What do you think?
Rate this book
Five Days That Shocked the World: Eyewitness Accounts from Europe at the End of World War II
In the momentous days from April 28 to May 2, 1945, the world witnessed the death of two Fascist dictators and the fall of Berlin. Mussolini's capture and execution by Italian partisans, the suicide of Adolf Hitler, and the fall of the German capital signaled the end of the four-year war in the European Theater. In Five Days That Shocked the World , Nicholas Best thrills readers with the first-person accounts of those who lived through this dramatic time. In this valuable work of history, the author's special achievement is weaving together the reports of famous and soon-to-be-famous individuals who experienced the war up close. We follow a young Walter Cronkite as he parachutes into Holland with a Canadian troop; photographer Lee Miller capturing the evidence of Nazi atrocities; the future Pope Benedict returning home and hoping not to get caught and shot after deserting his infantry unit; Audrey Hepburn no longer having to fear conscription into a Wehrmacht brothel; and even an SS doctor's descriptions of a decadent sex orgy in Hitler's bunker. In skillfully synthesizing these personal narratives, Best creates a compelling chronicle of the five earth-shaking days when Fascism lost it death grip on Europe. With this vivid and fast-paced narrative, the author reaffirms his reputation as an expert on the final days of great wars.
368 pages, Hardcover
Published January 17, 2012
1776 people are currently reading
172 people want to read
About the author
Nicholas Best
47 books42 followersNicholas Best grew up in Kenya and was educated there, in England and at Trinity College, Dublin. He served in the Grenadier Guards and worked as a journalist in London before becoming a full time author.
His first novel ('As a satire on military bigotry and shambling officialdom, Where were you at Waterloo? is in places as sharp as Waugh and sometimes better' - Times Literary Supplement) was written at Harvard. His second, Tennis and the Masai ('The funniest book of the year - Daily Telegraph) was serialized on BBC Radio 4.
He has since written many other books, including Happy Valley: the Story of the English in Kenya, The Greatest Day in History, about the Armistice of 1918, and Five Days that shocked the World, about the end of the Second World War.
Best was the Financial Times's fiction critic for ten years. In 2010, he was long-listed for the Sunday Times-EFG Bank award of £30,000, the biggest short story prize in the world. He lives in Cambridge.
For more information, visit www.nicholasbest.co.uk
His first novel ('As a satire on military bigotry and shambling officialdom, Where were you at Waterloo? is in places as sharp as Waugh and sometimes better' - Times Literary Supplement) was written at Harvard. His second, Tennis and the Masai ('The funniest book of the year - Daily Telegraph) was serialized on BBC Radio 4.
He has since written many other books, including Happy Valley: the Story of the English in Kenya, The Greatest Day in History, about the Armistice of 1918, and Five Days that shocked the World, about the end of the Second World War.
Best was the Financial Times's fiction critic for ten years. In 2010, he was long-listed for the Sunday Times-EFG Bank award of £30,000, the biggest short story prize in the world. He lives in Cambridge.
For more information, visit www.nicholasbest.co.uk
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 161 reviews
August 11, 2024
I came across this book by mistake on Kindle Unlimited, which was almost impossible to put down once I began reading the first chapter. Although the bulk of the characters in the book never interacted with one another during the last five momentous days of WWII in Europe, the author ably connected all of them to the events of any given hour. For example, while Hitler was ruminating on whether to commit suicide, Audrey Hepburn was nearly starving in Holland, while Kurt Vonnegut was laboring as a POW in Dresden. Highly recommended for all history buffs!
January 10, 2018
This book takes readers through the short, but tumultuous, period at the end of WWII; from Saturday the 28th April to Wednesday, 2nd May, 1945. Events are really bookended by the deaths of Mussolini and the news of Hitler’s suicide, but take in an enormous amount of major political, and historical, events.
This is very much a popular history and the author uses a lot of very famous names (as well as those in the very middle of the action) and explains their part in events – these include Mussolini’s wife, Rachele, Audrey Hepburn, Sofia Loren, Roman Polanski, Spike Milligan, Ezra Pound, Kurt Vonnegut, Gunter Grass, Henry Kissinger, Victor Klemperer, Simon Wiesenthal, William Joyce, and others. As such, this would make a good beginning point for those who, perhaps, have not read much about the period before, as there are all sorts of links and characters that the reader will know.
However, you really do not need famous faces to make this time period more interesting… With Mussolini’s end, Hitler aware that his only option was suicide, the top Nazi’s attempting to make peace, or simply escape, the liberation of concentration camps, ‘Operation Manna,’ attempting to save a starving Holland, and the beginning of the United Nations, only some of the major events of these few days, you can see there is no lack of things to write about.
Although this is obviously a tragic time, with chaos reigning in Europe, and terrible war crimes coming to light, there are also some light moments. The United Nations met for the first time in San Francisco, where one of the Saudi Arabian delegates was nonplussed when told he was not able to buy one of the pretty Japanese lift girls, as the ‘customs of the country forbade it.’ We also have Churchill, so hard at work that he never noticed he had set himself alight with his cigar, being gently extinguished by a secretary… This book is full of lots of little snippets – many moving, some amusing and others terribly sad, but all showing that the world did not come to the end of the war easily and that there were to be huge struggles until the fighting was over in Europe.
This is very much a popular history and the author uses a lot of very famous names (as well as those in the very middle of the action) and explains their part in events – these include Mussolini’s wife, Rachele, Audrey Hepburn, Sofia Loren, Roman Polanski, Spike Milligan, Ezra Pound, Kurt Vonnegut, Gunter Grass, Henry Kissinger, Victor Klemperer, Simon Wiesenthal, William Joyce, and others. As such, this would make a good beginning point for those who, perhaps, have not read much about the period before, as there are all sorts of links and characters that the reader will know.
