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questingnotcoasting's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
I've read a lot about Berlin and the GDR but mostly from an academic perspective so reading about Millar's first hand experience was really interesting. His account of the night the Wall fell was particularly fascinating. There were some chapters about working in a newspaper office in London which weren't that interesting to me but since he mostly focuses on his time in Berlin and Europe, it was a good read overall.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality
Moderate: War and Violence
brizreading's review against another edition
2.0
A bit of a fluff piece about the waning days of the Cold War in the 1980s. Has a bit of Ostalgie (nostalgia for East Germany), and lots of gonzo gonzo journalism, where the author is very much the protagonist. This is normally fine - except I didn't particularly like Peter Millar's good ol' boy Oxbridge nostalgia about a time when journalists were hard-drinking hacks, cynical and educated and macho blech. There is a moment when one journalist is described as seeking assistants in young "Oxbridge graduettes". Graduettes? Really?
The gonzo put a bit of a dent in my enjoyment of the book, but late Cold War stuff is super interesting. Esp. Berlin Wall stuff, my yen of the week/month. To his credit, Millar's description of the night the wall fell is fizzy with energy and awe and lots of fun.
Here's your legendary David Hasselhoff performance chaser.
The gonzo put a bit of a dent in my enjoyment of the book, but late Cold War stuff is super interesting. Esp. Berlin Wall stuff, my yen of the week/month. To his credit, Millar's description of the night the wall fell is fizzy with energy and awe and lots of fun.
Here's your legendary David Hasselhoff performance chaser.
mickymac's review against another edition
4.0
Delightful recent history
Well written story of the rapid decline of Stalinist Communism, Millar records the strains of East Germany's dictatorship dictatorship with its impact on ordinary life. Questioning but warning that British government has its failings and lust for power.
Well written story of the rapid decline of Stalinist Communism, Millar records the strains of East Germany's dictatorship dictatorship with its impact on ordinary life. Questioning but warning that British government has its failings and lust for power.
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