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readsewknit's review against another edition
4.0
Katherine Reay's THE BERLIN LETTERS explores the Berlin Wall through multiple narrators and timelines. The prologue sets up the erection of the wall, and we jump between the early 1960s in Berlin and the United States in 1989. How did the family become separated? Which side is everyone on? Who among your friends and neighbors can be trusted? As the book progresses, the details are meted out, culminating in the Wall coming down.
Reay has a character consider how "no one can hurt you as much as one you love." At its heart, this story is about broken families, secrets, and truth coming to light through coded family letters. Some suspension of disbelief may be warranted towards the climax of the book, but it all makes for a tidy story and brings to life historical events.
The book includes discussion questions, setting this up for a natural book club selection for those who enjoy historical fiction.
(I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)
hertzberg's review
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
pdxpiney's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Entertaining, if unbelievable.
english_lady03's review
4.0
The Berlin Letters is a beautiful story about a family who were torn apart by the Cold War. The most infamous symbol of the Cold War was the Berlin Wall which features prominently in this story from the time it went up until it finally came down. It was, in Katherine Raey’s usual style very well-researched and incorporated family drama with major events.
Haris is willing to do anything to protect his daughter: even if it means spending the rest of his life in prison. Nearly 30 years later Luisa will do anything to find the father she never knew and believed was dead. It is a story about lies, political extremism and idealism, oppression - and the power of love to overcome all. Some of the most tumultuous events come into it.
One little detail I enjoyed about this novel was the quite unexpected reference to my favourite movie, Henry V, starring Kenneth Branagh which was released the same year that the Berlin Wall came down. Love the way that the protagonist responded to in the same way as I do. Especially to the famous St Crispin’s Day speech.
What I find most profound and frightening about Cold War era novels as that none of this happened very long ago. Within my own lifetime there were places in Europe where a person could be tortured and imprisoned by the State for decades simply for having the “wrong” beliefs, reading the “wrong” material or questioning the political classes. If anything makes you value your freedom more, it should be the realization of how fragile it is and how many people very recently had to fight so hard to obtain and defend it.
I listened to the audiobook from Netgalley, which had two different narrators. Some people don’t care for nor than one narrator, but I think it worked very well for the parts narrated at different times by Luisa and her father.
Thanks to Harper Muse for approving me for this title. All opinions provided are freely given and my own.
Haris is willing to do anything to protect his daughter: even if it means spending the rest of his life in prison. Nearly 30 years later Luisa will do anything to find the father she never knew and believed was dead. It is a story about lies, political extremism and idealism, oppression - and the power of love to overcome all. Some of the most tumultuous events come into it.
One little detail I enjoyed about this novel was the quite unexpected reference to my favourite movie, Henry V, starring Kenneth Branagh which was released the same year that the Berlin Wall came down. Love the way that the protagonist responded to in the same way as I do. Especially to the famous St Crispin’s Day speech.
What I find most profound and frightening about Cold War era novels as that none of this happened very long ago. Within my own lifetime there were places in Europe where a person could be tortured and imprisoned by the State for decades simply for having the “wrong” beliefs, reading the “wrong” material or questioning the political classes. If anything makes you value your freedom more, it should be the realization of how fragile it is and how many people very recently had to fight so hard to obtain and defend it.
I listened to the audiobook from Netgalley, which had two different narrators. Some people don’t care for nor than one narrator, but I think it worked very well for the parts narrated at different times by Luisa and her father.
Thanks to Harper Muse for approving me for this title. All opinions provided are freely given and my own.
sarahl0726's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
bookswithmissy's review
5.0
This is an incredible Cold War historical fiction book. This book follows our main character Luisa, she was moved to the United States from Germany by her grandparents at the age of 4. She was told her parents died in a car accident and they moved to the US so her grandfather could find more work.
This book really read more like a spy thriller than a historical fiction.
In 1989 Luisa is working as a CIA codebreaker. A discovery at work leads her to discover that her father is alive. She finds coded letters written by her father to her grandfather detailing life in East Berlin, behind the wall. She also learns that her father is in an East Berlin jail and she is determined to get him out of prison.
This book is told in dual timeline and dual POV (Luisa and her father's). It spans from the day the wall went up until the wall comes down in 1989. It really reads more like a spy thriller than a historical fiction book. The last 100 pages made it impossible to put this book down, I just had to find out if Luisa would get her father out. I liked the evolution of Luisa's father throughout the book, when the book begins he is all for the East German government, he believes in their vision. As the book continues and through his letters you can see his world view changing. He begins working for change in East Berlin, he doesn't want to leave his home, he wants to make his home better. And I really loved that. I think Luisa was incredibly brave, if not a little naive, in her efforts to get her father out of jail.
