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juliekreddy's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
gray5217's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
danib11's review against another edition
4.0
While not a particularly happy book, this is a great work in understanding the feeling and struggle of being German immediately following WWII.
*listened on Audible
*listened on Audible
faloneran's review against another edition
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
100reads's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really liked it. The addiction part reminds me of Tove Ditlevsen. Listened to audiobook (marvelous!) Next time will get physical copy to read alongside the audiobook. I want to read everything by this author.
danielchiazza's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
beytwice's review
3.0
As a massive fan of Alone in Berlin, I was intrigued to see how Fallada’s previous novel held up. Not sure if it can be described so much as a novel so much as a memoir of tragedy and perseverance disguised as fiction. Echoing other people’s words when I say this might have actually held up better if it was written as the non-fiction perspective it seems to maintain. I still enjoyed reading about the Dolls’ struggle in bettering themselves in a life that is so unbelievably downtrodden; the exploration of morphine addiction was really interesting and painted a mournful if not realistic image. I do think the first third or so before they actually reached Berlin was unnecessary, but otherwise didn’t at all mind the rest and found it easy to read despite the historical nature.
hayleysf's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
scribepub's review
In this splendid novel, Fallada portrays the despondency and apathy of the German people in this strange period. The last months of the war are described with masterly skill, as well as the subsequent capitulation, the arrival of the Russian troops, the way in which the middle class, the “bourgeoisie” must adapt to this new environment, and the moral decline of the population.
Zwiebelfisch
It’s easy to see why Graham Greene — no small master of moral thrillers himself — so admired this writer.
Cameron Woodhead, Sydney Morning Herald, Pick of the Week
A densely packed chronicle that is of both literary and historical value … That this is furthermore a gripping and brilliantly written work goes without saying.
Berliner Zeitung
Nightmare in Berlin is the symbol for everything that happened after the end of the war.
Der Tagesspiegel
Nightmare in Berlin represents a crucial moment in Fallada’s realisation that it is not the ruins, but human lives that count.
Norddeutsche Zeitung
A strikingly honest book, a piece of human history.
Frankfurter Neue Presse
One reads the story of Dr Doll, who is crushed by a nightmarish existence in a city of ruins, with intense sympathy.
Freiheit Düsseldorf
The book that cleared the way for Alone in Berlin.
Jenny Williams, Author of More Lives Than One: A Biography of Hans Fallada
A vital, painful examination of a devastated, morally bereft city.
The Listener
I was very struck by the immediacy of Fallada’s writing in this book - it feels fresh, modern and direct ... [his] ability to find glimpses of light amidst the darkness makes him a striking chronicler of his time.
Mariella Frostrup, BBC Radio 4, ‘Open Book’
[Fallada’s] account of the agonized internal conflict of a writer, torn between the self-protective instinct to detach himself from the horror that surrounds him and the imperative to bear witness to it, has the appalled urgency of confession with little hope of absolution. Rawer and more unevenly wrought than Alone in Berlin, Nightmare in Berlin is the necessary precursor to that great work.
New Statesman
A tale of survival in [post-war Berlin]’s ruins.
The Sunday Times
[Fallada] digs deep into the human psyche to explore guilt – both collective and individual – and the battle to stay sane while surrounded by chaos … [His] character studies and local colour – whether of gritty cityscape or lurid dreamscape – prove consistently captivating … A mesmerising portrait of shattered lives.
The National
Painful and poignant.
This is a tense, atmospheric, almost dreamlike novel, shifting between moods of despair and hope. It is rich in internal stories … bold, strident, ironic and often ambivalent fiction.
Eileen Battersby, The Irish Times
[Nightmare in Berlin] begins in gripping style and is fascinating on the mentality of a population brought to its knees.
Anthony Gardner, The Mail on Sunday
[Nightmare in Berlin] evokes the apathy and despair of postwar Germany with chilling resonance and the author’s trademark humanity.
Eileen Battersby, The Irish Times
Records in powerful detail the reality of life for Germans living in a defeated and occupied country.
