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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
The background is Germany (specifically Berlin) through the eyes of post ww2 Berliners in the soviet sector. The intrigues of all sides as the lines begin to harden are the main focus of this well written (and in this edition's case, read) thriller. I enjoyed it very much.
Alex Meier fled Germany as a young man, and then returned to Berlin in 1948, forced out of the US when he refused to cooperate with Senator McCarthy. The Soviets are eager to build their stable of prominent writers and Meier is in need of a country. His real intention is to find a way to return to his son in the US, but as both the Americans and the East Germans are eager to use him, the possibility of doing so becomes more unlikely than ever. He also meets up with people from his past, people who were scarred by the war and who have agendas of their own.
Joseph Kanon knows Berlin and he's good at both writing morally complex characters and intricate plots. With Leaving Berlin, he's playing to his strengths. This is a fun spy thriller, with a bunch of twists and a large dose of moral ambiguity. It was a solid vacation read.
Joseph Kanon knows Berlin and he's good at both writing morally complex characters and intricate plots. With Leaving Berlin, he's playing to his strengths. This is a fun spy thriller, with a bunch of twists and a large dose of moral ambiguity. It was a solid vacation read.
Interestingly, this is the second Kanon book I've read this year and it is also set in post-WWII Berlin. While elements of the story are similar to The Good German, the central characters are different. Alex Meier is a Jewish writer who fled Berlin before the war and finds himself back after being deported for communist leanings. Soon after arriving back, he is caught up in the machinations of US, German, and Russian espionage while he reconnects with an old flame.
Its a spy thriller with an untrained spy at the center, trying to get himself out alive and back to the son he lives for. While it gets a bit unbelievable at times, it is a well-paced novel that is begging to be turned into a motion picture.
Its a spy thriller with an untrained spy at the center, trying to get himself out alive and back to the son he lives for. While it gets a bit unbelievable at times, it is a well-paced novel that is begging to be turned into a motion picture.
I gave up on this. The premise was good, but there was a lot about the writing that irritated me.
I'm always interested in WWII based stories so I picked this up in clearance section. I had a really hard time getting into it but about half way through the story got mote compelling. The ending turned out to not quite be what I expected and I'm still not sure it was a satisfying end.
Spy thrillers aren't my usual genre, and I can't say this one did too much for me. It was a quick read and, having spent a short time living in Berlin, it's always fun to read a book that's set there. Apart from that, it's nothing I would run out to recommend to anyone.
Not my typical novel but I found it to be enjoyable and would recommend to others.
Good Book
A little difficult to follow, but an enjoyable book it was. Joseph Kanon is still one of my favorite authors.
A little difficult to follow, but an enjoyable book it was. Joseph Kanon is still one of my favorite authors.
Mostly, this reminded me how little I know about the Rape of Berlin.
Stunning book, and right up to the end I was really going to give this 5 stars for the captivating portrayal of post-war Berlin... but then the third act, and more specifically the denouement, just falls apart, with too much going on and everything very briefly and unsatisfactorily coming together. The end felt very rushed and unexplained, with some of the occurrences being completely spontaneous and without any signposting or subtle hints to even prepare the audience. Disappointed to see a brilliant book stop being brilliant at the end.