What do you think?
Rate this book
The Secret Purposes
The Secret Purposes, David Baddiel's third novel, takes us into a little-known and still somewhat submerged area of British history: the internment of German Jewish refugees on the Isle of Man during the Second World War. Isaac Fabian, on the run with his young family from Nazism in East Prussia, comes to Britain assuming he has found asylum, but instead finds himself drowning in the morass of ignorance, half-truth, prejudice, and suspicion that makes up government attitudes to German Jews in 1940. One woman, June Murray, a translator from the Ministry of Information, stands out - and when she comes to the island on a personal mission to uncover solid evidence of Nazi atrocities, her meeting with Isaac will have far-reaching consequences for both of them. A haunting and beautifully written tale of love, displacement and survival, The Secret Purposes profoundly questions the way that truth - both personal and political - emerges from the tangle of history.
408 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
21 people are currently reading
377 people want to read
About the author
David Baddiel
85 books447 followersDavid Lionel Baddiel is an English comedian, novelist and television presenter. Baddiel was born in New York, and moved to England when he was four months old. He grew up in grew up in Dollis Hill, Willesden, North London.
After studying at Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School in Elstree, he read English at King's College, Cambridge and graduated with a double first. He began studies for a PhD in English at University College London, but did not complete it.
Baddiel became a cabaret stand-up comedian after leaving university and also wrote sketches and jokes for various radio series. His first television appearance came in a bit-part on one episode of the showbiz satire, Filthy, Rich and Catflap. In 1988, he was introduced to Rob Newman, a comic impressionist, and the two became a writing partnership. They were subsequently paired up with the partnership of Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis for a new topical comedy show for BBC Radio 1 called The Mary Whitehouse Experience, and its success led to a transfer to television, shooting Baddiel to fame.
He has written four novels: Time for Bed, Whatever Love Means, The Secret Purposes and The Death of Eli Gold.
Baddiel has two children, both born in Westminster, London, with his girlfriend, Morwenna Banks.
After studying at Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School in Elstree, he read English at King's College, Cambridge and graduated with a double first. He began studies for a PhD in English at University College London, but did not complete it.
Baddiel became a cabaret stand-up comedian after leaving university and also wrote sketches and jokes for various radio series. His first television appearance came in a bit-part on one episode of the showbiz satire, Filthy, Rich and Catflap. In 1988, he was introduced to Rob Newman, a comic impressionist, and the two became a writing partnership. They were subsequently paired up with the partnership of Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis for a new topical comedy show for BBC Radio 1 called The Mary Whitehouse Experience, and its success led to a transfer to television, shooting Baddiel to fame.
He has written four novels: Time for Bed, Whatever Love Means, The Secret Purposes and The Death of Eli Gold.
Baddiel has two children, both born in Westminster, London, with his girlfriend, Morwenna Banks.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
October 3, 2016
I bought this book soon after it was published, on the strength of having enjoyed Baddiel's two preceding 'lad-lit' humourous novels. I did attempt to read it at the time, but never got very far - disappointed perhaps with my incorrect assumption that this would be more of the same.
This semi-autobiographical novel tells the tale of a Jewish man and his family following his evacuation to England at the start of WWII. It is, however, not solely a tale of woe and atrocity and anti-semitism, the story focuses a lot more on relationships and adjustment and community - discussing the internment of German Jews on The Isle of Man, how the holocaust was perceived by British government, and how people adjust to unusual circumstances. It was an interesting book, quite a lot I liked, but overall was a bit slow and heavy in places. I can understand the catharsis of Baddiel writing this novel about his cultural/family history, and it was well written, but it never felt to me as a reader that I was rapt or enjoying it massively.
This semi-autobiographical novel tells the tale of a Jewish man and his family following his evacuation to England at the start of WWII. It is, however, not solely a tale of woe and atrocity and anti-semitism, the story focuses a lot more on relationships and adjustment and community - discussing the internment of German Jews on The Isle of Man, how the holocaust was perceived by British government, and how people adjust to unusual circumstances. It was an interesting book, quite a lot I liked, but overall was a bit slow and heavy in places. I can understand the catharsis of Baddiel writing this novel about his cultural/family history, and it was well written, but it never felt to me as a reader that I was rapt or enjoying it massively.
