Worry made Etta fat. Her feet bothered her when she stands too long. There is nothing to eat yet she gains weight. She outgrew her wedding ring. I couldn't get interested in the characters

While I found this book captivating, I found there was something lacking in regards to character development. I found myself with many unanswered questions at the end of the book (who survived? who made it home? what was the final outcome?) and I felt disconnected from some main characters (Max, for the most part). I wish the author had delved a tiny bit more in to each of the character's back stories. However, I still found the book to be captivating.

I read this as an ARC from Netgalley.com and I appreciate the opportunity to do so. The book was awful. Let me be clear: this ordinary German family trying to “survive” the hardships of WWII managed to have coffee “klatches” even if they could have only one cake while essentially ignoring and, at the end of the story, denying the Holocaust. The story jumps from character to character and setting to setting. It is an incredibly upsetting story because the author seems to be grabbing at validation for the actions of the Nazis.

Sometimes historical fiction can be a struggle for me to get into and this was one of them. I found that there was no character drive or growth. The story line did skip around a little bit. I was not that interested in anything that was happening unfortunately. Thanks Netgalley for a chance to review and read this!

The Vanishing Sky follows an ordinary German family during WWII. One son comes back from the war with PTSD and another son is a member of Hitler's youth. It was very interesting seeing each of their experiences from different viewpoints during the war. While I appreciated that this book provided a different perspective than most other WWII books, this book fell flat for me. There were many different story lines and I found myself turning back often so that I could attempt to understand what was going on.

Thank you netgalley! Originally when I read about this I thought it would be up my alley since I’m a huge fan of historical fiction. But it jumped all over the place and was hard to get into.

I love reading WWII novels and The Vanishing Sky is a great one. Really enjoyed this!

Many thanks to the author, the publishers, and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was a descriptive story of an ordinary German family trying to survive in WWII. Reading it is an emotional experience you won’t soon forget.
Many thanks to Bloomsbury USA and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I liked the premise of this book and was excited to get a chance to read it, but I did struggle a little to really get into it. The plot skipped around a little and I didn't connect as much to the characters as I had hoped to. That being said, it's still a solid debut.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA for the opportunity to review this book and give my honest opinion. This book is set during World War II in Germany and the Huber family is at the center of this novel. This book deals with the mental aspect of war and how a family deals with the war. I had a very hard time getting into the book and following the storyline.

The Vanishing Sky is a grim, subdued look into the mental damage of World War II, told from a German family point of view. The strain of the War shows in all of the family members after both sons serve military duty for Germany. The oldest son, Max, returns home in an incomplete mental state, and the younger son, Georg, abandons his duty at a Hitler Youth camp. Josef, the father, is a demanding, uncaring individual. Etta, the mother, struggles with keeping the men in her family together. I would have preferred a straight timeline for this novel, beginning with prewar descriptions of the family.

I love WWII novels and I always find it interesting to read one from the perspective of a German family, but unfortunately I just struggled with this one. It hopped around a bit too much and I just had a hard time getting into the story. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

I would recommend this book to colleagues or readers with a strong interest and prior knowledge of Bavaria or the European Theater of WWII. I appreciated a different perspective on the War although at times found it difficult to be sympathetic with the main characters.

This novel by a first time author based on her father’s experience is a haunting book. it demonstrates that war creates only losers and dehumanises all .
It is the last months of the war in Germany. Despite all the radio propaganda claiming final victory the reality is shown through the suffering of one family. The main narrators are the mother Etta and her youngest son Georg- each one trying to hold on to some normality and barely surviving the realities of an inhuman regime and its war. Naturally it is a cruel and disturbing read but war is cruel, however touches of remaining humanity alo occur in the book. I found the fate of the family, Max the eldest son returning from Stalingrad mentally damaged, the 15 year old Georg called to arms as senseless last defence, the father and husband getting forgetful and feeling lost, and the quiet heroine Etta who fights to hold her family together very well described. I enjoyed the novel and especially the German viewpoint which is rather rare.

The story described was one that I was originally very excited to see. Not being German, I was not sure what would be the story of these two young German men who were fighting and living near the end of WW II. The two brothers and their trials and tribulations were heart-wrenching at times as I tried to imagine what I would have done and felt if either of these had been me. Their nuclear family was a bit of a enigma; mother was about like any mother would be considering that both her sons were in a position to lose their lives. The father was living out his own remembrances from WW I and projecting his experiences onto his children.