However, you really do not need famous faces to make this time period more interesting… With Mussolini’s end, Hitler aware that his only option was suicide, the top Nazi’s attempting to make peace, or simply escape, the liberation of concentration camps, ‘Operation Manna,’ attempting to save a starving Holland, and the beginning of the United Nations, only some of the major events of these few days, you can see there is no lack of things to write about.
Although this is obviously a tragic time, with chaos reigning in Europe, and terrible war crimes coming to light, there are also some light moments. The United Nations met for the first time in San Francisco, where one of the Saudi Arabian delegates was nonplussed when told he was not able to buy one of the pretty Japanese lift girls, as the ‘customs of the country forbade it.’ We also have Churchill, so hard at work that he never noticed he had set himself alight with his cigar, being gently extinguished by a secretary… This book is full of lots of little snippets – many moving, some amusing and others terribly sad, but all showing that the world did not come to the end of the war easily and that there were to be huge struggles until the fighting was over in Europe.
June 29, 2016
Honestly, when I first came by this book I didn't thought I will enjoy it. Obviously, the last days of the war were significant with a lot of important events such as Hitler`s death and the surrender of Nazi Germany. But if you try to focus on single events that had a big influence on the war, days like D-day or the beginning of Operation Barbarossa will probably be the ones that come to mind (yes, I know there are a lot of books about these important events).
Well, I was wrong. I think that this was one of the best books I have ever read about World War II. It was absolutely fascinating and I almost couldn't bring myself to stop. If I had the time I could have finish it in a single reading session. Marvelously written and is filled with first-hand accounts. An interesting aspect about these accounts is that many of them are by people who were or will eventually became famous such as Kurt Vonnegut, Joseph Heller and Sophia Loren.
Well, I was wrong. I think that this was one of the best books I have ever read about World War II. It was absolutely fascinating and I almost couldn't bring myself to stop. If I had the time I could have finish it in a single reading session. Marvelously written and is filled with first-hand accounts. An interesting aspect about these accounts is that many of them are by people who were or will eventually became famous such as Kurt Vonnegut, Joseph Heller and Sophia Loren.
May 4, 2016
Very good!
Read
November 5, 2020זה ספר ממש מעניין, קל לקריאה עם פרקים קצרים והרבה מידע מעניין, לחובבי התחום הוא מומלץ מאוד
March 19, 2018
Five Days That Shocked The World covers the events that took place during the last five days of WWII. Nicholas Best's writing is exceptional, he chronologically describes each day with eyewitnesses statements in each chapter. Many well-known people and their recollections of those specific days are included in the book. In my opinion, this book is very distressing, as so was WWII.
The story begins with Mussolini's capture and execution. The author does not sugarcoat anything in the book. Eyewitness's statements bring us back to those tragic days when the whole world was waiting for Germany to surrender and for Hitler to be captured.
I've read many books about WWII, nonetheless, when I opened this book I was not prepared for the horror and barbarity that took place during WWII. The book is dark and distressing, I was shocked by how much cruelty and inhumanity people had in themselves during those devastating days.
I think it takes a strong character to write a book like this. Yes, the stories inside the book are heartbreaking and wicked, but it has to be told. The world needs to know and remembers those dreadful events. This is my first book by Nicholas Best, and I am very impressed by his work. I already added few of his previous books to my TBR list.
The story begins with Mussolini's capture and execution. The author does not sugarcoat anything in the book. Eyewitness's statements bring us back to those tragic days when the whole world was waiting for Germany to surrender and for Hitler to be captured.
I've read many books about WWII, nonetheless, when I opened this book I was not prepared for the horror and barbarity that took place during WWII. The book is dark and distressing, I was shocked by how much cruelty and inhumanity people had in themselves during those devastating days.
I think it takes a strong character to write a book like this. Yes, the stories inside the book are heartbreaking and wicked, but it has to be told. The world needs to know and remembers those dreadful events. This is my first book by Nicholas Best, and I am very impressed by his work. I already added few of his previous books to my TBR list.
March 31, 2018
3.5 Stars
A big thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy, in exchange for an honest review.
I thought this was an incredibly fascinating book. It really made me research more based on what I read. I believe it is well-researched and this is exactly the sort of history non-fiction book I was after.
World War II is one of the areas of modern history that fascinates me the most. I thought this book was unique in that it focused on the last five days of the war and was focused on the eyewitness accounts. I liked the parallels about where famous, or soon to be famous, individuals were when all of these events were occurring. It does not shy away from the horrific accounts of the war.
Probably the chapter on Hitler's death and the aftermath of it for his supporters, was the most compelling part of the book, due to how it was well-written. You do not usually get the German perspective of the end of the war, so that made this book unique in its take.
For history buffs like myself, I highly recommend!
A big thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy, in exchange for an honest review.
I thought this was an incredibly fascinating book. It really made me research more based on what I read. I believe it is well-researched and this is exactly the sort of history non-fiction book I was after.
World War II is one of the areas of modern history that fascinates me the most. I thought this book was unique in that it focused on the last five days of the war and was focused on the eyewitness accounts. I liked the parallels about where famous, or soon to be famous, individuals were when all of these events were occurring. It does not shy away from the horrific accounts of the war.
Probably the chapter on Hitler's death and the aftermath of it for his supporters, was the most compelling part of the book, due to how it was well-written. You do not usually get the German perspective of the end of the war, so that made this book unique in its take.
For history buffs like myself, I highly recommend!
January 15, 2018
La carne de la Historia: Cinco días que estremecieron al mundo, de Nicholas Best
Uno de los mayores problemas al aproximarse a la Segunda Guerra Mundial es la ingente bibliografía que existe. Varios cientos de volúmenes apilados en las estanterías de mi estudio así me lo recuerdan cada vez que intento quitarles el polvo o buscar una referencia. No en vano, es uno de los temas sobre los que más se ha escrito, algo realmente notable si pensamos que sólo duró seis años. Pero el impacto que tuvo el conflicto sobre el mundo futuro fue de una significación tal, aparejado a la crisis moral y al derrumbe de los valores tradicionales, que lo desbordante del asunto está más que justificado. Este es, quizás, el principal problema, que resuelve de forma sobresaliente Nicholas Best en su obra Cinco días que estremecieron al mundo (editorial Pasado & Presente). Ofrecer una perspectiva novedosa sobre la contienda, y presentar una información interesante y fresca, es todo un desafío culminado en este libro de una manera brillantísima.
