ash1533's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
clarice_flora's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A stunning depiction of human emotion and life in the bleakest of times. Truly gut wrenching and bejewelled, this story stays with you as you move on from the book.
gracefulgracey's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
livfin's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
anna2256_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
callummac's review against another edition
5.0
Another book that I took far too long to read. Anna Funder’s All That I Am is the best kind of historical read. Immaculately researched, deeply personal, and magnificently written. I loved it 📚.
zoemacgregor12's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
barbie16's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting read about a fasinating point in history. It does suffers a bit from the decision to use two voices to narrative the book as I found the beginning sections a bit errantic and hard to connect to one another. Once the story started moving though, it captured my attention. I recommend this book to those who like the period. The author used real life people from the German resistance and refugees living in England and by listing titles that helped her right this book has sparked my interest for further reading.
lazygal's review against another edition
2.0
There are three timelines in this book, which made it a little confusing to track who was where when. In one timeline, Ruth is living in modern day Australia at the end of a long life, but her memories of what happened in the 1920s-30s in Germany and London are starting to overtake her daily life. In another timeline, Ermst Toller is in 1939 New York, reflecting on the past decade or so in Germany and London. And finally you have what happened in Germany and London in the 20s-30s in Germany and London.
Ruth leaves her wealthy family to live in Berlin and hang out with her older cousin Dora; she meets journalist/satirist Hans and they fall in love and marry. Dora is a free, liberated woman agitating for things like abortion rights, and part of her freedom is to engage in "meaningless" love affairs, including one with Ernst Toller, a WWI hero, a Jew and a renowned playwright and poet. As members of the Independent Socialist Workers Party they are trying to reconcile the Communists and the Socialists to oppose the rise of the Nazis and much of the Berlin memories recount the rise of Hitler and his party: the thuggery, the arrests, the Reichstag fire and Hitler's power grab. They all manage to escape - without papers - to London, where they keep up their attempts to warn the world about what is going on in Germany. Dora is murdered by Nazis, poisoned in her bedroom in what appears to be a suicide; Hans becomes a Nazi informant, ultimately escaping to South America (Ruth thinks); Ernst's despair leads to his suicide in New York after having updated/annotated his memoir I Am A German; and Ruth manages to survive Hans' betrayal, the Nazis, internment in Singapore to make a life for herself before dying a natural death. Sadly, none of this added to my knowledge or understanding of the events leading up to the Nazi takeover, nor did it illuminate the lives of those Germans trying to prevent Hitler's rise.
Adding to the timeline confusion is the blend of fact and fiction. I don't mean just events, but with the exception of Ruth, the main characters are all real (there's a nice bibliography at the back for those interested in learning the real story of these people). So rather than fiction, this is more faction, important to keep in mind.
Copy provided by publisher.
Ruth leaves her wealthy family to live in Berlin and hang out with her older cousin Dora; she meets journalist/satirist Hans and they fall in love and marry. Dora is a free, liberated woman agitating for things like abortion rights, and part of her freedom is to engage in "meaningless" love affairs, including one with Ernst Toller, a WWI hero, a Jew and a renowned playwright and poet. As members of the Independent Socialist Workers Party they are trying to reconcile the Communists and the Socialists to oppose the rise of the Nazis and much of the Berlin memories recount the rise of Hitler and his party: the thuggery, the arrests, the Reichstag fire and Hitler's power grab. They all manage to escape - without papers - to London, where they keep up their attempts to warn the world about what is going on in Germany. Dora is murdered by Nazis, poisoned in her bedroom in what appears to be a suicide; Hans becomes a Nazi informant, ultimately escaping to South America (Ruth thinks); Ernst's despair leads to his suicide in New York after having updated/annotated his memoir I Am A German; and Ruth manages to survive Hans' betrayal, the Nazis, internment in Singapore to make a life for herself before dying a natural death. Sadly, none of this added to my knowledge or understanding of the events leading up to the Nazi takeover, nor did it illuminate the lives of those Germans trying to prevent Hitler's rise.
Adding to the timeline confusion is the blend of fact and fiction. I don't mean just events, but with the exception of Ruth, the main characters are all real (there's a nice bibliography at the back for those interested in learning the real story of these people). So rather than fiction, this is more faction, important to keep in mind.
Copy provided by publisher.
sophiewilliams's review against another edition
3.0
Lots of chopping and changing of time periods. This took me really quite a long time to get into.