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All for Nothing

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( 3,762 ratings, 576 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
All for Nothing by Walter Kempowski is a historical fiction set in East Prussia during the final days of World War II. The story revolves around the wealthy von Globig family as they experience the encroaching chaos of the war. Their once secure and isolated life is disrupted by the influx of refugees and soldiers, leading them to confront the harsh realities of their changing world.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you enjoy immersive historical fiction that delves deeply into the human psyche during the closing days of World War II. With its haunting narrative and rich character development, it explores themes of morality, survival, and the impact of war on ordinary lives, offering a poignant glimpse into a vanishing world.

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All for Nothing

A brilliantly evocative, atmospheric novel about the delusion and indecision of a wealthy family in the last days of the Third Reich as the Russians advance from the east.

A brilliantly evocative, atmospheric novel about the delusion and indecision of a wealthy family in the last days of the Third Reich as the Russians advance from the east

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

In January 1945, the German army is retreating from the Russian advance. Germans are fleeing the occupied territories in their thousands, in cars and carts and on foot. But in a rural East Prussian manor house, the wealthy von Globig family seals itself off from the world.

Protected from the deprivation and chaos around them, they make no preparations to leave until a decision to harbour a stranger for the night begins their undoing. Finally joining the great trek west, the remaining members of the family face at last the catastrophic consequences of the war.

Profoundly evocative of the period, sympathetic yet painfully honest about the motivations of its characters, All for Nothing is a devastating portrait of the complicities and denials of the German people as the Third Reich comes to an end.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

All for Nothing by Walter Kempowski is praised for its vivid, unsentimental storytelling and cinematic quality, displaying a well-structured narrative. The novel is celebrated for its exploration of human drama, contradiction, and the harsh realities of war, conveyed with a wry tone by distinguished translator Anthea Bell. Critics describe it as a profound, beautiful, and compassionate work, likened to a classical tragedy and praised for its depth, originality, and the complexity beneath its serene surface.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781847087218

Publisher: Granta Books

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 07 July 2016

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Granta Books

Contributors:

  • Translated by Anthea Bell
  • Translated by Anthea Bell

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 21.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 247g

Pages: 352

About the Author

WALTER KEMPOWSKI (1929 - 2007) was one of Germany's most important post-war writers. He is known for his acclaimed series of novels German Chronicles (Deutsche Chronik) and his immense, eight-volume collection of first-hand accounts of World War II, Echo Soundings (Das Echolot), the final volume of which, Swansong 1945, was published by Granta in English in 2014. His last novel All for Nothing (Alles Umsonst), a bestseller in Germany in 2006 and critically applauded, sealed his reputation. It is available here in translation for the first time.

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