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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
Idealistic German intellectuals convene in East Berlin after the war, eager to create a socialist society. They find themselves making serious compromises, believing it necessary in order to advance their ideology. This is the background for a fast paced spy thriller.
A fantastic book and a look into Berlin in ‘49. Brilliant characters and real suspense in every chapter. Would definitely read it again.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A very gripping read, I finished it in just a couple sittings. I really liked the insight into history as well. My main beef was with the characters (mostly one character), but I can’t assume to know better than the author about being an individual trapped in that situation.
Good plot reflecting the complexities of post-war Berlin for the Germans adjusting from Nazi rule to Russian rule. It seems rather improbable that our hero could really outwit the American and the German and the Russian secret services, but the writing style is well-matched to the fast-action plot. It’s very dialogue-driven, and the characters frequently interrupt each other, or leave sentences half-said.
An excellent thriller with an initially unlikely protagonist turning into a semiprofessional Cold War operative, the story covering quite a lot of what I just read in Philip Kerr's Field Grey.
Fine up to the last pages, where an out-of-the-blue finish did not satisfy me.
I loved this book. The details were vivid, and true-to-life. It really took you to another time and place. It's a wonderful political thriller, about a young writer who leaves Berlin in the 30s in order to escape the Nazis, and winds up in the States, where, instead of finding a peaceful place to live, he winds up dealing with Sentator McCarthy's "House of Un-American Activites" and other problems.
I won't say any more about the plot, because I don't want to ruin anything. But, I will say that I love the book - it's fast-paced, and keeps you turning the pages. Unlike some political thrillers, you can't guess what will happen next, which I like. The writing is excellent, the plot is great, and the characters are so real you feel like they do actually exist. Read it!
I won't say any more about the plot, because I don't want to ruin anything. But, I will say that I love the book - it's fast-paced, and keeps you turning the pages. Unlike some political thrillers, you can't guess what will happen next, which I like. The writing is excellent, the plot is great, and the characters are so real you feel like they do actually exist. Read it!
I had a tough time getting through this book as I could not keep the characters straight and who's side they were on. I gave it two stars because the writing was good; it just did not keep my interest, probably because I was so confused most of the time I was reading it.
Oh, I don't know, it's very solid for its genre, and the treachery comes from where you'd expect in a story like this. I'm not sad I read it, for Berlin and for an even treatment of a history that is important to remember. Although really I read it because pops gave me not one but two copies, so ingrained is it that his daughter loves Berlin.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I normally don’t read a book like this. I picked this up and thought it was going to be a different story than it was. But I couldn’t stop reading it to see what happened. I didn’t really like any of the people but their struggle was real and the things they had to do to survive were things they would’ve never done normally. Extreme conditions, extreme actions.