1. La mirada del General Anton Dostler
Desde la portada del libro elegida por la editorial Pasado & Presente, ya se nos lanza una seria advertencia. La imagen presenta al general alemán Anton Dostler en los instantes previos a su fusilamiento. Fue condenado por un tribunal militar, que lo halló culpable de crímenes de guerra —al parecer había ejecutado en Italia a 15 soldados norteamericanos que eran sus prisioneros—. En la estremecedora foto de portada, Dostler mira fijamente a la cámara mientras lo atan al poste en donde va a ser ejecutado. A un lado, un sacerdote militar sujeta una pequeña Biblia en la mano y parece estar rezando el último responso.
Todo radica en la mirada del alemán que, vestido con su uniforme de la Wermacht, perfora con sus ojos al lector que se encuentra al otro lado del libro, dispuesto a abrirlo e iniciar una extraordinaria lectura, pero también un recorrido por la barbarie y las bajezas más infames de las que es capaz el ser humano. Entonces, al contemplar esa mirada helada, cargada de pánico y también de inhumanidad, uno se pregunta con las palabras de Primo Levi —que también son el título de una de sus obras—: Si esto es un hombre (Península).
No se me escapa, como experto en la contienda y en su descomunal literatura, que la afirmación de Levi se refiere al estado en el que quedaron los prisioneros de los campos de concentración (Levi pasó por Auschwitz). El italiano plasma la reflexión en un poema que encabeza el libro, y que en una de sus partes nos dice:
Los que vivís seguros
En vuestras casas caldeadas (…)
Considerad si es un hombre
Quien trabaja en el fango
Quien no conoce la paz
Quien lucha por la mitad de un panecillo
Quien muere por un sí o por un no.
Primo Levi, tras su experiencia en Auschwitz, duda de si continúa siendo un hombre: ha sido sometido a la más bestial de las deshumanizaciones. En la mueca más brutal de la Historia, esa misma deshumanización ha calado profundamente en sus verdugos. Y eso lo podemos encontrar en el fondo de los ojos de Anton Dostler: unos ojos hundidos, famélicos de fosas comunes, con el barro y el limo de las ejecuciones arbitrarias en las pupilas, y el fulgor de las balas y la sangre todavía colgando de sus párpados.
2. Las pequeñas historias de la Historia
Todo ello aparece en el texto de Nicholas Best que, acertadamente, decide fijarse, solamente, en los últimos cinco días de la contienda. Son esos Cinco días que estremecieron al mundo, un título colocado en contraposición a los Diez días que estremecieron el mundo (Akal), la obra de John Reed publicada en 1919, en donde se narran los sucesos de la Revolución de Octubre que trajo el terror bolchevique y soviético. Nazismo y comunismo, los dos ideales del siglo XX llamados a durar eternamente, cargados de odio y muerte, de cadáveres, y coincidentes en su extinción.
Lo que consigue Nicholas Best al ubicarse en esos cinco días finales, es un relato pormenorizado y cinematográfico, entretenidísimo, y por qué no decirlo, divertido, de los últimos estertores de la contienda. Y su intención minimalista de centrarse en las historias personales de los testigos —testigos presenciales del final de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, tal y como reza el subtítulo del libro— obran el milagro de trasladarnos los pedazos de la acción con realismo.
Podemos oler la cordita suspendida en el aire, tras cada bomba que azota el bunker de Hitler, saboreamos la humillación de Himmler mientras deambula desesperado en sus intentos por ocupar un lugar en el futuro gobierno alemán tras la rendición, o asistimos al pasmoso desfile de condenados a la horca en las ejecuciones de la cúpula nazi tras los juicios de Núremberg.
Best alterna testimonios de soldados, vecinos, oficinistas, y personajes anónimos, con las historias de testigos celebres: Sofía Loren y Audrey Hepburn, Günter Grass y Joseph Ratzinger, Kennedy o Kissinger, pasando por Ezra Pound, Kurt Vonnegut, Bob Dole, Solzhenitsyn, Viktor Klemperer o Roman Polanski. Junto a ellos, asistimos al devenir de los mariscales de Hitler, también al de los integrantes de su círculo más próximo, como Göring, Ribbentrop y Hess, o de su cocinera Constanze Manzarly y de su secretaria Traudl Junge. Sin dejar de lado a Mussolini y a su amante Clara Petacci, y las terribles últimas horas que vivieron.
De entre los momentos más deslumbrantes que se narran en el libro hay que destacar la ejecución y posterior profanación de los cuerpos de Mussolini y la Petacci, la huida del personal del bunker del Führer y las últimas horas vividas allí dentro, la batalla por la toma del Reichstag, y los capítulos dedicados a las liberaciones de los campos de concentración de Belsen y Dachau.
3. La carne de la Historia
Nicholas Best lleva a cabo un procedimiento de humanización de la Historia que sólo se encuentra al alcance de unos pocos. Hace muchos años, con motivo de la presentación de mi primera novela, el escritor Luis del Val me confesó su admiración por Stefan Zweig, pero no por el Zweig novelista (que también) sino por el autor de los libros históricos. En ellos, el escritor austriaco consigue unas cotas maestras de humanización de los personajes. Un ejemplo de esto es su extraordinaria biografía de Fouché (El acantilado). Desde entonces, he seguido esta máxima cuando he escrito novela histórica, técnica que llevé a su mayor exponente en Los pequeños caballos azules (Nostrum) y El vaso canope (El tercer nombre).
Best, también sigue por esa línea, y aplica una técnica tan difícil de llevar a la práctica como sensacional en sus resultados. Sumerge los acontecimientos en el caldero de su escritura, los hierve bien hervidos con su prosa viva y rápida, y consigue, así, desprender del hueso la carne de la Historia. Y es esa carne de la Historia la que nos sirve en un convite tan sabroso como espeluznante.
Porque el autor sabe que la carne de la Historia, en la mayoría de las ocasiones, está llagada por el sufrimiento de los inocentes. Sin embargo, eso no resulta un obstáculo a la hora de detener su mirada sobre los acontecimientos más infames, que nos aproxima con la steadicam de la escritura, permitiéndonos el privilegio de la inmersión en el corazón del terror de la humanidad. Todo ello, jalonado con los comentarios al margen de quienes sufrieron todo aquello con sus heridas: ellos son los verdaderos protagonistas de la Historia. Ellos son, pues, los que flotan en el caldo del libro. A quienes no hay que obviar ni olvidar, en quienes hay que fijarse para saber la verdad.
Cinco días que estremecieron al mundo aporta una perspectiva distinta al lector experto en la contienda, y es una forma perfecta de iniciarse en el tema para quienes no haya leído todavía nada sobre el asunto.
4. Epílogo: La mirada en el espejo
Al final, tras cerrar el libro, volvemos a encontrarnos con la mirada de Anton Dostler en la portada. Ha sufrido una mutación desde que empezamos nuestra inmersión en el texto. Ahora, interpretamos mejor la hondura de sus ojos, y sabemos que en el fondo de esas pupilas enfermas de odio y crímenes, se refleja nuestra imagen.
Sabemos, inquietos por el descubrimiento que hemos realizado —y que tal vez necesitamos expulsar rápidamente de nuestras cabezas—, que su mirada muy bien podría ser la nuestra y que, cualquiera, podría ser un verdugo por el mero hecho de ser humano. Sí, en efecto, y respondiendo a Primo Levi: todos somos hombres. ¿Pero deseamos serlo con todas nuestras fuerzas o a la mínima oportunidad dejaremos salir a Eichmann, a Bormann, desde lo más profundo del ser, y haremos que los crímenes del pasado sean nuestras leyes del futuro?
La respuesta continúa albergada en lo más recóndito de la naturaleza humana.
Uno de los mayores problemas al aproximarse a la Segunda Guerra Mundial es la ingente bibliografía que existe. Varios cientos de volúmenes apilados en las estanterías de mi estudio así me lo recuerdan cada vez que intento quitarles el polvo o buscar una referencia. No en vano, es uno de los temas sobre los que más se ha escrito, algo realmente notable si pensamos que sólo duró seis años. Pero el impacto que tuvo el conflicto sobre el mundo futuro fue de una significación tal, aparejado a la crisis moral y al derrumbe de los valores tradicionales, que lo desbordante del asunto está más que justificado. Este es, quizás, el principal problema, que resuelve de forma sobresaliente Nicholas Best en su obra Cinco días que estremecieron al mundo (editorial Pasado & Presente). Ofrecer una perspectiva novedosa sobre la contienda, y presentar una información interesante y fresca, es todo un desafío culminado en este libro de una manera brillantísima.
1. La mirada del General Anton Dostler
Desde la portada del libro elegida por la editorial Pasado & Presente, ya se nos lanza una seria advertencia. La imagen presenta al general alemán Anton Dostler en los instantes previos a su fusilamiento. Fue condenado por un tribunal militar, que lo halló culpable de crímenes de guerra —al parecer había ejecutado en Italia a 15 soldados norteamericanos que eran sus prisioneros—. En la estremecedora foto de portada, Dostler mira fijamente a la cámara mientras lo atan al poste en donde va a ser ejecutado. A un lado, un sacerdote militar sujeta una pequeña Biblia en la mano y parece estar rezando el último responso.
Todo radica en la mirada del alemán que, vestido con su uniforme de la Wermacht, perfora con sus ojos al lector que se encuentra al otro lado del libro, dispuesto a abrirlo e iniciar una extraordinaria lectura, pero también un recorrido por la barbarie y las bajezas más infames de las que es capaz el ser humano. Entonces, al contemplar esa mirada helada, cargada de pánico y también de inhumanidad, uno se pregunta con las palabras de Primo Levi —que también son el título de una de sus obras—: Si esto es un hombre (Península).
No se me escapa, como experto en la contienda y en su descomunal literatura, que la afirmación de Levi se refiere al estado en el que quedaron los prisioneros de los campos de concentración (Levi pasó por Auschwitz). El italiano plasma la reflexión en un poema que encabeza el libro, y que en una de sus partes nos dice:
Los que vivís seguros
En vuestras casas caldeadas (…)
Considerad si es un hombre
Quien trabaja en el fango
Quien no conoce la paz
Quien lucha por la mitad de un panecillo
Quien muere por un sí o por un no.
Primo Levi, tras su experiencia en Auschwitz, duda de si continúa siendo un hombre: ha sido sometido a la más bestial de las deshumanizaciones. En la mueca más brutal de la Historia, esa misma deshumanización ha calado profundamente en sus verdugos. Y eso lo podemos encontrar en el fondo de los ojos de Anton Dostler: unos ojos hundidos, famélicos de fosas comunes, con el barro y el limo de las ejecuciones arbitrarias en las pupilas, y el fulgor de las balas y la sangre todavía colgando de sus párpados.
2. Las pequeñas historias de la Historia
Todo ello aparece en el texto de Nicholas Best que, acertadamente, decide fijarse, solamente, en los últimos cinco días de la contienda. Son esos Cinco días que estremecieron al mundo, un título colocado en contraposición a los Diez días que estremecieron el mundo (Akal), la obra de John Reed publicada en 1919, en donde se narran los sucesos de la Revolución de Octubre que trajo el terror bolchevique y soviético. Nazismo y comunismo, los dos ideales del siglo XX llamados a durar eternamente, cargados de odio y muerte, de cadáveres, y coincidentes en su extinción.
