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*PEER REVIEW*
by Joyce Nwaogazie » 02 Sep 2022, 02:45
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Privilged Descendants" by Gernot Hucek.]
3 out of 4 stars
Privileged Descendants is a book by Gernot Hucek, centered on the noble von Hohenwart family during the ten years that allied forces occupied Austria during the post-WWII period. Count Florian von Hohenwart, his wife, Isabel, and their two children, Lucas and Marie, returned to Austria after eighteen years in Switzerland in 1951. In their absence, Friedrich and Gretchen von Bruhl handled the smooth running of the castle. It didn't take much time for Lucas and Marie to get accustomed to Austria. They noticed how the citizens struggled to break free from the shackles of the aftermath of the war. Marie chose to go into politics, so she could be among those that would help Austria regain its freedom. Lucas went into the banking sector but later diverted to the agricultural industry. They encountered various circumstances, which they found ways to overcome. Gretchen had a daughter named Sophie Amalie von Bruhl, an art enthusiast who got involved with a married man, Mr. Aziz Sulayman, which was against their culture. Later on, Mr. Aziz was found dead in his apartment by a woman. An investigation was launched to ascertain the cause of his death. To find out the prime suspects and the ripple effect this incident would have on some of the characters, I'll advise picking up a copy of this masterpiece. The narrative kept changing from one character's life to another.
There were various admirable qualities. At the beginning of the book, the author lists the main characters' names. I thought highly of this gesture because readers were made acquainted with the names they would be seeing while reading. The author was thoughtful enough to incorporate live images into the book. I appreciated this gesture because it made the contents more striking. Readers could also visualize the message being passed across effortlessly. I loved the relationship between the von Hohenwart family. I appreciated that Marie could tell her mother, Isabel, anything bothering her, and her mother would advise and help her without derogatory words. And the relationship Lucas had with Florian, too, adequately depicts a balanced family. I admired how the author didn't make the chapters lengthy. This made the contents easy to assimilate. It also eliminated any chance that boredom would have crept in. I loved the fast-paced narrative and the authentic writing style of the author.
I noticed a discrepancy on page 15 of the book. At the beginning of the chapter, Florian was said to have been assigned 180 men to lead, but after some time, it was reported that he had been appointed 150 men. I was confused by this. Numerous characters were mentioned, and this made it an uphill task to memorize their names. These, however, didn't affect my overall enjoyment of the book.
An aspect that affected my appreciation of the book was the numerous errors I encountered. This showed the book wasn't subjected to thorough editing. Because of this, I'll be giving it a rating of three out of four stars.
I recommend Privileged Descendants to avid readers fascinated by books in the historical fiction genre with intriguing characters and a captivating storyline.
The Lives of the Saluti Brothers is full of tension. It started out as a thriller, but as the plot unfolded it turned into a heartfelt well-written family drama. My father and I loved it and could not put the book down! Highly recommended! We look forward to more novels from this excellent author.
Susanne
The book [The Lives of the Saluti Brothers] was easy to read and entertaining. I highly recommend it.
Bill R.
Few days ago I took the oportunity to read Gernot Hucek's new novel: The Missing Crown. Thrilling from the beginning, surprising developments and with interesting informations about Vienna. It was a pleasure! Congratulations to Gernot Hucek. I am sure much more readers will follow my example.
Wolfgang W. (purchased & read German version)
I just finished Steve Waldman is Missing and thoroughly enjoyed it. I would rate the book equal to other mystery novels I have read.
Nancy S.
I finished The Captain’s Destiny and thoroughly enjoyed it. It reads easily and lets your mind run amok with the pictures it paints. When is the sequel coming?
Bonnie A.
I just finished The Captain’s Destiny. I really liked the book. While I haven’t been to Vienna, based on my travels to the European cities, I really loved the details about the towns, the food, and the culture. It felt like I was actually there. It was a great story. Every time I had to stop I couldn’t wait to read what happened next... Can’t wait for the next book.
C.F.
Steve Waldman Is Missing...what a good story and [I] want to thank you for writing it. It was great plane[ride] entertainment. The characters were very believable and you did a great job describing them. I liked the twists in the story and always love a happy ending.
Charlene F.
I found The Captain’s Destiny engaging and full of history along with much local color. I enjoyed reading it. I was awed by the research and knowledge of the area. Your main characters were very likable and engendered much sympathy. My wife and I were both impressed with your diligence to detail and history and how much of a page-turner you produced so well.
Marty R.
Steve Waldman is Missing: die erzählte Geschichte ist interessant und hat such einen richtigen Spannungsaufbau. Das verweben von guten localen Kenntnissen aller Schauplätze, sowie persönlicher Umstände mit Details mit der fictive Handlung ist, finde ich, sehr gut gelungen und gibt der ganzen Geschichte Authenzität.
Translation:
Steve Waldman is Missing: The story is interesting and has a real build-up of tension. I think the interweaving of good local knowledge of all locations, as well as personal circumstances with details, with the fictional plot, is very successful and gives the story authenticity.
Ludwig L.
I read with much anticipation The Green Plot. Your lyrics always bring back pleasant memories of the time I spent in Austria, Baltimore, and Hungary.
Bonnie A.
The Life of Nile “Buzz” Morris was a wonderful read.
A.M.
Steve Waldman is Missing is a very entertaining read. It is a fluid storyline within a complex plot that makes it both exciting and easy to follow. The characters were well-developed, and it was very creative how they were tied together. It truly is a good-feel story friendship and second chances.
