A review by graceklain
Berlin Book One: City of Stones by Jason Lutes

challenging reflective slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Although this is one of my favorite books (I also love the second, but haven't been able to find the third yet), I don't think it's for everyone.  Lutes is really a master of combining words and pictures, but the story is wide-ranging, with many characters.  In a way, it's a survey of attitudes and experiences in Weimar Germany (which, in the second book, gets even wider).  The whole thing is fascinating, and almost every character is endearing or engaging in some way, especially if you're a young person with far-left political views.  However, the relatively slow pacing and sheer number of characters to keep track of could be off-putting for some readers.