October 17, 2009
This is a real masterpiece, a seminal piece of writing that deserves to be used as a set text in schools. It deals with lies deceit, temptation, the effects of separation on a family and the terror of being unable to control your destiny.
Right from the very first page, when Rabbi Fabian takes his daily walk across Konisbergs 7 bridges to contemplate the 7 deadly sins I was captivated by the quality of David Baddiel’s writing. I confess I was not really expecting such reading enjoyment from the pen of a BBC comedy writer but I put this up there with Snow Falling From Cedars. He carefully and skilfully develops Isaac and Lulu and their baby Bekka and describes the pain that extended Jewish family’s suffered as they had to choose who was given the opportunity to live and who wasn’t (in this case visa’s to get out of Konnisberg and the German persecution that was beginning). And the luck of chance in that crazy world. But the refugee family is split up and the story explores the various pressures and, for want of a better word, temptations that threaten this family – a family thrust into chaos, a chaos not of their making, and a chaos in a supposedly friendly country.
The subject matter of this novel is factual (you know how much I like a story that is rooted in historical fact) and I suspect a touch Baddiel family biographical. It is a thought provoking novel which encourages self inspection and exposes some truths about the British attitudes of the time
Right from the very first page, when Rabbi Fabian takes his daily walk across Konisbergs 7 bridges to contemplate the 7 deadly sins I was captivated by the quality of David Baddiel’s writing. I confess I was not really expecting such reading enjoyment from the pen of a BBC comedy writer but I put this up there with Snow Falling From Cedars. He carefully and skilfully develops Isaac and Lulu and their baby Bekka and describes the pain that extended Jewish family’s suffered as they had to choose who was given the opportunity to live and who wasn’t (in this case visa’s to get out of Konnisberg and the German persecution that was beginning). And the luck of chance in that crazy world. But the refugee family is split up and the story explores the various pressures and, for want of a better word, temptations that threaten this family – a family thrust into chaos, a chaos not of their making, and a chaos in a supposedly friendly country.
The subject matter of this novel is factual (you know how much I like a story that is rooted in historical fact) and I suspect a touch Baddiel family biographical. It is a thought provoking novel which encourages self inspection and exposes some truths about the British attitudes of the time
April 17, 2015
This is a book about people. The events that take place provide a bleak backdrop on which the characters can deliver a story of human nature. That really is the core of this book in fact - humanity. And the lack of it, however, and impressively, these moments do not dominate in any way despite being ever-present in the narrative.
Impressively, the story manages to include so many mistakes that society made without being critical or appoint blame. In fact it returns to the overall sense of humanity - acknowledging simply that we can be imperfect at times. A truth that comes across both in terms of individual character and also the combined aspect of society in general. It's a trick few authors would try, and fewer still be able to deliver.
Baddiel has crafted something noteworthy in this book, it is a worthwhile read.
Impressively, the story manages to include so many mistakes that society made without being critical or appoint blame. In fact it returns to the overall sense of humanity - acknowledging simply that we can be imperfect at times. A truth that comes across both in terms of individual character and also the combined aspect of society in general. It's a trick few authors would try, and fewer still be able to deliver.
Baddiel has crafted something noteworthy in this book, it is a worthwhile read.
June 6, 2019
I bought this from the ‘signed books table’ at the Hay Festival 2019. Through the eyes of a young man interned in Britain at the start of the 2nd World War & some of the key characters in his story we get insights into German Jewish culture in the 30s & 40s, British War mentality, the conflicting motivations & passions which drive people in everyday & exceptional circumstances, men’s abuse of power over women & the way the consequences of decisions & turns of events can stay with us forever.
It’s quite a long book, over 400 pages, crammed with detailed descriptions of characters & events, with room still left for lots to be left to our imagination somehow; some things transpire much as we expect & others are a surprise, including for me given my limited historical knowledge of the subject.
