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medievalisting's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.5
quintusmarcus's review against another edition
4.0
Very enjoyable and stylish noir thriller, though a little unclear. The denouement was so complicated, I had to read it a few times to untangle everything. Still worth it, though, for the splendidly murky atmosphere, which was surely borrowed from the 1948 film A Foreign Affair.
sams84's review against another edition
3.0
This is a complex character drive story set in East Berlin after the end of WWII where everyone is spying on everyone and very few people, if any, are what they seem to be. The story starts off simply enough with Alex Meier returning to Berlin from the US after having fled the Nazis before the war but things quickly turn as it is shown that his return has been driven by more than just personal choices. Instead he has bargained with the newly created CIA to utilise his connections and knowledge to be their agent in Berlin and clear his name of suspicion. But of course things are not even that straight forward as all sides are recruiting and there are double and triple agents everywhere. While I did enjoy the overall story and the depth of the characters was impressive, I did find some aspects quite hard to follow, particularly the conversational aspects which seemed a bit clunky and blended into each other quite frequently. I also found the complex interplays between the characters a little hard to keep up with but I think this was partly due to me getting lost in the narrative as much as anything else. I suspect though that given another read or two it might become a bit clearer.
mikec363's review against another edition
3.0
There's potential here with the historical aspect bogged down by the lame spy thriller stuff. This guy shows up and wacky scenarios ensue like a car chase and shooting out of nowhere. Very ham-handed.
Also, there's a totally gratuitous sex scene tacked on in the middle that actually made me laugh out loud because it's so corny and doesn't fit the tone of the book at all. Seemed jammed in there just because.
Also, there's a totally gratuitous sex scene tacked on in the middle that actually made me laugh out loud because it's so corny and doesn't fit the tone of the book at all. Seemed jammed in there just because.
jenniehunt's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
groadie's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Good solid spy thriller, very enjoyable plot and character work. I thought Irene was written poorly, I wished she'd been stronger, but it didn't take too much away from my enjoyment of this.
lastpaige111's review against another edition
5.0
As a student of German literature and someone obsessed with the pre, during, and post WWII era (and not in terms of battles and body counts, but in terms of human story), I was gripped. Great psychological thriller/spy novel taking place in the little-treated time between the war and the wall, mixed with literary references. My only complaint--if you're going to listen to the audio book, be ready to hear some butchered German.
candacesiegle_greedyreader's review against another edition
5.0
Joseph Kanon gets better and better—this novel offers a terrific atmospheric setting, taut plotting and, finally, a believable female character. Best of all, the main character is in the devil of a fix, one that ties up the perils of the late 1940s in one compromised package.
Alex Meier fled Berlin in the early 1930s, not because he’s Jewish, but because he was a communist. He survives the war but is caught in Senator McCarthy’s net, and because he never applied for US citizenship he is in their sights. He’s divorced and has a son which gives them a powerful hammer to hold over his head. As a celebrated novelist, he will return to what is morphing into East Berlin, get in with the Russians and Germans creating the new socialist paradise, and report his findings to the US. If he refuses, he will be deported and never permitted to return to see his son again.
The Berlin airlift is on, four years after the end of the war the city is still a moonscape of rubble. The Russians are dismantling anything that survived and carting it back to the USSR. Culturally, the city has drawn many of its brightest lights to return; Jews who fled in the ‘30s, as well as a number of American communists who want to help build the new Germany. Alex is a big catch for the Soviets and he has access to inner workings on both sides.
I’ll say no more. The story is gripping and the sense of place is harrowing—the war may be over but there is still a literal and figurative minefield facing survivors. Only fault—it’s too short.
Alex Meier fled Berlin in the early 1930s, not because he’s Jewish, but because he was a communist. He survives the war but is caught in Senator McCarthy’s net, and because he never applied for US citizenship he is in their sights. He’s divorced and has a son which gives them a powerful hammer to hold over his head. As a celebrated novelist, he will return to what is morphing into East Berlin, get in with the Russians and Germans creating the new socialist paradise, and report his findings to the US. If he refuses, he will be deported and never permitted to return to see his son again.
The Berlin airlift is on, four years after the end of the war the city is still a moonscape of rubble. The Russians are dismantling anything that survived and carting it back to the USSR. Culturally, the city has drawn many of its brightest lights to return; Jews who fled in the ‘30s, as well as a number of American communists who want to help build the new Germany. Alex is a big catch for the Soviets and he has access to inner workings on both sides.
I’ll say no more. The story is gripping and the sense of place is harrowing—the war may be over but there is still a literal and figurative minefield facing survivors. Only fault—it’s too short.