Michael WallnerCritiques

WWII, Historical Fiction, Gestapo, Paris, Love, Prisoners, Tapping code.

Auf einem jüdischen Friedhof in Berlin wird ein Grab geschändet. Nachdem die Journalistin Hanna Golden einen Artikel über den Vorfall veröffentlicht hat, wird sie per Mail mit dem Tod bedroht. Sie meldet das der Polizei und Alain Liebermann vom Staatsschutz übernimmt den Fall, der schon bald eskaliert, denn es bleibt nicht bei Worten. Selbst für Liebermann und sein Team wird es gefährlich.
Dies ist der Auftaktband zu einer Reihe um den jüdischen Ermittler Alain Liebermann, der eine Berliner Spezialeinheit leitet. Ich fand diesen Fall sehr packend, auch wenn mir der Schreibstil nicht so zusagte. Einiges wiederholte sich und mir waren auch nicht alle jüdischen Begriffe bekannt.
Die Protagonisten hätten durchaus etwas mehr Tiefe vertragen können, denn so kam ich ihnen nicht so wirklich nahe.
Alain Liebermann ist ein Ermittler, der gerne auch mal unkonventionelle Wege geht, um zum Ziel zu kommen. Bei diesem Fall sieht es so aus, als würde sich alles um Antisemitismus drehen. Daher ist er als Jude natürlich besonders betroffen. Doch so nach und nach kommen andere Aspekte zum Vorschein und so nimmt die Ermittlungen eine neue Wendung und sie werden von oben ausgebremst.
Wir erfahren aber auch einiges über sein Privatleben. Seine Frau ist an einer Krankheit verstorben und er hat den Verlust noch nicht überwunden. Alain hat eine recht große Familie und die 95-jährige Großmutter Helene ist der Mittelpunkt.
Trotz einiger Schwächen, ist dieser Krimi spannend und die Auflösung schlüssig.

H1.32.8

Als im Sommer 1912 Leutnant Ferry von Pankau erdrosselt wird, nimmt das Gerede in Wien kein Ende. Der Täter ist unbekannt und die Gerüchteküche brodelt. Da der Bruder es angesehenen Wiener Geschäftsmanns Maxim Korff den Leutnant zum Duell gefordert hat, haben die Menschen schnell den Täter ausgemacht. Es kann sich nur um Maxim Korff handeln, der bekannt dafür ist, dass er die Dinge in die Hand nimmt. Wollte er seinen Bruder Ludwig wirklich vor diesem Duell schützen?
Der Autor lässt uns mit seinem Roman „In Zeiten der Liebe und des Krieges“ ein Wien erleben, dass voller Leben und Unterhaltung ist, jedenfalls für die privilegierte Wiener Oberschicht. Stellvertretend dafür steht die Familie Korff. Sie hat ein Palais in der Stadt und eine Sommerresidenz an der Donau. Man erfreut sich an der Kunst und unterhält sich bei rauschenden Festen.
Maxim Korff verdankt es seiner Frau Livia und deren Familienvermögen, dass er aufgestiegen ist und nun als angesehener Geschäftsmann die Dinge nach seinen Vorstellungen zu regeln kann. Doch es nagt an ihm, dass er das was er ist nur durch Livia ist. Er hat außereheliche Beziehungen und selbst die Hausdame Katrin ist nicht vor ihm sicher. Katrin und der Chauffeur haben ihre Hochzeit schon geplant, doch dann ist Katrin schwanger und der Verlobte löst die Verlobung. Maxim greift in Katrins leben ein und regelt alles in seinem Sinn.
Die schöne Livia liebt ihr Mann, aber sie fühlt sich einsam und beginnt eine Affäre mit dem Schauspieler Renè Desny.
Philipp Korff, der Sohn von Livia und Maxim, wird für seine Ausbildung weggeschickt. Als er zurückkommt, verliebt er sich ausgerechnet in seine Cousine Alexandra. Aber das darf nicht sein.
Nach außen zeigen die Korffs eine harmonische Familie, doch hinter dieser Fassade gibt es dunkle Geheimnisse und viele Brüche. Dann bricht der Krieg aus und irgendwann ist es auch für die Männer der Oberschicht so weit, dass sie an die Front müssen. Ganz Europa steht vor einem Abgrund, den niemand so erwartet hatte.
Mir hat diese Familiengeschichte gut gefallen. Der Schreibstil sorgte für Wienerisches Flair. Auch der Zeitgeist jener Zeit wird gut widergespiegelt. Ich hatte allerdings erwartet, dass Ermittlungen zu dem Mord etwas Spannung in die Geschichte hineinbringen, aber da sah ich mich getäuscht, denn der Mordfall spielt überhaupt keine Rolle mehr.
Eine interessante Familien-Saga.

