9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The war ends; the lies and sadness don't., May 30, 2004
This review is from: Wartime Lies (Mass Market Paperback)
This affecting autobiographical novel chronicles the life of a little Jewish boy and his family during World War II Poland. It is narrated by the now grown boy, who begins by reflecting on his adult life and his attachment to the Aeneid, whose eponymous character likewise escaped the destruction of the world he knew. But unlike Aeneas, who survived to found the city of Rome, Begley's narrator finds no new home for himself--all he had and, even all he was, was ripped away by the lies that allowed him to survive.
Maciek, the little boy the narrator once was, is a Jewish child who grows up cosseted and loved by his family. The outbreak of the war changes all that, as the family's survival depends on moving from one place to another, always hiding their Jewish identity and blending in with the general population. One by one, most of his family die or vanish. Maciek and his Aunt Tania somehow survive, cautiously maintaining a fearful distance from those around them in order to keep from being discovered. But survival takes its toll--after the war is over, the lies have become protective coloration and aren't so easily disposed of. The little boy Maciek was is no longer.
"Wartime Lies" has its moments of suspense, but those aren't what linger at the end. The true impact of the book comes from the child's matter-of-fact narration. Many of the situations in the book should be emotionally charged, but the flatness of the narrative doesn't reflect this. It's as if the adult narrator is talking about a different person, and in many ways he is. The distance between child and adult reflects the true tragedy of the story. In order to survive physically, the child's psyche has been irreparably damaged.
All told, "Wartime Lies" is a stunning book, quietly moving. It is one of the best Holocaust novels that I have read.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Survival rendered hollow, March 25, 2005
This review is from: Wartime Lies (Mass Market Paperback)
Louis Begley is able to convincingly write of survival as seen through the innocence and straightforwardness of a young Jewish boy. A boy whose life gradually becomes a web of lies and inward and outward loss. Loss which he will ultimately not be able to ever recover from. This is a short book with appeal to adults and young adults given the young protagonist and appropriate content.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wartime Lies, Hard to Escape When the War is Over, October 27, 2002
Louis Begley's Wartime Lies is stark description of one family's fight to survive in Nazi occupied Poland. It is told through the eyes of a young boy, Maciek. He is the youngest in his family and he tells with an innocent voice the story of his family and their struggle. His youthful perception of the Nazi occupation provides the reader with an innovative view of what life was really like. He describes the terror of a family slowly breaking apart, a life where death preferred over captivity, and a world where no one can be trusted.
Maciek and his aunt, Tania find themselves alone in a world at war, with only each other to depend on. The story traces their struggle to survive as the lies they tell in order to survive become more and more complex. Maciek learns that lying is sometimes a necessity to live but as a child he struggles with the idea of right lying and wrong lying. Maciek manages to escape from the war but not unscathed. He continues to struggle with the idea of who he is and where he belongs years after the war has ended.
The reader of this novel has the opportunity to learn from Maciek and Tania's lives. The most important lesson that this novel teaches is the risk a person takes when they hide their true selves. Through Maciek's example, the reader sees that the longer you pretend to be someone you're not, the harder it is to escape from the fantasy. When person pretending finds difficulty in distinguishing their true self from their pretend self is the point when they are lost to themselves. Maciek is lost by the end of the novel and Begley is trying to teach the reader to find who they are before that part of them is lost forever.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
