Uber Alles

A Novel of Love, Loyalty, and Political Intrigue in World War II

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Pub Date 15 Sep 2016 | Archive Date 2 Dec 2019
Old Stone Press | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles

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Description

First-time novelist Robert Arthur Neff interweaves history and imagination in this novel of World War II that challenges our preconceptions of those who waged it and those who watched it happen. Concentrating on the everyday humanity of the players on both sides. Über Alles paints a thought-provoking and often disturbing portrait of how war affects everyday lives. Through this deeply personal picture of those who, hopelessly entangled in conflict, try to stay one step ahead of war as it hurtles toward them, this original novel will challenge the notion that “it can’t happen here.”

[After All, January, 2020 is the sequel in this series, also on NetGalley]

First-time novelist Robert Arthur Neff interweaves history and imagination in this novel of World War II that challenges our preconceptions of those who waged it and those who watched it happen...


A Note From the Publisher

9781938462276 (ebook)

9781938462276 (ebook)


Advance Praise

"The author also shows a mastery of detail and context—indeed, the book is a history lesson as much as a novel—and his controlled maneuvering of his characters through the events of the period make this book stand out from the still-crowded field of World War II epics."
~ Kirkus Review

“. . . riveting account of . . . two musical artists . . . when the Nazis sought to eradicate anyone they deemed racially impure or sexually deviant . . .”
~ George Marriner Maull, multiple Emmy-nominated artistic director and conductor of The Discovery Orchestra

"Über Alles is a well-constructed novel focused upon one of the pivotal eras of human history. It succeeds both as an engaging romantic tale and as a solid look back at World War II. Readers will be well rewarded."
~ Gregory Coleman, President, BuzzFeed; former president, Reader’s Digest

“ . . . Über Alles weaves aspects of WWII into a beautiful fictional story about . . . Theresienstadt . . . the persecution of homosexuals under Nazi rule, and more . . . This story stays with you and is highly recommended for serious readers.”
~ Lindy Bolling, President, The Rapid Reader Book Club, Michigan

“If you are prepared to vicariously travel back to World War II; if you are willing to tie your heart to a story that will fill—and break—it; if you want a book worthy of your valuable leisure time—then you must read Über Alles.”~ LAURIE BOGART MORROW, author, The Hardscrabble Chronicles

"The author also shows a mastery of detail and context—indeed, the book is a history lesson as much as a novel—and his controlled maneuvering of his characters through the events of the period make...


Marketing Plan

This book was heavily marketed through ibpa programs in 2016-2017. It now will marketed as part of the series with its companion AFTER ALL: A Gathering Storm of Romance, Revenge, and Espionage in Postwar South America. Publishers Weekly space advertising and Native Editorial through January 2020, the Authors Show podcast, NetGalley, listing and strong social media [Facebook, Twitter, etc.] presence.

This book was heavily marketed through ibpa programs in 2016-2017. It now will marketed as part of the series with its companion AFTER ALL: A Gathering Storm of Romance, Revenge, and Espionage in...


Available Editions

EDITION Paperback
ISBN 9781938462252
PRICE US$21.95 (USD)

Average rating from 9 members


Featured Reviews

I am so glad I picked this book up to read, it was the sequel to this, “After All”, being released in January 2020, that prompted me to read this one first and what a blessing. This is truly a novel of love, loyalty and political intrigue, just an awesome book!! Probably the best WWII book I have ever read, and I have read a lot of them. Everything in here was believable, nothing was far-fetched, and the storyline intertwined fiction with actual characters and events. Few books ever give me goosebumps but this one did, very close to the ending, well done, Mr. Neff, well done.
Every day I looked forward to begin reading and I had some late nites not wanting to put it down. The writing is stellar, the short chapters were easy to follow in knowing what was going on between all the characters like Dieter, Sophie, Lilka, Otto and Juru, this style of writing kept me informed and you never felt lost. The chapter headings also listed the location, the month and the year, this too is so appreciated. The character development is done well, the author covers the backgrounds of each and every one, but I never felt that it was to wordy, all of the writing was relevant to the storyline.
After I reluctantly finished the book, an additional highlight was Appendix A and B, telling us about each and every character, factual and fiction, a great way to finish a great book!! I am looking so forward to reading the sequel.
I was given the opportunity to receive this book from Old Stone Press through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. This one gets the highest 5*****’s I can give!! An awesome book.

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I wasn't sure about this at the start as it was a little confusing but by 20% in I couldn't put it down! The story is told from various different viewpoints, the main story eventually starting with Dieter's diary, then interspersed with the other characters histories and viewpoints. I really enjoyed reading about Sofie, Dieter, Jara and the others and was desperate to learn their fates. It is refreshing to read a story about how WW2 affected minorities and how they worked together to help each other, it was very touching. The story was clever and a lot of the characters are real (something I didn't realise until the end!). This would make a great box set binge on Netflix or the BBC. I am off now to read the sequel!

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Über Alles by Robert Arthur Neff

In this fabulous story of love, intrigue, and survival in the time of Nazi horrors, dual protagonists Sofie von Seigler and Dieter Meister keep you on edge. Most of the tale is told from the journals of Sofie and Dieter.

Privileged Sofie and piano tuner Dieter’s lives cross in an unlikely pairing which drives this story. Many misunderstandings have the Gestapo after Dieter, erroneously believing that he is a master spy. Sofie’s father, General Otto Seigler, a German officer, needs to find Dieter for his own safety and his daughter’s sake.

Many more interesting and important characters have roles which mesh perfectly, and make this very well-written and exciting tale a perfect read for historical fiction lovers.

Many thanks to #NetGalley and #OldStonePress for an ARC for this review.

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WWI and WWII have brought forward a plethora of stories, most of them excellent. The perspectives have been from various angles - even from the German one portraying the German people as not villains but just people trying to survive in Hitler Germany.

This one is set against the backdrop of Poland, Czechslovakia and Germany and the story of courage, bravery, spirit of survival, nationalist tendencies and the patriotism that arose amongst the ordinary men and women of the time to protect what was theirs. In this case the fact that the characters were Jews or Romani was separate from their Polishness or their German ancestry. It was important for the aggressors so that it gave them a foothold to turn their race against them but for the victims their race was just another thing.

The story was written in a very precise manner, the characters were perfect and the political intrigue that marked both the Resistance as well as the Gestapo was detailed and intriguing.

If you are person who likes history this is a must read. The personal saga of a family is well detailed and sadly reflects many of the lives of that era in that setting.

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