Reviews

Berlin Bd. 1: Berlin, Steinerne Stadt by Jason Lutes

julianh's review against another edition

dark emotional informative tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Mass/school shootings, Police brutality, Violence, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Antisemitism, Gun violence, and Hate crime

Moderate: Death

adastrame's review against another edition

dark informative sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I originally read this almost 10 years ago for uni (2014). It was always bothering me that I haven't read the third and final book yet, so that's why I decided to re-read the whole series now (2024). 

And what a time to re-read! This graphic novel portrays Berlin in 1928, and the parallels to German (and European, and international) politics today are striking. The rise of the Nazis is juxtaposed with the Marxist working class, and we see how a colorful (well, black-and-white) cast of characters is affected by this in everyday life in Berlin. It's scary, and looking at the news, it feels like history repeats itself.

mineral9's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

luanndie's review against another edition

challenging dark informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Como representación histórica de una época, me parece un trabajo inmejorable. Como historia, me pareció un tanto confuso y lento. Sobre todo al principio, me costaba seguir la relación entre los personajes y sus conexiones, probablemente porque el estilo de dibujo hacía que ciertos personajes (sobre todo en el caso de los femeninos) fueran muy parecidos. Hacia el final ya empecé a distinguirlos mejor y a disfrutar más de como sus caminos se cruzaban, pero me faltó algo de enganche emocional, más allá de la reflexión intelectual e histórica que nos ofrece. 

benjamin_oc's review against another edition

5.0

Jason Lutes’s Berlin, Book 1: City of Stones is extraordinary. It follows a number of Berliners as their lives intertwine from September 1928 through the bloody May Day riots of 1929. I could see a book like this devolving into a hot mess, but instead it’s panoramic and textured.

reneoro's review against another edition

5.0

Muy bueno.

heidisreads's review against another edition

4.0

This is the first in a trilogy. A man and a woman meet on the train to Berlin. She's moving there to attend art school and he lives there as a writer. This is more than a man-woman-relationship story, though. It tells the story of the country after WW1 and before WW2 through the eyes of these two people and several other characters. Striking illustrations.

jwinchell's review against another edition

3.0

I abandoned this book. There were too many shifts in perspective and time; I didn't understand who or what I was following. I couldn't feel the larger purpose. I browsed the remaining chapters and they were much the same, except for more of a focus on the rise of the German empire. I feel like I can handle complex text structures but this was too confusing for me.

nightchough's review against another edition

3.0

I liked this, but for what it's worth, I didn't care for book 2 "city of smoke" much at all.

enml's review against another edition

3.0

Actually a 3.5