Das Postamt

by G.G. Hernandez, Ace Enriquez (Illustrator)

Following Germany's defeat in the First World War; tension was heightened in the 1930s as the nation fell in the grip of a power struggle that will decide the fate of the populace.

Achim Ehrlichmann operated an auxiliary postal office in a remote town in Bonn. Together with his family of migrant workers, they face turmoil that would deteriorate to the birth of the Second World War.

Enshrouded by the myths and legends of the old, this fantastical story offers a curious revelation of a conspiracy that led to the prosecution of the Jews, the spark that set the world on fire and how the world got back up on its feet after the most destructive war in history.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Germany, Fantasy, Fiction, Magical Realism

147 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 25, 2020

Reviews

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fanciful tale to be savored and digested. A humble German man rescues those in need and forms them into a family. They are much more than they appear. Read and enjoy!

My thanks to the author, G.G. Hernandez, for my electronic copy of this tale. #Goodreads Giveaway

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Family is not always what you were born in to but who is closest and becomes dearest to you. In a remote village in Germany Achim is running a post office out of an old mansion with misfits he has gathered through his life. When Germany’s post office’s seem to be shut down – in order to keep his family safe as an Engineer and educated person he joins the Nazi’s to do his duty. Having surviving the War after a couple of years upon returning home – he loses two of his dearest and one had left a journal of an amazing story that ends up helping to put the world back on its feet! A really fun read. The story was well written, well plotted and ends with hope in your heart, after all! And, maybe not all fantasies are fantasies!

[Astrid Galactic · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating book about Nazi Germany that is woven in what often reads as a fairytale. There's an interesting mix of reality mixed with lore or fantasy. Though it's told in fairytale form, it does not lack any of the sadness of the era. Would appeal to those who find some of the more theoretical concepts often attributed to the Nazis such as their search for the Holy Grail and some of their more cult like associations. Doesn't get heavy at all and is actually very easy to read. An interesting take on the time and its presentation.

[Tima · Rating 4 out of 5]

A terrific little read. The history is well know; what the author did was to tell a myth amongst the facts. The characters: French, Polish, and English, all enemies to the Third Reich. A dwarf, ogre, and clairvoyant mute would have all been seen as not worthy of living under the Reich. However, their gifts, richest, strength, and foresight, won battles. Also the irony of the “father,” who volunteered to fight for the Reich to save them all. Well done.

[Katie J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trying to make sense of the senseless

Wouldn’t it make more sense if this were the true story of what drove Hitler to his crimes against humanity? Still terrible, but a reasoning.
That’s the long and short of this swift read. This tale follows the lives of a small band of chosen-family through the years of WW2, the gray area decisions several members have to make to help the family survive, and the small acts that keep them connected.

[Lynn Schlanger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this book, it was an enjoyable read and an interesting twist on history.
In Germany, during the rise of Hitler, a group of misfits live and work together in a home that is also a post office. As Hitler gains control the mail service slows causing the motley crew to wonder how the will live. Feeling he is the only one that can be undetected, Achim joins the war. Achim occasionally is able to send food and money. The group who is really more of a family worries constantly if he will ever come home.
What if the Jews aren’t being eliminated due to hate, but due to a secret that Hitler demands to know? What is the secret? The trolls know and will need help in protecting it!

[〰️Beth〰️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Received this in a GR Giveaway.

The story starts at the end of WWI and introduces a unique chosen family and their life up-to and during WWII. Filled with historical information it is still an enjoyable easy read until the last quarter of the book. I kept waiting for the big reveals of three characters. It was a given that there was some fantastical element but instead of a great reveal it was a dull underdeveloped plot point.

[Linda Donohue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as a Goodreads Giveaway. My first impression during the first half of the story was that it was geared as a teen read. The later half of the book the writing was better developed as an adult novel. A German post master brings societies “strays” under his wing-an ogre, dwarf, a 4 year old orphan girl and a widowed French chef. WWII breaks out. The group must survive as the German joins the Nazi party. The last part of the book has an interesting and unexpected twist to it. My thought was—that is very possible. Well worth the read!

[Staci · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

I enjoyed reading the story, which is very simply written (or maybe that’s the translation).
The characters are well developed and extremely likeable.
The story itself is interesting in the way it weaves information about WW2 throughout.
The ending was unexpected and as I am not one to reveal plots or spoilers, you’ll have to read it yourself to see what I mean.

[Darleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love books with some historic background. This one has a nice group of characters but the book has a strange twist with a dwarf and a giant ogre. All in all, I kept my interest, was a quick easy read and had history!

[StitchnmommaReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really intriguing historical fiction book and then it made a sharp turn into fantastical conspiracy theories, that IMO ruined a good read.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't expect the story that came about. Highly recommend it. But please read it with an open mind as being possible to have happened. It will increase your pleasure. This story is during WW11 and happens entirely in a small private post office in Germany.. The government does send them mail to sort and they pick it up. The owner has picked up some usual character to work and live with him. The only person that is German is the owner. A lot of tension and inspected things happenings\. The characters are well portrayed even though you would think it a strange place for them to be. They become a family for these otherwise homeless and poor people. Two of the people hold the outcome of the world in their hands. I wish I had time to reread this book to learn more of the nuances of the story.

[Christi M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent short read! Very lovable, touching characters. Very emotional!

[Deena Scintilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars on this Goodreads Giveaway.

