Cette série ambitieuse explore les destins complexes d'une seule famille, retraçant ses branches allemande et anglaise à travers la première moitié tumultueuse du XXe siècle. Elle offre une représentation dramatique de l'ascension de Hitler au pouvoir, menant inexorablement au désastre de la Seconde Guerre mondiale. L'œuvre mêle magistralement faits et fiction, créant un récit épique de vies personnelles prises dans les mâchoires de l'histoire.
This, the first volume in Hughes's trilogy "The Human Predicament", takes rich young Augustine to Bavaria on the eve of Hitler's ill-fated 1923 Munich putsch and ends with the departure into a convent of Augustine's romantic first love, the blind Mitzi.
Set against the backdrop of prohibition-era America, Augustine, the protagonist, navigates a society consumed by sex, violence, and alcohol. The narrative unfolds with vivid cinematic detail, transitioning to Germany as the Nazi Party rises to power, and exploring the socio-political landscape of Britain on the brink of class conflict. The journey also takes readers to the rugged Atlas Mountains of Morocco, culminating in a chilling depiction of the Night of the Long Knives, highlighting the brutal consolidation of Hitler's regime.