Wolfram: The boy who went to war
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Review
'As an Englishman writing about a German destiny for a non-German public, Milton avoids the pitfalls. Instead he renders a service to his father-in-law's generation by reminding readers about the sheer physical, mental and spiritual effect it took to stay true to oneself in a vicious regime.'
(The Times 20110220)'idiosyncratic and utterly fascinating'
(Mail on Sunday 20110220)'a truly remarkable story . . . a tour de force.'
(Miranda Seymour )'a compelling account of 20th-century darkness.'
(Sun Herald )'Giles Milton is one of our most engaging writers of non-fiction. In Wolfram, he writes with deceptive simplicity, matching his effortless style with a fascinating subject to create a page-turning and thought-provoking book.'
(Victoria Hislop ) 'a remarkable narrative of [Wolfram] Aichele's life during the Nazi regime, written by his son-in-law Giles Milton.'
'Engrossing . . . Milton's book celebrates the heroism of individuals who put lives before ideologies' (Independent )
'as a portrait of how these civilised individuals were able to survive, this is invaluable.'
(Daily Express )'Besides being moving and readable, Milton's social history provides a sympathetic counterbalance to the idea that all wartime Germans were "Hitler's willing executioners".'
(Mail on Sunday )'a delight to read.'
(www.thebookbag.co.uk )'Milton's book is no apology for the Third Reich - rather it is the very human, horrifying story of an ordinary German boy and his family of free-thinking artists, none of whom supported Hitler's politics and all of whom suffered great hardships.'
(Saga )'Giles Milton looks deeper into family history with Wolfram, the story of his father-in-law's childhood under the Third Reich.'
(Hobart Mercury )'Milton's writing, too, is first-rate. Engaging, poignant and vivid, he wrings just the right amount of pathos from his story, and shifts seamlessly between the varying "voices" of his narrative. . . . a very valid and interesting book'
(BBC History Magazine )'idiosyncratic and utterly fascinating'
(Mail on Sunday )'. . . the story of the Aichele family reveals an undercurrent of passive resistance that existed among ordinary Germans. . . . In considering what Germans went through during the war, Milton's book shows that our understanding should not be so clear cut. . . . Milton's close analysis of the experiences of Germans demonstrates that they too could be victims of the war.'
(Spectator )'Nazi Germany becomes three-dimensional in Giles Milton's touching study of a boy from a decent family which practised its own form of passive resistance.'
(Sunday Telegraph )'affectionate account'
(Times Literary Supplement )'a valuable record of what it was like to be sucked into war, and a vivid evocation of the fear and bewilderment of living in the Third Reich.'
(The Guardian )Review
'Giles Milton has a gift for searching out odd and forgotten corners of history and turning them into bestselling books.' -- William Palmer, Literary Review 20040704 'Giles Milton... has crafted an inspiration for those of us who believe that history can be exciting and entertaining' -- The Times 20040704 'Engrossing ... Milton's book celebrates the heroism of individuals who put lives before ideologies' -- Independent 20040704 '[Milton is] a master of historical narrative' -- The Sunday Times 20040704 'Milton has a terrific eye for the kind of detail that can bring the past vividly to life off the page ... restores an exotic lustre' -- Spectator 20040704 'Milton is a great storyteller ... he conjures mood from dry parchment' -- Express on Sunday 20040704
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
The problem with writing about an "ordinary" person, even taking his/her story through extraordinary times, is that keeping that person ordinary, makes it difficult to engage and retain the readers' attention.
Milton just fails to pull off this difficult balancing act, but falls into the trap of building up Wolfram, the subject of the book, into rather more than he probably was. With the obvious enormous benefit of hindsight, Wolfram appears to have had some rather fully-formed and detailed opinions on a wide-ranging number of subjects, possibly a little unbelievable in one who was so young at the time. As is often the case with memoirs of this nature, there is, in many places, simply too much detail and dialogue, giving the strong impression that a fair amount of retro-fitting and artistic license has gone on here. The fact that Wolfram, in time, became the father-in-law of the writer of this book also hints that the author's critical faculties may not have been as attuned as perhaps they should have been.
Undoubtedly an interesting concept; unfortunately, at least partly because of the family connection, I found it all a little difficult to believe - it all just seems too convenient.