At the start we follow a rabbi on his walk of repentance round the 7 bridges of Königsberg, amidst the rising turmoil in 1934 Germany. I found it odd that to cleanse himself of each of the 7 deadly sins he seemed to feel he had to make himself commit them first; what was important though was the cleansing & this & the idea of the healing power of bridges links the beginning & end of the book & the 3 generations of the central family.
The focus shifts to the rabbi’s son, the central character of the book, estranged from his father for marrying a catholic, exiled from Germany due to Hitler’s oppression, barely allowed to settle in Britain because of suspicion & ignorance, struggling but succeeding with his wife & baby daughter in scraping together a living in a Cambridge college & just beginning to make friends, then interned on the Isle of Man, separated from his family... quite bleak stuff this...
& so well written... The German Jewish characters are fully believable & juxtaposed with well observed realities about the British - we’re all about fairness but act unjustly towards the refugees we’ve taken in; we’re essentially lazy (so it’s British soldiers who’s lax discipline ruins an event at the camp, not the internees) & it’s almost as if prejudice, rather than our self-perceived sense of fair play, is our predominant, guiding principle... enter June Murray, a translator with a conscience, integrity & more than a little bravery...
So we have Isaac, the Rabbi’s son interned on the Isle of Man, meeting June as part of her (self-appointed) mission to find more appalling details of Jews’ suffering & Lulu, his wife, still in Cambridge, meeting Douglas; we’re not quite sure who he is, but he’s helping her with her testimonials to try to get Isaac released... people are testing the limits of their integrity as they try to survive... & there’s sexual tension in the mix as well... will they be faithful? Who will end up with who? The answer to these questions bring surprises & not a small amount of tragedy & sadness...
There’s humour, like the interned Rabbis farting frequently as the only food they consider acceptable to eat is white beans; there are questions of ethics & perspective, like how much brutality & injustice is needed to call something an atrocity; there are details which say so much more than a long explanation, like the Anderson shelter having been made more comfortable & pleasant by the landlady than she’s made the Jewish couple’s room in the house, Douglas ripping up the letter when Lulu turns him down & Michael leaving the ‘phone call ‘till the last minute after June resists his advances...
The book spans only 66 years; the beginning & end seem to be from such different eras, with such different cultures & constraints & hopes & fears, that you wonder if they could ever be reconciled, but the book manages to do that & of course it does so through the characters who lived through the events depicted. The need to learn from dreadful atrocities is a theme through the book, & if you leave things where the book ends there’s hope that despite many contrary forces maybe the worst of the past couldn’t ever return.
When you read this less than 20 years after it’s set & know that the shocking events of the 30s & 40s seem all too likely to happen again, you think no lessons will ever be learnt from history again. There’s so much more than I’ve mentioned here & in case it’s not clear, I’d highly recommend the book!
It’s quite a long book, over 400 pages, crammed with detailed descriptions of characters & events, with room still left for lots to be left to our imagination somehow; some things transpire much as we expect & others are a surprise, including for me given my limited historical knowledge of the subject.
At the start we follow a rabbi on his walk of repentance round the 7 bridges of Königsberg, amidst the rising turmoil in 1934 Germany. I found it odd that to cleanse himself of each of the 7 deadly sins he seemed to feel he had to make himself commit them first; what was important though was the cleansing & this & the idea of the healing power of bridges links the beginning & end of the book & the 3 generations of the central family.
The focus shifts to the rabbi’s son, the central character of the book, estranged from his father for marrying a catholic, exiled from Germany due to Hitler’s oppression, barely allowed to settle in Britain because of suspicion & ignorance, struggling but succeeding with his wife & baby daughter in scraping together a living in a Cambridge college & just beginning to make friends, then interned on the Isle of Man, separated from his family... quite bleak stuff this...
& so well written... The German Jewish characters are fully believable & juxtaposed with well observed realities about the British - we’re all about fairness but act unjustly towards the refugees we’ve taken in; we’re essentially lazy (so it’s British soldiers who’s lax discipline ruins an event at the camp, not the internees) & it’s almost as if prejudice, rather than our self-perceived sense of fair play, is our predominant, guiding principle... enter June Murray, a translator with a conscience, integrity & more than a little bravery...
