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angelikinika's review against another edition
2.0
Είμαι ανάμεσα στα δύο και τρία αστέρια. Δεν είναι ένα κακό βιβλίο αλλά θα μπορούσε να είναι ένα πολύ καλύτερο.
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"Σε αντίθεση με άλλους διοικητικούς υπαλλήλους διατηρούσε ακόμα την ανθρωπιά του. Ήταν σαν να γνώριζε πώς είναι να κουβαλάς τη ζωή σου σ' ένα δισάκι κρεμασμένο στον ώμο ή σαν να ένιωθε το βάρος από ποδαρόδρομο χιλιομέτρων στα πόδια του πρόσφυγα ή να διαισθανόταν τι κάνει έναν άνθρωπο να κοιτάζει γύρω του με βλέμμα γεμάτο φόβο και μισός μαζί."
"Δεν έχουν παρελθόν γι' αυτό δεν έχουν ελπίδα. Νομίζετε ότι ισχύει το αντίθετο, έτσι δεν είναι; Χωρίς μέλλον δεν έχεις ελπίδα. Όμως το μέλλον είναι μύθευμα, αέρας. Πώς μπορείς να αντλήσεις πίστη απ' αυτό; Μόνο το παρελθόν σου δίνει χώρο να πατήσεις. Χωρίς αυτό, πώς ξέρεις που βρίσκονται τα πόδια σου όταν κοιτάς τον ουρανό;
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"Σε αντίθεση με άλλους διοικητικούς υπαλλήλους διατηρούσε ακόμα την ανθρωπιά του. Ήταν σαν να γνώριζε πώς είναι να κουβαλάς τη ζωή σου σ' ένα δισάκι κρεμασμένο στον ώμο ή σαν να ένιωθε το βάρος από ποδαρόδρομο χιλιομέτρων στα πόδια του πρόσφυγα ή να διαισθανόταν τι κάνει έναν άνθρωπο να κοιτάζει γύρω του με βλέμμα γεμάτο φόβο και μισός μαζί."
"Δεν έχουν παρελθόν γι' αυτό δεν έχουν ελπίδα. Νομίζετε ότι ισχύει το αντίθετο, έτσι δεν είναι; Χωρίς μέλλον δεν έχεις ελπίδα. Όμως το μέλλον είναι μύθευμα, αέρας. Πώς μπορείς να αντλήσεις πίστη απ' αυτό; Μόνο το παρελθόν σου δίνει χώρο να πατήσεις. Χωρίς αυτό, πώς ξέρεις που βρίσκονται τα πόδια σου όταν κοιτάς τον ουρανό;
moogen's review against another edition
3.0
There's a lot to like about this book. Post World War 1 Berlin is beautifully evoked. There's a nicely drawn and fascinatingly flawed central character. Plus I love an intelligent reimagining of history. But somehow the book didn't come together as a whole. The bad guys were one dimensional so I never quite sorted out who was who. The final scene and its revelations confused me utterly. Worse, the story kept veering into Stieg Larssen like silliness. I was hoping for something a bit smarter than that. The writing certainly promised more.
Close but no (black market) cigar.
Close but no (black market) cigar.
bookcraft's review against another edition
3.0
There were parts of this book that I really liked and parts that were less likable. I withheld a star because of the
Overall, the plot is fascinating, and the pre-World War II politics resonate to an intriguing degree with what's going on in parts of the western world today. I don't know a lot about Germany between the two world wars, but assuming Rabb has done his homework and portrayed the social and political climate accurately, it's a fascinating picture; I had no idea that the widespread antisemitism that paved the way for Hitler's rise to power had taken root so early, and in such an organized, institutional way.
This is much more than just a hardboiled whodunnit; there are plots within plots — so much so that I was surprised to find myself only halfway through at the point where I had thought the audiobook was wrapping the whole thing up.
For those who like to know such things, there's definitely period-appropriate sexism and racism throughout the book — including on the part of the protagonist, to some degree.
Spoiler
fridging of the protaganist's wife late in the novel for motivation purposes.Overall, the plot is fascinating, and the pre-World War II politics resonate to an intriguing degree with what's going on in parts of the western world today. I don't know a lot about Germany between the two world wars, but assuming Rabb has done his homework and portrayed the social and political climate accurately, it's a fascinating picture; I had no idea that the widespread antisemitism that paved the way for Hitler's rise to power had taken root so early, and in such an organized, institutional way.
This is much more than just a hardboiled whodunnit; there are plots within plots — so much so that I was surprised to find myself only halfway through at the point where I had thought the audiobook was wrapping the whole thing up.
For those who like to know such things, there's definitely period-appropriate sexism and racism throughout the book — including on the part of the protagonist, to some degree.
kathleenitpdx's review
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-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
4.0
5wamp_creature's review against another edition
4.0
I give this a reluctant 4th star because the stop in the middle was, to me, quite final. Even though I knew there was more. The history is presented very well and the characters are quite good. I found myself drowning in explication (wrong word) at the denouement. I mean, it was borderline believable, but hard for me to read.
Nevertheless, I did like the book and will try another Rabb soon.
Pretty well recommended as historical detective fiction.
Nevertheless, I did like the book and will try another Rabb soon.
Pretty well recommended as historical detective fiction.
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