I learned so much reading this book, I did not know that the wall went up overnight. The people of East Berlin went to bed on a Saturday night and woke up Sunday morning to the wall in place. I didn't realize how the citizens were monitored and how you really couldn't trust anyone because you never knew who was a snitch. I can't imagine living my life like that.
This book was a @bookfriendsbookclub pick for March and we were able to have a great discussion about this book and then a chat with the author last night. I loved hearing from Katherine about her writing process and all of the things she learned while researching this book.
This book really read more like a spy thriller than a historical fiction.
In 1989 Luisa is working as a CIA codebreaker. A discovery at work leads her to discover that her father is alive. She finds coded letters written by her father to her grandfather detailing life in East Berlin, behind the wall. She also learns that her father is in an East Berlin jail and she is determined to get him out of prison.
This book is told in dual timeline and dual POV (Luisa and her father's). It spans from the day the wall went up until the wall comes down in 1989. It really reads more like a spy thriller than a historical fiction book. The last 100 pages made it impossible to put this book down, I just had to find out if Luisa would get her father out. I liked the evolution of Luisa's father throughout the book, when the book begins he is all for the East German government, he believes in their vision. As the book continues and through his letters you can see his world view changing. He begins working for change in East Berlin, he doesn't want to leave his home, he wants to make his home better. And I really loved that. I think Luisa was incredibly brave, if not a little naive, in her efforts to get her father out of jail.
I learned so much reading this book, I did not know that the wall went up overnight. The people of East Berlin went to bed on a Saturday night and woke up Sunday morning to the wall in place. I didn't realize how the citizens were monitored and how you really couldn't trust anyone because you never knew who was a snitch. I can't imagine living my life like that.
This book was a @bookfriendsbookclub pick for March and we were able to have a great discussion about this book and then a chat with the author last night. I loved hearing from Katherine about her writing process and all of the things she learned while researching this book.
sarah_reading_party's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I absolutely adored Katherine Reay's newest novel, The Berlin Letters! This book was gripping, engaging, and so well written. Told in dual timelines, this is the story of a father and a daughter, and a family as a whole, whose lives are transformed by the Cold War. The author must have spent a ridiculous amount of time researching this novel - the level of details given to life in East Germany in the 1960s-1980s, as well as life in the States in 1989. it was heartbreaking reading about how families were torn apart thanks to the Berlin Wall...and with the wall coming down during my lifetime (I was 4!), it is amazing how much things have changed. I really liked Luisa as a character - she was so driven, so committed to her family, so smart. What a strong woman and you couldn't help but root for her. My only complaint (even though I LOVED this book) was that everything tied up so nicely and her career path just happened to put her in a place where she could engage in a dramatic conclusion. But what is a novel without some coincidences. :)
Highly recommend this book!
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this eARC. All opinions are my own.
Highly recommend this book!
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this eARC. All opinions are my own.
abookwormwithwine's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I was really excited to read The Berlin Letters by Katherine Reay and I'm glad I did! Besides the family aspect and the lengths our FMC Luisa would go to save her father, I loved that this revolved around the Cold War, the Berlin Wall coming down, and code-breaking. These are things I have not read a lot about, and this is the first book I have read revolving around the wall. I really appreciated the author’s note as well, and it is definitely a must-read that was thankfully included in the audiobook. Many moments had me on the edge of my seat, and this was both a heartbreaking and inspiring piece of historical fiction.
Saskia Maarleveld, Ann Marie Gideon & P. J. Ochlan narrate the audiobook and they all made the story come alive in equal measure. I was already a fan of Maarleveld and she along with the other two narrators fit their respective parts perfectly. The Berlin Letters is thoroughly engrossing no matter what format you decide to read it in, and I loved the air of mystery plus the ‘will she or won’t she’ that ensues. The only thing I didn’t love was the chapter from Luisa’s father near the end that repeated the exact same thing we had already experienced in her chapter right before. Besides that, this was an outstanding novel that will stick with me for some time, and I will definitely have to read this author again.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Saskia Maarleveld, Ann Marie Gideon & P. J. Ochlan narrate the audiobook and they all made the story come alive in equal measure. I was already a fan of Maarleveld and she along with the other two narrators fit their respective parts perfectly. The Berlin Letters is thoroughly engrossing no matter what format you decide to read it in, and I loved the air of mystery plus the ‘will she or won’t she’ that ensues. The only thing I didn’t love was the chapter from Luisa’s father near the end that repeated the exact same thing we had already experienced in her chapter right before. Besides that, this was an outstanding novel that will stick with me for some time, and I will definitely have to read this author again.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
lvr_17's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5