So we have Isaac, the Rabbi’s son interned on the Isle of Man, meeting June as part of her (self-appointed) mission to find more appalling details of Jews’ suffering & Lulu, his wife, still in Cambridge, meeting Douglas; we’re not quite sure who he is, but he’s helping her with her testimonials to try to get Isaac released... people are testing the limits of their integrity as they try to survive... & there’s sexual tension in the mix as well... will they be faithful? Who will end up with who? The answer to these questions bring surprises & not a small amount of tragedy & sadness...
There’s humour, like the interned Rabbis farting frequently as the only food they consider acceptable to eat is white beans; there are questions of ethics & perspective, like how much brutality & injustice is needed to call something an atrocity; there are details which say so much more than a long explanation, like the Anderson shelter having been made more comfortable & pleasant by the landlady than she’s made the Jewish couple’s room in the house, Douglas ripping up the letter when Lulu turns him down & Michael leaving the ‘phone call ‘till the last minute after June resists his advances...
The book spans only 66 years; the beginning & end seem to be from such different eras, with such different cultures & constraints & hopes & fears, that you wonder if they could ever be reconciled, but the book manages to do that & of course it does so through the characters who lived through the events depicted. The need to learn from dreadful atrocities is a theme through the book, & if you leave things where the book ends there’s hope that despite many contrary forces maybe the worst of the past couldn’t ever return.
When you read this less than 20 years after it’s set & know that the shocking events of the 30s & 40s seem all too likely to happen again, you think no lessons will ever be learnt from history again. There’s so much more than I’ve mentioned here & in case it’s not clear, I’d highly recommend the book!
November 23, 2022
I really enjoyed this book. There are many books - fiction and non-fiction - about the second world war and the holocaust, but I have never read one dealing with the internment on the Isle of Man of Germans (including Jewish refugees) living in Britain during the war. I had recently read another book of Baddiel's and was pleasantly surprised by this one. It's well written, evocative, and nuanced. Perhaps closer to a 3.5 but I have rounded up since I would recommend reading it.
September 12, 2018
Recently I introduced my 13 year old son to David Baddiel’s children’s books (nice to have a break from David Walliams,) and he thought they were fantastic. So, having never previously read any of David Baddiel’s books myself I went in search for other material that he has written.
Having read the blurb to The Secret Purposes and learning that it was a type of historical fictional account, partially based on his own grandfather’s experiences. I had a feeling that this would be a good read. I had read ‘The Two Brothers’ by Ben Elton, another English comedian brought up in a Jewish family and really enjoyed it, so I was excited.
David not unlike Ben Elton has an appealing fluid style in his writing, I very much enjoy his little side journeys when expressing human thoughts and emotions and putting them into relatively simple but eloquent words. This style certainly helps hold the reader’s attention.
The book had an interesting plot and never ventured into areas that would have rendered the narrative as unrealistic. The part of the book where both Isaac who had been interned on the Isle of Man and his wife Lulu who was living her life with their young child Rebekka in Cambridge, were being tempted by attractions to other people while living their lives apart, was very captivating.
I found that after a splendid first third of the book it did not quite maintain its grip and I found myself enjoying it but it was reasonably easy to put down. The book has a strong ending when the narrative gets shifted forward by over 50 years into the future when Isaac is an old man and his daughter Rebekka is 61 years old and they visit Auschvitz together. A copy of the dossier that had been put together by a woman whom he felt he had fallen in love with while being interned more than 50 years earlier connected the two time periods well and made for a fitting finale.
All in all a very well written enjoyable read.
Having read the blurb to The Secret Purposes and learning that it was a type of historical fictional account, partially based on his own grandfather’s experiences. I had a feeling that this would be a good read. I had read ‘The Two Brothers’ by Ben Elton, another English comedian brought up in a Jewish family and really enjoyed it, so I was excited.
