Saints and Villains

Rating:
Summary: A well written, exciting historical novel!
Review: "Saints and Villians" is a beautifully written historical fiction set in Germany during the years immediately prior to and including the Nazi period. It is the story of Deitrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian who was one of the few who spoke out against Hitler and the Nazis. The story was as exciting as any adventure novel. As the Nazis came to power, the author details the gradual loss of freedoms and increasing oppression of the Jews, immersing the reader in a story made that more devastating because it actually happened. Detrich is pictured as a very believable hero, with plenty of human weaknesses, having doubts and making mistakes along the way. In my opinion, that makes him even more admirable. A love story, plenty of bad guys, a few good guys struggling to prevail against unspeakable evil....all combines to make this novel into one of the best books I've read in a long time.

Rating:
Summary: A well written, exciting historical novel!
Review: "Saints and Villians" is a beautifully written historical fiction set in Germany during the years immediately prior to and including the Nazi period. It is the story of Deitrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian who was one of the few who spoke out against Hitler and the Nazis. The story was as exciting as any adventure novel. As the Nazis came to power, the author details the gradual loss of freedoms and increasing oppression of the Jews, immersing the reader in a story made that more devastating because it actually happened. Detrich is pictured as a very believable hero, with plenty of human weaknesses, having doubts and making mistakes along the way. In my opinion, that makes him even more admirable. A love story, plenty of bad guys, a few good guys struggling to prevail against unspeakable evil....all combines to make this novel into one of the best books I've read in a long time.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderfully powerful book!
Review: A powerful book about a man't struggle with conscience, the difficulty of taking action in the face of evil and the price one man paid to oppose Hitler. What makes this book so moving is the internal struggle Bonhoeffer wages as he confronts the moral necessity to take action against an immoral and corrupt system. This was a marvelous book - one of the best novels I've ever read. I highly recommend "Saints and Villains."

Rating:
Summary: Memorable
Review: A powerful novel about an inspiring man. I read this book some time ago, but now that I'm an Amazon reviewer I wanted to revisit it -- her portrait of Bonhoeffer and his world, the courage in his spirit has stayed with me. This is not great art, but it is a fine historical novel, a compelling story, and a great example for the rest of us.

Rating:
Summary: "Cup of Wrath" is much better
Review: Before I read this book I had just read "Cup of Wrath" by Mary Glazner and though the later was a much better portrait of Bohnoeffer, has friends and family, and was a much better written version of the German mindset during the Nazi rise to power. This book was fine, but the dialogue was very unprofound and seemed too-well scripted. Much of the words the author puts in Bohnoeffer's mouth felt ...unconvincing. Many of the scenes, such as the scene were Dietrich's black friend is refused service, come off overly-contrived and riddled with cliche. I also didn't find the writing to be incredibly sophisticated and the overall book didn't leave me thinking much. It almost seemed like it was written for more of a young adult audience? Overall: there is a much better product out there.

Rating:
Summary: A well-written novel, and definitely a novel
Review: Denise Giardina is a gifted writer and I admired this story of the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. However, I didn't see the man who wrote "The Cost of Discipleship" and other theological works in her descriptions. No one in the book is really a saint (with the possible exception of George Bell) and actually no one is a villain either. The Nazis are evil but there wasn't much said of what we know of their villainy. I did admire the writing and research of Ms Giardina but I wish I really knew what Bonhoeffer was like. I think he had to have more strength than was pictured here.

Rating:
Summary: A well-written novel, and definitely a novel
Review: Denise Giardina is a gifted writer and I admired this story of the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. However, I didn't see the man who wrote "The Cost of Discipleship" and other theological works in her descriptions. No one in the book is really a saint (with the possible exception of George Bell) and actually no one is a villain either. The Nazis are evil but there wasn't much said of what we know of their villainy. I did admire the writing and research of Ms Giardina but I wish I really knew what Bonhoeffer was like. I think he had to have more strength than was pictured here.

Rating:
Summary: Bonhoeffer as manic-depressive bumbler.
Review: Denise Giardina's Saints and Villains portrays the life and struggle of the German theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, against the Nazi regime. While effective in parts- - particularly well-written are the prison scenes- - one encounters a Bonhoeffer completely devoid of any "heroic" qualities: he stumbles and bumbles his way through seminaries, through lecture-halls, through his pastorates, through his personal relationships, and into a conspiracy to kill Hitler. He writes nothing that anybody can understand; he gives lectures that make no impression on students; his preaching is dull, depressing, and ignored. Instead of being one of the driving forces behind the Confessing Church Movement, he is little more than a minor figure, a gadfly- - given to emotional outbursts, rather than complex, profoundly reasoned arguments. Indeed, most troubling is G.'s depiction of Bonhoeffer as a theologian: she has him spout a few cliches from The Cost of Discipleship, The Ethics, and The Letters and Papers- - with very little reflection. Amazingly, in her portrayal of B.'s spiritual conflicts, she manages to have him, rarely, if ever, say anything about his beliefs about Christ - - a rather surprising omission in light of B.'s extensive writings on the subject. Likewise, other than one passing mention, Karl Barth- - a leading figure in B.'s development as a theologian, and driving force in the Confessing Church- - is absent. Rheinhold Niebuhr appears as a foul-mouthed cynic. In reading G.'s novel, the greatest influence on Bonhoeffer as pastor and thinker, is a fictional composite, the African-American preacher, Fred Bishop- - who is shown leaving behind his church to go down in silicate mines in W. Virginia; dying as an alcoholic in a mine-explosion To be sure, Bonhoeffer is noted for his social-activism, but it is also clear that there was a profound and deep belief- - particularly in the Suffering and Saving Christ- - that motivated it. In the end, one has a despairing, doubting, and dubious Bonhoeffer- - which may very well reflect the author's reading of her subject; but it is one that also needs to be greatly supplemented by B.'s own writings, and the accounts of those who knew him. This caveat is needed, in light of the author's and publisher's intention that Saints and Villains become part of a "Reading Discussion Group".

Rating:
Summary: A compelling read
Review: Giardina has taken only a few liberties with history and has produced a riveting account of a "good German" in the Hitler era. I could hardly put it down while reading, and was prompted to further research about both Bonhoeffer and the Hawk's Nest incident afterwards. I have visited Germany and have friends there, and I have often thought about what it was like to live during that dreadful time. Another aspect of the story is the way it underlines the importance of family in forging and reinforcing values. Highly recommended reading.

Rating:
Summary: Great introduction (only) to the life of Bonhoeffer.
Review: Great introduction into the life of a facinating man, but seriously lacking in portraying an acurate sense of his beliefs. Read "Letters and Papers from Prison" to find out how this modern man really understood the connection between a truly Christ centered life while living through the nadir of human existence as represented by Nazi Germany. I don't believe that this book comes close to understanding Bonhoeffer's theology and faith. Giardina seems to filter his theology through a 90's social/cultural perspective. What's left is only a shallow portrayal of this man of faith. The value of the book to me is that it made me want to know more. Still, it was a very good read, providing an interesting sense of the insidiouness of Nazism in Germany in the 1930s. Check out the Bonhoeffer home page for more about this modern saint.