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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
More to be said than a normal good book, 22 Mar 2004
By A Customer
I first read Stephen Fry about a year ago, starting with his novel, "The Liar." The humor and interesting plot alone were more than enough to keep me reading his books, but I found the differences between "Making History" and "The Liar" to be amazing. Fry goes from writing just simply for the sake of a good story, to suddenly having a very thoughtful book, providing different views on life and the situation in Europe after the 1920s. The novel challenges your views on what is better, along with what would happen if circumstances in the past had been different.Really, would life be better if Hitler did not exist? "Making History" says that if Hitler had not risen to power, someone else would have. And if not him, then who? Someone who would use his power better, or worse? The same situation was existing in Europe, whether Adolf Hitler were born or not. Besides the questions that arise in the readers mind, this book has much more of interest to it. Stephen Fry has an amazing ability to turn absolutely terrible situations into laughable comedy scenes, from being left by a girlfriend, to a battle in World War I. From there he can take his humor and disperse it, such that intensity, suspense, and drama are still effected. The characters are strange but interesting. The young Englishman, Michael, seems to dislike American styles of living, while at the same time he adopts their words and language. He tries perhaps too hard to be cool, but at the same time he truly is himself. His girlfriend, who is intolerable of just about any nonsense, a character who cannot be lured into making herself ever look stupid or foolish, seems much the type of girl Michael is likely NOT to be with. Perhaps the turn or events in the second half of the novel explains this, or perhaps just simply their age difference could be enough. Any character can be a complete cliché, while at the same time being a separate individual, another intriguing aspect into Fry's writing. This is easily one of the best alternate history novels to be found anywhere. This is an excellent read, even for people who do not wish to trouble themselves with books that make them think. The story is amazing.
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by Stephen Fry
by Stephen Fry
by Stephen Fry
by Stephen Fry
by Stephen Fry
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