David not unlike Ben Elton has an appealing fluid style in his writing, I very much enjoy his little side journeys when expressing human thoughts and emotions and putting them into relatively simple but eloquent words. This style certainly helps hold the reader’s attention.
The book had an interesting plot and never ventured into areas that would have rendered the narrative as unrealistic. The part of the book where both Isaac who had been interned on the Isle of Man and his wife Lulu who was living her life with their young child Rebekka in Cambridge, were being tempted by attractions to other people while living their lives apart, was very captivating.
I found that after a splendid first third of the book it did not quite maintain its grip and I found myself enjoying it but it was reasonably easy to put down. The book has a strong ending when the narrative gets shifted forward by over 50 years into the future when Isaac is an old man and his daughter Rebekka is 61 years old and they visit Auschvitz together. A copy of the dossier that had been put together by a woman whom he felt he had fallen in love with while being interned more than 50 years earlier connected the two time periods well and made for a fitting finale.
All in all a very well written enjoyable read.
August 14, 2016
We bought this book on the Isle of Man while exploring my wife's family history there. I read it because it was mostly set on the Isle of Man. I got a lot more than I had bargained for: a touching story and a powerful indicator of anti-Semitism way beyond the Nazi regime.
Thousands of Germans, most of them Jewish refugees from the Nazis, ended up interned by the British government as enemy aliens around 1940. The lead character in this novel was a refugee from Nazi persecution, who then gets caught up in this internment with extra ferocity because of his communist views.
There is a powerful personal story that unfolds within these harsh parameters in the main body of this book - a story of love and betrayal, and the huge pressures brought to bear on ordinary people when subjected to arbitrary arrest and internment.
What makes the scope of the novel even bigger is that the story spans an even longer period, starting with the protagonist's father's experience of kristallnacht in Germany, and ending with the protagonist visiting Auswitch as his own life draws to a close long after WW2. I won't give away "spoiler" content here, but suffice to say that the bigger wheel of the story turns in a way to have us pause and reflect deeply on the nature of truth, loyalty, support and survival.
Thousands of Germans, most of them Jewish refugees from the Nazis, ended up interned by the British government as enemy aliens around 1940. The lead character in this novel was a refugee from Nazi persecution, who then gets caught up in this internment with extra ferocity because of his communist views.
There is a powerful personal story that unfolds within these harsh parameters in the main body of this book - a story of love and betrayal, and the huge pressures brought to bear on ordinary people when subjected to arbitrary arrest and internment.
What makes the scope of the novel even bigger is that the story spans an even longer period, starting with the protagonist's father's experience of kristallnacht in Germany, and ending with the protagonist visiting Auswitch as his own life draws to a close long after WW2. I won't give away "spoiler" content here, but suffice to say that the bigger wheel of the story turns in a way to have us pause and reflect deeply on the nature of truth, loyalty, support and survival.
April 26, 2009
The story is mainly set on the Isle of Man, where Jewish Germans who had fled to the UK were interned during WW2. (something I was not aware of until reading this. Yet amongst these internees were some of the most talented men of Europe.)
Through Isaac's story we see the dicotomy of being German and therefore the enemy to the British, but Jewish and therefore treated as the enemy in their own country.
Isaac is a flawed hero but a very human one - a character puzzled by a life over which he has little control. He loves his wife and child, but his separation from them causes a rift which damages their relationship. The brief encounter with June becomes equally important.
David Baddiel's writing is quite a relevation in other ways. Having totally associated him with TV comedy, the book shows the serious side of a very talented writer.
Through Isaac's story we see the dicotomy of being German and therefore the enemy to the British, but Jewish and therefore treated as the enemy in their own country.
Isaac is a flawed hero but a very human one - a character puzzled by a life over which he has little control. He loves his wife and child, but his separation from them causes a rift which damages their relationship. The brief encounter with June becomes equally important.
David Baddiel's writing is quite a relevation in other ways. Having totally associated him with TV comedy, the book shows the serious side of a very talented writer.
August 31, 2014
A very slow moving book which is written in the style of a not that impressive GCSE student. I'm surprised to see it has such a good average.
