The Kindly Ones: A Novel Audiobook

" Hmmm. I'm really not sure what to say about this book. And frankly I hope I don't ever have to ride an elevator alone with the author. Tedious, pedantic, mired in excessive detail, etc. etc. this book is really hard labor. That combined with the endless compound nouns of the German language and endless layers of Nazi bureaucracy with kill the casual reader. Fortunately, or unfortunately perhaps I had a decent background in both Deutsch und Der Nazis so I kept pushing on thorough. The protagonist? - was one sick hombre no doubt, his psycho-sexual issues with his sister and it's manifestation of some imagined lifelong fidelity with her - allowing himself the loophole of gay sex - his sociopathic ability to kill pretty much anyone depending on his immediate needs... well...All that aside though, buried somewhere in the nearly thousand pages is a couple of very important things that are put forth - things near and dear to me - that being the misguided vilification of the German people. The historical perspective that all Germans of this era were maniacal foaming anti-Semitic Jew haters with a pathological desire to rid the world of the scourge. In fact most - even in the SS were not like that and were merely career business people tasked with a job. It was a horrible job granted, but the worker of the time wasn't really in a position to argue with the boss - lest he end up part of the work. Littell points out that even within the SS, there were the everyday go-to-work types and the maniacs, the maniacs being well known amongst the other officers. Littell doesn't apologize for the Nazis or try to make them these likable guys - he just points out that the everyday guy of the Third Reich wasn't this genocidal race purification psychos, but rather working stiffs in the system building careers in the fields available to them. Only someone who is Jewish (Littell in this case) could have said this stuff and not been slaughtered publicly. It kind of reminds me a little of W.G. Sebalds "On the natural history of destruction." but from a different perspective. Littell's knowledge of history - not just Nazi history - and several other disciplines such as linguistics...are unbelievable. But to cut this review short...this book is not easy to read, is incredibly long, incredibly detailed, has very few paragraph breaks, confusing dialog, and on and on. It says on the cover it was a "New York Times Controversial Best-seller" I find that very hard to believe. I can't imagine this book got any word-of-mouth referrals outside of a certain arcane group of individuals. I for one am glad it's over and have no explanation for why I finished it. "

" voornamelijk heeeeel erg lang en saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaai "

" I read a lot of comments about this book, and most were either loved it, or hated it. so I decided to find out for myself. and I hated it. I read the first 100 pages, plodding along, hearing this pompous ass go on forever about everything. plus he seems to have a fixation on nazi army titles;i.e. uberfuhrermeister etc. you know how the germans like to take six or seven words and smash the all together to make one giant word? well this book is busting with them. after the first 100, I peeked through the book, hoping the writing and story would improve, but it never did. This book is not worth the paper it 's printed on. why does every book from europe seem to get good press? "

" Long, rambling and obscene, although not in a especially clever way. Not without its merits, but not worth it. "

" I was expecting great things from this book. I took it on holiday with me where I was sure I could immerse myself in it. I got through half and then resorted to reading trashy magazines as I couldn't read it and enjoy my holiday at the same time.I'm hoping to give it another go but it was very bleak and gory and descriptive of mass murder that I felt a bit nauseated. "

" So f'ing daring I couldn't believe it. This is a powerful, gut-wrenching book. Alas, one star off because it is too long. One can only take Nazis with paralyzing diarrhea for so long. "

" One of the best books of the decade--I read it in the English translation, which is quite good (I compared a few seqences with the French version a friend had read) ramblng, yes, but also startling, riveting and very powerful. "

" Extremely long book about an SS officer during WWII. Claims to be 'the new War and Peace' on the cover, but its a bit overblown and turgid in places. "

" Perverse fetishism disguised as historical fiction. "

" That was the most disturbing book I have ever read! I put it down five or six times, thinking I could not read anymore, but was compelled each time to pick it back up and push through. Not sure I should have.... I do have a new perspective of humanity, though sad to say, it is NOT a good one. "

" Long, rambling and obscene, although not in a especially clever way. Not without its merits, but not worth it. "

" One of the best books i've ever read!!! "

" difficult to read, very much focused on historic facts. but still good writing and an intriguing story... in a horrific, pitiless and disturbing way "

" Bien monté, VO en français, mène à d'importantes réflexions sur le crime. "

" I have never read a book that left me feeling more conflicted. "

" voornamelijk heeeeel erg lang en saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaai "

" Very disturbing. The main character was a Nazi soldier and was a bit messed up even before he went through all he did. I did learn some things I didn't know. This was a CD I listened to and it was 30 CD's long!! "