Alone in Berlin Paperback – January 1, 2010

Fallada succeeded in giving us a surprising and overwhelming insight of the troubled years in Germany during the WW2. Although the everyday characters are not super heroes, you get attached to them and their faith, and even so their actions were of no great meaning, they did need courage to carry them. Up to the end of the novel you hope that the Quangels will be saved.The book is very thick to hold so I've downloaded it to my Kindle, even if I prefer reading the print format. I couldn't put down the book but still, as I was approaching the end I did not want it to finish and I was reading it slowly, very slowly.I recommend this book very warmly

I didn't like the fact that nowhere is it mentioned that this is the same book but a different title. It was quickly written after the war and is loosely based on the White Rose protests, dropping anti-Hitler notes around town. Sophie Scholl and her compatriots were beheaded. Fallada himself was persecuted by the Nazis and did not live very long after the war because of the abuse. Fallada is a very interesting writer if you are interested in this time period.

A gripping moving tale of life in Berlin during the reign of the Nazis. One you will remember for the rest of your life. More relevant than ever.

I do not read a lot of fiction, but this is a book I highly recommend. I heard of it from a YouTube reviewer who reviews works of significant literature. For anyone who has ever wondered how Germany could have devolved from a nation of great thinkers, philosophers, composers, etc., to a nation led by Hitler and swallowed up by Nazism - this book brings insights. The book follows the lives of several ordinary Germans as they deal with the beginnings of WW II and Nazism. Many simply believe it will pass, the war will end soon, keep your head down, and so forth. But gradually the horrors of the road the country is on becomes alarmingly evident. What does the everyman do? The characters are ordinary people - they are the people we all know. It shows how apathy and silence can be evils, too. No spoilers - just a strong recommendation. And a page-turner! If you are intrigued by history, and in particular WW I and WW II, I would recommend the non-fiction work, "Thunder at Twilight" by Frederic Morton. It is an account of Vienna on the eve of WW I. NOT a dry historical account, but a lyrical account that transports the reader to Vienna - a city of cafe life. The account of the killing of Archduke Ferdinand is chilling in how it came about. But more intriguing is how nearly every major player of WW II is living in Vienna at the time - a small city, where people live their social lives in cafes - whatever your social standing, interests, or political leanings there is a cafe that caters to your group. The likes of Hitler, Marx, and Freud would all have been walking the same streets and no doubt passing one another on sidewalks. The author notes who each of the MANY significant figures are and what their role will be in WW II. The first world war about to start, and already the figures of the second are congregating. Fascinating.

bought a new, soft cover copy

This is a novel on a tragic scale which invites comparison with those great literary works which confront the horror of war and human cruelty and simulataneously affirm the possibility of human decency. It has great range, at times fierce satire and dark, hilarious comedy. It is also a gripping suspenseful story. Brilliant.

Fascinating, riveting, tender, in-depth, fast-paced, funny, sobering. A brilliant portrayal of the human condition, of many scoundrels and cowards, weaklings and bullies, and of the few, the simple, the un-famous and seemingly un-interesing people who in their small way make a stand for decency, truth, and humanity and, in the end, make it an absolute triumph.

I dislike that it's word for word the same novel as Every Man Dies Alone, by the same author.A great translation. some pages give you the chills, the rhythm is continuous, the end inevitableand you feel for all the lost lives, the dislocation, the fears and endless disasters even with goodand devoted people around.