Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
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.
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
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
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.
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.
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.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
A different perspective on Berlin in the early 50s.
A good book with strange twists and a bit outlandish ending
I enjoyed this book. It kept my attention from beginning to end in spite of it being difficult at times to keep track of who was who. First names, last names, foreign names, acronyms and what not. And I thought the relatively rapid evolution of the protagonist, Alex, from innocent to assertive spy was pretty far-fetched. But it's a fantasy after all, so why not?
I enjoyed this book. It kept my attention from beginning to end in spite of it being difficult at times to keep track of who was who. First names, last names, foreign names, acronyms and what not. And I thought the relatively rapid evolution of the protagonist, Alex, from innocent to assertive spy was pretty far-fetched. But it's a fantasy after all, so why not?
fascinating look at Berlin in the aftermath of WWII - very well written