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Time of Useful Consciousness
Louisa Unger, a young German woman in Post-War World II Germany kills a man in cold blood. Despite her crime, her fate is up to her - give up her countrymen for her freedom. She decides to play the loyalty card and remain in prison. During the interrogations, Louisa weaves her tale of the events by evading any real information. She relives reuniting with her estranged brother Freddy, falling in love with Kris, a former reconnaissance pilot and learning to fly to a plane. She recounts in fairy tale fashion of monsters cloaked in shadows and lessons learned by incorrigible children. Seduced into the bliss of romance and flying, Louisa fails to recognize any threat. She grows immersed in the life of a smuggler, a pilot and a lover. It is hard to come back down to earth, when soaring so high.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
280 pages, Paperback
Published May 28, 2015
1 person is currently reading
362 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Ott
37 books51 followersSince my childhood, my imagination always got the best of me. Yes, I had an imaginary friend, talked to the shadows in my bedroom and dreamed and played exotic adventures. I never thought much of reading or writing until I watched the movie, Bridge on the River Kwai. At age twelve, I was completely taken with the intrigue and the human drama. Afterward, I started my first novel (never to be seen, thankfully).
It was my eighth grade English teacher who suggested a career in journalism; however I decided to pursue a career in fashion - big mistake. It has been a hard, painful journey back on path to my true passion - writing stories that affect the human condition and situations.
After graduating college with a degree in fashion design and fine arts, I moved to New York City where I studied screen writing with the Gotham Writer's group and attended NYU part-time studying filmmaking and acting. Learning how to write screenplays taught me how to write tight storylines and acting helped master dialog.
Living in New York City, inflicted with credit card debt, impassioned me to write my first non-fiction satire, Ooh Baby Compound Me which compares the credit card industry to fraternity hazing. Bad dating experiences inspired Wild Horses and eventually after much research - Love and Handicapping. My book, The Tourist reflects the dreamer's plight in an overly commercial and corporate world which many can relate.
Saying Goodbye, What the World Doesn't Know, I can only say was channeled by from an unknown source. I became consumed by a real-life love story and felt compelled to write. The repressed eighth grade journalist arose and I dug deep into uncovering a hidden love story. The same force encouraged The Insurrectionist - a story so powerful and intense, it had to be told. After writing The Insurrection I needed something light and fun was desperately needed - One with the Wind.
Throughout the years, I have learned stories are a dime a dozen, characters can blend into one and the same dialog can be repeated in many different ways, but the best writing comes from what we are most passionate. If the story compels the writer to near madness, it is a story that must be written.
It was my eighth grade English teacher who suggested a career in journalism; however I decided to pursue a career in fashion - big mistake. It has been a hard, painful journey back on path to my true passion - writing stories that affect the human condition and situations.
After graduating college with a degree in fashion design and fine arts, I moved to New York City where I studied screen writing with the Gotham Writer's group and attended NYU part-time studying filmmaking and acting. Learning how to write screenplays taught me how to write tight storylines and acting helped master dialog.
Living in New York City, inflicted with credit card debt, impassioned me to write my first non-fiction satire, Ooh Baby Compound Me which compares the credit card industry to fraternity hazing. Bad dating experiences inspired Wild Horses and eventually after much research - Love and Handicapping. My book, The Tourist reflects the dreamer's plight in an overly commercial and corporate world which many can relate.
Saying Goodbye, What the World Doesn't Know, I can only say was channeled by from an unknown source. I became consumed by a real-life love story and felt compelled to write. The repressed eighth grade journalist arose and I dug deep into uncovering a hidden love story. The same force encouraged The Insurrectionist - a story so powerful and intense, it had to be told. After writing The Insurrection I needed something light and fun was desperately needed - One with the Wind.
Throughout the years, I have learned stories are a dime a dozen, characters can blend into one and the same dialog can be repeated in many different ways, but the best writing comes from what we are most passionate. If the story compels the writer to near madness, it is a story that must be written.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 7, 2016
The story starts off with Louisa killing somebody!!
Obviously you don't find out until the end why!!
Good story which starts with Louisa's life in Stuttgart after World War II, she hates living in Germany with the American troops in charge.
Louisa is twenty still living at home with her mother, and doesn't know what to do with her life. And so the story begins.
I was given this book for a fair and unbiased review.
Good story with interesting characters, did find the story start to lull in the middle, but quickly picked up with a good ending.
Obviously you don't find out until the end why!!
Good story which starts with Louisa's life in Stuttgart after World War II, she hates living in Germany with the American troops in charge.