Lo que consigue Nicholas Best al ubicarse en esos cinco días finales, es un relato pormenorizado y cinematográfico, entretenidísimo, y por qué no decirlo, divertido, de los últimos estertores de la contienda. Y su intención minimalista de centrarse en las historias personales de los testigos —testigos presenciales del final de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, tal y como reza el subtítulo del libro— obran el milagro de trasladarnos los pedazos de la acción con realismo.
Podemos oler la cordita suspendida en el aire, tras cada bomba que azota el bunker de Hitler, saboreamos la humillación de Himmler mientras deambula desesperado en sus intentos por ocupar un lugar en el futuro gobierno alemán tras la rendición, o asistimos al pasmoso desfile de condenados a la horca en las ejecuciones de la cúpula nazi tras los juicios de Núremberg.
Best alterna testimonios de soldados, vecinos, oficinistas, y personajes anónimos, con las historias de testigos celebres: Sofía Loren y Audrey Hepburn, Günter Grass y Joseph Ratzinger, Kennedy o Kissinger, pasando por Ezra Pound, Kurt Vonnegut, Bob Dole, Solzhenitsyn, Viktor Klemperer o Roman Polanski. Junto a ellos, asistimos al devenir de los mariscales de Hitler, también al de los integrantes de su círculo más próximo, como Göring, Ribbentrop y Hess, o de su cocinera Constanze Manzarly y de su secretaria Traudl Junge. Sin dejar de lado a Mussolini y a su amante Clara Petacci, y las terribles últimas horas que vivieron.
De entre los momentos más deslumbrantes que se narran en el libro hay que destacar la ejecución y posterior profanación de los cuerpos de Mussolini y la Petacci, la huida del personal del bunker del Führer y las últimas horas vividas allí dentro, la batalla por la toma del Reichstag, y los capítulos dedicados a las liberaciones de los campos de concentración de Belsen y Dachau.
3. La carne de la Historia
Nicholas Best lleva a cabo un procedimiento de humanización de la Historia que sólo se encuentra al alcance de unos pocos. Hace muchos años, con motivo de la presentación de mi primera novela, el escritor Luis del Val me confesó su admiración por Stefan Zweig, pero no por el Zweig novelista (que también) sino por el autor de los libros históricos. En ellos, el escritor austriaco consigue unas cotas maestras de humanización de los personajes. Un ejemplo de esto es su extraordinaria biografía de Fouché (El acantilado). Desde entonces, he seguido esta máxima cuando he escrito novela histórica, técnica que llevé a su mayor exponente en Los pequeños caballos azules (Nostrum) y El vaso canope (El tercer nombre).
Best, también sigue por esa línea, y aplica una técnica tan difícil de llevar a la práctica como sensacional en sus resultados. Sumerge los acontecimientos en el caldero de su escritura, los hierve bien hervidos con su prosa viva y rápida, y consigue, así, desprender del hueso la carne de la Historia. Y es esa carne de la Historia la que nos sirve en un convite tan sabroso como espeluznante.
Porque el autor sabe que la carne de la Historia, en la mayoría de las ocasiones, está llagada por el sufrimiento de los inocentes. Sin embargo, eso no resulta un obstáculo a la hora de detener su mirada sobre los acontecimientos más infames, que nos aproxima con la steadicam de la escritura, permitiéndonos el privilegio de la inmersión en el corazón del terror de la humanidad. Todo ello, jalonado con los comentarios al margen de quienes sufrieron todo aquello con sus heridas: ellos son los verdaderos protagonistas de la Historia. Ellos son, pues, los que flotan en el caldo del libro. A quienes no hay que obviar ni olvidar, en quienes hay que fijarse para saber la verdad.
Cinco días que estremecieron al mundo aporta una perspectiva distinta al lector experto en la contienda, y es una forma perfecta de iniciarse en el tema para quienes no haya leído todavía nada sobre el asunto.
4. Epílogo: La mirada en el espejo
Al final, tras cerrar el libro, volvemos a encontrarnos con la mirada de Anton Dostler en la portada. Ha sufrido una mutación desde que empezamos nuestra inmersión en el texto. Ahora, interpretamos mejor la hondura de sus ojos, y sabemos que en el fondo de esas pupilas enfermas de odio y crímenes, se refleja nuestra imagen.
Sabemos, inquietos por el descubrimiento que hemos realizado —y que tal vez necesitamos expulsar rápidamente de nuestras cabezas—, que su mirada muy bien podría ser la nuestra y que, cualquiera, podría ser un verdugo por el mero hecho de ser humano. Sí, en efecto, y respondiendo a Primo Levi: todos somos hombres. ¿Pero deseamos serlo con todas nuestras fuerzas o a la mínima oportunidad dejaremos salir a Eichmann, a Bormann, desde lo más profundo del ser, y haremos que los crímenes del pasado sean nuestras leyes del futuro?
La respuesta continúa albergada en lo más recóndito de la naturaleza humana.
December 8, 2014
I've read quite a few books detailing the period leading up to WWII and it remains the period that I find most interesting due to the descent of a cultured nation into the worst kind of barbarism. However, this book focuses on a brief period at the end of the war - five days (actually a bit more than 5 days). I found it interesting the way the author viewed the past through some select individuals rather than simply listing facts, events, and timeframes. I think this is a sobering message for those who choose to vilify the other, those who are different and to exclude them from society. The Germans did it with the Jews, the Poles, the Russians, anyone on the left. They sent them to camps, took their property and then their lives. While I don't think our own right wing will ever go that far we have seen increasing stratification in our country as the income gap goes between the 1 percent and the rest of us and we see the growth that the immigrant and those who don't share conservative Christian beliefs are somehow less than the rest of us. German history from this period serves as a warning for us all.
