There was too much information in this biography thatbibfeltnitbjust bogged the book down. Interesting story but to much to take in.

I think if you want an insight into the development of Hitler, the book of letters written by his father, are a good place to start. An insight into the childhood as never before. Is this enough to understand a mad man? Not likely but it helps.

Ive long wondered the familial background and parent figures in Hitler’s life for him to end up who he was and what he did. This book was fascinating and intriguing, intricately researched, perfect level of historical detail. A great read.

A previously unknown cache of letters written by Alois Hitler, Adolf Hitler’s father, were found not long ago in an attic. Basing his biography around these letters, and using them as a stepping-stone to further extensive research, Austrian historian Roman Sandgruber has written a fascinating biography of the man, at the same time painting a portrait of the place and time in which the young Adolf grew up. He examines Alois’ character and speculates on his influence on his son. Admittedly the letters are purely business ones, so not much can be gleaned from them about the personality of the man, and although very little has been discovered about Alois up to now, Sandgruber’s meticulous research has uncovered a wealth of other material, all of which he seems to have incorporated into this detailed account, even when sometimes the details are not necessarily pertinent. It seems he didn’t want to leave anything out, which makes the reading heavy-going at times. The book gives a rare glimpse into Adolf Hitler’s early life and upbringing, although there were times I felt the author was extrapolating and speculating a bit too much without real evidence. Many photographs enhance the text. Stylistically I found it a sometimes jarring read and it wasn’t clear to me whether this was the final copy or whether I was reading an uncorrected ARC, or who had translated it. It certainly needs a final edit as the language is often clumsy with some very odd vocabulary. Perhaps this will all be corrected at some point. So overall a more than competent but rather flawed biography, which I read with great interest in spite of some quibbles. Not least that the book definitely doesn’t explain why the son became a dictator as the sub-title claims.

Very interesting read. I knew very little about Alois Hitler. This book gave some insight into what type of man and father he was. Seeing the similarities between father and son in this situation is eerie. Could history have been different if Alois had been a kinder, better father or Aldof born evil?

I did notice some editing errors that are likely due to the translation from German to English.

I was expecting this to read more of a non-fiction book for the masses, but it was definitely written more for academia. It was a powerful book and well written (I’m sure editing mistakes will be fixed) but it is definitely not an easy read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this early read.

I read this book in English as an ARC.
I have read very little about Alois Hitler. Apparently, little is known about him. The author put together facts and information from various sources and extrapolated. The end result was an interesting discussion of Alois and the influences he may have had on his son. Information about Hitler's siblings and other relatives was also included. Photos of relevant locations and people were a fascinating addition to the book. Ultimately, the book provides insight into Adolf Hitler's childhood.
This is a fairly short read, though it includes plenty of details, some of which seems more important than others. It seems the author intended to document everything he found in his research. Readers can certainly focus on whatever aspects of the biography they prefer.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had been looking forward to reading this book, since details about Hitler's father are relatively difficult to discover, and I was eager to discover more about their relationship and whether any of Hitler's later actions can be traced to this genetic inheritance. However, I was somewhat disappointed, as I found this book rather a slog to read due to its stylistic clumsiness. There was a lot of information, but much of it seemed extraneous: for example, the numerous addresses of persons mentioned. While these may be of interest to the most serious student, for the more general reader with an interest in Social History and Psychology they did not appear to be necessary and served to slow down one's reading considerably. Furthermore, I would have liked to have had more material evidence, in the form of facsimiles of the letters referred to by the author, in order to make up my own mind about the character of Hitler's father, rather than being told what his nature was by the author. Consequently, I would rate this book as competent, but no more than that, unfortunately, and I look forward to finding out more about Hitler's father from alternative sources.

I was fortunate enough to be offered the opportunity to read this prior to publication via NetGalley and therefore it was not a fully edited. That said, some of the prose is stilted and arcahic, possibly down to translation. The monitary values of items bought, salaries etc were difficult to quantify in todays values. That said, I feel it is a book for historians rather than an easy read for folk like me.
Alois Hitler as he became was obviously a man driven to excel and escape what he percived as his lowly birth status. Possibly typical of the dominant male head of the family in that ere, but also strikingly narcissistic. It left me feeling sorry for the son, Adolf, in his formative years. I also feel that both he and Alois junior were similar in character, possibly part of their generic make up, possibly thorugh nuture. Either way, Alois the father was not a father any boy would wish for.
A social climber, a hypocrite and powerfully self driven man who craved status at all cost. A man who railroaded his artistic son away from a passion in art that, should he have been allowed to follow his desires in youth would have diverted the catastrophes we endured.
I found the writing style of this book failed to engage me but the subject matter and desire for knowledge of history kept me reading. I hope the final release copy is easier to digest for the layman.

The author presents information which fills a gap in many interested readers’ analysis of one of the most analysed people of the 20th century, Adolf Hitler. Allowing armchair analysts to consider nature versus nurture, the book offers insights into Hitler’s father and perhaps raises even more questions about how someone like Hitler came to be the person he was, have the ideas he had and how he rose to such a position of influence and authority. In that regard, I am not sure I am any the wiser at the end of it, but this is an extremely interesting book.