WWII historical fiction with a little fantasy thrown in. I cared about the characters but the child, Mona, could have been developed more to explain who she was originally, where did she come from, and why did she end up with this "family" of misfits. The last few post-war chapters were too far fetched and did not seem to "fit" and for that reason, I gave a lower rating. Maybe some was lost in the translation.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

good book

[Nurse Kramer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was not expecting the ending and the magical/fantasy portion played out. However, this was a quick read and a good interpretation of the war and the struggles humankind endured.

[KatieRoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was actually really good, and I would give it 4.5 if I could. My only problem was that there were a few things that I couldn't understand, or make sense of. It might have been an issue with the translation. Otherwise I thought the story was really interesting. It is mainly based on German folklore, including the characters. It also offers an alternative reason as to why Adolf Hitler was the way he was, and did the things that he did. The end also offers a fairytale ending as to why the Allied governments from WWII repaired themselves as they did following the war. It was not all fantasy though, there was real terror and heartbreak, and because the book was written so well, you really feel those emotions along with the motley crew of characters. I really did enjoy this book!

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review with my honest opinion.

[Julie Supanich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting twist on WWII

The author did a great job of sucking me into the story, but the last couple of chapters were a totally different book. I was left with more questions than answers, esp about Mona (no spoilers).

[Cami Eslick · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the preface the author writes, "This story is the product of a childlike imagination attempting to escape or grasp the reality of humanities abhorrent side, a deplorable yet invaluable part of our history." I think that is the perfect way to sum this up. The story begins when Hitler is just beginning his political career in Germany after WWI. While the story follows Hitler's rise in power and his attempts to dominate the world, the focus of this book is less on the events and more on how it affects the main characters and their struggles to survive events outside of their control. And in those main characters we find a little fantasy and an interesting idea of why Hitler did what he did.

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. It is written like a fairytale using characters and lore to tell a story of a chosen family of members that would not survive under the Third Reich and what the father figure does to keep them all safe. I loved this book and would recommend to anyone who has a chance to read it.

[Linda Hartlaub · Rating 3 out of 5]

NOTE: This book was part of a Goodreads giveaway. May contain spoilers.

The book takes place from 1926, the rise of Adolf Hitler, through and immediately following WWII. A small post office outside of Bonn, Germany has become a haven for misfits and outcasts adopted by Achim, the owner of the post office. These include Mona, a mute girl rescued from the streets; Beagan, an Irish dwarf; Dziecko, a Polish giant (or ogre as he looks in the illustration); Martha, a French widow; and Aaron, an Englishman whose businesses have failed and was looking for luck in Germany.

As the Nazis begin their reign in the Third Reich, Achim becomes more and more protective of his adopted family, and in order to save them, enlists in the Nazi army in order to save money so that they can survive. The storyline has promise but needed to be fleshed out instead of skimming over a lot of the events. There is a touch of magical realism, but again, there is no follow through. After the war, Achim goes missing, finally showing up at the post office after two years. It would have been nice to follow this story of Achim to know where he had been and what he had endured. This story is the first three-fourths of the book.

But the final fourth of the book, the story just veers wildly and goes off the rails looking at dwarves’ gold, Hitler’s obsession with it and a pact between the dwarves and the Jews to preserve the gold. The three stars are for the story and possibilities in the first portion of the book. The loss of two stars was for that odd twist in the book at the end.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book in a Giveaway and wish I could discuss it with others. Set in a small German town during the rise of the Nazis, WW II, and then post war Germany it's nothing like any other Holocaust novel. The characters are a collection of oddballs or misfits in a chosen family - a dwarf, an ogre, a couple of expatriots (1 English, 1 French), an angel(?) - who live and work in a mansion that serves as a post office. There is a tale of survival and doing what it takes to survive and protect one's loved ones.
There is a layer of fantasy in the whole idea of the world's treasure and whose job it is to manage or protect those resources as well as the diabolical measures one will take to secure wealth and power. Definitely leaves you thinking and wondering.

[C · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book, while being a quick few hour read, has left me at a loss for words. The story tells of the events leading up to and during World War Two through the lives of a German postman turned Nazi, a mute girl, a French woman, an Irish dwarf, and a Polish giant. The story, up until the very end, read as a historical fiction. That potion alone I struggled to get through as I felt many instances, such as Achim’s bomber crew leader being on board with dropping off letters to counties they were bombing (could you imagine if there were war secrets inside??)were infeasible. The story takes a twist into conspiracy theory fantasy realm to explain why Hitler started the war and targeted the Jews. The two sides of this story did not blend well and in my opinion was poorly executed.

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this Kindle book in a giveaway, and I’d like to thank the author and publisher in giving me the opportunity to read it. Although the premise was rather unique, I simply could not become immersed in the story. I really wanted to like it, but I am not into fairy tale characters and/or characters. However, I commend the author in attempting to retell the story of WWII from a different perspective.

[Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fictional WWII story

A fictional book set in Germany during WWII. Achim has a family made up of people from different parts of Europe, including a dwarf and a giant troll. The story is told without much dialogue. It was hard to get through.

[Eliza Svihra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a giveaway. I always loved reading historical fiction books, but this one I have mixed thoughts on. It’s an interesting take, with interesting characters.

[Deb Stern]

Goodreads giveaway. I can’t even rate it because I skipped through the story hoping something would interest me. Definitely not for me.

[Joy Rosales]

DNF @ 7% I received a copy of this ebook in a Goodreads giveaway. I found this to be a little weird and wasn’t interested in continuing.

[MrsB Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 rounded down to 2

[Al]

Wonderful Part One. Part Two lost the character development of the lead character. Some flaws in the plot. Ultimately, disappointing.