What do readers think of Once We Were Brothers by Ronald H. Balson? Write your own review.

Articulate, intelligent, tenacious, loving and lovable, Holocaust survivor Ben accuses Elliot Rosenzweig, a well known Chicagoan leader, of being a former Nazi officer. According to Ben, his family in Poland gave Elliot, then known as Otto, a home. The Solomons raised, fed and education Otto who morphed into a perpetrator of evil, killing many Jews who crossed his path. The wealthy Elliot launches an offensive, denying the accusations. Ben chooses a young but troubled female attorney who, impressed with Ben's principles and values, values her heart, professionally and personally. Once We Were Brothers is an enjoyable, quick-read book that is chock full of factual history about one of the bleakest periods known to mankind. Although predictable, the end is nonetheless heartwarming and uplifting.

As a lover of historical fiction, I found this novel to be excellent. This debut author did a really good job of developing his characters. I felt I knew the main characters; Ben, Catherine and Liam as if they were friends or colleagues. The story had me fully absorbed and I had trouble putting the book down once I started it. I would highly recommend this book.

I love this book! It is one of those rare books that you hate to put down and think about until you can pick it up again. It is a riveting account of the Nazi occupation of Poland, the horrors that defined that time, and the incredible spirit of survivors. Ben Soloman is at once tragic and triumphant and the retelling of his story is nothing short of mesmerizing. While some of the peripheral charactars and relationships are a bit shallow, the book is about Ben's journey, and that is so superbly written that it overshadows any shortcomings the book has. A truly wonderful read!

"Once We Were Brothers" is both an historical mystery and an enduring love story. The novel tells the story of young Ben Solomon, who lives in Poland during the time prior to the second World War. In time, the family is requested to take in a young German boy, just Ben's age who quickly becomes a member of the family; with Ben himself Otto becomes much like a brother. In time, Ben finds himself falling for the love of his life, a young Jewish girl whose father is the local doctor. In time it becomes evident that the changes facing Germany will soon begin to affect their lives in Poland. Especially will the Jews be affected, but his new 'brother' promises he will do all he can to help them.

In 2005 Ben comes across a man he is just certain is his lost 'brother' Otto, who had become a high ranking Nazi officer during the war. But is it really Otto? How can it be him, when this man also is on the search for this former Nazi officer? And what happened to Hannah? Why does Ben continue to carry on conversations with her, as if she were right there next to him, yet no one else can see her?

"Once We Were Brothers" is a thrilling read through out, until it's page-turning, tear jerking ending! (Have some Kleenex handy!) I will enjoy presenting this when it comes out, both as gifts and as a book club selection.

I very much wanted to like this book. The premise was good, and the author clearly knew a lot about his topic - both the holocaust and the law. However, the writing style was amateurish and I often felt that I was getting a lesson in either history or the practice of law. I didn't find the characters either real or appealing and although the ending of the story was engrossing, I think many other books have covered this topic far more compellingly.

I found this book a very easy read. I enjoyed the characters, the story line and the ending very much. The only reason that I gave this book a 4 rather than a 5 was because some of the escapes from the Nazis were unbelievable. I obviously did not live during that time period of WWII Poland so I don't know exactly how easy or hard some of these situations were, but I just felt that the author simplified in this area. I still would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good historical novel and especially to book clubs.

Once We Were Brothers is the story of a survivor of World War II and war-torn Poland. It is told in segments as the protagonist relates his story to his attorney. It gives details of the Nazi invasion of a small town in Poland, a family who lives in the town, two boys who grew up together as brothers, in that family, and the different roles they play as adults. The talented author succeeds in a well-written novel, making the reader live the story. This reader was impressed with the historical accuracy of the setting and made me not want to put it down until it was finished. The author, Ronald H. Balson, is a well-traveled attorney, an educator and a writer who became interested in the small villages of Poland making him decide to write this novel.

Once We Were Brothers will make a great read for book clubs.

Maybe it's because I just recently finished A Long, Long Time Ago and Essentially True (which is also about Poland during WWII and one of the best books I have ever read),but I was somewhat disappointed in Once We Were Brothers. I had high expectations for the book of which it fell short especially in the beginning. About three quarters of the way through it did pick up; however, I still felt at the end that I didn't know the characters as well as I had hoped I would. Additionally, I occasionally found portions of the book a little unbelievable with respect to all the escapes and rescues. Overall, I have read better books about this time period, but I have also read worse.