All the way to Berlin
341366
Excellent narrative and very gripping account not just of the hero Magellas, but what the "regular H company" soldiers, if there are such a thing, felt and experienced.  Interesting to get the narratives from others to spice up Magellas remarkable memory some 50+ years later.  The detail is amazing for a book written so recently.
Honest & to the point was refreshing in a politically correct world (i.e Tony Blair would not appreciate getting a copy of the Market Garden chapter from George Bush II).  As a young person by comparison and a student of history, I am fascinated by how much these men accomplished relative to our concerns today.  Puts our "wired world" into prespective.
1045438
Creates a rich historical experience of the final days of Berlin before the allied invasion. the underlying story is a bit brittle but supports the rich tapestry of historical reference.
2306258
It's a tragedy that more of Hessel's work isn't available in English translation. This is lumped in with other flaneur pieces that take a worm's eye view of interwar/ Weimar Germany, but Hessel's descriptive power, his sense of humor, and his knowledge of German history are too keen for this work to be limited or categorized. It's just great literature.

The heart of the work is "The Tour," a long Feuilleton piece that describes a day trip the author took with several tourists through Berlin's gardens, markets, arts districts, and statuary-lined streets. The other pieces are uniformly strong, although standouts in my opinion include his description of the seedy Alexanderplatz neighborhood and his narration of what goes on inside Berlin's factories and slaughterhouses (the Germans at the time had an obsession with rationalization and efficiency and American iterations of the same, such as Henry Ford's assembly lines).

Someone once quipped that Los Angeles is like your brain; you can only utilize ten percent or so. The same could be said of Berlin, which is mysterious, sad, grim, exciting, and beautiful all at the same time. Berlin started as a swampy military garrison of the Brandenburg-Hohenzollern empire and somehow grew into the cultural capital of Germany and for a time became the dividing line between the two primary political systems of our time.  David Bowie captured close to one-hundred percent of the city's tone in his music. Hessel has achieved something approximating singularity with the city in this book, despite his assertions that he wasn't much more than skimming the surface when he was walking the streets and making his observations. He makes understanding the city's past, present, and future seem effortless, but it can't be easy because so many have failed (at least for this reader) where this book succeeds. Highest recommendation, for travelers, historians, and general literature fans.
2284405
Very interesting memoir of the author's times spent in Berlin before the wall came down and after.  The spirits of the times are expressed through the personal relationships, also over this same time.  The characters are well drawn as well as the physical descriptions of the varied parts of the city. I felt much the same way about Berlin, as, of all the wonderful, exciting cities I've visited, I.too, felt I could live there. The plot is artfully constructed with fine recall and a great twist/ending.
2303843
Among writers in the crime/historical/Nazi era genre I rate Alan Furst as #1, David Downing as #2, and Philip Kerr as a close #3. The Bernie Gunther character is memorable and the plot lines terrific. Kerr takes the reader deep into the horrors of Nazi Berlin and the psyches of Nazi leaders as well as their henchmen. Kerr is very accurate in his descriptions of the geography of Berlin and of life there. There's plenty of mayhem and intrigue along with a touch of sex. Kerr's overuse of similes is a tad off-putting but no big deal. Berlin Noir is a long book but I eagerly returned to it every evening.
293589
In this prequel to her Berlin Detective Series, Michele Gwynn has spun a heart-pounding tale of Cold War intrigue.  When patrolman Herman Faust makes a routine traffic stop  near the Berlin Wall late one night, he has no idea the terror or the heartbreak the next few days will hold.
Set in 1988, at the height of the tensions between East and West Berlin, the story follows Faust through an investigation which takes place long before he assumed the Direktor's post in which fans of the series have come to know and love him. With the assistance of his police academy buddy Joseph Heinz and his retired military uncle-in-law, he follows the threads of a plot that will reveal murders, Soviet scientists, American diplomats and CIA agents, traitors to the state and a weapon that threatens the entire free world, all the while dealing with a personal tragedy that will change his life forever.
The story is well written, artfully recalling a darker age of Russian agents and secret plots that, until recently, we thought was gone forever with the fall of the Berlin Wall.  I loved the suspense, the intrigue and the way Gwynn builds the relationships between Faust, his wife and the stalwart Joseph Heinz and I heartily recommend it to any fan of police stories and Cold War spy novels.
4828706
Just finished Berlin Diary and already have recommended it to many. You feel as if you are part of the daily events and learn so much from most entries. Basically an easy read with lots of historical content, one you shouldn't miss.
4439851
Moorhouse paints a vivid, often gruesome, portrait of a gifted, creative, dynamic people caught up in a growing nightmare -- most of it of their own making. As RAF bombing, the allied naval blockade, and the advancing Russians slowly reduce Berlin's chances for, first, victory, and finally for civilised survival, the reader wants to stop midway through this detailed docu-drama and shout: "Stop, you blockheads! You're destroying yourselves! Get out of Berlin while you can!"

