The Good German [Import] [Paperback]

Joseph Kanon (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 533 pages
• Publisher: Picador Usa/Henry Holt & Co.; Later Printing edition (2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312982534
• ISBN-13: 978-0312982539
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,968,722 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fast read that I couldn't put down..., January 9, 2007

By 

Kara Stutzman (Shelby Township, Michigan USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Good German (Mass Market Paperback)

First I must tell you that I don't typically read books like this one, but I love it! It is fast-paced, based in historical fact, suspenseful, and romantic. The imagery really takes you back to 1945 Berlin as it struggled to find its way, despite the ravages of war. You can empathize with the soldiers (both Russian and from the Allied Powers), and the German citizens as they dealt with death, distruction, poverty, guilt, and violence. In every chapter there is something to keep you reading and wanting to know more. I highly recommend this book.

Since reading it, I have passed it on to two other people who have loved it as much as I did.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A 300 page screenplay, January 2, 2007

By 

Mezzanine (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Good German (Mass Market Paperback)

Kanon has no pretensions to be a literary genius. He tells a good story, though, and this tale of mysterious-goings-on in post-war Berlin is educative and fast-moving, even if the ending is a little convenient and too delayed (perhaps the book should be shorter). It is written in that personal present-tense screen-play style which is not everyone's cup of tea. Still, the film is out there (a Clooney production) and the book is worth a read if you liked the film and probably vice-versa.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Terrific, meaty reading, April 30, 2008

By 

Deb Oestreicher (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Good German (Mass Market Paperback)

I loved this book. It's by no means a great work of literature, but it delivers a compelling story, intriguing characters, and ponder-worthy moral questions. Maybe a little too conspicuously moralizing, but after all, the book's setting (Berlin in the aftermath of Germany's loss to the Allies in WWII) presents an array of moral conundrums. Must be hard for a period writer to resist.

Surprisingly, there are also interesting parallels to be drawn between postwar Berlin and postwar Baghdad... I guess the issues associated with occupation are largely universal.

This was a book I never wanted to put down, though I was frequently obliged to. Last night, though, I read the last third straight through.

A great pleasure.