June 12, 2018
I obtained a free copy via Netgalley for a honest and true review.
Five Days that Shocked the World: Eyewitness Accounts from Europe at the end of World War II by Nicholas Best is a fantastic read and perfect for all the history buffs out there!
In the book we follow a young Walter Cronkite as he parachutes into Holland with a Canadian troop; photographer Lee Miller capturing the evidence of Nazi atrocities; the future Pope Benedict returning home and hoping not to be caught and shot after deserting his unit; Audrey Hepburn no longer having to fear conscription into a Wehrmacht brothel; and even an SS doctor's descriptions of a decadent sex orgy in Hitler's bunker.
A good history book is all about the writing of the author and Nicholas Best does not disappoint. There are hundreds and hundreds of books on WWII but this isn't a book that will fall lost in the scholarship of WWII.
Anyone who loves history but specifically World War II I would definitely recommend this book!
Five Days that Shocked the World: Eyewitness Accounts from Europe at the end of World War II by Nicholas Best is a fantastic read and perfect for all the history buffs out there!
In the book we follow a young Walter Cronkite as he parachutes into Holland with a Canadian troop; photographer Lee Miller capturing the evidence of Nazi atrocities; the future Pope Benedict returning home and hoping not to be caught and shot after deserting his unit; Audrey Hepburn no longer having to fear conscription into a Wehrmacht brothel; and even an SS doctor's descriptions of a decadent sex orgy in Hitler's bunker.
A good history book is all about the writing of the author and Nicholas Best does not disappoint. There are hundreds and hundreds of books on WWII but this isn't a book that will fall lost in the scholarship of WWII.
Anyone who loves history but specifically World War II I would definitely recommend this book!
January 13, 2019
The last days of WWII were some of the most terrifying, hopeful, awful, triumphant, and sad days in the history of mankind. With the war so close to an end every death seemed somehow more tragic (except the deaths of fascist leaders). This book looks at these events from the level of those experiencing them, mostly lower level people (although some of them, like Audrey Hepburn and Gunter Grass, would eventually become famous) instead of generals and presidents. It’s hard to imagine the mix of terror and hope felt by those locked up in concentration camps. They knew the war was ending; would they soon be free or would the Nazis murder them in one last spasm of hate? And the stories of Nazi leaders alternately jockeying for power and scrambling to flee are grimly fascinating.
May 5, 2025
Read for book club.
I found this a relentless chore and tbh would have DNFed it but my honour wouldn't let me.
Look, it is meticulously researched and really well written and the reason I didn't like it is mostly because I simply don't find it interesting which is not poor Nicholas Best's fault, hence the three star rating.
One thing I didn't love which actually was his fault was the very cavalier and off the cuff discussion of rape and sexual assault of women. It wore thin very quickly.
But if the second world war is a particular interest to you, then I really recommend it for you.
I found this a relentless chore and tbh would have DNFed it but my honour wouldn't let me.
Look, it is meticulously researched and really well written and the reason I didn't like it is mostly because I simply don't find it interesting which is not poor Nicholas Best's fault, hence the three star rating.
One thing I didn't love which actually was his fault was the very cavalier and off the cuff discussion of rape and sexual assault of women. It wore thin very quickly.
But if the second world war is a particular interest to you, then I really recommend it for you.
January 19, 2018
Şunu söyleyebilirim, bir film izliyorken esas karakterin vurduğu yerde yatan figürana bakıp onun da bir ailesi vardı yazık oldu diye düşünenler bu kitabı okumalı. Sadece sığınaktaki Hitler ve Eva Braun ekseninde değil, 6 çocuğuna elleriyle siyanür içiren Magda Goebbels'i de anlatan bir kitap çünkü. Hep tarihi olaylar, iyi kötü tarihi kişilikler ekseninde anlatılır; bu kitapta bunun yanında sıradan insanın gözünden Hitler ve Mussollini'nin öldüğü günler anlatılıyor. İlgileneni sevecektir.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 29, 2014
BRILLIANT!
On the back over it says; it reads like a thriller.. And it's so true.
One hint though, while you're reading, if a particular person interests you, check the back to see what happened to them. It made the read even better.
On the back over it says; it reads like a thriller.. And it's so true.
One hint though, while you're reading, if a particular person interests you, check the back to see what happened to them. It made the read even better.
Read
September 12, 2017This is one book that can make your head spin and will surely put a heavy weight on your soul. Most likely for a long time.
September 3, 2025
The author meticulously details the ultimate fate of a wrong-thinking egotist who surrounds himself with likeminded villains and self-serving sycophants to control and destroy and emerging democracy and a longstanding national culture. Committing unspeakably wrongful deeds and illegal acts that go uncontested, they eventually show their cowardice. The people and nation they so deceived for so long are left to suffer.
We read history in order to learn from the past. This story should be a lesson for today.
We read history in order to learn from the past. This story should be a lesson for today.
September 1, 2025
Good but confusing
Good book and not bad but jumped around a lot with many characters made it hard to immerse yourself in a particular storyline.
Good book and not bad but jumped around a lot with many characters made it hard to immerse yourself in a particular storyline.
April 16, 2014
I enjoyed reading this account of the final five days of World War Two in the European theatre. In terms of the historical detail; for the most part, it was a revisit of detail which was substantively previously reported in the press and academic accounts over the years. However, the appeal lay in the personal accounts of some of the principal players at the time (eg Admiral Donitz), but perhaps more so from the minor players (eg Sophia Loren, Kurt Vonnegut, Spike Milligan, Pope John Paul etc). It was "entertaining" reading about the individuals who would ultimately be the entertainers, politicians, writers, and reporters etc) in the years and decades following the war.