Milton just fails to pull off this difficult balancing act, but falls into the trap of building up Wolfram, the subject of the book, into rather more than he probably was. With the obvious enormous benefit of hindsight, Wolfram appears to have had some rather fully-formed and detailed opinions on a wide-ranging number of subjects, possibly a little unbelievable in one who was so young at the time. As is often the case with memoirs of this nature, there is, in many places, simply too much detail and dialogue, giving the strong impression that a fair amount of retro-fitting and artistic license has gone on here. The fact that Wolfram, in time, became the father-in-law of the writer of this book also hints that the author's critical faculties may not have been as attuned as perhaps they should have been.
Undoubtedly an interesting concept; unfortunately, at least partly because of the family connection, I found it all a little difficult to believe - it all just seems too convenient.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
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I really enjoyed this book, and found it as compelling read a read as fiction. I often lose interest in non-fiction after a while, but this was a fascinating story. There is so much information available about the British and the allies in the second world war, that it makes a change to read about it from the German perspective. Having said that, Wolfram's family certainly was not a typical German family, and they resisted the rise of Hitler as much as they could, unlike other people from their town who embraced the ideology wholeheartedly. Wolfram's experience of war was a harrowing one that he was very lucky to survive, as the Nazi war machine began to come off the rails in the latter part of WW2.
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
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It is always fascinating to read accounts of life in the Third Reich from the perspective of someone who was not at the centre of power. This is the experience of the author Giles Miltons' father in law, from his childhood under the Nazis, with his family as "outsiders" under the regime, through to his experiences at war. It is easy to dismiss books such as this as glossing over the reality of the protagonists' account, and in this case, being biased, as it is about a family member, but it is also easy to tar everyone who lived under that dictatorship as an evil nazi. I tend to believe that this is a genuine account, rather than take the easy option of dismissing offhand the reality that there were people in Germany who opposed the Nazis, but under a climate of fear, had little option but to obey. This is a well written, and fascinating account, and needs to be read with an open mind.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Book - Wolfram
Purchased for a friend (not as gift!) so cannot comment on the contents. Book arrived on time and in state described by seller. Well priced but thought postage a bit steep. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Khushiman
The other side of the fence.
It must have been a sweet day indeed when Giles Milton, the author of several excellent and painstakingly researched narrative histories, realised he had a book to write from... Read more
Published 5 months ago by street-legal
A fascinating story of WW2 told from a German perspective
A new book from Giles Milton is always welcome - he is a fine writer of what might be called "narrative non-fiction" - often telling the story of forgotten episodes in history... Read more
Published 6 months ago by A Common Reader
compelling memoir: clunky style
This is a moving and enjoyable memoir which will make you consider the Second World War from a fresh perspective. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Withnail67
Another great
I have to admit after reading Edward Trencom's Nose and Nathaniel's Nutmeg I was already a fan. But, this book really took a different twist as it was more personal, and frankly,... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Gee Em
Good view of WW2 from the German side...
Giles Milton, is the British author of non-fiction work, "Nathaniel's Nutmeg" and "Samurai William". Read more
Published 11 months ago by Jill Meyer
Brief Review
Very well written book, especially as Author was a family member.
Interesting insight of the Young Man, who had no interest in war or Nazi ideals, along with his family,... Read more
Interesting insight of the Young Man, who had no interest in war or Nazi ideals, along with his family,... Read more
Published 13 months ago by L. Hughes
Superlative personal history account
I'm a big fan of Giles Milton, having already read Edward Trencom's Nose: A Novel of History, Dark Intrigue and Cheese and Nathaniel's Nutmeg: How One Man's Courage Changed the... Read more
Published 13 months ago by R. A. Mansfield
Fascinating personal account of WWII from a German perspective
This is a factual account of a young boy who grew up in Germany in the 1930s, when the Nazis came to power, and along with many of his compatriots, was forced to enlist in the army... Read more
Published 13 months ago by S. Diment
A great window into troubled times
This book is written from the viewpoint of a boy growing up alongside the rise of Nazism. Clearly written and gives you a real flavour of what people actually thought as Hitler... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Thurstan Johnston
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