the story feel real, as though the events narrated in the book actually took place. They also served as evidence of the diligent effort that the author put into this book. His diligence is also evident in how well researched this book feels.

It is likely that you will enjoy this book if you are a history enthusiast or a historical fiction fan. You might learn a thing or two while being entertained by this enthralling book. I enjoyed it from start to finish. There’s nothing I disliked about the book. Not only is the content great, but it also contains very few errors. Thus, I rate it 4 out of 4 stars.

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Between These Walls
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[SunVixen]

Look like very interesting reading. Thank you for great review.

[Kachi_Ejiogu+_]

I'm inclined to say that I'm part of the author's target audience. As a diplomat, I'd be getting added knowledge from this book. I love how the writer was able to scatter events into bits and coupled them back together in a way that it makes perfect sense. Great and apt review.

[hasincla]

Oooh, I like stories that weave together nicely at the end! It's so disappointing when threads don't get picked up and you're left wondering. Sounds like an intriguing read, thank you for your review!

[Nafreezy]

Stories involving actual history fascinate me. More so on the people in topic. Hitler has always bogled me. Israel, on the other hand, interests me greatly. I'm already anticipating the good read.
Thank you for the review.

[Miller56]

This sounds like a very interesting puzzle that comes together and makes sense. I think I would enjoy this one. Thanks for the review.

[Adanna Inya]

I love history. I will sure read this.

[Kwhitehead]

This sounds like such an interesting read!

[Nonso Samuelson]

The choice to not write the events of the book chronologically sounds to me like it helped make the book more enjoyable. Makes it feel more like a movie script, which appeals to me.

[Linda_Testa]

Sounds like a book I would love to read!

[Nzube Chizoba Okeke]

I enjoy reading historical fictions so I doubt that I'd detest this one. Nice review.

[Laurina Michael Olowoniran]

Historical books are always interesting. Though it's not my kind of genre, you have done a good job in reviewing it.

[Ediomis_Enwongo01]

I'm afraid I might not be able to flow with the author's style of writing as it would be difficult for me to gather all the different scenes together. However, having historical base in Germany and Israel might be of interest to me. Thanks for the well compiled review.

[Deprise Evans]

I love historical books, especially those set in the 1930's and 1940's. This sounds like a read I would definitely enjoy! Thanks for your great review!

[Edwin Amah]

Another historical fiction book that looks like quite an interesting read for history lovers. I will let this one pass because I am not a good reader of history books.