first lie wins reviews

Price: $17.00
(as of Dec 27, 2024 01:21:17 UTC - Details)

"Extraordinary...Rich in irony and regret...[the] people and settings are vividly realized and his prose [is] compelling in its simplicity."
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
As the world slips into the throes of war in 1939, young Maciek's once closetted existence outside Warsaw is no more. When Warsaw falls, Maciek escapes with his aunt Tania. Together they endure the war, running, hiding, changing their names, forging documents to secure their temporary lives—as the insistent drum of the Nazi march moves ever closer to them and to their secret wartime lies.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ballantine Books (October 15, 1997)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0449001172
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0449001172
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.7 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.1 x 0.51 x 8.03 inches
Reviewer: pamarella
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Wartime Lies
Review: This is a powerful book. Very profound. Beautiful in many ways, but not as you’d think of “beautiful”…and I can’t really explain what I’m trying to say. I feel I don’t have the eloquence to do this book justice in a review. It’s a terribly painful story from beginning to end. Very realistic, so real and heartbreaking. So real, because much of it is based on the reality of the author’s life. The deep psychological damage done to those, especially the Jewish folks, who suffered through the war is huge!! One does not just “get over it.” It is pain upon pain, betrayal over and over again, starvation, deprivation, and atrocities abounding day after day in one form or another. From something terribly disgusting you have to eat, to babies being murdered in cruel ways~the total disregard for your fellowman, and always being pushed to your utmost limit!! My heart broke for this young boy and his family. Aunt Tania is a remarkable woman. Her quick thinking, determination and devotion saved them over and over again. My tears especially flowed over Grandfather. However, each pain is equally heartbreaking when the human spirit and soul are being crushed. It is all individual as to what tragedy affects the worst. I had to stop reading at times~hard to bear. Yet, I’m reminded, I am only reading this not living it. I’m glad I read this book.pamarellaPRCS

Reviewer: Luther Mills
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Chilling and Intense
Review: Nothing cheerful here. How a young Jewish boy and his Aunt survived WWII in Poland. There was a helpful German and several heroic Poles, although most were committed Nazi's and the Poles were Anti-Semitic. One of the most intense parts of the book was near the end of the German Occupation in Warsaw, where the Partisans attacked the Nazi's. Then left the population of Warsaw defenseless again the Germans and there Ukrainian allies.

Reviewer: Linda Sneed
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Gripping Holocaust novel told from a boys point of view
Review: This novel is told in a semi autobiographical style by a writer who remembers in hindsight. Although there are some fascinating details of the type of events that really happened, and a couple of interesting characters such as the aunt Tania and the grandfather, who are forced to assume Aryan identities during the war in Poland, the emotional responses seem to be lacking. For example no dread and suspense in the buildup to the Nazi takeover, no feelings of fear, hunger, distrust described in detail. So in many ways I felt like I was reading just a series of events.

Reviewer: Mary Lins
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Unflinching Survival Story
Review: “Wartime Lies”, by Louis Begley (1991), won a bunch of awards, and I now see why. This semi-autobiographical and unflinching Holocaust survival story from a child’s point of view, was so riveting that I pretty much read it in one sitting.I wish we could shake our head at “man’s inhumanity to man” and think: Oh well, that was 80 years ago, it’s different now. Sadly, it is not.

Reviewer: Harro
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: An autobiographical novel
Review: Well written story and in spite of the author's protest, it is near autobiographical. The horror of the story is not only the murderous behavior of the Germans and many Poles, but that after the defeat of the Nazis, many Poles were still the same antisemitic people as before. Plus ca change...

Reviewer: Kindle Customer
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Good story
Review: Not what I expected, if I had realized was historical fiction, would have been better. As I have been reading and devouring every nonfiction offering from this time period.

Reviewer: Jane Brownley
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Living a lie to get by during the Holocaust.
Review: I never get tired of reading Holocaust stories. Wartime Lies is very well written and I really am amazed at the courage of the characters. The story is compelling and I loved it.

Reviewer: S Nelson
Rating: 2.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Could have been good
Review: With better writing and development this could have been an interesting if not entertaining read. As it is, it’s vague & disjointed.

Reviewer: steffen manekeller
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Keine Beanstandungen

Reviewer: Me Burel Anne
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Ce livre donne une vision précise des persécutions et de l'holocauste des Juifs de Pologne pendant la seconde guerre mondiale et ce par une narration à la première personne; tout est en effet rapporté par le jeune témoin (12 ans à la fin de la guerre); quelques passages tirés de l'enfer de Dante par ex ont permis à l'écrivain (et au lecteur) de reprendre souffle avant d'affronter les épisodes suivants. Ce livre n'est pas tout à fait une autobiographie, cependant l'auteur a puisé dans les souvenirs de son enfance détruite par le nazisme, l'antisémitisme, la guerre. A lire absolument à l'heure des négationnismes individuels ou étatiques!.

Reviewer: Old Pismire
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This book is a valuable contribution to our understanding of what was going on in Poland/Ukrania during the decade of the mid-thirties to the end of the war.

Reviewer: Cliente Amazon
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: The novel is very easy to read for non native speakers. It is written in a simplistic way. I recommend it.

Reviewer: Kent
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: A thoroughly good read that was informative as well as 'enjoyable', if reading such topics can be described as enjoyable.