The oldest son had just returned from the eastern front but his injury was not really physical but more deep rooted. He was not able to eat and wandered in the community. In a war-torn country this was looked at askance by neighbors. The younger son was at a school/camp run by the Hitler Youth. Here they learned the essence of adoration of the Fuhrer as well as how to follow orders – it was an indoctrination camp basically. There was tension among some of the boys. But when the time came for them to be called to fight the Allies as all the adult able-bodies were already committed or dead/injured.

The story sems to skip back a bit and forth and is a psychological/sociological view. Some readers might not prefer this jumping back and forth and even decide to put the book down half-way through it. The story depicted was probably reflective of the times in Germany near the end of the war, which would have been confusing and unsettled. The book is written this way, I assume on purpose.

I was on a big WWII kick and really thought the Vanishing Sky would fill the cravings I have for MORE WWII stories. However, nope. The premise is good but the storytelling didn't suck me in and I gave up about 1/3 of the way through.

The Vanishing Sky tells the story of a mother and her two sons during the waning days of World War Two. Etta Huber is an ordinary German mother of two sons, one a soldier shortly coming home from battle and the other away at a Hitler Youth camp. The story opens with Etta preparing to welcome her oldest son, Max, home. Her husband, a retired school teacher, is struggling with his desire to remain valued in a society where most able-bodied men have been pulled from their communities to fight. Upon the return of Max, readers, and Etta, quickly realize that her son does not come home unscathed. While he has no physical scars, he is clearly deeply affected by mental illness, likely triggered by the war. Meanwhile, Georg, her youngest son is away at a Hitler Youth camp where it is clear these children are being transformed into soldiers to replace rapidly falling German ranks.

The story alternates narrators, and follows both Etta and her youngest son, Georg, as they navigate life at the end of a war. I appreciated the differing perspectives, but the story often felt disjointed at times and was often lost in heavy prose. I did find the change in narrative focus with regard to WWII historical fiction interesting, as most novels published in this genre are not generally centered on the lives of ordinary German families. One of the stronger aspects of this book is a striking look at mental illness during a time and place where it was not openly discussed or tolerated. The book is quite heavy in its subject matter and without a tidy or uplifting ending so sensitive readers would probably do best to find another novel in the genre.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3308277819

This book sounded good, but I felt disconnected to the characters and the story. I thought as the book went on, it would bring me closer to the characters, but I just felt more lost. It was a foggy sense of things. I never felt like I understood the characters. I gave up on it.

I want to thank NetGalley, Bloomsbury USA, and author L. Annette Binder for providing me with an ARC of this novel!

What a breathtaking view of WWII seen through a German lens! This novel was not afraid to show the ugly and damaging side of war, and that was so refreshing to see. This author made you feel the agony that this mother felt having both of her sons and husband go off to war. This was the first WWII based novel told from a German family’s perspective that I have read, and you start to realize that the severe suffering was universal. You will gain a lot of understanding, all while your heart strings are being shredded apart. A wonderful, if not very sad, read. I definitely recommend for historical fiction buffs!

Thanks to those named above for the chance to read and review this novel!

Thank you to @NetGalley for approving me for this free ebook.

The Vanishing Sky takes place in Germany, in 1945. Etta and Josef’s sons are serving their country: Max on the Eastern front and Georg at a school for Hitler Youth. When Max returns home unexpectedly, Etta is overjoyed, but quickly recognizes how thin he is and his strange behaviors. Georg, never fitting in with the boys in his group at school, abandons them, in his quest to find his way home.

I was drawn to the devotion Etta had for her son Max in her plight to find answers for his condition. She remained steadfast in her goal to protect him and find answers for his declining health, when others seemingly had given up on him.

This is my first WW2 book from the perspective of a German family. The suffering which occurred among families as a result of the war was universal. The Germans were not spared food shortages, loss of loved ones and physical and emotional suffering. Reading from the German perspective, I gained a lot of knowledge about their sufferings.

At times I found the story moved too slowly and I struggled to keep track of the characters. I was disappointed by the ending and felt it did not provide enough closure.