Louisa is twenty still living at home with her mother, and doesn't know what to do with her life. And so the story begins.
I was given this book for a fair and unbiased review.
Good story with interesting characters, did find the story start to lull in the middle, but quickly picked up with a good ending.
January 13, 2016
Time of Useful Consciousness by Jennifer Ott is an exciting novel of post-World War II Germany. The title is an interesting term in aviation that provides a powerful metaphor for describing the very difficult social/economic conditions of the time period in Deutschland. Louisa Unger is a pilot, rare in a man’s specialty area. Successful in her flight training, Louisa becomes involved inadvertently in an airborne smuggling operation and is arrested and confined to an American Military prison. Louisa is interrogated, and she tells the story of Germans trying to reconstruct their country and deal with the guilt of the War-time atrocities of the Nazi regime.
Louisa’s account of the year preceding her capture involves descriptions of flying, personal relationships, post-War hardships, and difficult conflict resolutions. Time of Useful Consciousness (TUC) is the amount of time an individual is able to perform flying duties efficiently in an environment of inadequate oxygen supply. The aftermath of war waged within a country is a shortage of adequate resources to rebuild its culture on a grand scale. There is also a decreased supply of personal resilience to reconnect with family and develop new loving relationships in an atmosphere low on moral identity. Some of Ott’s characters, like Louisa, react positively in the TUC physical/social environment and others negatively making for an exciting narrative. I give the novel 4 stars for its unique and interesting historical perspective.
I was given a copy of the novel by the author for an honest review.
Louisa’s account of the year preceding her capture involves descriptions of flying, personal relationships, post-War hardships, and difficult conflict resolutions. Time of Useful Consciousness (TUC) is the amount of time an individual is able to perform flying duties efficiently in an environment of inadequate oxygen supply. The aftermath of war waged within a country is a shortage of adequate resources to rebuild its culture on a grand scale. There is also a decreased supply of personal resilience to reconnect with family and develop new loving relationships in an atmosphere low on moral identity. Some of Ott’s characters, like Louisa, react positively in the TUC physical/social environment and others negatively making for an exciting narrative. I give the novel 4 stars for its unique and interesting historical perspective.
I was given a copy of the novel by the author for an honest review.
January 12, 2016
Time of Useful Consciousness by Jennifer Ott is a post-World War II drama set in Allied-occupied Germany. Louisa Unger is caught in a world of secrets and when she’s arrested for murder, a U.S. colonel urges her to tell her story for her freedom. She must decide if she will give up the names of her countrymen for her freedom. The story is told in a series of flashbacks as Louisa begins her tale.
The story opens as Louisa kills a man and is arrested by the American troops. She is urged by Colonel Dan Taylor to give up the names of the men running an elusive black market in war torn Europe. She, at first, resists insisting she would never rat on her countrymen. She begins to talk without giving up too much information. She explains how her older brother, Freddy, and his friend, Kris Schuler, introduce her to flying as they run errands of secret cargo and shady deals under the nose of the Allied forces. She soon joins them on their runs and becomes deep in this secretive world. Louisa begins to wonder about their elusive employer, Marcus Visser. Is he man or myth? Soon, events begin to unfold as their operations begin to unravel. They must race to find a way out. Will Louisa trust Colonel Taylor and tell him what she knows? Will the identity or existence of Marcus Visser be revealed?
Time of Useful Consciousness is a great book which made writing this review difficult because there is so much that happens. I can’t write about a lot because it would spoil the reveal in the story. Like a great mystery story, so much builds on the clue before. The twists and turns which answers some questions and leads to even bigger questions. The title is a reference to the amount of time an individual is able to perform flying duties efficiently in an environment of inadequate oxygen supply. I found the tittle to be a great allusion to events of the story. I enjoyed Louisa and her survival mode as she must decide who she will trust and who she will not. I highly recommend Time of Useful Consciousness. This book is definitely on my keeper shelf.
The story opens as Louisa kills a man and is arrested by the American troops. She is urged by Colonel Dan Taylor to give up the names of the men running an elusive black market in war torn Europe. She, at first, resists insisting she would never rat on her countrymen. She begins to talk without giving up too much information. She explains how her older brother, Freddy, and his friend, Kris Schuler, introduce her to flying as they run errands of secret cargo and shady deals under the nose of the Allied forces. She soon joins them on their runs and becomes deep in this secretive world. Louisa begins to wonder about their elusive employer, Marcus Visser. Is he man or myth? Soon, events begin to unfold as their operations begin to unravel. They must race to find a way out. Will Louisa trust Colonel Taylor and tell him what she knows? Will the identity or existence of Marcus Visser be revealed?
