Guardian Newspaper 1000 Novels discussion

November 2015 War and Travel Read - Schindler's List by Thomas Keneally. Happy reading!

I already have my copy and plan on starting this one hopefully next week! Who is with me?

I am. I started it last week and I'm nearly finished.
I didn't know it's all true history. It's written in fiction style, though, which I love not being that much into non-fiction.
Sometimes I was very shocked and nearly cried knowing it all really happened.

Yes, these types of stories really do that to me as well! I saw this movie well over a decade ago and also remember being quite moved, especially after learning that it was all true. I am both looking forward to and dreading this read!

Looking forward to your thoughts as you finish the read!

I'm also looking forward to your thoughts!

I haven't watched the movie so far, but since it's on Amazon Prime I'll most certainly watch it. The trailer looks really good!

I don't really know what to say about this.
It was an emotional rollercoaster, especially because I knew that it was all true.
In the end, I felt very bad for poor Schindler imagining him in his little appartment in Frankfurt. How does it feel like knowing that the "best" part of your life is over? Would it have been better for him to die directly after he knew he was the hero saving all his Jews? Is it not ethically bad to think this question? Why was he so strong during the war and why did he not manage to find his inner strength again and a new purpose in life?

Finished!

I do have to say, the story was very good but the writing was a big disappointment to me. It seemed like Keneally didn't particularly want to write this novel for the first 50%, and only after that did the story take over enough that the writing didn't bother me. He wrote it like a novel, but everything was in past tense with reflections, like a non-fiction. It was also full of "telling", not "showing", and that bothers me a lot, especially since the build up to the action was a bit slow going.

Anyways, though, the story is much that I remembered from the movie, and it did make me want to go back and re-watch it. The story line itself is so fascinating! I love seeing people fight for what they think is right, and this was saving thousands of lives to boot!

I actually just finished "The Kindly Ones" recently, about the Holocaust as seen from the eyes of a rather disturbed Nazi soldier, and thought it was much better. It was WAY more disturbing, though, so don't read it on an uneasy stomach. But the comparison for me is this - two guys were in the same Nazi Germany, one decided to go with the Germans and helped destroy countless lives, one decided to work against them from the inside. Which would I be, given the extreme circumstances? Its easy to say you'd want to be more like Schindler from the comfort of your home, but it is much easier to do what you are being ordered to do than to rebel - especially when your own life is at stake.

Anyways, as per your questions, I think it was also sad dwelling on the rest of Schindler's life. It does make you think, though, that your whole life doesn't have to be spectacular, but if you can help just one person, you are still a hero. But I do think he was so strong during the war because he had a defined purpose. He had an immediate enemy to fight and the means to fight them...something he didn't have the rest of his life and so he wandered.

Overall, I think the story is hugely inspiring, especially considering the subject matter. I also think it is so important to know about these things so that we can ensure history never repeats itself like this. In the end, though, the writing bothered me so much that I couldn't get past a 3 star rating for this one.

I'm glad you enjoyed it! Feel free to weigh in again once you see the movie!

Perhaps I will just stick with the movie for this one then!