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Hanns and Rudolf: The German Jew and the Hunt for the Kommandant of Auschwitz

Thomas Harding

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This is The Sunday Times Bestseller. Winner of The JQ Wingate Prize 2015. Shortlisted for the COSTA...

Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Nine in Books

Jul 4, 2021

The Nine

Gwen Strauss | 2021 | Education, History & Politics

9.0

(3 Ratings)

Book Rating

Gosh, that was powerful.

This is the true story about nine young women brought together under the most heinous of situations but who, together, show the power of friendship amongst the shadow of human depravity and the light of the kindness of strangers.

The book follows each of the nine before, during and after the WWII and whilst this ensured a complete picture was formed it did jump a bit between different times, people and different places which made it difficult to follow and, I think, detracted from the flow somewhat. Despite this, I got a real sense of the personalities and characters of each of the women and it was really interesting to read about the plight of political prisoners and captured resistance fighters during this time period.

By the very nature of this book and it's subject matter, it is not an easy read however the resilience, bravery and courage of these young women deserves to be told and should be told. I also feel that, done sensitively, this could work well on the big screen which would bring this amazing story to the masses.

Thank you to Bonnier Books UK / Manilla Press and NetGalley for my copy in return for an unbiased and unedited review.

Kudos

Peter_mark84 (59 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of Resident Evil 7 biohazard in Video Games

Jun 27, 2019

First person scares (4 more)

Amazing graphics

Clever A.I

Intriguing story

Really challenging boss fights

Handgun is bit naff (0 more)

Scary stuff

So I have been play this for while.

Totally love the game, one of the best Resident Evils I have played. The graphics and SFX set a very tense atmosphere. The graphics in particular are very crisp and it almost looks real. This is true for Baker family and other Humans you meet.

Monsters less look realistic in comparison. Though do give great jump scare. Not sure on their official name but I call the "Venomites", The tall tendrily creatures that the Bakers seem to have are creepy as hell.

The puzzles are you standard Resident Evil fare, which is good and really enjoyable for fans of the older entries in particular.

The boss fights are something else, So far I fought Ma & Pa Baker. These were tough to beat. Using a lot of different attacks to keep you guessing. No QTEs, just good old wits, skill and hoping your ammo does not run out.

I particularly like the story, keeps you guessing and wondering if and how this fits into the rest of Resident Evil universe.

I recommend this to anyone who loves a good scary game. Just maybe don't play before bed.

Kudos

ClareR (5716 KP) rated How Much Of These Hills is Gold in Books

Jun 12, 2020

This is not your typical Western, although it set in the old Wild West. Lucy and Sam, two Chinese-American children, set off on their own to bury their father and to find the life that their mother wanted for them. Their father had gold fever and gambled their money away, their mother wanted an education and choices for her children - as well as somewhere safe to live. The fact that this story is based on two children alone is enough of an indicator that their parents wishes weren’t successful.

There are flashbacks to the life that they had prior to the death of their parents, and these really showed what a hard life gold prospecting and coal mining was - particularly if you weren’t seen as true Americans.

I loved this book - the descriptions of the landscape were stunning, the story of the difficult, uncertain lives the main characters experienced was at times heart-rending. I liked that we weren’t involved in the thought processes of their persecutors - we see everything from Lucy, Sam and their parents perspectives. We get a glimpse into the world of an immigrant family and of how little it seems to have changed with regards to attitudes.

I’d really recommend this book - it was a rewarding, if sad, read.