Dwellers in the Field

Kimbell Vincent
Zumaya Publications (2006)
ISBN 1554102960
Reviewed by Beverly Pechin for Reader Views (7/06)

 

Dwellers in the Field is a story that not only combines the history of our world with the thrilling stories of fiction but somehow manages to entwine the lives of various characters, characters that sometimes never meet into one whole story.  Eloquently written and demanding your attention, you become involved in the lives of both those fighting to keep their small part of the world in tact and those determined to take it away.  Based in a war torn Poland, the lives of a poor orphaned boy who loses everyone he’s ever loved and the lives and stories of those who have taken his world entwine into one beautifully written story. 

You see the depths of war as never seen before.  You feel the sorrow and pain that is felt on all sides of the fighting and the author somehow even lets you into the intricate parts of their minds and actions to make you feel as though you are a part of the story.  Soldiers are shown not only as the warriors they are, but simply as humans with feelings, sorrows and fears as any human would have.  While your heart aches for the Polish people losing their country, you actually begin to feel the pain of those men taking the country over as they follow orders and are forced to do what they are told, simply out of survival.  You realize that survival is the main key in this war torn area and begin to truly feel the pain and sorrow on so many levels it becomes intensely real. 

Simply a book you won’t want to put down once you’ve started.  You will long to find out who survives and what their world will become as World War II encompasses them.  As the Russians and German fight over a country that isn’t theirs to begin with, but they feel a rightful ownership to take it over no matter what the cost to its people.  I’ve rarely read a book about war that shows every side of the war and will truly make you feel as if you are in the middle, watching from every angle, taking in the feelings of all those involved.

Riveting, intense, and filled with intricate detail.  A must read for anyone with any interest in World War II, even those who think they know the details intimately will be driven to surprise.

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