Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
dark
informative
slow-paced
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Erik Larson, how does it feel to never miss?? This is the third book of his I’ve read and he’s gone 3 for 3! To give such a detailed blow-by-blow of Hitler’s ascension through the perspective of a reluctant American ambassador and have it be so engaging is one of the reasons I enjoy his work so much! His ability to juggle different narratives and have them flow easily from one to another is a skill that adds to the impact of the story. Can you tell I’m genuinely a fan of him; like I don’t play about Erik Larson, at all lol. This was also just a really interesting time period; I’ve read books about Hitler’s time as the leader of Germany, but not about his rise to that position, until I picked up this book. Anyway, reading this book led to a lot of parallels being noticed. Like, we’re really doomed to repeat the mistakes of our ancestors, cause we simply refuse to learn from them huh? Anyway, I digress. This was another five star 🌟 read! Three Larson books down, three more to go! Woohoo!
If 3.5 stars were an option that's what I would give the book. It was a bit of a roller coaster for me in terms of how I was feeling about it. At times I was riveted and couldn't get enough and at other times I was so incredibly frustrated with Dodd and Martha that I wanted to throw it across the room. I think the comment Larson makes in the introduction is terribly important, essentially to remember that it was the time they were in and they were making decisions with the information they had at the time. It's not for me to judge with 80 years of hindsight. This is what I had to keep reminding myself. It's amazing how an action or a choice seems so huge and poignant today with hindsight but at the time may have seemed subtle and small, insignificant even. I think it was well done and to be honest I was glad it ended when it did. I was ready to wrap it up at that point. All in all I am not surprised how those 4 years changed their lives forever, but it is interesting to see the far reaching changes that each of them experienced, there were not the same people that left for Berlin in 1933.
Not as compelling narratively as The Devil in the White City or, from what I've listened to so far, Isaac's Storm. It was an interesting book, and the perspective of an American ambassador on the rise of Hitler's government was a new one to me, but the book itself just didn't grab me as much.
While the source material is interesting, I felt like this book could have been just as effective in half as many pages. Overall, it felt very verbose and rambling. Larson clearly is a skilled researcher and writer, but this book fell pretty flat for me.
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
informative
reflective
medium-paced
I am not a huge history buff, which makes this book unique that it could capture my attention so thoroughly. Larson's "Devil In The White City" was not my favorite, but when my brother (who also recommended "Devil") recommended this book I was intrigued.
Larson provides a lens into the rise of Hitler and the start of WWII that was fresh and unique, the perspective of the American Ambassador to Germany and his daughter. Learning about the political and social structures as they were being redefined during those early years (1932-36) was captivating and fascinating. I learned so much and was entertained with intrigue and suspense along the way.
I would highly recommend this book both as a history lesson as well as a commentary on our global politics today.
Larson provides a lens into the rise of Hitler and the start of WWII that was fresh and unique, the perspective of the American Ambassador to Germany and his daughter. Learning about the political and social structures as they were being redefined during those early years (1932-36) was captivating and fascinating. I learned so much and was entertained with intrigue and suspense along the way.
I would highly recommend this book both as a history lesson as well as a commentary on our global politics today.