Reviews
Der Untergang der Lusitania: Die größte Schiffstragödie des Ersten Weltkriegs by Erik Larson
makraemer's review against another edition
4.0
Another great work from Erik Larson - the story of the sinking of the Lusitania.
cajunliterarybelle's review against another edition
4.0
I truly appreciate how Larson writes in a way to allow the reader to feel as if you're actually there during the events he captures in his nonfiction. All the personal accounts relayed from passengers and others connected to WWI and the Lusitania really drive the horror of the sinking and war home. The book didn't even only cover the ship's sinking but much surrounding and connected to the tragedy. A great nonfiction record of it all with an audiobook read by a voice actor I could (and happily did) listen to for hours.
aimmyarrowshigh's review against another edition
4.0
Larson always focuses on details that aren't the part of the story I'm interested in for way too many pages, honestly. Like, I don't really care about the feelings of the U-boat captain -- tell me more about more of the Lusitania passengers, tell me more about the aftermath and its role in Maritime history and American jingoism, etc. The writing was excellent as always, just focused in ways that made me put the book down a few times.
realelife's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
sarful's review against another edition
5.0
This book goes from before Lusitania was launched to the point of rescue and into WWI, and all in between. We are taken onto the journey of Captain Turner’s background as the master, to Schwieger as commander of U-20, and through Pres. Wilson as well. We meet many of the passengers and even into the secret Room 40, that knew about U-20 long before they torpedoed the Lusitania.
This is the 4th book by Larson I’ve read and I expect and am granted an in-depth look at his topic each time, and this is no exception. Quite the story from beginning to end, he makes history come alive.
This is the 4th book by Larson I’ve read and I expect and am granted an in-depth look at his topic each time, and this is no exception. Quite the story from beginning to end, he makes history come alive.
kalliegrace's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.0
This is the story of a ship being torpedoed, but more than that it's the story of how the US got into world war one. It's not quite the gruesome tale of the Wager, but it's still a tragedy of massive loss of life that could have been avoided with more foresight and precautions. There's a lot more politics and less adventure in this than other shipwreck stories, but it's still an informative and fascinating read.