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jenmangler's review against another edition
3.0
One feels a sense of dread reading about the origins of events that are now so well known, reading about the people who for so long refused to believe what they were seeing would last or could possibly lead to such horrors. I almost felt claustrophobic at times because Larson's description of the fear people increasingly felt was so vivid. If you've ever wondered what it must have been like living in pre-WWII Germany you will love this book.
jmrprice's review against another edition
4.0
The political state of the world often follows from events occurring years before… sometimes the contemporaries are aware and try their best to bring others along to understanding before disaster strikes, but they are often ignored or pushed away.
O hear ye, Kassandra!
This is why history should be read and understood.
O hear ye, Kassandra!
This is why history should be read and understood.
jwilding's review against another edition
4.0
Good stuff.
“Recalling his first impression of Hitler, Hanfstaengl wrote, "Hitler looked like a suburban hairdresser on his day off.”
“Recalling his first impression of Hitler, Hanfstaengl wrote, "Hitler looked like a suburban hairdresser on his day off.”
victoria_elaine06's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
3.75
I’m not usually a history fan, but this really grasped my attention. It is such an interesting perspective of a frequently told story. I loved the way it was written and the gradual changes that when compared to the start became extreme.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Antisemitism
thomastittley's review against another edition
4.25
Crazy that it was so obvious that Germany was heading to craziness and we let ‘em. We would never let that happen now, right. RIGHT?
gracefullypunk's review against another edition
2.0
This got quite boring about halfway through, and in the end there seemed little to take away.
heathercottledillon's review against another edition
3.0
I thought this story was interesting, but not as fascinating as I expected. I was hoping for more griping first-hand accounts of the Nazis atrocities and an inside look at how such a madman as Hitler could rise to power. I thought this book had too much of Martha's social life and not enough of the real stuff. Larson certainly did his homework on that front, and perhaps Martha's correspondence and such is the bulk of what's still around from the Dodd family at this point (meaning that Larson was forced to make that his focus). Still, I was disappointed.