Time of Useful Consciousness is a great book which made writing this review difficult because there is so much that happens. I can’t write about a lot because it would spoil the reveal in the story. Like a great mystery story, so much builds on the clue before. The twists and turns which answers some questions and leads to even bigger questions. The title is a reference to the amount of time an individual is able to perform flying duties efficiently in an environment of inadequate oxygen supply. I found the tittle to be a great allusion to events of the story. I enjoyed Louisa and her survival mode as she must decide who she will trust and who she will not. I highly recommend Time of Useful Consciousness. This book is definitely on my keeper shelf.
August 25, 2015
Louisa Unger is a pilot in post-World War II Germany. She has been captured and now lingers in an American Military prison. However, Louisa is not being held for the murder of a fellow German, which she is clearly guilty of, but for transporting goods. To get out, Louisa must begin telling the U.S. Colonel, who also happens to be her mother's lover, the names of the people involved in the giving and receiving of goods that she has transported. Louisa weaves a tale of the past year of her life to the Colonel, telling him everything without giving away any of the details until she finds out that another life will be at stake.
This was a very interesting story about an even more interesting time in history. I was intrigued by Louisa, a female pilot, but the story ended up being so much more. I didn't really know much about Germany after the War, so learning about the conditions that the Germans had to face was eye-opening along with the Black Market Trade. Louisa's character grew throughout the story, she went from being a scared, naive girl to a brave, confident woman. Most of all though, this story is about the intricate relationships that people make. Some interesting relationships are Louisa and her brother Freddy, who Louisa obviously cares for deeply, but Freddy seems to be more self absorbed; Louisa and Freddy's relationship with their deceased father, a Luftwaffe pilot, both Louisa a Freddy fell into his profession and Louisa's relationship with Kris, a former reconnaissance pilot who now transports goods for Freddy, who Louisa fell hard and fast for. Overall, an insightful story about love, trust and relationships in a difficult time.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
This was a very interesting story about an even more interesting time in history. I was intrigued by Louisa, a female pilot, but the story ended up being so much more. I didn't really know much about Germany after the War, so learning about the conditions that the Germans had to face was eye-opening along with the Black Market Trade. Louisa's character grew throughout the story, she went from being a scared, naive girl to a brave, confident woman. Most of all though, this story is about the intricate relationships that people make. Some interesting relationships are Louisa and her brother Freddy, who Louisa obviously cares for deeply, but Freddy seems to be more self absorbed; Louisa and Freddy's relationship with their deceased father, a Luftwaffe pilot, both Louisa a Freddy fell into his profession and Louisa's relationship with Kris, a former reconnaissance pilot who now transports goods for Freddy, who Louisa fell hard and fast for. Overall, an insightful story about love, trust and relationships in a difficult time.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
October 6, 2017
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
I gave this book two out of five stars.
The beginning of this story was great. You find out right off the bat the main character killed someone by shooting them, but that is all you know. I just wanted to read more so I could find out who this woman was, why she killed this man, why she did it with all kinds of police surrounding her. After the initial 100 pages it fell flat for me. The author kept changing which characters perspective we were following, as well as switching between past and present to much. At one point she changed from past to present about six times within ten pages, it was just annoying and hard to keep readjusting. After the main introductions to characters and set up of the plot, it was very hard to keep read, nothing really happened, no excitement. It was all just filler for the ending of the book and one of the reasons it took so long to finish a fairly short book. The big reveal at the ending about who, what, where, and why, only lasted ten pages. After all that build up for the ending it was just over and felt really unsatisfying.
I gave this book two out of five stars.
The beginning of this story was great. You find out right off the bat the main character killed someone by shooting them, but that is all you know. I just wanted to read more so I could find out who this woman was, why she killed this man, why she did it with all kinds of police surrounding her. After the initial 100 pages it fell flat for me. The author kept changing which characters perspective we were following, as well as switching between past and present to much. At one point she changed from past to present about six times within ten pages, it was just annoying and hard to keep readjusting. After the main introductions to characters and set up of the plot, it was very hard to keep read, nothing really happened, no excitement. It was all just filler for the ending of the book and one of the reasons it took so long to finish a fairly short book. The big reveal at the ending about who, what, where, and why, only lasted ten pages. After all that build up for the ending it was just over and felt really unsatisfying.
