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madelinejd's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
5.0
Devastatingly good. Finished in 2 days so a definite page turner.
gwalt118's review against another edition
5.0
There are very few novels that truly change the way I view the world and my place within it. This is one of those novels. It is beautifully written, and the character development is phenomenal. You will laugh and cry throughout this book, sometimes simultaneously. I loved it. This one will stay on my bookshelf for a long time. It's worth multiple reads.
mousecroghan's review against another edition
4.0
I love Douglas Kennedy and have read everything he has written. This book resonated even more for me than normal. The only surprising thing about it is that it's not autobiographical. Well crafted, good pace, adequate ending, interesting settings. 9/10
elizagallom's review against another edition
5.0
After going through a divorce and receiving a package from Germany, the American writer, Tomas Nesbitt, recalls an affair he had 24 years ago in Berlin during the cold war, these memories are caused by the doubt of what would have happened if he had taken another path and made other decisions... Mein Petra.
Thomas Nesbitt is hired by a radio company, where he is to tell the story of American life and vision. Thomas rents a flat, together with an English artist and junkie, in the Kreuzberg district. Thomas decides to immerse himself in German life in a city split in two by a wall. In a few days Thomas ventures across the wall through Checkpoint Charlie, to get to know a life completely opposite to the one he lived a few metres away, a cold, grey and sad city, with resigned people.
Petra Dussman, has left the GDR, but she hides a very dark secret, one that Thomas will discover after living an adventure and falling in love with Petra....
This book is my top #1, I love the way the characters develop and how the author wraps you in the story, it really makes you empathize with all the characters, I think the emotions it makes you feel, very few books have caused it to me.
Thomas Nesbitt is hired by a radio company, where he is to tell the story of American life and vision. Thomas rents a flat, together with an English artist and junkie, in the Kreuzberg district. Thomas decides to immerse himself in German life in a city split in two by a wall. In a few days Thomas ventures across the wall through Checkpoint Charlie, to get to know a life completely opposite to the one he lived a few metres away, a cold, grey and sad city, with resigned people.
Petra Dussman, has left the GDR, but she hides a very dark secret, one that Thomas will discover after living an adventure and falling in love with Petra....
This book is my top #1, I love the way the characters develop and how the author wraps you in the story, it really makes you empathize with all the characters, I think the emotions it makes you feel, very few books have caused it to me.
seukoteul's review against another edition
5.0
Love this, may have cried but I am a sucker for a love story set in the middle of the Cold War.
leoschu's review against another edition
4.0
Page 184. "So many words." Up until that point this novel had me hooked. I immediately liked the play with different fonts, quickly flipped to other parts of the book to see if that was something Kennedy was going to use again. I immensely enjoyed the style, the language, the vocabulary used. Thomas' thoughts and behavior, the chapter of life he was in at the time most of the novel is set - it all hit home.
Until Petra's and his love affair started. Don't get me wrong. I like romance as much as the next person, even sappy novels that exploit clichés. But this was too much. It took them what? 2 days to say "I love you"? Another day until she moved in? I was about to stop reading because their non-stop sweet-talk was getting annoying.
Until the major plot twist occurred. Kennedy had won me back albeit I was not following the rest of the story as fervently as before. I liked how he wrapped up the story. I liked the life lessons I took away from it. But I could've done without the insanely hasty love affair.
Until Petra's and his love affair started. Don't get me wrong. I like romance as much as the next person, even sappy novels that exploit clichés. But this was too much. It took them what? 2 days to say "I love you"? Another day until she moved in? I was about to stop reading because their non-stop sweet-talk was getting annoying.
Until the major plot twist occurred. Kennedy had won me back albeit I was not following the rest of the story as fervently as before. I liked how he wrapped up the story. I liked the life lessons I took away from it. But I could've done without the insanely hasty love affair.
mandyherbet's review against another edition
2.0
This was a recommendation by my sister-in-law and we have very different tastes in books. I found that knowing that he and Petra don't end up together right from the beginning took the interest out of the story for me. I couldn't get invested in their relationship at all because there was no suspense. I found the story meandered too much for me and I lost interest.
michecraw346's review against another edition
slow-paced
3.5
Very slow start which seemed to be dragged out with unnecessary words and pages. Around 300 pages in the story started to have more substance and was keeping my attention. Two thirds of the way through and I couldn’t put it down, intrigued to see where the story went.
This would have easily been a 4.5 ⭐️ read for me but unfortunately I think it is 150-200 pages too long or I would have liked a little more from the ending and more of Petra’s story in prison after Thomas left, I felt that was a little rushed at the end and didn’t have the same impact as the middle of the book. Or I would have liked to see how Thomas and Johannes’ relationship developed.
christinajleaf's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed the plot and reading about East and West Berlin, and thought the ending of the plot was quite good, but the book ultimately dragged for me a bit. Not sure if I was just an impatient reader or what. The author also used the last few pages to muse about the meaning of life/the book and I sort of hate when authors do that—shouldn’t I have gleaned that from the rest of the book?