chelseamartinez's review against another edition
3.0
This is a book in a fancy jacket and that made me feel that I did it an injustice by reading it on the subway/train/while walking around. Then again, there is not a whole lot to it, although the part about reaching into the cupboard for a snack is great, and the part about racing down a hill on a bicycle is great. My favorite part is a footnote that explained how the Berlin Tiergarten used to be a forest and as Berlin grew up around it, it was slowly converted into a public park by adding fountains or paths or gardens or whatever. For some reason (the reason being that I grew up in Southern California) the idea of a park arising from a natural space and not from reclaimed wasteland is wonderful.
katrinepoetry's review against another edition
2.0
Read simply because I had to teach it. A fractured memorial of his Berlin childhood written during the rise of the Nazi’s as it became clear he’d eventually had to leave his home town for good. Historically it’s a useful text representing the day to day life of a middle class child at the time. Read on its own it doesn’t offer up much to the reader.
noonebutchels's review against another edition
5.0
Oh my GOSH. Benjamin's vignettes are so stunning. If you're going to read a childhood memoir, make it this one.
the_booktree's review against another edition
5.0
So much to think about! So much to feel! Benjamin is always a dream, but this title is accessible in a way many others of his are not. His vignettes of life in Berlin at the turn of the century do wonders for opening the valences of his poetics. I especially enjoyed the tangible traces of his edits in the multiple editions of certain pieces. I will be reading it again immediately.
catlove9's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this book. It really had this sad nostalgia. It was beautiful. Some of the passages felt very personal where's others felt more like comments on how things were at the time and there was a lot of parts hinting to the current days.