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Nov 2020
10:55pm, 18 Nov 2020
754 posts
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Peregrinator
Interesting Columba's point about the colour of the car showing how the story had got under Binet's skin - I felt his point was that we couldn't even pin down a historic fact like that, much less more complicated issues of interpretation. I knew the story of the attack in outline from somewhere, which maybe also reduced its impact, but for me, the structure of the writer researching the story did reduce the emotional connection to the events.
In one sense I was a little grateful that it did: my gliding over is to have avoided reading some books that perhaps I should read, so that I don't have to deal with the appalling experiences and choices people went through during the Nazi era. And yet without that full extent of emotion, aren't people's histories sold short?
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Nov 2020
8:16am, 19 Nov 2020
31,695 posts
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LazyDaisy
I completely agree, Peregrinator.
It was an excellent choice, McG, even though I only gave it 3 * - as you expected, it has produced a really interesting range of responses!
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Nov 2020
8:34am, 19 Nov 2020
47,350 posts
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McGoohan
Cheers, LD. That was my hope. 
As I said, I don't mind that people don't have the same reaction to it that I do, but I think it would be hard book to have *no* opinion on.
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Nov 2020
8:49pm, 19 Nov 2020
20,529 posts
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Columba
I don't call you LD, Daisy; I call you Daisy.
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Nov 2020
9:29pm, 19 Nov 2020
31,708 posts
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LazyDaisy
Yes, it was my confusion, not yours Columba. A lot of people call me LD, and I call Linds Linds
The Booker winner sounds interesting if a tough read. Might wait a bit before I'm in the right mood for it.
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Nov 2020
3:17pm, 29 Nov 2020
35,055 posts
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Night-owl
Finally finished. Took me almost all month
Took ages to start and when i did could only read a bit at a time.
Of course i know the history even it all happened before i was born
But saying that if we eradicated all bits of history because it happened before our time then we are doomed to repeat it.
So this is book and sure there are others that everyone should read least once.
Although i know the history though not every fine detail. I was forever looking up names and places on the internet. Don't think i did that before with a book, at least not as much.
Thanks for the choice McG i probably wouldn't have read it otherwise even though have seen it in the bookshop.
Did feel sick at times can't imagine living through those times.
On another note sometimes you read something that has a personal connection, the mention of the bats shoe shop was one of them
Those who may remember old blogs of mine may remember we had a batas factory and shoe shop.
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Nov 2020
3:34pm, 29 Nov 2020
35,056 posts
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Night-owl
Poll wise i have it 8
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Nov 2020
5:07pm, 29 Nov 2020
20,570 posts
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Columba
I have lent my copy to my parish priest, Apparently he has visited the church in which the parachutists took refuge. He says the crypt is very claustrophobic. And the bullet holes are still visible in the walls.
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Nov 2020
5:21pm, 29 Nov 2020
47,461 posts
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McGoohan
I think Badger has also visited
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Dec 2020
12:10am, 13 Dec 2020
19,974 posts
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Serendippily
A lot of this was very good, baba yar and Dynamo Kiev descriptions will stay with me. As will the sten gun jamming and death by horsehair. I had no problem with the infranovel bits reinforcing what was real while taking advantage of everything that makes a fiction gripping. The “I am Prague” bits at the end got oddly floral and that I thought weakened it. I don’t tend to knock about the history channel so much of this was new to me and would not be my normal choice. But I’m really glad to have read it
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