Jim F.
Mit Spannung habe ich den Krimi-Gesellschafts-Liebesroman, Steve Waldman is Missing, gelesen. Ich bestaune die unerschöpfliche Fantasie.
Translation:
I read with excitement the crime-society-romance novel, Steve Waldman is Missing. I marvel the inexhaustible imagination.
Wolfgang W.
The Green Plot was a spicy read, particularly the exploits of the provocative Magda - she certainly made her way around as the story evolved! There are many interesting characters in this story, and establishing the relevance of each and creating thoughtful connections, was a great job. I was turning the pages quickly to keep up with the fast pace and numerous moving parts.
J.F.
I enjoyed The Captain’s Destiny. The history was interesting, and the story was beautiful.
J.A.O.
I read The Life of Nile ”Buzz” Morris. It was a quick read - so many well detailed settings and action-packed events. I thought the author did a great job seamlessly covering a substantial period of Buzz’s and Isabella’s life and introducing so many interesting characters and twists along the way. I also found the geographical and culinary detail throughout the story and, in particular, during the Labor Day weekend at the Imperial Hotel in Vienna, very interesting. The character development was impressive and each of them had their own interesting contribution to the story. I liked how some of the characters evolved throughout the novel as they took on a different role in Buzz’s life. The early interaction between Isabella and Fernando was also interesting and I was fooled with regard to the outcome of their interlude after she left the door unlocked.
James F.
The story told in Steve Waldman is Missing, is interesting and has a real build up of suspense as well. The interweaving of good local knowledge of all locations, as well as personal circumstances with details such as date of birth, with the fictional plot is very successful and gives the whole story authenticity. I also found the resolution very interesting, where certainly several possibilities would have come into question. The author chose the conciliatory one, and compared the ending to Friedrich Schiller's wonderful poem, "Die "Bürgschaft". For me, the novel is written fluently and pleasantly, always arouses new interest, and is easy to read. This story is well suited as a template for a screenplay for a film as part of the series, such as "Tatort."
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[TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN. HOVER YOUR MOUSE FOR GERMAN ORIGINAL]
Die erzählte Geschichte in Steve Waldman is Missing, ist interessant und hat auch einen richtigen Spannungsaufbau. Das Verweben von guten lokalen Kenntissen aller Schauplätze, sowie persönlicher Umstände mit Details, wie Geburtsdatum, mit der fiktiven Handlung, ist sehr gut gelungen und gibt der ganzen Geschichte Authentizität. Sehr interresant fand ich auch die Auflösung, wo sicherlich mehrere Möglichkeiten infrage gekommen wären. Der Autor wählte die versöhnliche, und zog die wunderbare Geschichte der Bürgschaft, ein. Für mich ist der Roman flüssig und angenehm geschrieben, weckt immer wieder neues Interesse, und liest sich leicht. Diese Geschichte eignet sich gut als Vorlage für ein Drehbuch zu einem Film im Rahmen der Sendereihe wie, "Tatort."
Ludwig L.
I just finished The Captain’s Destiny. I really liked the book. While I haven’t been to Vienna, based off my travels to other European cities, I really loved the details about the cities, the food and the culture - felt like I was actually there. It was a great story, and every time I had to stop I couldn’t wait to read what happened next. Can’t wait for the next book.
C.F.
I finished the novel Rest in Quiet and enjoyed it very much. The main plot, the murder of Philip, kept my interest at a high level, while several of the mini sub-plots, such as Lizzy and her dilemma, were very entertaining and came together very nicely at the conclusion. As you have done in some of your previous novels, this one had a very happy ending in spite of the murder of Philip. The way it concluded was a real storybook ending, which I particularly enjoyed.
John F.
I received the book and read it in one day. I couldn’t put it down and wanted to know what was going to happen. I thought it started off a little slow, but came to life with your characters. It was a beautiful written story. The only character I kept wondering if he was going to reappear was Robert Jackson. He seems to be the type who might have tried to sabotage their relationship. Good luck on your next book.
Jean L.
Could not put [The Search for the Missing Crown] the book down. Very easy reading. Great storyline and happy ending.
Saul J.
[Gernot] Hucek, the writer of mystery novels, did it again with his latest story, Rest in Quiet. A thriller, a page turner, and an exciting detective story you must read… with a very unusual twist!
Rudolf F.
[The Green Plot] Excellent read! Many suspenseful events; e.g., was Julie in the morgue? Set in Baltimore, MD. [sic] I could visualize where and who the author was referencing. Made me feel part of the discussion. Kudos to the author!
Sue R.
I enjoyed reading this book [The Captain's Destiny] while on vacation. It deals with a noble Austrian family beginning before the Second World War and forward to the 20th Century. It is also historical in that it describes the politics involved in that part of the world before the war, during, and after the war. There are many twists and turns which were intriguing.
Saul J.
This author has written 5 books, all of which have left me feeling that I am transported to the scenes in each and every one. This author clearly knows every location he writes about. His style of writing makes the reader feel as if he has written and is reading it directly to you. Hopefully, he will continue writing many more. I certainly will read them.
Jeannette
I enjoyed reading this book [Doom at MLK Blvd] while on vacation. The locale was in my hometown of Baltimore, Maryland, and I recognized many of the references. It was easy to read, and I recommend the book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery storyline.
Saul J.