I recently read Enemy at the Gates (I woudl have underlined, but I can't figure out how to do that), by William Craig. This book is a non-fiction compilation of various tales from the Battle of Stalingrad, in WWII. When I say compilation, I don't mean a bunch of different short stories, but different sections from the viewpoints of different individuals - from both German and Soviet Generals, down to footslogging infantry, to a female Russian sniper. I don't want to have a history lesson here, so I'll be brief with the historical background. The Germans and Soviets are fighting for control of a manufacturing city in Stalingrad, a brutal, close-quarters battleground that goes down in history as one of the bloodiest battles ever, as well as a turning point in WWII. I know that a major point in blogs is to talk about character development, but since there are more than half a dozen "main" characters, it is hard to mention all of them. In general, there are three stages to the character development, different for each side, as they go through the battle.
German
1.Excited, ready to win.
2.Getting more and more worried, wearied, and starving
3.Absolutely tired-to-the-bone, fatalist - in short, "screwed".
Russian
1. Worried, upset, scared (about the invasion - lots of gory stuff w/ civilians)
2. Determined, heroic, sort of "last-stand" attitude - (This is SPARTAA...I mean Soviet RUSSIA!)
3. Excited, victorious, happy
If you notice, they're kind of the opposite. I liked how Craig mentioned both sides of the story, and also showed the gruesomeness and darkness of that battle. However, sometimes, it was a little over the top, such as mentioning how the civilians are killed or even worse, the lice!!!
Quote: "and a seething mass of grey parasites swarmed into his arm, disappearing into his cast"
Ugh!!
Who's going to enjoy this book? History buffs, WWII fans/nerds, people interested in learning more about WWII, those who "crave action" (in the immortal words of C. Kelkar). However, if you're squeamish about gore and icky stuff, or don't fit into any of the above categories, you probably won't enjoy it.
German
1.Excited, ready to win.
2.Getting more and more worried, wearied, and starving
3.Absolutely tired-to-the-bone, fatalist - in short, "screwed".
Russian
1. Worried, upset, scared (about the invasion - lots of gory stuff w/ civilians)
2. Determined, heroic, sort of "last-stand" attitude - (This is SPARTAA...I mean Soviet RUSSIA!)
3. Excited, victorious, happy
If you notice, they're kind of the opposite. I liked how Craig mentioned both sides of the story, and also showed the gruesomeness and darkness of that battle. However, sometimes, it was a little over the top, such as mentioning how the civilians are killed or even worse, the lice!!!
Quote: "and a seething mass of grey parasites swarmed into his arm, disappearing into his cast"
Ugh!!
Who's going to enjoy this book? History buffs, WWII fans/nerds, people interested in learning more about WWII, those who "crave action" (in the immortal words of C. Kelkar). However, if you're squeamish about gore and icky stuff, or don't fit into any of the above categories, you probably won't enjoy it.
Lauren,
ReplyDeleteI also chose to read a WWII book and am really enjoying it. My favorite kinds of books tends to be historic fiction but I have not read much non-fiction. I am interested in this book mostly because it shows different perspectives of a very important and historical event. It is a rarity to find a book that includes a German perspective on the events that took place during this time period. Thanks for sharing