The sentences that go on forever, the fact that every Jew is some kind of genius, the fact that gentiles are crude and cruel, the shots at comedy which usually fail, the wholly unbelievable love story.
How anyone thinks this is a 5star book is mystifying, some people actually believe this is one of the best books ever written? One that would be hard to improve?
Religious solidarity no doubts plays a part in some of the favourable reviews and ratings but there are far better books you can read on this subject. Or many other subjects.
The sentences that go on forever, the fact that every Jew is some kind of genius, the fact that gentiles are crude and cruel, the shots at comedy which usually fail, the wholly unbelievable love story.
How anyone thinks this is a 5star book is mystifying, some people actually believe this is one of the best books ever written? One that would be hard to improve?
Religious solidarity no doubts plays a part in some of the favourable reviews and ratings but there are far better books you can read on this subject. Or many other subjects.
February 7, 2017
We certainly live in interesting times, with the beginning of the Trump presidency, the rise in populism and fear of the 'other.' A very appropriate time to read this wonderful novel in which David Baddiel brings to life the plight of the refugee in a turbulent world. He is talking about Jewish refugees fleeing from Hitler but his theme is just as relevant today, as we witness the flight of millions from the killing fields of Syria and elsewhere.
This is a great book with a strong story and believable, rounded and flawed characters. He writes beautifully, with passion and warmth. Strongly recommended.
This is a great book with a strong story and believable, rounded and flawed characters. He writes beautifully, with passion and warmth. Strongly recommended.
July 19, 2018
Absorbing context: the Isle of Wight; World War 2. German Jews, including Baddiel's own grandfather, and Nazi sympathisers were interned in seaside boarding houses. This pretty sombre read, is shot through with grim irony. The Ministry of Information expects its translators, for instance, to ignore the horrors of Jewish massacres. Baddiel is particularly brilliant demonstrating how difficult it is to establish truth in wartime. Some fascinating detail. The romantic interest is probably the weak link.
February 26, 2016
Isaac Fabien, escapes persecution in Konigsberg, but after a brief time in Cambridge is interred in the Isle of Man. Here he meets June Murray a Minsistry of Information translator who is determined to find evidence of Nazi atrocities against the Jews.
A very readable story about love, loyalty and coping under terrible strain. The underlying theme is truth - how is it discovered, interpreted and communicated, on both a personal and political level.
A very readable story about love, loyalty and coping under terrible strain. The underlying theme is truth - how is it discovered, interpreted and communicated, on both a personal and political level.
September 22, 2012
I didn't know what to expect from David Baddiel-my only experience being of him as a comedian.
Well this is a very serious book about how we treated the Jews during World War Two. It is engagingly written and I felt a great empathy for many of the characters. However this is not a 'cardboard cut out' view of Jewish people but an honest warts and all picture. Well worth a read it shows the value of family solidarity even with annoying foibles.
Well this is a very serious book about how we treated the Jews during World War Two. It is engagingly written and I felt a great empathy for many of the characters. However this is not a 'cardboard cut out' view of Jewish people but an honest warts and all picture. Well worth a read it shows the value of family solidarity even with annoying foibles.
October 11, 2013
The story of Isaac, a German Jew, and his German gentile wife during the second world war. They escape to England but then he is interned on the Isle of Man. June Murray, a civil servant, is dismayed by the way no one is taking any notice of the way the Jews are being treated by the Germans and so she decides to visit the Internment camp and learn at first hand what is going on in Germany.
A gripping story based on true facts.
A gripping story based on true facts.
March 13, 2018
I was delighted that such a high profile writer had chosen to write a book about the internment of enemy aliens on the Isle of Man in the Second World War, however I was disappointed to find that some facts had been distorted in order to fit into the fictional story. The story itself I didn't find very believable in the circumstances but as the book progresses the tale reveals some interesting twists.
July 7, 2018
I thought this was a great book. The main character(s) are well developed and the story is not too repetitive. It's fiction with some historical references so do not read it with the assumption that it is a true story. It was slow to start, I really did not get into it until about the middle. The story is both thought provoking and unbeilavable. I could have read the end over and over. It was particularly poignant.
