Note: The title of this book and series have been translated into English by me for the reading comprehension of this blog's viewers. The original title reads Die Weiße Wolfin from the Das Geheime Leben der Tiere: Wald series. The book is currently not available in English (yet).
I really don't read enough German books. I mean, I do, but often times I'll instead read the Dutch/English translations since those are the languages I'm most comfortable with. However, I am still trilingual; German is actually my second language I was taught at a young age by my family due to me having plenty of German relatives.
And my comprehension of the language is...varying. I can very well understand it when reading, watching movies/series or even in a basic conversation. However, speaking/writing it is very difficult to me. So it boils down to me being pretty good at understanding it, but not being great at communicating in it myself. I know the basics, but just find it very difficult.
Anyways, here's a book I'm reading and reviewing today that hasn't been translated into any other language (as far as I know) yet! So I'll be reviewing the original German version! Spoilers ahead.
We meet Fünf (Five), a young white she-wolf born in a successful pack. She quickly grows up and now must learn what it means to be a wolf. Not only that, she also vows to become the best hunter there ever was. From there on we follow her life as she grows even further, befriends a raven named Raak, disperses from her own pack and comes across various other wolves and animals on her travels.
Disclaimer: this is obviously a children's book, so please don't expect it to be as nuanced and great as some other xenofictions out there. It's for younger readers, but I figured this would be a good place for me to start if I really am to start consuming more media in German.
The book is pretty good! It showcases a realistic yet fictionalized version of a wolf's life. It does use current wolf knowledge (so no outdated use of the alpha-omega theory and such), so it is actually pretty educational as well, at least for young children who want to learn more about wolves.
The story itself is pretty standard (just a young wolf growing up, maturing, dispersing from their pack and eventually forming their own), but the execution is good and I quite liked all the different scenarios Fünf and her raven friend ended up in.
The characters were all pretty basic, usually having only one or a few personality traits, but honestly I wasn't expecting any major deep characters. This is a book for young readers, so it's understandable that things are simpler. Fünf is a pretty standard protagonist, but I still liked following her, and I do like how determined she is to follow her heart. Heck, she even learns hunting the "raven way" because she dispersed a bit too early and isn't very adept at hunting larger prey yet, despite her principles. That was a pretty nice moment in her brief arc, if you ask me.
I also liked Raak a lot. He's very supportive throughout all of Fünf's life and pretty much acts like a brother to her from the moment they meet. Kind of like Tlitoo from The Wolf Chronicles is to Kaala, but less endearingly obnoxious.
The ending was honestly pretty abrupt, but it was also realistic. After having lived a successful life as a pack leader, Fünf is finally shot by a hunter and her life comes to an end. A harsh way to end the book and maybe even a bit too dark a note to end things on for the age demographic (being kids between 8 and 10 years old), but at the same time it's also kind of bittersweet. Fünf is dead, yes, but her legacy lives on. She has formed a successful pack just like her parents once did, and her bloodline lives on in her pups and grandpups.
I was also pleased to see that some of the events in this book were actually inspired by the life of a real wolf: O-Six, whom you might recognize as I've talked about her before in my review of the non-fiction book American Wolf by Nate Blakeslee. It's not a one-to-one comparison; Fünf isn't a fictionalized of O-Six or anything. But there were certain events in her life that felt familiar to O-Six's life story, such as her first starting a pack with two males who are brothers. And of course the way her/Fünf's life ended. The book is also dedicated to O-Six and there's a brief bit in the back explaining about O-Six's life, so that was nice. Despite O-Six having passed on a while ago, her legacy still lives on in books such as these, inspiring a new generation.
Overall this was a pretty good read. Juvenile and pretty basic, yes, but it had some good moments in it and was genuinely an enjoyable read. Just beware on giving this to very young kids as the ending might upset them. At that age I could deal with death in stories (e.g. Bambi's mother, Mufasa in The Lion King), but not main character deaths yet.
Rating: 3.5/5
No comments:
Post a Comment