154
people found this helpful, as of 2023
ranked #208,098 most helpful
out of 571,544,897 reviews
★★☆☆☆
Beautifully written, fragmented, story without a cohesive plot.
Slowww, purposeless drudgery.
I picked up this book because I am an avid WWII buff. That and the reviews were mostly very good.
The author's writing-style is good. Descriptions of people and events are very vivid & characters are well developed.
That said, I felt like I was being strung along on a story to no-where. I was right.
In the end I felt let down, disappointed, & betrayed by the author.
Throughout the book, references are made to the mysterious gem in possession of the father of the main character in the book.
The book ends without ever tying up the loose ends on this gemstone & its supposed powers.
Great writing, very poor storytelling & just plain depressing.
Next time I'll go back and re-read John Jakes, starting with The Bastard. Truly memorable xharacters, rich plot and sub-plot development, & exceptionally well researched historical fiction.
Sad that this kind of "historical fiction" has become the new standard - it sets the bar so very low.
