615 Results with the "Historical Fiction" genre


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      Jungmänner

      Jungmänner Cover
      by testsuphomeAdmin The chapter opens with a vivid description of a castle-like boarding school where Werner, the protagonist, arrives to begin his training. The setting is picturesque yet austere, with strict rules enforced by a one-armed bunk master. The boys are stripped of personal possessions and individuality, molded into a uniform collective through rigorous discipline. The atmosphere is one of militaristic precision, with an emphasis on duty, sacrifice, and nationalistic fervor. Werner, though initially awed by the…
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      Hauptmann

      Hauptmann Cover
      by testsuphomeAdmin The chapter introduces Dr. Hauptmann, a small-statured but authoritative instructor of technical sciences, who challenges his cadets with a practical task. He distributes metal boxes filled with electrical components—gears, lenses, batteries, and wires—and instructs the class to assemble a Morse-code practice circuit within an hour. While most cadets hesitate, overwhelmed by the unfamiliar tools, Werner Pfennig, the protagonist, immediately recognizes the opportunity. Drawing from his innate curiosity…
    • The Sum of Angles Cover
      by testsuphomeAdmin Werner is called into the office of Dr. Hauptmann, a professor whose study is filled with scientific curiosities and guarded by elegant hounds. The atmosphere is tense as Werner notices the imposing presence of Frank Volkheimer, a legendary upperclassman whose physical prowess and rumored brutality loom large in the academy's lore. Hauptmann immediately tests Werner's knowledge of trigonometry, presenting him with a formula to solve. Despite the intimidating environment—Volkheimer's watchful gaze, the…
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      Perfumer

      Perfumer Cover
      by testsuphomeAdmin Big Claude Levitte, a perfumer in Saint-Malo, runs a struggling parfumerie that thrives only during the fish-salting season when the town reeks. To supplement his income, he has ventured into a lucrative side business: transporting meat from Cancale to Paris, navigating bureaucratic hurdles with shrewdness. Despite the October heat, which feels unseasonably oppressive, Claude spends his day idle in his shop, surrounded by unsold perfumes, snacking on biscuits and fanning himself. The stagnant air mirrors…
    • The Fort of La Cité Cover
      by testsuphomeAdmin Sergeant Major von Rumpel ascends a ladder in the darkness, weakened by his illness, which manifests as swollen lymph nodes constricting his throat. Inside a periscope turret, two gunners observe the devastation of Saint-Malo without offering assistance. The city burns fiercely, with towering plumes of smoke and flames illuminating the predawn sky. Von Rumpel surveys the scene through binoculars, noting the chaotic destruction—flaming debris, falling ash, and administrative documents swirling in the…
    • Atelier de Réparation Cover
      by testsuphomeAdmin The chapter "Atelier de Réparation" depicts the harrowing aftermath of a bombing, where three men—Werner, Bernd, and Volkheimer—are trapped in a crumbling cellar beneath a destroyed hotel. Bernd, an engineer, writhes in pain from severe injuries, while Werner struggles with partial hearing loss and a damaged radio. The environment is suffused with eerie sounds: cooling fires, groaning debris, and sporadic dripping. Volkheimer, the most physically capable, tirelessly hacks at the rubble blocking their…
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      Two Cans

      Two Cans Cover
      by testsuphomeAdmin Marie-Laure awakens in a cellar, disoriented and sweating, with a miniature house pressed against her chest. Unsure whether it’s dawn or if the war has ended, she debates venturing outside but fears encountering German soldiers. Her thoughts oscillate between hope—imagining liberation or her uncle Etienne’s return—and dread, picturing him dead or tormented by hallucinations. Despite her resolve to ration food, hunger overcomes her, and she finishes the stale bread, leaving her with nothing but her…
    • Number 4 rue Vauborel Cover
      by testsuphomeAdmin The chapter opens with a haunting depiction of post-shelling Saint-Malo, where Sergeant Major von Rumpel navigates the devastated streets. Amidst the eerie silence broken only by distant machine gun fire, the city lies in ruins: shattered buildings, smoldering debris, and the occasional corpse. Von Rumpel, armed with morphine and a pistol, moves cautiously through the chaos, his progress marked by surreal sights—a bloated horse, a velvet chair, and swinging curtains in broken windows. The atmosphere is…
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      What They Have

      What They Have Cover
      by testsuphomeAdmin The chapter depicts a tense and dire situation as Werner, Volkheimer, and Bernd are trapped in a dark cellar, their sense of time distorted by the flickering of a flashlight. Volkheimer tends to Bernd, who is injured and panicked, while Werner observes their dwindling supplies: minimal food, half-empty canteens, and a bucket of undrinkable sludge. The oppressive darkness is occasionally pierced by the flashlight's beam, revealing the grim reality of their confinement. The group's meager possessions—a…
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      The Professor

      The Professor Cover
      by testsuphomeAdmin The chapter opens with Marie-Laure and her uncle Etienne reading Darwin together when he suddenly becomes agitated, convinced someone is present despite Marie-Laure hearing nothing. Etienne hastily leads her to the kitchen, revealing a hidden cellar hatch beneath the floor. As he urges her to descend, Madame Manec interrupts, dismissing his fears as irrational. The scene reveals Etienne’s fragile mental state, as he trembles and whispers nursery rhymes to himself, while Marie-Laure attempts to comfort…
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