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A review by cassieyorke
Once in Berlin by Jo Havens
5.0
Does Jo Haven realize her own breathtaking skill as a storyteller? That's hard to say. I'd imagine she knows she's talented, but looking at the unpretentious way she weaves literary narrative into her sweet, genuine love story, I'd say her humility equals her talent.
And she is a *very* talented storyteller.
Jo's characters are truly alive, and her flavorful narrative brings to life the colors and smells of the 1930s in a way rarely found in the pages of a romance novel. She invites you to Berlin on the eve of the Second World War, where you will soak in the cheerful streets and fast nightlife amidst the growing menace of the Third Reich. Events of global importance, milestones of the coming apocalypse, are glimpsed numbly from inside the Nessian's champagne-soaked world of denial. You watch with growing tension, knowing full well what draws closer, as powerless to shake Mila and Jack awake as Cecelia is. Havens will take you to Paris, too, glittering and bright, and she paints a scene that feels obscene and wrong - the story's geniuses partying as the fires of global war are lit. She creates a paper-thin veneer of luxury, and you watch the vultures circling outside.
At its core, Berlin is a story of true love, through and through. It has everything I love - love at first sight, a hint of possessive ownership, the willingness to sacrifice everything for that person you love more than life itself. And found family, wrapped around your shoulders with a warm blanket.
And at the end of the day, it's a spy thriller, too - and it goes eyebrow-deep in scientific technicalities. Physics, astronomy, math that makes your head spin. Aviation, engineering, espionage - all researched with fathomless depth. When you add Jo's upmarket literary flair, delivered with effortlessness and modesty, you realize that you have been privileged enough to enjoy a truly exceptional book.
This is an historical romance, a spy thriller, a work of literary fiction thick enough to sink your teeth into and have a hard time pulling them back out.
Unparalleled detail. Skillful buildup of tension. A sweet, heartfelt romantic arc. Prose that's beautiful and singular and avoids self-adoration.
The literary world needs more authors like Jo Havens, and more work like Once in Berlin.
And she is a *very* talented storyteller.
Jo's characters are truly alive, and her flavorful narrative brings to life the colors and smells of the 1930s in a way rarely found in the pages of a romance novel. She invites you to Berlin on the eve of the Second World War, where you will soak in the cheerful streets and fast nightlife amidst the growing menace of the Third Reich. Events of global importance, milestones of the coming apocalypse, are glimpsed numbly from inside the Nessian's champagne-soaked world of denial. You watch with growing tension, knowing full well what draws closer, as powerless to shake Mila and Jack awake as Cecelia is. Havens will take you to Paris, too, glittering and bright, and she paints a scene that feels obscene and wrong - the story's geniuses partying as the fires of global war are lit. She creates a paper-thin veneer of luxury, and you watch the vultures circling outside.
At its core, Berlin is a story of true love, through and through. It has everything I love - love at first sight, a hint of possessive ownership, the willingness to sacrifice everything for that person you love more than life itself. And found family, wrapped around your shoulders with a warm blanket.
And at the end of the day, it's a spy thriller, too - and it goes eyebrow-deep in scientific technicalities. Physics, astronomy, math that makes your head spin. Aviation, engineering, espionage - all researched with fathomless depth. When you add Jo's upmarket literary flair, delivered with effortlessness and modesty, you realize that you have been privileged enough to enjoy a truly exceptional book.
This is an historical romance, a spy thriller, a work of literary fiction thick enough to sink your teeth into and have a hard time pulling them back out.
Unparalleled detail. Skillful buildup of tension. A sweet, heartfelt romantic arc. Prose that's beautiful and singular and avoids self-adoration.
The literary world needs more authors like Jo Havens, and more work like Once in Berlin.