A work of fiction with the Munich Agreement of 1938 as its basis. Very well-written and researched, the story also tells of two fictitious friends who were at Oxford together that in due course, one ends up working for Chamberlain and the other for Hitler.

Both young men are witnesses to the discussions at Munich and attempt to convince the British PM that Hitler has every intent to throw the world back into war. ( )

3.5* I wanted to read this before the Netflix movie came out and it was on my TBR shelf. It was an interesting read. ( )

Interesting, emotive and tense, but feels antic climatic. Maybe it is historically accurate but I've not checked yet... ( )

Munich is a book that I read quickly, probably because the book was not that thick, but I have to admit that I was also totally captivated by the story set during four days in September 1938. Robert Harris is a writer who has the ability to write books, whether it's historical or more modern, that captivate and Munich is definitely no exception. Something I thought while reading the book was how little I really knew about the Munich agreement or, probably more accurately, I remembered, and I was fascinated to read how Chamberlain really sought to preserve peace in Europe, while Hitler seemed to strive to go to war.

I found the story to be very compelling, while the men of power are planning a meeting in Munich, things are happening off the scene. Not everyone in Germany is on Hitler's side and some of them wouldn't mind getting rid of him. For Hugh Legat, one of Chamberlain's private secretaries, will these four days become very intense when an old friend contacts him again. Paul Hartmann, German diplomat and member of the anti-Hitler movement. Can they stop Hitler's plans?

Munich is captivating, well-written and memorable. I'm particularly impressed with the personality descriptions and especially Chamberlain whose will was to preserve peace at any price. Was it cowardly to sign the Munich Agreement to ignore the signs that this is only a respite? Well, we have the luxury of being able to look back and know that nothing had stopped Hitler and I have to admit that I feel sympathy for Chamberlain and his peacekeeping attitude.

Thanks to Bookmarks förlag for the review copy! ( )

My first Robert Harris read. Rather enjoyable as Harris brings to life one of the key moments in history. He cleverly alternates the plot from Legat's and Hartmann's points of view before bringing them together at the Munich conference. I also like his portrayal of Chamberlain, Hartmann, and Legat as people who stand up to their beliefs and act according to their conscience. But some parts of the book were simply too incredible - Hartmann's brother sending a classified document to Legat's house in the middle of the night, and Hartmann dashing to the British delegation's hotel to try to get a meeting with Chamberlain. Both acts can be said to be characteristic of Hartmann but they still defy belief. ( )