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ladymirkwood's review against another edition
2.0
I have always been fascinated by the idea of life in the GDR, so I chose this book hoping for some greater insight to life in East Germany during this time. Sadly, this book disappointed on many levels.
Anna Funder is an Australian who lived and worked in East Berlin some six or so years after the Wall fell.
She used this time as an opportunity to interview Ex-Stasi members and their victims in order to understand their lives, and bring out the truth that the West apparently wanted to ignore. The stories she uncovers are by turns shocking and affecting, and the bravery of some of those people is truly humbling.
However, these stories are set against some very contrived writing about clouds, drunkards, and her 'feelings'. One gets the feeling Funder tries to imbue the mundane with a sense of divinity and purpose that does not really exist. She does, as previous reviewers state, talk far too much about herself, the condition of her lino flooring, and other such trivial observations, you wonder what other more interesting stories were lost in editing so we could hear Funders' rambling.
All in all I think the people in this book could have been served better . Their stories are astonishing, and I feel Funder would have made a better book had she listened more, analyzed a little less, and stopped obsessing over linoleum.
(Readers who seek to know more about life under a repressive Socialist regime would be better off reading 'Nothing to Envy' by Barbara Demick.)
Anna Funder is an Australian who lived and worked in East Berlin some six or so years after the Wall fell.
She used this time as an opportunity to interview Ex-Stasi members and their victims in order to understand their lives, and bring out the truth that the West apparently wanted to ignore. The stories she uncovers are by turns shocking and affecting, and the bravery of some of those people is truly humbling.
However, these stories are set against some very contrived writing about clouds, drunkards, and her 'feelings'. One gets the feeling Funder tries to imbue the mundane with a sense of divinity and purpose that does not really exist. She does, as previous reviewers state, talk far too much about herself, the condition of her lino flooring, and other such trivial observations, you wonder what other more interesting stories were lost in editing so we could hear Funders' rambling.
All in all I think the people in this book could have been served better . Their stories are astonishing, and I feel Funder would have made a better book had she listened more, analyzed a little less, and stopped obsessing over linoleum.
(Readers who seek to know more about life under a repressive Socialist regime would be better off reading 'Nothing to Envy' by Barbara Demick.)
gadicohen93's review against another edition
3.0
I realize this has been a disappointment. I expected an assemblage of short narratives, telling distinct stories of people who've survived their own encounters with the Stasi. Instead I read an Australian woman's Berlin travelogue, tinted throughout with her overbearing opinions about the GDR and interspersed with about ten interviews of some former Stasi agents and their victims. This is not the work of an expert historian, nor of an expert writer.
That's not to say it wasn't interesting. The topic itself fascinates me, which is why I kept on reading. But in the hands of this author, the writing became much more of a struggle than it should have been. She's good at narrating things -- this happened, then that happened, then I thought about this event in history and looked into this person's eyes which reminded me of this -- but her style is unadorned, and the adornments that are there feel so forced and obvious that they diminish from the overall style.
I learned a lot, though, and the author did embed these people's sordid histories into the post-Cold War context.
That's not to say it wasn't interesting. The topic itself fascinates me, which is why I kept on reading. But in the hands of this author, the writing became much more of a struggle than it should have been. She's good at narrating things -- this happened, then that happened, then I thought about this event in history and looked into this person's eyes which reminded me of this -- but her style is unadorned, and the adornments that are there feel so forced and obvious that they diminish from the overall style.
I learned a lot, though, and the author did embed these people's sordid histories into the post-Cold War context.
sambo10's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
angus_mckeogh's review against another edition
4.0
It’s incredible what time will do. I visited Berlin three years after the wall fell. I vividly remember the lunar quality of the East. But it’s crazy how quickly this entire event (and country) has been forgotten or taken on a dreamlike existence. A country trying to be as far from a Fascist state as possible due to its hatred of Hitler. So instead it morphs into the most authoritarian surveillance state of all time. So strange. These stories should never be overlooked at the peril of history repeating itself. Really good read.
janichkokov's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent and heartbreaking. Almost more of a novel - it's written in first person from the author's perspective. The stories highlight how relentless and frankly, bizarre the GDR was. I would have appreciated a "crunchier," more academic tome, but this is more of memoir/journalistic foray. Highly recommend.
nkotek's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
fast-paced
jazman's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
dogandear's review against another edition
2.0
Not interesting at all, but I’m generally not one for historical fiction in general.