The Mail on Sunday
Fallada describes Berlin as an almost post-apocalyptic city dominated by death, drugs, apathy, and the almost blackly comic pettiness of the human survival instinct. This translation of this compelling novel enables a new audience to experience Fallada’s fascinating and conflicted perspective.
Booklist
Zwiebelfisch
It’s easy to see why Graham Greene — no small master of moral thrillers himself — so admired this writer.
Cameron Woodhead, Sydney Morning Herald, Pick of the Week
A densely packed chronicle that is of both literary and historical value … That this is furthermore a gripping and brilliantly written work goes without saying.
Berliner Zeitung
Nightmare in Berlin is the symbol for everything that happened after the end of the war.
Der Tagesspiegel
Nightmare in Berlin represents a crucial moment in Fallada’s realisation that it is not the ruins, but human lives that count.
Norddeutsche Zeitung
A strikingly honest book, a piece of human history.
Frankfurter Neue Presse
One reads the story of Dr Doll, who is crushed by a nightmarish existence in a city of ruins, with intense sympathy.
Freiheit Düsseldorf
The book that cleared the way for Alone in Berlin.
Jenny Williams, Author of More Lives Than One: A Biography of Hans Fallada
A vital, painful examination of a devastated, morally bereft city.
The Listener
I was very struck by the immediacy of Fallada’s writing in this book - it feels fresh, modern and direct ... [his] ability to find glimpses of light amidst the darkness makes him a striking chronicler of his time.
Mariella Frostrup, BBC Radio 4, ‘Open Book’
[Fallada’s] account of the agonized internal conflict of a writer, torn between the self-protective instinct to detach himself from the horror that surrounds him and the imperative to bear witness to it, has the appalled urgency of confession with little hope of absolution. Rawer and more unevenly wrought than Alone in Berlin, Nightmare in Berlin is the necessary precursor to that great work.
New Statesman
A tale of survival in [post-war Berlin]’s ruins.
The Sunday Times
[Fallada] digs deep into the human psyche to explore guilt – both collective and individual – and the battle to stay sane while surrounded by chaos … [His] character studies and local colour – whether of gritty cityscape or lurid dreamscape – prove consistently captivating … A mesmerising portrait of shattered lives.
The National
Painful and poignant.
This is a tense, atmospheric, almost dreamlike novel, shifting between moods of despair and hope. It is rich in internal stories … bold, strident, ironic and often ambivalent fiction.
Eileen Battersby, The Irish Times
[Nightmare in Berlin] begins in gripping style and is fascinating on the mentality of a population brought to its knees.
Anthony Gardner, The Mail on Sunday
[Nightmare in Berlin] evokes the apathy and despair of postwar Germany with chilling resonance and the author’s trademark humanity.
Eileen Battersby, The Irish Times
Records in powerful detail the reality of life for Germans living in a defeated and occupied country.
The Mail on Sunday
Fallada describes Berlin as an almost post-apocalyptic city dominated by death, drugs, apathy, and the almost blackly comic pettiness of the human survival instinct. This translation of this compelling novel enables a new audience to experience Fallada’s fascinating and conflicted perspective.
Booklist
roxyc's review against another edition
4.0
Firstly i would like to say thank you to goodreads giveaways for giving me an opportunity to win a copy of this book.
Although it was written many years ago, this is the first time it has been translated into English. Making it available to a wider audience and introducing us to an author we knew little about.
I loved Nightmare in Berlin. Set at the fall of the Reich as the Soviets are entering the country, it is vivid and atmospheric. The characters are compelling and it feels almost autobiographical in nature at times. I like that it gives the sense of confusion and despair that permeated the landscape during this time of chaos and uncertainty.
Very enjoyable. I hope i can locate some more of his works in English.
Although it was written many years ago, this is the first time it has been translated into English. Making it available to a wider audience and introducing us to an author we knew little about.
I loved Nightmare in Berlin. Set at the fall of the Reich as the Soviets are entering the country, it is vivid and atmospheric. The characters are compelling and it feels almost autobiographical in nature at times. I like that it gives the sense of confusion and despair that permeated the landscape during this time of chaos and uncertainty.
Very enjoyable. I hope i can locate some more of his works in English.