Alone in Berlin

Great read, so relevant to today

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.

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.

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.

bought a new, soft cover copy

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.

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.

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

C'est un livre très intéressant à lire sur l'effet pernicieux d'une dictature dans la vie de tous les jours de ceux qui la vivent. Le style est dur et c'est écrit sur un ton neutre ce qui donne encore plus de force à ce livre sans état d'âme. On voit bien comment le caractère des gens est perverti par le système. Les mauvais sentiments sont encouragés et exploités, les gestes héroïques sont admirables, cependant l'auteur montrent bien qu'ils ne servent à rien. C'est un livre très très dur à lire et qui fait frémir car on sent bien que même s'il s'agit de la vie dans l’Allemagne nazie, c'est un système propre à beaucoup de dictatures.

Hans Falada nos transporta para o dia-a-dia sob um estado totalitário! Já li muito sobre o nazismo, mas nunca tinha sentido de perto a transformação e o impacto sobre o cidadão comum e sobre a comunidade, fazendo aflorar o que as pessoas tem de pior, num salve-se quem puder, baseado na "delação/entrega" dos mais fracos e indefesos para obtenção de vantagens, às vezes mínimas.

何とも言えない感慨を抱いてこの本を読み終えた。初めにこの本のことを知ったのはアマゾン•コムの、「好評だ」、という宣伝でだった。それでは読んでみるかと思ってみたものの、日本語版にはKindle版がなかったので英語版で読んだ（私は海外在住の本好き爺さん）。本当はドイツ語で読めればいいのだが、残念ながらドイツ語は大学卒業と共に忘れてしまった。 ヒットラー政権下の、ドイツがフランスを陥落した頃から話は始まっている。主人公は、この戦争で一人息子を失った、オットー・クアンゲルとその妻である。息子の戦死の知らせが届いた時に、妻は夫に向かって「あんたとあのろくでもないヒットラーが息子を殺した」、と男どもの始めた戦争をなじるのだった。 オットーの人生はその言葉で変わった。妻を慰撫する為と自分のヒットラーやナチ党に対する鬱憤を晴らすために、葉書にヒットラーや戦争を非難する言葉を書いてベルリンの町に配って歩くのだった。 妻もオットーの意図を汲んで協力するのだが、その辺りの描写は淡々と書かれているものの、いつその行為が発覚するのかとハラハラさせる場面もある。この老夫婦を中心として、ろくでもない女たらしの男や、そんな男に愛想を尽かして田舎に引っ込む郵便配達婦の妻、生活能力のない男、ユダヤ人の老女性、陰ながらユダヤ人やオットー夫婦の力になろうとする元裁判官、そして体制に加担する民衆やゲシュタポなどが入り乱れて話の綾を描いている。場面場面で説得力のある記述があり、筆力の確かさを披露してくれるが、私にとっては少し冗長だった。しかし、読後は満足感に浸ることが出来た。 この話は事実を元にして書かれたのだと言う。そして作者は、私は知らなかったが、国際的に有名で、日本でも知る人ぞ知る作家なのだそうだ。ドイツのヒットラー政権下での秘密警察の活動や、一般庶民がどう考えていたか等を知ることが出来た、そして、日本の戦時下に置ける憲兵や、大政翼賛会のことなども思い浮かべながら読んだ。

Hans Fallada's Alone in Berlin is a hard hitting, pragmatic book. It makes no attempt at subtlety when it comes to describing life during the Nazi regime, nor does it hold back while giving you front row seats to the Quangels (ultimately unsuccessful) endeavours. In the end though, it provides a powerful reminder that all victories need not be physical in nature.

This is a great book. However, Amazon have allowed this to go to press with passages/pages missing from one of the later chapters. Really they should refund me some of the purchase price, which is considerable. Poor form on the part of Amazon.