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kleonard's review against another edition
3.0
Interrelated stories set in the Berlin of the past and present. Well-written, but not so much that I felt connected with any of the narratives or characters or feel the desire to re-read.
mam22nov's review against another edition
4.0
One of the few collections of short stories that I really enjoyed.
lynncourt's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.5
ridgewaygirl's review
4.0
I'm a little in love with Berlin. It's this modern, bustling, multi-cultural city, festooned with building cranes, that is also haunted by history in a way no other city is. It's full of art and grime and people getting on with their days. You can grab a döner, see an exhibition of pretty much any kind of art you like, encounter a gathering of Stolpersteine in front of a building you've passed a dozen times unaware, browse in an English-language bookshop and catch a train going anywhere in Europe all in the same afternoon. And so it happens that I will buy pretty much any book with Berlin in the title.
In Here in Berlin, a middle-aged Cuban woman goes to Berlin. She's looking for a new beginning, but finds herself lonely and without focus in this city she's unfamiliar with. But as she becomes more fluent in German, she begins talking to people, usually older people, usually living in nursing homes, about their pasts. And in short chapters, they tell their stories. So there are former Nazis and former Stasi agents justifying their pasts, women remembering their fear of the Russians, Cubans who fought for the Nazis on behalf of General Franco and who stayed behind after the war, circus performers and musicians, Stalinists and lesbians. It's an interesting format that is hampered only by its reliance on the voices of the elderly so that the novel feels more like an elegy for a disappeared city than a reflection of Berlin today.
In Here in Berlin, a middle-aged Cuban woman goes to Berlin. She's looking for a new beginning, but finds herself lonely and without focus in this city she's unfamiliar with. But as she becomes more fluent in German, she begins talking to people, usually older people, usually living in nursing homes, about their pasts. And in short chapters, they tell their stories. So there are former Nazis and former Stasi agents justifying their pasts, women remembering their fear of the Russians, Cubans who fought for the Nazis on behalf of General Franco and who stayed behind after the war, circus performers and musicians, Stalinists and lesbians. It's an interesting format that is hampered only by its reliance on the voices of the elderly so that the novel feels more like an elegy for a disappeared city than a reflection of Berlin today.
bookguyinva2022's review against another edition
4.0
I've read and enjoyed all of Cristina Garcia's other books and was really looking forward to this. The style caught me off guard and it took me a while to adjust. But the stories kept me interested, although at times depressed.
etakloknok's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
amandajeanne's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
emmasophierund's review against another edition
3.0
A wonderfully different look on Germany post WWII. I loved the wide range of experiences she touches on. That being said, it seems like it’s a fictionalization non-fiction, and I’m not quite sure why she didn’t just write a nonfiction book. I almost wonder if it is kind of nonfiction but she fictionalized it to protect privacy? Idk.
jennms_qkw's review against another edition
4.0
This is a little more literary than I usually read. The author is first person as The Visitor, conducting a series of interviews on summer in Berlin. There is not a lot to connect the stories on the surface and it is a bit disjointed. Apparently, there was an East German-Cuban connection - that is one common theme connecting many of the stories. Of course the post WW2 fallout is another. So it was like peeking in a bunch of living rooms or sitting next to someone in a bar and overhearing the stories.
I chose this book because it was featured at the MillCreek Library. Additionally, I like to group books. A history set in Berlin. A biography partially set in Berlin. A fiction involving Berlin. Etc. (I don't do this all the time, but sometimes). Also I rely on featured books at MillCreek a lot too.
Overall, this book showed me a new part of Berlin I was clueless about. Filled in some pieces and gave me a more comprehensive view of the city and the events that happened there.
I chose this book because it was featured at the MillCreek Library. Additionally, I like to group books. A history set in Berlin. A biography partially set in Berlin. A fiction involving Berlin. Etc. (I don't do this all the time, but sometimes). Also I rely on featured books at MillCreek a lot too.
Overall, this book showed me a new part of Berlin I was clueless about. Filled in some pieces and gave me a more comprehensive view of the city and the events that happened there.