Berlin Hungers

Do I need to say it? Justine Saracen delivers engaging characters, good dialogue and intrigueing plots yet again. Read this one, or weep for what you've missed.

I thought this book was excellent. Set in Germany directly after WW11, it tells the love story of a woman in the British airforce in Berlin to rehabilitate the city, and a German woman trying to survive in the post war turmoil. It is a harrowing tale of rape and starvation in a country on its knees. The story moves slowly and relentlessly as we move from the fall of Germany in 1945 when the Russians invade and then later the British and Americans arrive. It finishes in 1949 when the airlift with goods ended and Berlin was starting to rebuilt itself. It also relates the relationship between Russia and the Allies as both fight for part of Berlin. This is certainly not a fluffy romance. The would-be lovers have many trials and separations before they are finally united. Ms Saracen, as always, clearly has done a lot of research before writing the book.The book is peppered with historical facts and names. I thought the two women were very well portrayed and not glamourised. Ordinary people in hard times. The secondary characters were also well described : the English on the airfield and the German people scrounging every day for something to eat. I applaud the author for writing about how things were in those awful times and I can recommend this novel as a very interesting read.

Where do I start? Berlin hungers is a very interesting, well-researched historical novel about an interesting post-war situation when the victors started to go at each other. I'm from a country "libarated" by the Soviets, but where the stories of rape and brutality have been kept secret for a very long time. But I have read books and biographies and heard the stories of my grandparents who were in their twenties at that time. I think this book describes and explains this period perfectly. I also know how the idealism of communism/socialism has turned into the rule of the privileged and oppression of everything and everyone else. Something most former socialist countries still couldn't get over. Again, beautifully written and shown. The romance is not very prominent and relies too much on coincidences, but that's not the most important part of the story. If you don't expect it, you don't miss it.

I waited for this book several weeks and was extremely well excited when it became available. Unfortunately it is simply too darn technical. Not much of a relationship and very little chemistry between the two. Too many unnecessary characters. Flying might be a nice hobby, job or command, and cheers to all the women who have fought so hard to make it happen. However, if I had wanted a technical manual I would have Googled one. A disappointing book from a wonderful writer. Well....Maybe next time.

Poor women stuck in cruel times, i felt so sorry for these women, soldiers were absolute animals, made me so angry, It was very informative and written really well, I truly think this author is very talented but it just didn’t do it for me as much as i thought it would, there was a romance running through it but they spent a lot of time apart so that was a big negative for me, there was a few non detailed sex scenes between the main characters, something I normally try to avoid in books, so for the romance side of this book I wasn’t impressed, the rest of the story deserves my thumbs up.... ***Trigger warning for gang rape, not detailed but it’s there*** 3.5 stars

It took me a little while to get into the story, but once I did I was hooked. I liked the fact that this story took place after the was instead of during as so many others have.

Having remembered the Berlin Airlift from my youth, I was nevertheless appalled at the privation of the Berliners and amazed at the efforts made by the British and Americans to alleviate this and to protect them from Russian subversion. I do not think this is universally understood. This book illustrated the facts in no uncertain truth yet wove it with a credible human story without the usually required steamy love scenes. Justine Saracen is to be congratulated on getting the balance right.

Justine Saracen's history novels of 20th Century Women in 20th Century Wartime are all very good, on both the historical & romantic relationship fronts. This one is no exception. Excellent writing in form & content.