August 2, 2011
Having read David Baddiel's Whatever Love Means I knew he was a good author who could spin a good yarn. However with The Secret Purposes he really steps it up a gear. The writing in parts is beautiful and the novel tackles some incredibly powerful issues in the context of 1940's England and World War Two. The story is incredibly poignant and left me quietly reflective. A great historical read.
August 2, 2017
i had no idea David Baddiel was an author. I only ended up reading this book because I was on holiday in the Isle of Man in need of a book and found this on the 50p shelf in Peel library. I did think I had had my fill of books about the second world war and the holocaust but it would appear not. I did enjoy this so I would day give David Baddiel a go....you don't even need to be on holiday!
July 30, 2008
Little known yet interesting fact that during WWII, certain sophisticated and educated German immigrants to England were interned on the Isle of Man. Based on history and entwined with personal relationsips. Surprisingly interesting book.
March 8, 2011
The book is written in the first person which is always interesting. The point of view is from that of Deaths, very is amusing and very black and white at times. I highly recommend reading it and falling in love with the characters that Death takes a fancy too by following their lives.
July 31, 2016
It was ok. Largely descriptive, without the thrilling, gripping piece I expected it to be. If you want to know about the Nazi-Jew treatment, read the last few pages. Other parts of the book, mostly non-sense. Its an honest review!
September 11, 2018
Well written. The story is kind of weak as some of the characters, including the primary ones, seem not fully fleshed out or entirely believable. Many generalities, but perhaps the breadth and scope of the story was a bit overly ambitious - perhaps? Still, well written.
May 14, 2015
Well written book on a subject that does not make easy reading
August 7, 2011
Sad book, didn't really like it.
August 11, 2013
I seem to have read a run of books n the subject, which may have led me to judge it more harshly than it deserves.
August 9, 2016
Utterly depressing.
May 24, 2017
Nowhere near as good as Time for Bed or Whatever Love Means. A decent opening and a good end, but a lot in the middle where it struggled to maintain my interest. Only just about gets a 3.
March 7, 2022
A good read with an interesting plot based upon the acceptance and subsequent internment of German Jews into England as war approaches and the handling of stories of their persecution at the hands of the Third Reich by the Ministry of Information.
David Baddiel presents a very readable, if slightly disjointed as we move from Konigsberg to England, account of Isaac Fabian and his wife Lulu as they flee Germany, leaving behind their families. Although treated kindly, their plight is not well understood by those they meet and, as Germans, suspicion and fear lead to Isaac’s internment on the IoM. The perception of Jews - whether as a race or as a religion - is inevitably a theme he pursues. June Murray, a MoI translator, sets out to compile evidence of the maltreatment of the Jews by the Nazis but is not wholly prepared for what or who she finds.
David Baddiel presents a very readable, if slightly disjointed as we move from Konigsberg to England, account of Isaac Fabian and his wife Lulu as they flee Germany, leaving behind their families. Although treated kindly, their plight is not well understood by those they meet and, as Germans, suspicion and fear lead to Isaac’s internment on the IoM. The perception of Jews - whether as a race or as a religion - is inevitably a theme he pursues. June Murray, a MoI translator, sets out to compile evidence of the maltreatment of the Jews by the Nazis but is not wholly prepared for what or who she finds.
March 25, 2024
I enjoy books that introduce me to new information in a palatable way. I had never realized that the British Government interned refugees from Germany, mostly Jewish, on the Isle of Man during the early years of WWII. They were deemed a "security risk". A courageous staffer at the Ministry of Information undertook to expose the realities of the atrocities against the Jews in Nazi Germany. The author's grandfather was one of the internees. Well-written and thought provoking in terms of philosophy, human nature, and circumstances beyond one's control.
April 6, 2024
I tend to avoid anything related to the wars but this had an instant appeal as an isle of man resident I was able to relate the narrative to locations I am familiar with. It is an enlightening novel that takes a somewhat unique look at an aspect of the war I wasn’t aware of before I moved here. All in all believable and engaging, a good read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews