Term 2 Assignment

[Shelby]

Vienna Prelude by Bodie Thoene is a novel based in Germany and Austria during the beginning of World War II. The story revolves around the life of Elisa Lindheim, a young violinist who is a half-Jew. Elisa gets through her life by using the last name Linder and a fake passport so she will be able to travel freely between Austria, where her orchestra is based out of, and Germany where her family lives. Elisa is caught in her turmoil when her father is captured for being a Jew, and she is forced to leave her home in Germany without him. With the help of an American reporter, Elisa sets out on the journey to find her father, and to keep the Christmas spirit alive in her heart as her home country turns into the darkest place she’s ever known.
This book was very well-written. It was extremely descriptive, though it did get a little boring at times, and dragged. I have never been too fond of books that revolve around war, but this book added just enough of Elisa’s personal life to keep me interested. I did find the main character to be pretty irritating, as she has tons of boys interested in her, and plays with all of their hearts, which I find unfair and unrelatable. I enjoyed the book overall, but would not read the others in the series, as I’m still not a fan of war books.
Many reviewers such as Calle and Julianne from the Goodreads site commented on how much they learned from reading this novel. I do not agree as I have already learned so much about this time period from classes and from other novels and movies from this time period. Shannon from Goodreads also commented on how this book is good for teen readers as it is not bloody or graphic in its descriptions. Other reviewers such as Laurenpie commented on how the book is a very Christian novel, even though Elisa herself never picks up a bible or go to church in the novel which is confusing. Overall this book received very good reviews, even though I did not enjoy as much as I would’ve liked to.

[Vanessa]

I've never heard of this book and it seems unique! Did the character change through the book? You mentioned that you didn't like her. Did she have any development at the end?