Author: Erik Larson
This was the first time I got to experience the wonder of Kindle Whispersync technology when I ordered this book. I had a couple of days left on my vacation and had run out of reading material. It took way more time to select the book than it did to transfer the pages to the kindle sitting on my lap in Great Exuma, a remote island in the Bahamas. Within minutes I could continue what I liked to do best; curled up on a chair with a nice novel, enjoying the view of the turquoise ocean with the sound of waves lapping at my feet.
This book is about the US Ambassador Dodd and his family's tumultuous four years in Berlin from 1933 to 1937. The author does a great job in getting you immersed in the environment and events that lead to the start of the Second World War. Dodd's daughter Martha and her host of lovers from all over the continent, provide an excellent set of sub-plots that Larson faithfully chronicles. The book is a compelling read as one is eager to find out who survives and who doesn't and there is a sense of foreboding the atrocities that abounded in Nazi Germany. If you are squeamish and/or have read one too many stories of the horrors in Germany, don't worry; this book does not go into any detail of the concentration camps or various other painful memories of pre-WW2 Germany.
It is clear that this is a well researched book with every page laced with several quotes. If you had any doubts while reading the book about the authors diligence in tracking his sources, just wait till you get to the end where you will find 60 pages of Notes and Bibliography. I am not a big fan of seeing quotes gratuitously sprinkled in novels as I find them to be be a speedbump on my road to the end. However, after reading this book I got to marvel at Larson's ability to throw quotes into a paragraph without causing any kind of hiccup in the narrative. I was also very impressed by how he must have had to comb through several different diaries and historical documents and piece the story and timeline together to get all the background details and make it simple for us to consume in the form of a novel.
Overall, the book is well written, although at times I had to re-read sections to keep up with the many different characters that popped up in almost every chapter. In keeping true to the events and personalities, Larson is unable to make any strong impression in this book. If you have time to kill, this is a good filler.
This was the first time I got to experience the wonder of Kindle Whispersync technology when I ordered this book. I had a couple of days left on my vacation and had run out of reading material. It took way more time to select the book than it did to transfer the pages to the kindle sitting on my lap in Great Exuma, a remote island in the Bahamas. Within minutes I could continue what I liked to do best; curled up on a chair with a nice novel, enjoying the view of the turquoise ocean with the sound of waves lapping at my feet.This book is about the US Ambassador Dodd and his family's tumultuous four years in Berlin from 1933 to 1937. The author does a great job in getting you immersed in the environment and events that lead to the start of the Second World War. Dodd's daughter Martha and her host of lovers from all over the continent, provide an excellent set of sub-plots that Larson faithfully chronicles. The book is a compelling read as one is eager to find out who survives and who doesn't and there is a sense of foreboding the atrocities that abounded in Nazi Germany. If you are squeamish and/or have read one too many stories of the horrors in Germany, don't worry; this book does not go into any detail of the concentration camps or various other painful memories of pre-WW2 Germany.
It is clear that this is a well researched book with every page laced with several quotes. If you had any doubts while reading the book about the authors diligence in tracking his sources, just wait till you get to the end where you will find 60 pages of Notes and Bibliography. I am not a big fan of seeing quotes gratuitously sprinkled in novels as I find them to be be a speedbump on my road to the end. However, after reading this book I got to marvel at Larson's ability to throw quotes into a paragraph without causing any kind of hiccup in the narrative. I was also very impressed by how he must have had to comb through several different diaries and historical documents and piece the story and timeline together to get all the background details and make it simple for us to consume in the form of a novel.
Overall, the book is well written, although at times I had to re-read sections to keep up with the many different characters that popped up in almost every chapter. In keeping true to the events and personalities, Larson is unable to make any strong impression in this book. If you have time to kill, this is a good filler.
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