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The Good German
The Good German
Author: Joseph Kanon
The bestselling author of Los Alamos and Alibi returns to 1945. Hitler has been defeated, and Berlin is divided into zones of occupation. Jake Geismar, an American correspondent who spent time in the city before the war, has returned to write about the Allied triumph while pursuing a more personal quest: his search for Lena, th...  more »
Info icon
ISBN-13: 9780312426088
ISBN-10: 0312426089
Publication Date: 10/31/2006
Pages: 512
Rating:
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 23

4 stars, based on 23 ratings
Publisher: Picador
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio Cassette, Audio CD
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

jscrappy avatar reviewed The Good German on + 59 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
A well-written thriller that takes place in Berlin immediately after Germany's surrender in 1945. The author masterfully sets the scene, showing you the devastated city through the shocked eyes of Jake Geisner, an American reporter returning to the city after four years away. Jake covers the Potsdam conference for Collier's magazine, searches for his former lover, and stumbles on a murder that takes him deep into the dark side of the occupation. The book explores some of the moral ambiguity of both sides of the conflict--both the victorious armies and the vanquished. The author has a real talent for characterization and detail, and you feel like you're really in the rubble of Berlin, looking around at the end of one war and the dawn of a new, Cold war. Incidentally, the book is nothing like the movie. The story details are very different, and the book is much more satisfying and complex.
reviewed The Good German on + 12 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
If you are looking for murder mystery, a love story in a historical setting then you will enjoy this historical thriller.
reviewed The Good German on + 50 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
This book gives a very good picture of post war Berlin, with several layers of story going on at once. It is not a fast paced book but the characters are well drawn.
buzzby avatar reviewed The Good German on + 6062 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Kanon picks such interesting settings (in this case, 1945 Berlin), that it sort of overwhelms the mystery part of the story. With building in ruins, concentration camps being discovered, people starving, World War 3 threatening to break out (all of which Kanon brings to life), I didn't find Kanon's murder mystery story especially interesting.
reviewed The Good German on + 77 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I really liked this book and didn't want it to end. It takes place in Germany after the war and contains a little history, a mystery and a love story.
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mscottcgp avatar reviewed The Good German on + 231 more book reviews
Great book to read if you are a student of WW II and want to learn more about what happened after VE day
reviewed The Good German on + 35 more book reviews
After a somewhat slow first chapter, the book picks up and becomes very interesting thriller. A good read.
reviewed The Good German on + 14 more book reviews
Very good book! A little slow at first, but stick with it and you'll be rewarded. Great author interview and discussion questions in back. This is the movie version, with movie poster on front.
reviewed The Good German on + 9 more book reviews
This was a good post WWII story taking place in Berlin in 1945. An American correspondent returns to write about the Allies and search for a lover he left behind. A tale of espionage and love. And, of course, it helps picturing George Clooney as Jake.
reviewed The Good German on + 5 more book reviews
Think better if not abridged
tish avatar reviewed The Good German on + 384 more book reviews
this is set in post WWI germany.it starts innocently enough but the main charachter (a reporter) finds a large amount of corruption. a good read.
reviewed The Good German on + 11 more book reviews
Set in postwar Berlin, a brilliant thriller about the end of one war and the beginning of another.
"It's a love story inside a murder mystery inside the most significant story of the twentieth century: the making of the atomic bomb... a stunning acheivement." the boston globe
dcwelsch avatar reviewed The Good German on + 12 more book reviews
Excellent book. Was made into a movie starring George Clooney and Kate Blanchett.


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