February 14, 2016
Freedom Comes At A Price . . .
As always I'm hesitant when reading historical fiction as authors tend to take huge liberties with historical events. Thankfully I've found that author Jennifer Ott wrote her story in a way that engages while enlightening. The characters face overwhelming issues in a country destroyed by war and man's unquenchable greed, reading from the characters various perspectives gives readers different viewpoints on the aftermath of war, survival, love, family and freedom.
Having survived the Nazi regime and constant Allied bombings to then be threatened by occupation and rationing of Yanks(U.S. soldiers) in her war wrecked home of Stuttgart, Germany, Louisa Unger finds a way to be free in a world that is anything but free. Louisa has only know where she could not go and what she could not do, so when afforded the chance to learn to fly an airplane, just like her father, Louisa can't say no. Flying gives Louisa an intoxicating feeling of freedom, but the freedom comes with a price. The men she works for are involved in the German black market, transporting various items for rich clientele who seem to remain untouched by the affects of the war. Louisa ultimately finds herself embroiled in danger when all she wants is to escape into the sky above with her love, brother and life, but will Louisa get that chance in a Post-World War II world?
Overall, enjoyed this book. I'm usually more fascinated with Ancient or Tudor-English history, but this story helped ignite a need to study up on my Post-World War II history. The story was told from multiple viewpoints in a nonlinear timeline, which both developed and detracted from the story. The scene would move forward in time then present then back in time, present and then present again but to another character without a time stamp or format icon to let readers know time had shifted. Historical credence in this story is within the margin of acceptable and not overly fictitious, which is great in helping readers understand the history of time period without lying to them. The story definitely showed how raw life was in Germany post Nazi regime and reading into how people chose to survive and rebuild was saddening. The greatest moments were of Louisa finding love and hope in flying, even when in the end, or beginning, it all looked hopeless, she truly was a diamond in the rough kind of heroine. So if you are looking for a glimpse into Post-World War II Germany where a young girl yearns to be free and finds happiness in flying planes only to be caught up in the black market serving the rich, guilty and evil, then this book would be good to read.
**I received a free copy in return for an honest review**
------Read more of my reviews at: http://heyitwasfree.blogspot.com/------
As always I'm hesitant when reading historical fiction as authors tend to take huge liberties with historical events. Thankfully I've found that author Jennifer Ott wrote her story in a way that engages while enlightening. The characters face overwhelming issues in a country destroyed by war and man's unquenchable greed, reading from the characters various perspectives gives readers different viewpoints on the aftermath of war, survival, love, family and freedom.
Having survived the Nazi regime and constant Allied bombings to then be threatened by occupation and rationing of Yanks(U.S. soldiers) in her war wrecked home of Stuttgart, Germany, Louisa Unger finds a way to be free in a world that is anything but free. Louisa has only know where she could not go and what she could not do, so when afforded the chance to learn to fly an airplane, just like her father, Louisa can't say no. Flying gives Louisa an intoxicating feeling of freedom, but the freedom comes with a price. The men she works for are involved in the German black market, transporting various items for rich clientele who seem to remain untouched by the affects of the war. Louisa ultimately finds herself embroiled in danger when all she wants is to escape into the sky above with her love, brother and life, but will Louisa get that chance in a Post-World War II world?
Overall, enjoyed this book. I'm usually more fascinated with Ancient or Tudor-English history, but this story helped ignite a need to study up on my Post-World War II history. The story was told from multiple viewpoints in a nonlinear timeline, which both developed and detracted from the story. The scene would move forward in time then present then back in time, present and then present again but to another character without a time stamp or format icon to let readers know time had shifted. Historical credence in this story is within the margin of acceptable and not overly fictitious, which is great in helping readers understand the history of time period without lying to them. The story definitely showed how raw life was in Germany post Nazi regime and reading into how people chose to survive and rebuild was saddening. The greatest moments were of Louisa finding love and hope in flying, even when in the end, or beginning, it all looked hopeless, she truly was a diamond in the rough kind of heroine. So if you are looking for a glimpse into Post-World War II Germany where a young girl yearns to be free and finds happiness in flying planes only to be caught up in the black market serving the rich, guilty and evil, then this book would be good to read.