This book takes place during the Cold War in 1970. Anna is an artist and lives with her ill son and her father in Moscow. The only bright spot in her life is the affair that she has with Alexey, however their relationship begins to affect his position in the KGB. She then decides to try and mend things with her husband, but is unsuccessful.

The accounts of the geography and history which were well told and the book had a few twists and turns. An unexpected ending.½

This was a really great read. It was easy to follow, as in I could read it before bed without losing interest, but it was by no means a "simple" book. I really identified with the main character and I think that the author did a really great job of showing different viewpoints and aspects of war.

Audiobook performed by Paul Michael

Roth is a young German army corporal, assigned to Gestapo headquarters in occupied Paris so that he can use his flawless French as an interpreter during interrogations. He’s disturbed by the torture he witnesses, but fulfills his duty as a soldier, accurately translating the words if not the emotions expressed. When not on duty, however, he slips away from his hotel billet, dons civilian clothes and walks the streets of Paris disguised as the Frenchman, Antoine. Being out of uniform, by itself, is a punishable offense, but he crosses the line when he falls for Chantal, the daughter of a bookseller. He does not reveal his true identity to her, and she hides her allegiance to the Resistance.

The reader knows that this star-crossed relationship is bound to end badly, but the way in which Wallner reveals the story kept me in a delirious state of suspense. Make no mistake; this is NOT a hearts-and-flowers romantic escapade, but a gritty and serious novel full of hardship and heartache. There are hints that they’ve been found out, but then they are free to meet. There are several close calls when I was sure that one or the other would be captured and/or killed. Because Roth works for the Gestapo he witnesses and knows the interrogation techniques employed, yet he seems not to remember those ploys when it’s most important. I found myself yelling at the CD player, “It’s a trick!” more than once … and sometimes I was right.

I love how Wallner develops Roth from a naïve, apolitical young man away from home, to a wily, cautious and determined man. He may be beaten but he is not down. On the other hand, I was disappointed in how little he developed the women in this story – Chantal and Anna Rieleck-Sostman (a German woman who runs the Gestapo captain’s office). Despite this, however, I think the book merits five stars; I was captivated from beginning to end and will be talking about it for weeks or months, I’m sure.

Paul Michael does a fine job narrating the audiobook. I don’t speak French but his French sounded pretty good to me. I was glad I had the text handy, however, because I needed to see the written words to puzzle out the French phrases. His pacing was good and he was able to differentiate the characters sufficiently.

Michael Wallnerin romaani sijoittuu vuoteen 1943 Saksan miehittämään Pariisiin. Normandian maihinnousuun on vielä yli vuosi aikaa, ja saksalaissotilaat ovat osa Ranskan pääkaupungin katukuvaa.

Päähenkilö, nuori saksalaiskorpraali Roth edustaa kaikkia niitä sotilaita, jotka eivät voi käsittää sodan tarkoitusta. Niitä, joita kansallisaate ja propaganda eivät tunnu koskettavan. Niitä, jotka ovat poliittisten päättäjien, kansallisuutensa ja asepukujensa vankeja:

Roth, Wehrmachtin sotilas, Pariisi, kesä 1943. Ihmisellä on kansallisuus, ajattelin kotimatkalla. Hän on sen vanki. Harmaa univormu, väkäsin koristettu risti, lippu. Niin kauan kuin sotaa kestäisi, tämä olisi minun todellisuuteni.

Roth joutuu tulkin työnsä vuoksi osallistumaan ranskalaiskapinallisten kuulusteluihin, joissa syytettyjä kidutetaan julmasti. Saksalaissotilaan rooli tuntuu Rothista yhä vieraammalta ja vastenmielisemmältä. Hän keksiikin uskaliaan keinon paeta velvollisuuksiaan: hän pukeutuu silloin tällöin salaa siviilivaatteisiin ja esiintyy nuorena ranskalaismiehenä, Antoinena.

Eräänä iltana Antoine näkee kivellä istuvan nuoren naisen, Chantalin, joka lukee kirjaa. Nainen kiehtoo itsekin kirjallisuutta harrastavaa miestä, mutta hän ei tuolloin vielä tiedä tämän kuuluvan Ranskan vastarintaliikkeeseen.

Kun Chantalin perhe joutuu epäilyksen alle, Rothin on tehtävä päätös: olla kuuliainen maalleen ja esimiehilleen vai syyllistyä maanpetokseen varoittamalla ja auttamalla rakastamaansa naista. Wallner kuvaa hienosti tätä henkistä kamppailua, kahden roolin välillä tasapainoilemista, kahden vihollisrintaman välillä luovimista. Aiheelle sopivasti Roth tasapainoilee tulkin työssään myös kahden kielen välillä.