Could the book be considered valuable in a "historical" sense? Answer: No. The activities of the minor players was "interesting" but their contribution to the greater turn-point events of the time (ie, discovery and liberation of the concentration camps, execution of Benito Mussolini and Clara Petacci, suicide of Hitler, the relentless onslaught of the allies etc) which were already well documented was negligible, with the exception of the reporters and photographers that made reports and photographs available after the discovery of the concentration camps.
The book did a good job of outlining the final five days as it related to critical members of the German and Allied forces. However, there were gaping holes, including, but not limited to;
1. The movement and escape of Joseph Mengele who alighted to Argentina
2. The movement and escape of Adolf Eichamann who also alighted to Argentina
3. The role that various governments and religious institutions played whilst aiding and abetting the escape of Nazis from Europe.
I was disturbed by the story of Joseph Ratzinger (who would one day become Pope Benedict X111), when I found a photograph of him dressed in a Hitler Youth uniform. Whilst he renounced the Nazi party and he was an adolescent at the time, his association with the Nazi party must have been a matter of concern for himself and interested parties.
Could the book be considered valuable in a "historical" sense? Answer: No. The activities of the minor players was "interesting" but their contribution to the greater turn-point events of the time (ie, discovery and liberation of the concentration camps, execution of Benito Mussolini and Clara Petacci, suicide of Hitler, the relentless onslaught of the allies etc) which were already well documented was negligible, with the exception of the reporters and photographers that made reports and photographs available after the discovery of the concentration camps.
The book did a good job of outlining the final five days as it related to critical members of the German and Allied forces. However, there were gaping holes, including, but not limited to;
1. The movement and escape of Joseph Mengele who alighted to Argentina
2. The movement and escape of Adolf Eichamann who also alighted to Argentina
3. The role that various governments and religious institutions played whilst aiding and abetting the escape of Nazis from Europe.
I was disturbed by the story of Joseph Ratzinger (who would one day become Pope Benedict X111), when I found a photograph of him dressed in a Hitler Youth uniform. Whilst he renounced the Nazi party and he was an adolescent at the time, his association with the Nazi party must have been a matter of concern for himself and interested parties.
December 16, 2018
“Five Days That Shocked the World” by Nicholas Best is a great starting point for readers interested in the Second World War. In this book the author describes the last five days of the war from many different perspectives. The war is shown from various points of view of people that were famous during the war or became well-known later. The book is not perfect just as human memory is far from perfect. There are many aspects of the events described in the book that were neglected and left out by the author, but of course it was impossible to put every piece of information in one volume.
It was an easy read. There were so many lives at stake, so many people fighting for survival, that it was easy to get engaged in reading about their fates. The events at the end of the Second World War were very dramatic, there was do much confusion! At times the book read like an action-packed thriller.
When I read the last sentence in this book I laughed out loud. It offered a much needed comic relief after reading so many pages about human misery, death, terrible suffering and destruction. But it left me surprised as well. It wasn’t an average way to end a book about such important and tragic historical events. The author at times seems to sacrifice historical accuracy for a dramatic effect.
To sum it up, it is a very interesting and informative book, that will without doubt inspire many readers to read more about the Second World War and to seek more information about fates of different people and nations.
I received “Five Days That Shocked the World” from the publisher via NetGalley. I would like to thank the author and the publisher for providing me with the advance reader copy of the book.
It was an easy read. There were so many lives at stake, so many people fighting for survival, that it was easy to get engaged in reading about their fates. The events at the end of the Second World War were very dramatic, there was do much confusion! At times the book read like an action-packed thriller.
When I read the last sentence in this book I laughed out loud. It offered a much needed comic relief after reading so many pages about human misery, death, terrible suffering and destruction. But it left me surprised as well. It wasn’t an average way to end a book about such important and tragic historical events. The author at times seems to sacrifice historical accuracy for a dramatic effect.
To sum it up, it is a very interesting and informative book, that will without doubt inspire many readers to read more about the Second World War and to seek more information about fates of different people and nations.
I received “Five Days That Shocked the World” from the publisher via NetGalley. I would like to thank the author and the publisher for providing me with the advance reader copy of the book.
August 20, 2013
The most comprehensive account of the end of the Second World War that I have read. Nicholas Best has an amazing gift of putting events in perspective and making them so poignant. Refraining from romanticizing the war as most authors often do, his accounts paint a very honest but ghastly picture of human folly. I already knew most of the stories from the end of WW2 before I started reading the book. However, his descriptions echoed a new perspective and meaning. The book is filled with first-hand accounts of people who saw the war up close and had their lives changed forever. I believe personal accounts bring to life the real savagery of the war that no author can pen. The way he describes the Nazi hierarchy collapsing after the death of the Fuhrer makes you realize that most of the protagonists of the war (if I may call them, although they do not deserve that honour) were very ordinary people with misguided notions and short sightedness and who could stoop to the lowest levels just to ensure their own survival. The small anecdotes of complete strangers helping each other survive and celebrities brought crashing down to earth during the war makes it so real and vivid. The way he describes Operation Manna and how soldiers were eager to drop food packets risking their lives rather than go on another bomb raid makes you realize how much we can accomplish as a species only if we have our priorities right. I have never seen a war up close and I pray to God that I don't ever have to but this is as close to WW2 as I could get.
May 27, 2015
El mejor libro que he leío al momento.
5 días que fueron descritos de forma congruente y natural. El libro esta dividido en 5 partes, que son los 5 dias que se mencionan; del 29 de abril al 3 de mayo de 1945.
Muy recomendable su lectura, no viene explicado tácticas militares o decisiones de algún General, se describen el acontecer de varios personajes en esos 5 dias -conocidos y no tan conocidos- y lo que enfrentaron justo antes de la rendición de Alemania.
Justo el libro que estaba buscando.
Mussolini, Hitler, Otto Frank, karol wojtyla, Joseph Ratzinger, Kennedy, Sofia Loren... aquellas personas que estuvieron esos 5 dias en europa y su forma de ver el final de la guerra en europa. Aclaro que sólo relata lo sucedido en europa.
