Prisoner of Night and Fog: A heart-breaking story of courage during one of history's darkest hours

by Anne Blankman

Heather Wilds (Narrator)

An ordinary girl faces an extraordinary choice in this gripping, coming-of-age tale of secrets and courage set in Nazi Germany, perfect for readers who enjoyed The Book Thief and Beneath a Scarlet Sky.'

'It's terrifying and incredible to think how much of this story is true' Elizabeth Wein, author of Code Name Verity


Munich, 1931. Gretchen Muller has been cherished and protected by Adolf Hitler ever since her father, a senior Nazi officer, sacrificed himself to save the life of the Führer. And now Germany has the chance to be great once more, under the command of her 'Uncle Dolf'.

But secrets cannot be silenced forever. When Gretchen meets a young Jewish reporter named Daniel Cohen, who claims that her father was actually murdered, she becomes swept up in a desperate and dangerous search for the truth. With the full might of the ever-powerful Nazi party on her tail, and the motives of her dearest friends now in question, Gretchen must risk everything to determine her own allegiances - even if her choices could get her and Daniel killed.

(P)2014 HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

• ISBN10: 1472216792
• ISBN13: 9781472216793
• Publish Date: 22 April 2014
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Headline Publishing Group
• Imprint: Headline Book Publishing
• Edition: Unabridged edition
• Format: Audiobook (MP3)
• Duration: 10 hours and 41 minutes
• Language: English

Reviews

[cornerfolds]

Read more of my reviews at Cornerfolds.com!

I decided to read Prisoner of Night and fog hot on the heels of Salt to the Sea, oddly wanting more of the World War II historical fiction I'd gotten a taste of. This is really strange behavior for me considering I usually stick to fantasy and dystopia, but I was intrigued by this book about Adolf Hitler's "niece." Admittedly, I don't know a whole lot about this time period, but I do love stories about people who learn the horrible truth about those they love. Luckily, I was not disappointed!

Gretchen is a young girl whose family has become very, very close to Adolf Hitler following her father's death. She has always been treated as his beloved niece, shielded from the horrors of the Germany that is slowly unraveling around her amidst Hitler's rise to power. Gretchen only sees the best parts of her Uncle Dolf and has been fed sugar-coated versions of his plans regarding the "relocation" of the Jews. Despite Gretchen's naivety, I loved her character. Once the truth begins to reveal itself, Gretchen goes after it instead of hiding behind her wall of ignorance as so many would do in her place. Gretchen is strong in face of adversity, even going against her own family in pursuit of the truth and I thought she was amazing for it!

This is YA historical fiction so there is obviously romance, but I found myself totally invested in it even though I didn't fully understand it at times. Daniel is a Jewish reporter who is looking into the death of Gretchen's father and ignites her passion for learning the truth. I didn't really get exactly why Daniel was interested in Gretchen's father's death, but I was honestly willing to overlook it because the bigger story was fantastic. Although Gretchen hates Daniel at first (what other choice does she have based on her upbringing, really?), she comes to understand that he is just a person like her - the first chink in her armor. I loved the relationship between Gretchen and Daniel and the mutual respect that they held for each other.

The villains in Prisoner of Night and Fog were despicable. Not only was Hitler the obvious bad guy here, but Gretchen's brother was also pretty terrifying. It was strange to see Hitler from the eyes of someone who loved him, but it was extremely interesting to watch his character devolve as Gretchen learned more and more about the man underneath the facade. I truly felt for her as her world crumbled.

Speaking of Gretchen's world, the world building in this book was fantastic! I've said before that I really don't have much knowledge about this period in history (my historical interests are thousands of years earlier), but Anne Blankman did an incredible job of placing me right in the middle of 1930s Germany. I also enjoyed how the setting seemed to get darker and bleaker as Gretchen discovered more about Uncle Dolf. This is something that I've often seen done in films, but I feel like it is much more difficult to achieve on paper.

The story itself - Gretchen discovering the truth about Hitler and her father's death, while realizing that the Jews were not villains - was interesting, if slow at times. It took awhile for the plot to really pick up, but throughout the second half of the book I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what Gretchen would find out next and whether she and Daniel would be safe in the end. There was a lot of information and a lot of names thrown at me at times and there were terms I was unfamiliar with. I feel like a glossary may have helped this book a bit for the uncultured Americans like myself.

Overall I really enjoyed Prisoner of Night and Fog! Sure, it had flaws. I felt like the way Gretchen and Daniel came together was a bit unbelievable, I was confused by some terminology, and it had a bit of a slow start. The good far outweighs the bad here though! Seeing Hitler's early years unfold from the viewpoint of someone who is essentially family was fascinating and the forbidden romance was fantastic! I definitely recommend this to those interested in WWII historical fiction and fans of Salt to the Sea!