Wallnerin romaani on sujuvasti kirjoitettu, nopeasti etenevä, kikkailematon ja vahva kertomus. Samoihin aikoihin ja samoille seuduille sijoittuva Anthony Doerrin Kaikki se valo jota emme näe on selkeästi viihteellisempi ja kiiltokuvamaisempi. Siinäkin on hieman vastahakoisesti rooliinsa suhtautuva saksalaissotilas, joka kohtaa ranskalaistytön miehitetyssä maassa. Wallner on kuitenkin selvästi Doerria kriittisempi ja raadollisempi. Yllätyin hieman esimerkiksi siitä, kuinka graafisen tarkasti, mutta mässäilemättä, Wallner kuvailee kidutusta kuulustelutilanteessa.

Doerrin romaani on yksi hienoimmista toiseen maailmansotaan sijoittuvista romaaneista, jonka olen lukenut, mutta täytyy sanoa, että Pariisin huhtikuu ei jää kauas taakse. Sen inhimillinen ote, vähäeleinen tyyli ja kaihoisa tunnelma jäävät mieleen pitkäksi aikaa.

Alkuperäinen arvostelu

Bijzonder verhaal, Duitse soldaat die eigenlijk Fransman wil zijn. Met veel details wordt zijn verhaal in de Tweede wereldoorlog verteld. De gevoelens en emoties zijn goed voelbaar. Ik wilde steeds verder lezen om te weten hoe het deze soldaat verging Dit verhaal bleef me nog wel even bij.

I was pulled in by the cover that seemed to promise a novel of great depth (I know - don't judge a book by its cover...) But this is basically a romance - and an unbelievable one at that - between a German soldier and French Resistance fighter.
Sometimes nicely written, sometimes dreary. Nothing I would recommend.½

April in Paris explores the moral dilemma of being a soldier in an occupied city, a soldier who has no military ambitions and generally seems indifferent to the political structure of his country. He is assigned to the Gestapo headquarters to work as a translator during the interrogation of prisoners. His escape takes the form of dropping his military uniform every now and then, dressing as a civilian and pretending to be a Frenchman. Sounds harmless enough, but German soldiers were under strict orders never to appear on the streets out of uniform.

During his wanderings, he meets and becomes infatuated with a young French girl. Eventually he realizes that she is in fact working for the Resistance. Although, on the surface a love story, I found this more of a perceptive, intimate look at a young man, torn from his carefree student life, put into a uniform and forced to do things to prove he is a loyal German soldier, things that were destroying his soul. The romantic aspect just didn’t connect with me, they spent very little time with each other, instead, probably due to his loneliness, he built this up in his head to be more than it was.

As we all know every German soldier during World War II was not a Nazi, and I found this an interesting subject to read about. This book is both thought provoking and suspenseful as it delves into one young man’s apathy and transformation as he realizes that during war, one can’t just drift along. Excellently translated from German, April In Paris details life in occupied Paris which makes a fascinating backdrop to this story of both an impossible love and of facing up to your inner convictions.½

I'm a sucker for novels of daring-do by the French Resistance, so I enjoyed April in Paris in this vein. It's not particularly well written (it is Wallner's first book), and the plot becomes extremely, almost irritatingly, far-fetched. Despite this it was a fun one night stand.

Corporal Roth is a rather placid young German working as a translator in occupied France. When he is transferred to work for the SS translating the interrogations of French Resistance suspects, Roth begins to show signs of stress. So he decides to escape the pressures by changing into a suit and wandering Paris as Monsieur Antoine. In this guise he meets and falls in love with a beautiful young women named Chantal. I'm sure you can guess at the rest of the plot.

The book reminded me of another, slightly more thoughtful examination of lovers from opposite sides of a conflict. The Girl Who Played Go is set in Manchuria during the Japanese occupation, and the action is a little more subtle.

Here's a book I knew nothing about prior to reading its title. The book title grabbed me because I was looking to read a book for a challenge titled (appropriately enough) "April in Paris" in which the book needed to be set in Paris. I found the book on BookMooch, read a few pages on Amazon, and decided I would like it.

The setting is Paris during the German occupation of France during WWII. Corporal Roth is a German soldier whose job it was to translate from French to German for the officers who were torturing prisoners into revealing secrets. Roth tried not to let his job overwhelm him and took solace by secretly assuming the identity of a French civilian. He even named himself Antoine and tried to befriend a few people who lived in Paris. This, however, did not work to his advantage and soon he found that his difficulties multiplying.

