Four's Destiny

An excellent novel that you will not want to put down till you finish it! The author does an outstanding job of weaving the stories of the four main characters into the novel and the action does not disappoint you. Be prepared to not put this book down till you finish it.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book from start to end. I was up all night reading it as i honestly couldn't put it down. Expertly written. I'd say that a lot of it is not for the feint of heart though. Given the era that it covers there are some intricate telling of the attrocities of the time and whilst there i s romance, love and the stories of many happy childhoods the terrors and tragedies of war dull their impact and you're left with vivid imagnings of the horrors which took place. An excellent read without shadow of doubt.

Four’s Destiny is an interesting book in that the author sets himself a challenge to weave historical facts into a fictional account of the lives of four individuals - an Englishman, an Italian, a German and a Greek, who first meet each other shortly before the start of the Second World War and, again - fatefully - in the Dodecanese Campaign in 1943. Among the positive features are careful historical scene setting, particularly around the little known history of the islands that are currently part of Greece, but had been ruled initially by Turkey and then Italy in the first half of the twentieth century. Other reviewers have commented favourably over the author’s skill in giving the narrative the kind of pace that keeps the reader turning the pages late in the night, a judgement that is well supported by reading the book.

However, for this reader, these very positive features are undermined somewhat by poor research, incorrectly describing the Hindenburg Line in WW1, for example, as aligning with the boundary of pre war German territory (rather than the defensive line to which the German Army withdrew in 1917 the better to defend against the Allied attacks) and placing the ‘aktions’ that saw mass movement of Jews from their homes into concentration camps earlier than was the case. Some readers may feel that the drawing of characters and incidents also leans rather too heavily on somewhat over-used stereotypes. The writing generally suggests that the author is better than this and better offerings are sure to follow.

Despite these niggling criticisms, that may not in any event be issues for other readers, this is a very readable book and passed the ‘one more chapter before I turn the light out’ test again and again.

The futility of War

A curiously old-fashioned war story, I would not have been surprised to learn that this was written in the 1950s rather than in the last few years. The narrative structure is interesting: four boys, English, German, Italian and Greek meet as teenagers in 1936 Germany, then again at the battle for the Greek island of Leros in 1943. The novel’s subtitle, ‘A modern Greek tragedy’ lets the reader know the outcome. In between the author retells their stories and the stories of their fathers. So we experience the Italian takeover of Leros from the Turks and its transformation into an outpost of Mussolini’s fascist empire; we read of the battle of Jutland, of defeated Germany after WW1, of the childhoods of the four sons and the experiences which shape their early lives: the defence works constructed on Leros, Hitler rallies and ill-treatment of German Jews, rugby football at an English public school. Their stories continue through the first four years of WW2 at Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain, the war in North Africa. You might imagine that this must be an immense novel given the ground covered, but you would be wrong. The battle for Leros, the apparent climax of the novel, is covered in about twenty five pages.

I found the novel interesting rather than moving. The structure was clever, but meant that too much material was being covered too quickly. I felt that the final section was rather an anti-climax and much more could have been made of the battle for Leros. So be it, I actually enjoyed the story all the same.

I really enjoyed this book about an area of the continent during the World Wars that I was unfamiliar with—Greece, Italy and the Ottoman Empire. It was an interesting setup to follow four boys for different countries and backgrounds as they meet, become friends and then follow different paths in life and the war years. I wish to thank #netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read #foursdestiny and give an honest review.

A fascinating and well-written story following the lives and intertwined fates of four young men from Greece, Italy, Britain, and Germany. Their stories commence in the build-up to WW2 continuing into their wartime experiences.
I was fascinated to see that a number of the secondary characters in the book were real-life people. One person of note, who popped up in the novel, was Hans-Ulrich Rudel, a highly decorated German Stuka pilot. The author exactly captured Rudel’s personality, as described in Rudel’s memoir ‘Stuka Pilot’. A full-on Nazi who was a brave and unorthodox pilot.
Many true events were incorporated into the story which significantly added to its authenticity. However, there were too many unlikely coincidences in the lives of the four men, to make the book truly believable. The ending also seemed very abrupt, almost as if the author had run out of literary steam, and was in a hurry to finish the book.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and found it difficult to put down – always a good sign.

Interesting account of the effect of World War II on the development of young men who fought on different sides in the war. Told through the eyes of four young boys, while friends prior to the war followed vastly different paths as they grew into soldiers because of the influence of their respective countries and leaders. While I have read many books from this period this provided a very personal and unique perspective on the effects of the war on young men.

I initially struggled to get in to the story but once I got used to the military jargon I really got it to it. We follow 4 characters connected by their links to Island of Leros. I found the battle scenes so descriptive and therefore gripping. The historical background given in the story is fascinating and builds the setting around the fateful paths of Godfrey, Marco, Rolf and Yiannis although the coincidences at times are bit too much to be truly believable and somewhat forced to draw the story to its ending.