Official Review: And We Never Met A Nazi

Bianka Walter · Post by **Bianka Walter** » 03 Mar 2019, 06:27

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "And We Never Met A Nazi" by Rose Tuchmann, Oscar Bing.]

3 out of 4 stars

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In 1947, shortly after Germany lost WWII, America took occupation of all German territories. At this time, Dorothy and Eric Stillman were celebrating their honeymoon. As Jewish newlyweds, they were none too pleased to be informed that Eric was to return to the American army only to be stationed in post-war Nazi Germany. As his dependent, Dorothy was to join him there shortly after he arrived.

Dorothy retells her story from when she embarked for Germany, up until the point that she and her husband were to return to the United States. She divulges secrets about her neighbours, she paints a picture of the devastation caused by war, and mostly, she simply speaks of the life of an army wife during the two years of their stay.

And we Never Met a Nazi was written by Rose Tuchmann. The events in this book are experiences that she went through when her husband, Ernst, served in the Army of Occupation. The book is a gossipy version of happenings among the people that were stationed in Germany during that time. Upon her death, her nephew found this manuscript and retyped it for publishing purposes.

The thing that makes this story most appealing is its authenticity. Even though the names have been changed, the incidents that occurred were real. The story was written during that time, and because of this, nothing was censored as it may have been if written today. Germans that had occupations before the war became maids and servants after the war. The Germans were considered inferior and were treated as such. Even though this made me feel slightly uncomfortable at times, it added to the legitimacy of the story. It was just what happened.

The book's lack of editing lets it down. I started reading this book with an open mind regarding grammar, knowing that the author had written it many years ago. However, I doubt that the book was even proofread. Missing spaces between words, line breaks mid-sentence, and general spelling errors throughout could have been quite easily rectified by a proofread. The errors aren’t debilitating, they are just copious.

Rose Tuchmann had a knack for storytelling. I can imagine how enjoyable it would have been to read this book as one of her family members. Although simple, her anecdotes were very entertaining and had qualities reminiscent of a soap opera. As someone that didn’t know her, I was just as intrigued as to what would happen next. It was a genuinely fun read, and during that time, I can’t imagine anything being considered ‘fun’.

Because of the errors, I am prevented from rating this book any more than 3 out of 4 stars. It was a quick read that I would recommend to people that enjoy books about WWII. This is a bit of a different angle as it was post-war - but just as enjoyable. The title gives the hint that, while in Germany, Dorothy and her husband met many local people, all of whom were very vocal about the fact that they were not Nazis. The abhorrent things that the party did were actions that most local people didn’t want to be associated with. But Dorothy, in her wisdom, was able to determine the good eggs from the bad. She was truly quite a character.

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And We Never Met A Nazi
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Cecilia_L · Post by **Cecilia_L** » 10 Mar 2019, 14:47

This sounds like an interesting story. It's a shame about the lack of editing. As always, thanks for your excellent review.

DogoMulla · Post by **DogoMulla** » 10 Mar 2019, 16:59

It would be something to hear the WWII story straight from the horse's mouth. Dorothy seems like such a storyteller. She seems like the kind that wouldn't dare leave out juicy details. Kudos for such a brilliant review.

shereads shereads · Post by **shereads shereads** » 10 Mar 2019, 20:58

Wow, sounds interesting. I’m a sucker for WWII stories so I will check this out. Hopefully the author decides to do some more editing.

Dentarthurdent · Post by **Dentarthurdent** » 11 Mar 2019, 03:24

It's definitely refreshing to see a book about Post-War Germany, as most titles I seem to find are mostly Holocaust-era books. I would definitely want to read a WWII period book that is not focused entirely on the radical atrocities of the Nazi. It seems like an interesting read. Thanks for the informative review!

Hardy evangelista 23 · Post by **Hardy evangelista 23** » 11 Mar 2019, 03:36

World war II is a mankind mistake but maybe we nees that mistake to learn from it. Sometimes human is horrible and cruel but we are also kind and loving beside that makes human otherwise. The war and love is a very good combination. Specially all point of view are in the side of ally. Outside the box thinking.

brainwillwrites · Post by **brainwillwrites** » 11 Mar 2019, 06:11

An interesting read. An account of post-war Germany.

Bianka Walter · Post by **Bianka Walter** » 11 Mar 2019, 10:36

Cecilia_L wrote: ↑10 Mar 2019, 14:47 This sounds like an interesting story. It's a shame about the lack of editing. As always, thanks for your excellent review.

Thanks, Cecilia

It was certainly interesting!

Bianka Walter · Post by **Bianka Walter** » 11 Mar 2019, 10:37

DogoMulla wrote: ↑10 Mar 2019, 16:59 It would be something to hear the WWII story straight from the horse's mouth. Dorothy seems like such a storyteller. She seems like the kind that wouldn't dare leave out juicy details. Kudos for such a brilliant review.

She was very good at including all the saucy info

It was a really fun read!
Thanks for stopping by.

Post by **kandscreeley** » 11 Mar 2019, 10:45

I'm definitely interested in what life was like after the war in Germany. How did everything go back to "normal"? This book would be quite informative I'm sure. It's too bad about the errors, but it still sounds worth picking up. Thanks!

Bianka Walter · Post by **Bianka Walter** » 11 Mar 2019, 10:45

shereads shereads wrote: ↑10 Mar 2019, 20:58 Wow, sounds interesting. I’m a sucker for WWII stories so I will check this out. Hopefully the author decides to do some more editing.

I hope he does

It's worth the read.
Thanks for stopping by!

EvaDar · Post by **EvaDar** » 11 Mar 2019, 10:58

What an assignment for an American Jewish army couple. It sounds like an entertaining way to learn about a difficult period. I hope the author cleans up the errors. A beautiful review, Bianka.

Bianka Walter · Post by **Bianka Walter** » 11 Mar 2019, 12:10

Dentarthurdent wrote: ↑11 Mar 2019, 03:24 It's definitely refreshing to see a book about Post-War Germany, as most titles I seem to find are mostly Holocaust-era books. I would definitely want to read a WWII period book that is not focused entirely on the radical atrocities of the Nazi. It seems like an interesting read. Thanks for the informative review!

Absolutely. And the holocaust books are quite heavy, whereas this one is a light-hearted read.
Thank you for your comments

Bianka Walter · Post by **Bianka Walter** » 11 Mar 2019, 12:13

Hardy evangelista 23 wrote: ↑11 Mar 2019, 03:36 World war II is a mankind mistake but maybe we nees that mistake to learn from it. Sometimes human is horrible and cruel but we are also kind and loving beside that makes human otherwise. The war and love is a very good combination. Specially all point of view are in the side of ally. Outside the box thinking.

Yes, it was definitely something which I hope we will never repeat

Thanks for the comment!