Recommended

Well balanced, well researched history giving a human face to a difficult period of European history. A welcome counterpoint to the many histories of WW2 focussing on battles, strategies etc and revealing the complexities & dilemmas of a small community in a momentous time. Nothing is simple & there but for the grace..we might all have been placed.

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2 people found this helpful

An unusual account of the third Reich.

Through the lives of individuals living in this Southern village in Bavaria one gains an understanding of how the third Reich developed and grew. Julia Boyd's use of diaries, letters and records is very impressive.

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An excellent piece of modern historical research

This book tells the story of a small Bavarian town, from the First World War to the end of the second. Everyday life is shown in all of its mundane but fascinating detail, but central to everything is the Nazis’ rise to power. The power of the state to control all aspects of everyday life is shown in frightening detail, and the mind bending facility of the Nazi propaganda machine to shape the beliefs of ordinary citizens is there for all to see. The punctilious workings of the Nazi extermination machine show German efficiency in its darkest light, To imagine that these are times best forgotten is to ignore what is still happening in parts of Europe today.

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Very interesting

I have read much on the Second World War, and much of it is very similar in nature, this book gives a vantage point that is different and very interesting.
By exploring how the Nazi regime dominated the lives of the German population, and how insidious they were among their own people, it adds a dimension to my knowledge on this subject that is intriguing and illuminating.

I would certainly recommend this book.

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fantastic book

this is a very well written book with so many stories woven though. just so interesting all the way through. although it's about the war, it doesn't feel like a war book but a story of a village in Bavaria and the people living there .
The narrator is also very good, and perfect for this book

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Frighteningly relatable stories

I'd recommend this book to anyone fascinated by the greyness of life and morality. the intimate portrait of this village brings home the frighteningly relatable reality of how easily it is to be drawn into extremist thinking or life, and how hard it is to fathom the line between democracy then dictatorship.

It highlights the complexity of ordinary people trying to live ordinary lives caught up in the retorthric and process of nazism. The book tells so many moving stories that will have you crying in sadness of peoples lives destroyed or somehow rooting for the lenient Nazi major to save his son and the Jewish townsfolk. In ways that will make you question what is it to be "good" or "evil".

So many fascinating, moving and heroic stories mixed with everyday village life. It is a brilliant book and warning for us all to be aware of how quickly it is to be swept up in something or the dangers of apathy.

Absolutely one of the best books I've ever read. It will make you question so many things about morality and human nature.

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would recommend

very good account of life in a small village and how it became rnmeshed with Nazism

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A truly wonderful listen.

I thoroughly enjoyed the entire historic journey this book to me on.
Meticulously well researched, engaging, and eloquently narrated, this book provides an easy to follow, yet detailed account of this lovely German village’s achievements and struggles through a particularly dark time in history.

Very highly recommended.

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An interesting take on a story we all know.

I have not given this five stars because there is so much out there And this is not the best thing that I’ve ever listen

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A very interesting and engaging study of the effects of the Nazi regime on a village locality. Well worth a listen.

The content is fascinating, the narration is extremely good. We learn about interesting individuals and their fates; we can begin to understand how people were able to survive in awful circumstances and above all that at least in Oberstdorf there were some Nazis in authority who did not subscribe to the cruelty and evil of the regime and thus enabled some people to survive. It does however allude to some of the crimes against humanity perpetrated by the Nazis which are not glossed over and must not be forgotten. The phenomenal research behind this book has to be commended. Fundamentally it is a book that leaves the listener with some sense of hope and faith in humanity.

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