[Kelly]

4.5 Stars
http://www.divabooknerd.com/2014/06/prisoner-of-night-and-fog-by-anne.html
Usually I'm not a fan of historical fiction, but I really enjoyed this. It had the making of a semi fictional storyline, mixing fact and fiction while navigating an important historical event, the rise of Hitler. Prisoner of Night and Fog tells the story of Gretchen, a fictional character placed in the very real world of Nazi Germany. She's been brought up in a single parent family, where they relied on Uncle Dolf to keep the family afloat and run a boardinghouse, where Gretchen and her brother Reinhard live. She's been brought up to despise the Jewish, and has never questioned those beliefs. But long before she meets Daniel, she begins to see the danger in the propaganda the National Socialist Party feed into the fears of her fellow Germans.

Daniel is a brilliant character, not only does he show an incredible amount of strength and determination, but he emulates a sadness for not only his people, but for those who can't see past their intolerant sectarian views. But Daniel doesn't want to educate others, seeing as it surely would have lead to his demise, but he wants to uncover a truth that Hitler and his party have hidden within their history. Although Gretchen still holds onto her beliefs, she starts to see the truth in Daniel's words, and slowly releases that her life, what she's been told, is based on a lie.

I really don't know much about Nazi Germany during that era, apart from a few minutes of the documentaries seen on the National Geographic channel. Most of us see Hitler as a cold blooded tyrant, and rightly so, but Prisoner of Night and Fog shows the man with a softer side, the man who enjoyed fine art and music, cafes and entertaining. But beneath the surface, lurked the psychopath, a man that turned quickly when questioned or crossed. I really enjoyed the mix of fiction and the true to life storyline, it was incredible. I was so struck with both Daniel and Gretchen and the hint of what the two young lovers now face, as Hitler is on the verge of rising to power. I simply loved it, it surprised me and looking forward to seeing where the series goes.

[bookishzelda]

I actually don’t generally read books that are set in the WWI or WWII era. I’m not sure why but maybe because it’s a sad thing. So reading The Prisoner of Night and Fog was set out of the norm for me but I have to say it was a good book to do that with. I think the author did a wonderful job of taking fiction and then weaving it into fact. Plus there is great Authors note that explains what things were changed and added. I admit I felt dumb because there is one of the characters that totally went over my head until the end of the book because I was saying the name wrong.

Gretchen really changes throughout the book. She starts off with the ideals that are ingrained in from childhood. On how to think like a National Socialist Party Member but there is also something in her that whispers doubts about it. She repeats it to herself like her life depends on it and in a way it does. It isn’t until she has some eye opening experiences that really make her begin to finally think for herself. Gretchen is actually quite clever and intelligent but it’s almost like she refusing to see what was in front of her because she knew it would change her world forever. Once she crosses those lines though she becomes a different and free Gretchen. I really liked the way her character develops through the book.

I also really like Daniel as well. Of course it’s still a fiction novel but their interactions at first seem more realistic to me. They are both suspicious of one another and there are times when Daniel is not sympathetic. He gets mad at how she acts and calls her out on it. He doesn’t take her naivety as an excuse and encourages her to think for herself. I think he is an important part to the growth of her character and grows a bit himself because of it. I felt like it’s hard not to like him. Plus once you have his loyalty you can tell it’s an all in thing with him.

I have to tell you from the get go Reinhard is one really scary dude. I mean really scary, through the whole book you feel like he’s going to pop out of the cracks in the sidewalk. Kind of put me on edge.

The plot is a rough one, it’s so sad to see people treated they way they are just because of their religious beliefs. It’s an interesting approach to Hitler and some of the reasoning of why he targeted Jews. I think it made me sad reading because I know what comes next for the world of Hitler and you want someone to beat the snot out of him in the book. You just think, why are people listening to this. Besides the Hitler portion there is also a bit of murder mystery. Although I liked the intrigue I didn’t feel myself absorbed in at as much as maybe I should have been. I’m not sure why but it just didn’t give me that I need to know what happened right now feeling. I think because there are so many things going on in this book that you have plenty of things to focus on. I mean just things like the mistreatment of those of Jewish faith, mistreatment of women, mental illness and just the whole who do you trust thing. I didn’t feel overwhelmed I thought it was all threaded into the story nicely.

I liked the ending it was fast paced and stressful. Just how like a book like this but satsifying where it left off. I was definitely good with it.

So this isn’t going to be your people dancing in flower fields type of book. I felt there was an intenseness to it because of the subject matter. I really enjoyed it though and for me who is not strongly interested in this era, it definitely sparked something. Plus a great Author’s Note at the end that I recommend reading.

[Suz @ Bookish Revelations]

Beautifully written and full of suspense, Prisoner of Night and Fog has everything that a book should have to offer and so much more. Anne Blankman pens a stunning debut novel, rife with mystery, romance, and terrifying danger that will leave you breathless and anticipating more. So rich and full of history, one of the most enjoyable aspects of this book, is the way that Blankman has managed to take a horrific part of history and woven a story around basic facts so well that it comes together in such an original and unique way. The story being told within these pages encompasses so much love, bravery, challenges loyalties, highlights betrayals in the worst possible light, and instills a faith so strong that nothing can rip it apart. It's a story of self-discovery, choosing to go with your heart instead of turn a blind eye to the evils around you. There is a huge moral fiber woven into the tapestry of this beautifully written and darkly rich satisfying debut that readers will not want to miss out on.

Full review coming soon.