A mi punto de ver, es un libro imperdible y que debe estar en la colección de aquellos interesados en el episodio de la Segunda Guerra Mundial.
5 días que fueron descritos de forma congruente y natural. El libro esta dividido en 5 partes, que son los 5 dias que se mencionan; del 29 de abril al 3 de mayo de 1945.
Muy recomendable su lectura, no viene explicado tácticas militares o decisiones de algún General, se describen el acontecer de varios personajes en esos 5 dias -conocidos y no tan conocidos- y lo que enfrentaron justo antes de la rendición de Alemania.
Justo el libro que estaba buscando.
Mussolini, Hitler, Otto Frank, karol wojtyla, Joseph Ratzinger, Kennedy, Sofia Loren... aquellas personas que estuvieron esos 5 dias en europa y su forma de ver el final de la guerra en europa. Aclaro que sólo relata lo sucedido en europa.
A mi punto de ver, es un libro imperdible y que debe estar en la colección de aquellos interesados en el episodio de la Segunda Guerra Mundial.
August 17, 2024
Nicholas Best is an award winning writer of history who has recounted the days between Saturday, April 28 and Wednesday May 2, 1945, interviewing the people who were there, some famous and some not. Opening with the death of Mussolini and his mistress, then moving to the discovery of the concentration camps by the allies, the fight for Berlin, the death of Hitler, the surrender of Italy, etc
We meet the Nazi leaders, the Russian troops, Bob Dole, Leni Riefenstahl, T.S. Eliot, Audrey Hepburn, Otto Frank, and so many others. I had not known about the operations by British and American bombers to feed Holland in the final days before the surrender.
Kind of a lazy way to do. history, requiring lots of reading/interviewing, but much less work, I think, than a comprehensive narrative. Still, 4 stars.
We meet the Nazi leaders, the Russian troops, Bob Dole, Leni Riefenstahl, T.S. Eliot, Audrey Hepburn, Otto Frank, and so many others. I had not known about the operations by British and American bombers to feed Holland in the final days before the surrender.
Kind of a lazy way to do. history, requiring lots of reading/interviewing, but much less work, I think, than a comprehensive narrative. Still, 4 stars.
September 10, 2024
Meticulously researched. There was a lot packed into five days. The brutal abduction and execution of Mussolini and his mistress while his wife and children fled for safety, the liberation of at least two concentration camps, Hitler's last days in his bunker until he took his own life and was subsequently cremated, and the collapse and surrender of the German army as commanding officers scrambled for the exits and hedged their bets. The advancing Russians were feared because of their reputation for rape and pillage, revenge for what the Reich did to them in Stalingrad. The book was just plain harrowing and unvarnished in its depiction of bombed out wartime violence in the Berlin Streets as the Russians closed in. A great companion book to SEVEN DAYS OF INFAMY.
September 16, 2012
I really liked this historical read about the end of WWII. It's different in that you see the end from the point of view of people who later became famous or played important political roles then and in the future.
One cool thing, at the back of the book-you're told what happened to each of these people. Some of it I already knew, most I didn't. One hint-while you're reading, if a particular person interests you-check the back to see what happened to them. I realized too late and it would have made the read even better.
I am amazed that no matter how much I read about WWII, there is an unending supply of stories that showcase the depravity and the heroism of that war.
One cool thing, at the back of the book-you're told what happened to each of these people. Some of it I already knew, most I didn't. One hint-while you're reading, if a particular person interests you-check the back to see what happened to them. I realized too late and it would have made the read even better.
I am amazed that no matter how much I read about WWII, there is an unending supply of stories that showcase the depravity and the heroism of that war.
March 8, 2018
Five Days That Shocked the World delivers many intriguing and powerful perspectives during the final days of World War 2 in this history novel. The Author, Nicholas Best, follows many personal accounts of those who lived through this period ranging from World Leaders to Soldiers fighting for their countries, and skillfully seams their stories together effectively so that they flow from one to another, creating an incredibly unique history novel.
Five Days That Shocked the World provides the reader with in-depth insight into the final days of the Second World War and the evocative writing skills enhance the overall reading experience.
Five Days That Shocked the World provides the reader with in-depth insight into the final days of the Second World War and the evocative writing skills enhance the overall reading experience.
August 25, 2024
Dark days BUT? are they really over forever?
A fascinating world about the end of Nazi Germany but is it I ask myself? TWO world wars... Germany have been allowed to kill millions of people and still they run Europe this day because of the weakness of other European countries .think goodness I'm on a island not connected to Europe it's a question I ask myself could it happen again yes only takes a few loonies to get in charge and there you go again already happened twice remember?
A fascinating world about the end of Nazi Germany but is it I ask myself? TWO world wars... Germany have been allowed to kill millions of people and still they run Europe this day because of the weakness of other European countries .think goodness I'm on a island not connected to Europe it's a question I ask myself could it happen again yes only takes a few loonies to get in charge and there you go again already happened twice remember?
August 26, 2013
This book was packed with fascinating details. However it was a bit of a dry read. The author tries to be pretty clever by mentioning names that I ended up googling. At the end of the book, he gives a summary and ties those names to their current positions in modern day. I think it would have been more fascinating to give those updates as the book progressed. There were parts that definitely dragged, but it was worth reading just to find out the information.
January 16, 2013
Outstanding book that gives an eyewitness account of making it through the final days of the fallen axis regimes. There are some parallels to situations we face today in relation to the use and abuse of power.
March 27, 2024
el vaig agafar a l’atzar d’una llibreria perquè la premisa em semblava molt interessant (5 dies del final de la segona guerra mundial, viscuts a través dels ulls de personatges famosos), però em sembla que la execució falla una mica.. és bastant caòtic i al final se m’ha fet pesat.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 161 reviews