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2.49k reviews for:
In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin
Erik Larson
3.77 AVERAGE
2.49k reviews for:
In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin
Erik Larson
3.77 AVERAGE
dark
informative
tense
medium-paced
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Possibly the most interesting subject matter of Larson's books, but also the dryest writing of the ones I've read so far
UPDATE! I re-read this book with my middle-school son, and I am amending my review. In the light of recent events and political figures in our country, this is a totally different read. Perhaps because I have done more research, more reading, more writing about the topic of dangerous politicians and ideals, I am grateful to have been pushed to read it again. After watching the recent Ken Burns documentary about the U.S. involvement/willful ignorance/complicity/support given to Hitler and the Nazi regime in the earliest days, I realized I had already read about much of it in this book.
My one-word description: Meh. I loved Larson's Devil in the White City, and looked forward to this book, especially with all the hype around it. Erik Larson's newest true novel tells the story of Hitler's rise to power in pre-World War II Germany as it unfolded around the U.S. Ambassador Dodd and his family. Dodd is not a well-known player in this scene, but deserves to be given his vantage point. However, I was looking for new and unusual "news", I guess, in a story that is complicated but also well-studied, and I did not find it. The strange (personal) habits of Hitler and his co-horts, the twisted reasons behind many of their mass murders, and the line the U.S. has to draw between isolationism and important world power (which continues to this day) are all laid out, discussed, and in the end, unchangeable. You know the end of this story.
My one-word description: Meh. I loved Larson's Devil in the White City, and looked forward to this book, especially with all the hype around it. Erik Larson's newest true novel tells the story of Hitler's rise to power in pre-World War II Germany as it unfolded around the U.S. Ambassador Dodd and his family. Dodd is not a well-known player in this scene, but deserves to be given his vantage point. However, I was looking for new and unusual "news", I guess, in a story that is complicated but also well-studied, and I did not find it. The strange (personal) habits of Hitler and his co-horts, the twisted reasons behind many of their mass murders, and the line the U.S. has to draw between isolationism and important world power (which continues to this day) are all laid out, discussed, and in the end, unchangeable. You know the end of this story.
dark
emotional
slow-paced
challenging
informative
tense
medium-paced
I feel bad rating this book because it's not really the book's fault. Historical non-fiction is really not my favorite genre and I listened to this as an audio book, so it was difficult for me to pay attention all around. I read this for a book club and probably wouldn't have picked it up otherwise. However, it was interesting at parts, very profound in its message, and offered a perspective on Nazi Germany that I found very interesting. If this genre is your thing, you'll probably enjoy.
informative
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adventurous
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mysterious
tense
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adventurous
dark
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mysterious
sad
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fast-paced
informative
slow-paced