Sunday, October 10, 2010

The Summer of My German Soldier Book 36

I don't know. Maybe, I'm crazy. Maybe, I wouldn't know a good book if it slapped me in the face. Maybe, I should consider another profession. Because I have to say I was just a little disappointed in this book. Yet my little paperback is a 30th anniversary edition so obviously someone liked it!

It's the story of a Jewish girl helping a German POW escape officials after breaking out of a US war camp (yep, we had them too) in Arkansas. She's being held by some blonde guy on the cover. It's so adorable, really. (Except the male lead wasn't blonde and barely there so I've no clue what the blonde dude on the cover was about). She risked everything to help him find freedom. I bought a book expecting to find first love and real passion. Instead, I got abusive parents, racism, and anti-semitism.I got a government that prosecutes 12 year old girls for feeding the hungry and kills 22 year old med students for being drafted into the German military. I got a book bogged down with details in which nothing, NOTHING happened the way I wanted it to.

Now I have to be fair. It was heartrending. I'd be lying if I didn't say that. I felt bad for the POW because he didn't even agree with Hitler. I felt sorry for the girl because her parents were absolutely horrible. But seriously, had I realized all this I wouldn't have bought the book!

5 comments:

  1. Sounds like this was more a case of bad cover artist and not so great jacket copy than anything. Too bad you didn't like it, but props for reading another contemporary!! :)

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  2. I think I read this in high school. Don't remember much. The style of writing has changed so it's hard to compare something written 30 years ago with something popular today.

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  3. Book covers are tough! I went to a book signing where Lisi Harrison was promoting her latest novel Monster High and she said she was in love with this one in particular because there were no people on the front. She said she never understood images because readers want to relate the front male or female for the protagnist when 9 times out of 10 it isn't even close.

    People sell is what she said her editor had said so they continued to do it!

    I haven't read the novel, and honestly I don't think it would ever be one I pick up. Don't worry about picking a new profession, we're not meant to love every book we come across!

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  4. I think I read it in high school, but I only remember that it felt slow and heavy. It's always good when we can be honest wioth ourselves about what we did or did not like in a story. I think that's a sign of a GOOD writer! :-)

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  5. My students just finished reading this book... Can't say that they liked it too much either. Many were disappointed with the way the father treated Patty and didn't understand why he was so mean to her. We watched the movie when we were all finished. There's a little explanation of dear daddy'e behavior in that version, but it still made the kids mad.

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