This is a solid, often gripping read, with loads of telling detail. The utterly crazy architectural plans hatched by Albert Speer and Hitler himself. The regime's efficiently iron grip on Berlin's citizens, even while the city is increasingly being bombed to rubble. How a few canny remaining Jews stay in the dying city, living (and often dying) on the run. Hitler Youth at a 1945 concert going among the audience offering cyanide pills to any who want them.

It's all here. Or almost. Three useful things are missing.

First, a portrait of Berlin in happier times, especially the "Cabaret" years before 1933, when it was the unofficial capital of avant-garde European art, drama, theater and literature. We are left to assume that there was precious little of the "old Berlin" left by the war years, but aside from occasionally mentioning Berliners' "sardonic humor" the author gives us next to nothing about wartime cultural life in the city.

Second, we learn nothing about how other big German cities were faring during these years. Aside from the infamous Hamburg firebombings, how did the Ruhr, Stuttgart, Frankfurt and Munich fare? Were their citizens as stoic and unrebellious as the Berliners seem to have been?

Finally, the book mentions dozens of Berlin streets, districts and landmarks, but (as is far too often the case with books these days) provides not a single map to help us through the maze.

Still, it's an exhaustively researched (and sometimes exhausting) source that gives us a look at a fundamentally cracked and broken world. Let us hope the world never get close to this mechanized madness again. The price paid by Berliners was ultimate.
2097473
this is an outstanding account of the family that was in berlin during the rise of the Hitler regime.  this gentleman was the ambassador from the US and he say many things firsthand.  it is an absorbing read, full of history and insights.  i can not recommend it highly enough!
1356910
I enjoyed the book very much.  Well reseached and enthrallingly told story of several Jew hiding out in Berlin.  My main complaint would be that I found it hard to follow individual stories as there was a lot of switching between individual narratives but it didn't detract from the impact.  The matter-of-fact style was well suited for a subject that could have been quite emotional.
1136563
The WALL is a story about a family living in the city of Berlin, which is the capital of Germany. In 1961, the government of East Germany built a Wall in Berlin, dividing it into East Berlin, which was occupied by the Soviet Union, and West Berlin, sections of which had been taken over by the United States, Britain, and France after the end of World War II. The family sadly became separated when the Berlin Wall was being built between East and West Germany. A young boy and his mother and sister were torn apart from their father. The father became stuck in West Berlin. The boy narrates the family struggles of living apart and the hope of his dad returning home one day. The young boy dreams of creative ways to escape. The colorful emotional illustrations are amazing and really show the boy's determination to reunite with his father. I recommend the reading of the WALL to all young readers and give a rating of five stars
Review by Cyrus S., age 9, Greater New York Mensa
2176526
An iconic masterpiece.  Must read along with his BERLIN DIARY.
3690646
"So the only thing you can assume is that you are here in Berlin at this very moment - or can you?  Isn't the assumption of your being in Berlin made a split second too late?  Never mind that."

Thus a novel that is ostensibly set in Berlin is really about everything else under the sun.  As slippery as Proteus, the authorial voice, the identity of the characters, the very setting and time that you think you are inhabiting with them, and the nature of narrative itself - all are pulled out from under you.  Berlin is an idea, or a set of ideas, subject to constant shifts that are stacked up like Chinese boxes, like Borges' stories within stories.  Just at the moment that you believe you grasp what Mirolla is getting it, that moment is gone, often in a shocking manner, and some allusion or trick takes you elsewhere.  Every stereotype, ever moral certainty, is questioned in a book that is by turns playful, teasing, and outrageous.  Nothing escapes Mirolla's philosophical scrutiny.  Don't worry, though - he shows you that everything you think is real is just what is happening in your mind.  Take this challenging journey in spite of your self and learn to see Berlin in many different lights.
3695360
This is a wonderful book; its large, full-color pictures of the Berlin Wall are like small pieces of art, like miniscule poster meant to decorate your living room. At the same time, this book guides you effortless through space and time, through Berlin's history from the Prussian Kings to World War II, the Cold War and the spacy party and movie town with all its outdoor festivals Berlin has become today. Berlinica Publishing, which has quite an interesting Berlin-themed program, including Wallflower, Berlin for Free and The Berlin Cookbook, has managed again to pour history into a nutshell.
65936
This is an excellent map of Berlin as it has great detail and lists almost every street name. However (for me) it could be better by extending an inch or two north as it stops at Danziger Str. in Prenzlauer Berg.
4073937
It was interesting to get a glimpse of the London setup.
I would read another London based Private story, and am looking forward to Private Berlin.
4024437
The sites, history-- and even the sounds-- of Berlin. A complete insiders expose' of what is certainly the most enigmatic city in Europe. This is a great addition for German history buffs, and a must-have for the traveler who wouldn't get caught dead on a tour bus.