**I received a free copy in return for an honest review**
------Read more of my reviews at: http://heyitwasfree.blogspot.com/------
July 13, 2017
I picked this book up because I really like historical fiction especially books during this period. I also thought the book should a unique perspective from the point of view of the Germans and how their life was affected by the events of World War 2. It also shows like how it was like after the war and when it was occupied by the allies.I also thought some of the supporting characters like Colonel Taylor was understanding and liked how he tried to be a father figure to Louisa. That said there was a lot of things I didn't really like about the book. I really thought the main character Louisa started out super naive and didn't know how the world. I see this a lot in books where the main character will act like an innocent and delicate person that doesn't know a lot about the world and this girl didn't know anything. I also like Louisa less naive but more like annoying. I mean throughout the story Louisa plays this innocent girl that didn't do anything wrong and yet gets tangled up in a mess due to her brother's mistake. I also think the future part where she was stuck and jail, I think she didn't seem like she was suffering. Louisa got to do whatever she wanted, eat good food and yet she continues to be difficult. I personally am ok with her being stuck in jail. Lastly, I also felt like there was a lack of character growth and the whole plot was rather slow.
January 16, 2016
This book goes into a period of our history that we don't hear much about. As you read the story, you're just not sure what the next page will bring. This book is unique in that you can't predict what is going to happen next. Ms. Ott take the present and the past and weaves a tangled web as the two different times entwine with each other. The book is about postwar Germany and how WWII destroyed it.We follow the country as it tries to put things back together again, The characters are described in such a way that you feel as though you are there with Louisa Unger. Her story with all its reality, romance and mystery is a coming of age story. When you can place yourself with the characters, they become real and you develop a relationship with them. War, no matter when or where is a no win situation for everyone involved. Families, soldiers, loved ones, children; they don't win. Everyone suffers. This is a historical story of post war Europe and the struggles, romance and characters that you can relate to. A good book for anyone who likes post war and coming of age stories.
I received a complimentary copy of TIME OF USEFUL CONSCIOUSNESS from the author, Jennifer Ott for my unbiased review. No other compensation took place.
I received a complimentary copy of TIME OF USEFUL CONSCIOUSNESS from the author, Jennifer Ott for my unbiased review. No other compensation took place.
June 30, 2015
In this book, Ms. Ott continues her examination and exposure of intimate personal relationships of family members and lovers. This time she extends it over a background of historical fiction in post WWII Germany. The heroine, Louisa Unger, is a survivor of the Allied bombing of her homeland. She and her friends and lover are struggling to restore some normality to their lives and to Germany after the destruction caused by Hitler and the Nazis but they run into conflict with the Allied occupiers. The author presents us with another deeply felt love story and an engrossing crime mystery story. The depth of the characters, their sense of despair and the beautiful flying scenes make this an unforgettable book.
November 18, 2015
In this book, Ms. Ott continues her examination and exposure of intimate personal relationships of family members and lovers. This time she extends it over a background of historical fiction in post WWII Germany. The heroine, Louisa Unger, is a survivor of the Allied bombing of her homeland. She and her friends and lover are struggling to restore some normality to their lives and to Germany after the destruction caused by Hitler and the Nazis but they run into conflict with the Allied occupiers. The author presents us with another deeply felt love story and an engrossing crime mystery story. The depth of the characters, their sense of despair and the beautiful flying scenes make this an unforgettable book.
October 21, 2015
I liked the story or idea behind the book and that is the only reason why I waded through it. But I have honestly never read a book (the Kindle version) with so many syntax, grammar and careless errors in it - and the German that the (German) characters (try to) speak (since the story mainly takes place in Germany) is atrocious, bordering on the hilarious! Surely it cannot be that difficult to double check what you want to say in a different language? I don't think any editing was done!
November 18, 2015
Louisa Unger is arrested after shooting a man in cold blood and taken into custody by the US army, she is however not charged for the crime of murder but for smuggling and for whom is the big question. The story jumps back and forth in time from her telling her story to the US colonel in charge of her case and actual events that unfolded. The story peeling back the layers of the story until a surprise at the end.
November 18, 2015
This book has a very unique story about a side of Post World War II Berlin that hasn't been told before...it is from the perspective of the German people, and in this story the perspective of a young German woman. What I liked most was the character relationships and how they grew throughout the book.
February 3, 2016
Set in occupied Germany in 1946, this is a convoluted tale of survival, smuggling, flying, and loving. The vignettes shift among characters abruptly, requiring careful reading to remain oriented. Despite this and the unusual setting, the story was engrossing.
December 3, 2015
Enjoyable read
The ending felt a bit rushed but I enjoyed the overall narrative. I would be interested in reading some more of this author's work.
The ending felt a bit rushed but I enjoyed the overall narrative. I would be interested in reading some more of this author's work.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews