I would like to say that I loved this book. In a way I did. I like the way it was written, a combination of fiction and fact, and you don't really know what to believe is the truth. Also, because I'm a second world war junkie, I read just about everything about it. And this book was so intense and captivating, that I didn't want to stop reading it. At the same time, I don't want to like it, because the story is gruesome. The details and descriptions; it really gets into your head in aweful images. And this isn't very nice. It's fascinating, but not really something I enjoy. Nevertheless, the book is fantastic. This is a massive tome and a huge time commitment. I have read a ton of books re:WWII and Nazis and this is probably the most disturbing. The narrator is completely unapologetic and seems to think he deserves a certain amount of sympathy. Obviously, he got none from me. If you really want to delve into the mindset of the Nazis and a tedious account of the German invasion (and loss) of Russia, this is the book for you. Otherwise, I would pass.