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S'està carregant… The Last Innocent Hour (1991)de Margot Abbott
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It is 1946 and Berlin is a ruined city, the Nazis vanquished, but memories of the city in 1934 haunt Sally as she returns to investigate war crimes as an army intelligence officer. Her father was the American ambassador to the new Third Reich and Sally was too naïve to understand the corruption and depravity underneath the shiny surface of banners and marching men. Childhood summers at a Bavarian lake made her believe she knew Germany.Her job, which helps expiate her old guilt, is analyzing photographs; she is no longer innocent of the evil done by the Nazis. In the American sector offices, Sally finds friendship with the other members of her unit, especially with Tim Hastings. His easy, relaxed friendship is a balm to her frozen heart. She does fear he will despise her when he learns about her past, especially her marriage to Christian Mayr, an SS officer.He was a rising officer under the command of General Reinhard Heydrich, chief of the dreaded secret police. Apparently supporting the young couple, Heydrich¿s manipulations instead tore them apart, nearly taking Sally¿s life, certainly shredding her soul. She does not know what happened to Christian.Sally studies a series of pictures documenting a wartime atrocity, a reprisal by the Nazis after the 1942 assassination of Heydrich. Stunned, Sally believes she can recognize the SS commander as her husband. It is logical that Mayr was sent to revenge his chief.But Christian was also Sally¿s loyal childhood friend, and then her passionate husband. Sally believed in Christian, in their love and she believed that Berlin and Heydrich could not touch them. Now, in 1946, she understands love does not always triumph, but how could Christian have become the man in the photograph? And is he still alive? No s'han trobat descripcions de biblioteca. |
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Google Books — S'està carregant… GèneresClassificació Decimal de Dewey (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LCC (Clas. Bibl. Congrés EUA)ValoracióMitjana:
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This book was a surprising blend of many genres, all merged together for one very satisfying whole. There’s romance, an in-depth examination of the early Nazi years and post-WWII Germany, a mystery/war crimes story, politics, and character examinations.
Yet, where this really shines is in its psychological thriller aspects. This book takes its characters on a mind-warping journey of deception, betrayal, and brain washing that keeps the reader spellbound. Abbott gives us a rare glimpse into really how powerful the psychological power of the Nazis were in their influencing the German masses to their beliefs. This is especially evident in Christian’s journey. His change from beginning to end is so drastic and so scarily believable that I was just stunned.
For the most part, I really liked Sally. She’s a pleasant balance of trusting innocent and spunky idealist that really jives with the reader. Her standing up for the oppressed Jews against the SA and the format her final showdown in the end took made me want to cheer her on. I mean, how many characters could do that in her condition as easily and well as she does?
However, there were times where her innocence was stressed too much. Even towards the end, after all the times her trust had been dinged, she still seemed to give people the benefit of the doubt and her trust far too easily. I don’t know if the author was just trying to stress her innocence in the face of Nazi brutality and mind-manipulation or she was just a somewhat empty-headed bimbo at times. But I wanted to slap some sense into her more than once.
The emotional journey this book will take you on defies description. From the banger of an opening all the way through the mind-twisting journey to the end, this book kept me on the edge of my toes and my emotions firmly held in the driver’s seat. I felt every deception, every triumph, and every urge to believe that Sally felt so strongly.
This is a winner overall. A blend of many genres, it balances out all the aspects of the story splendidly. A special focus on the psychological and emotional make for an even stronger story. The characters shine, even though there is an emphasis on certain character aspects that set my teeth on edge. I highly recommend this book to reads of WWII fiction as it’s a journey that won’t soon leave your mind or heart. ( )