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Wolfsjahre
German
- GenresHistorical Fiction
381 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1999
1 person is currently reading
6 people want to read
About the author
Günther Bentele
24 books1 followerGünther Bentele is a German regional historian and author of young adult historical fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 6, 2026
Disclaimer: German is not my first language so it’s hard to accurately rate this book knowing I might have missed some words or nuance.
This was a slog. Part of the problem might have been that it’s clearly written for a younger audience, and I feel like it’s written in an older grammatical style. A lot of the phrasing feels wooden and there wasn’t much subtlety in any of this book. I also don’t know much about 17th century European wars, and didn’t realize until I finished the book that there was a glossary in the back.
I almost DNFed at several points and it took so long to get through the first 100 pages. There is entirely too much time dedicated to the marauders and I was bored out of my mind and needing to look up every other word.
Once you get past that though, the book really picks up speed, and now I started to find myself caring about the characters and getting invested in storylines and even learning things about battle and the logistics of feeding large armies and in a way that kept me entertained. By the end you really feel for Friedrich, his loss of innocence and unease at the bleak future for those affected by war, paired with his enduring optimism and can-do attitude.
If this was meant for adults, I would give it 2 stars but o think it’s decent as a children’s book.
This was a slog. Part of the problem might have been that it’s clearly written for a younger audience, and I feel like it’s written in an older grammatical style. A lot of the phrasing feels wooden and there wasn’t much subtlety in any of this book. I also don’t know much about 17th century European wars, and didn’t realize until I finished the book that there was a glossary in the back.
I almost DNFed at several points and it took so long to get through the first 100 pages. There is entirely too much time dedicated to the marauders and I was bored out of my mind and needing to look up every other word.
Once you get past that though, the book really picks up speed, and now I started to find myself caring about the characters and getting invested in storylines and even learning things about battle and the logistics of feeding large armies and in a way that kept me entertained. By the end you really feel for Friedrich, his loss of innocence and unease at the bleak future for those affected by war, paired with his enduring optimism and can-do attitude.
If this was meant for adults, I would give it 2 stars but o think it’s decent as a children’s book.
April 14, 2023
Historical novel for young adults-they might get terrified. Enjoyed it (from a knowledge point) tremendously (read in German). About a 13 year old boy, looking for his brother in war-torn Germany's 17th century.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews