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carmelade6645's review
challenging
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
balthazarlawson's review against another edition
4.0
The war is over and Bernie has survived and tries to get on with life, and survive, in a divided Berlin. It's 1947 and he is offered a job to prove the innocence of an old acquaintance charged with murder and facing the death penalty. But he must travel to Vienna where things are only a slight improvement over the conditions of Berlin. To get to the truth he must navigate his way through the intricacies of international relations and all the competing interest in the divided city. He must confront his past and all the horrors that he faces and tries to escape on a daily basis.
This is a very interest read about the consequences of war and what happens when the war ends. Things never just go back to normal. It takes time for the memories to heal and for cities to repair themselves. But things are never, ever, the same again. War has changed things for ever and Bernie Gunther weaves his way through the changing world. It makes one thing about what did happen when the second world war ended and what really happened to all those who disappeared into history.
Another very good read from an excellent author.
The movie The Third Man staring Orsen Wells was filmed in Vienna at this time and it's presence in the city is mentioned.
This is a very interest read about the consequences of war and what happens when the war ends. Things never just go back to normal. It takes time for the memories to heal and for cities to repair themselves. But things are never, ever, the same again. War has changed things for ever and Bernie Gunther weaves his way through the changing world. It makes one thing about what did happen when the second world war ended and what really happened to all those who disappeared into history.
Another very good read from an excellent author.
The movie The Third Man staring Orsen Wells was filmed in Vienna at this time and it's presence in the city is mentioned.
jimmypat's review against another edition
4.0
This was probably the most complex Bernie Gunther novel in the original "Berlin Noir" trilogy - it almost veered completely into the espionage genre, but luckily had enough of the hard-boiled noir that the previous books had. The final few scenes in this book really put it over the top for me - both connecting it directly with the previous novels, but also just having an exciting finale. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series which was written almost 30 years after this one...
bookhawk's review against another edition
3.0
Plenty of twists and turns in this Bernie Gunther tale combined with descriptions of Germany and Austria in 1947 made this a solid 3 star book.
mpetruce's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
tuomosuominen's review against another edition
5.0
"A German Requiem" is as great as the two previous books in the original trilogy, "March Violets" and "The Pale Criminal", although there's a nine year gap between books two and three, WWII has come and gone and the whole of Europe has been smashed to pieces. It's a twisting, dark story set in the ruins of Berlin and Vienna, with a fantastic gallery of German, Austrian, American and Russian characters of which hardly anyone turns out to be who they're supposed to be. In the story, Carol Reed’s The Third Man is being filmed in the ruins of Vienna. Watching the movie provided visuals to the book. A curious detail: in "A German Requiem", Gunther has been married for seven years, meaning he got married in 1940. I can't remember any mention of his wife in "Prague Fatale" (which is set in 1941) or "A Man Without Breath" (set in 1943). Now onwards to book 4 in the series, "The One From the Other" (set in 1949). I haven't been too pleased with books 8 and 9 which were published quite recently. Here's hoping that the original trilogy's spirit carries over the 15 year break it took to publish book 4.
zipperhead's review against another edition
5.0
A very good book. In some place it became a bit wordy but over all a good book.
graff_fuller's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Like all of Philip Kerr's books within the Bernie Gunther series...the historical facts are still true, it is just that Detective Gunther walks within the grey areas.
As a reader of these stories, you are along for the ride. Bernie is not the smartest, nor the strongest, nor the fastest, but he is the most tenacious...to get "his man/woman" that he's set his eyes on to solve the murder/whatever the story is about.
He rubs up next to some of the most vile people on earth (the real life mass murderers of the Nazi Regime.
He rarely leaves unscathed, but he leaves, all together.
I'm curious about his relationship with his wife. She's not the most reliable, but neither is Bernie. He really does seem to love her, even though their marriage was a setup.
I always look forward to the end notes, that tell us the truth of the people we've been reading about. The intercection between fact and fiction.
Another good tale. Looking forward to reading the next one, soon.
As a reader of these stories, you are along for the ride. Bernie is not the smartest, nor the strongest, nor the fastest, but he is the most tenacious...to get "his man/woman" that he's set his eyes on to solve the murder/whatever the story is about.
He rubs up next to some of the most vile people on earth (the real life mass murderers of the Nazi Regime.
He rarely leaves unscathed, but he leaves, all together.
I'm curious about his relationship with his wife. She's not the most reliable, but neither is Bernie. He really does seem to love her, even though their marriage was a setup.
I always look forward to the end notes, that tell us the truth of the people we've been reading about. The intercection between fact and fiction.
Another good tale. Looking forward to reading the next one, soon.