This book reminded me a lot of the setting in Suite Francaise, Irene Nemirovsky's novel of German-occupied France, although the story is very different. Wallner's book deals mostly with Germans capturing and torturing members of the French Resistance.

A reader who knows no French should beware of the large amount of French narrative in this book. It takes place mostly in conversations, but I felt compelled to look up the translation while reading because I was interested in picking up details of the story.

I'm not sure I believe this story completely in the way it's told. It's a love story that is based on two people not spending much time together at all. In addition, I'm not certain I believe that Corporal Roth could have physically done what was described in the book. Nevertheless, I found this a most engaging story and was glad that this book just came into my possession by chance.½

Door de sterke opwarming van de aarde is Europa aan het eind van de 21e eeuw verdeeld in een vruchtbaar land ten noorden en woestijn ten zuiden van de Alpen. De veertienjarige Tonia woont ten noorden van Rome en verliest haar vader als hun huis door een zandstorm instort. Ze besluit om van huis weg te gaan en sluit zich aan bij twee Toearegs, nomaden van de woestijn. Hierdoor wordt ze onbedoeld onderdeel van een geheime missie om in het zuiden een nieuwe zee te laten ontstaan. Vlot leesbaar avontuurlijk verhaal met een romantische inslag, spelend in een tijd van grote klimatologische veranderingen.

Ook bijzonder om te lezen wat er gebeurt als het water opraakt en hoe mensen de macht grijpen als ze de oplossing denken te hebben.

Corporal Roth is a German soldier stationed in France. His primary responsibility is the translation of interrogation sessions of any French citizens believed to be conspirators against the Germans. He carries out his job without much thought to what is asked of him but he longs to return to his former posting which was less gory. In the meantime, he sneaks out of his hotel almost every day and dresses as an every day French man and mingles with the local population(which is against the law). While on these illegal excursions, he meets and falls in love with the local book keeper's daughter, Chantal. He soon discovers that she is a revolutionary and he gets implicated in a bombing that she and her compatriots organized. Unfortunately, his secret is discovered after this incident and he becomes a resident in the prison where he had once translated others cries.

This first part of this book was amazing and I read with real enjoyment. The descriptions of Paris under occupation were absolutely fascinating and gave a sense of what life may have been like for an occupied population. Corporal Roth was a very sympathetic character whose decisions and well being were of major concern to me. But something seemed to have happened somewhere along the way and the book got dull and predictable. The love story was not at all compelling and there was nothing that transpired between Roth and Chantal that made me understand Roth's undying love for Chantal. Chantal seemed to vacillate between what looked like indifference to acquiescence. What was so special about Chantal, a woman he barely knew, that would lead Roth to risk his own safety to save hers. By the end, I was left disappointed. A book that started off so well ended up feeling like its potential was never realized. None of the characters were developed beyond paltry descriptions and I was left in the dark as to who they were and why they behaved as they did. I did not hate the book but I was definitely not in love and its not a book that I would ever pick up again.

This was a really interesting book. It was short and the romance that instigated the rest of the events was a little thin, but Roth's journey was fascinating. The only real complaint I have is with the translation: many of the French phrases weren't translated into English, and since I don't know French, I had to keep running to an online translator to understand what was being said.½

Roth, a young German soldier who speaks fluent French is given the job of translating into German what the SS victims in Paris give away under torture. He can only do this by blanking off the reality of what is happening. To escape from this horror, during his time off he disguises himself as a French student and explores the city, perhaps hoping to recapture a sense of human dignity. However, when he falls in love with a member of the Resistance he not only endangers her and her family but he becomes a victim too, and learns what it is like to face the torturers himself. A rather disturbing read. Could make a better film or play perhaps.
At first I thought this book was just a bad translation, but I soon realised that the way it was written portrayed the numbness of the protagonist's mind.

4324. April in Paris, by Michael Wallner Translated from the German by John Cullen (read 4 June 2007) This book is written by a German born in 1958. The story line is not especially interesting, and the character development is minimal, but the accounts of torture as the Nazis carried it out are well worth pondering, remembering as I do the South Carolina GOP presidential candidates when all of the participants except one, and the audience, seemed to be in favor of torture in some cases.

Translated from German. In 1943, Roth, a young German soldier finds himself in Paris, charged with translating the "results" of brutal interrogation of Resistance fighters. Fluent in French, and feeling disconnected from his countrymen, Roth takes to walking in the city disguised as "Antoine." He falls for Chantal, a barber's daughter and unwittingly uncovers a Resistance cell. He himself becomes suspect, eventually escapes and searches for Chantal. An enjoyable story that kept my interest.

Good Story-- How we have a need to fit in to our environment even if it means to be taken for someone were not --not wanting to be what we are expected to protray