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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
dark
informative
tense
medium-paced
Thoroughly researched and well written. Scarily reminiscent of current happenings.
challenging
informative
tense
medium-paced
dark
informative
medium-paced
This book started off strongly, and I was initially very interested in the experiences of Dodd: the US Ambassador to Germany, stationed in Berlin in 1933 during Hitler's rise to power. The conversations Dodd had with FDR, his initial reactions to the Nazis, and the description of foreign postings was very interesting. I was also very impressed by the amount of research that had to go into developing a story that read like a biography, when the author was referencing letters as his primary source material. By the time I had completed two-thirds of the book, however, the story started to move a lot more quickly and, as such, felt rushed. Big events - like the deaths of characters integral to the plot up to that point - were glossed over (it seemed) in a manner not keeping with the style of the book up to that point. I would recommend this book to those interested in modern history, but if you are looking for a juicy novel-type, historically-driven tale with a big "aha" moment or an obvious climax, then this book is not for you.
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Yeah. Typical Larson, teaches history while he's not even trying to sell fiction. And fiction is not what he writes. Well documented, gives us an "almost insider's" view of the first years of the 3rd reich. A dull american ambassador and his slutty daughter who bedded there (and then!) even russian spies (later to be executed by Stalin I think) in Berlin and their slow but steady change of point of view while they realize where the f*ck they were thrown into. From "ho, how cute, blond guys loving their country, sure they mean no harm to anyone" to "oh, my, where will they stop?"
Utterly enjoyable.
Utterly enjoyable.
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
Engrossing, fascinating, and chilling true story of American ambassador to Germany in 1933 and his and his family's experiences there. Read my full review & listen to a sample of the audio book:
https://bookbybook.blogspot.com/2019/12/nonfiction-review-in-garden-of-beasts.html
https://bookbybook.blogspot.com/2019/12/nonfiction-review-in-garden-of-beasts.html