Beverly H. (GainesvilleGirl) - reviewed In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin (Large Print) on + 215 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 11
I checked this one out from my library. Although I had 14 days in which to read it, I finished it in much less time. It's filled with historical facts of Hitler, his henchmen, and pre-WW2 information of a type that most of us never knew. I was hooked on it from the first page. On the other hand, my husband who also read it, wasn't enamoured with it. He found it to be too full of the romantic exploits of the American ambassador's daughter, Martha Dodd. True, there WAS a lot of that, which made it all the more interesting to me. Maybe this is just naturally a woman's point of view. However I think that any WW2 buff would find it very interesting. Eric Larson is my kind of writer, and he has done nothing but improve with experience. His "Devil In the White City" was great, too. I highly recommend both!
Lori - , reviewed In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin (Large Print) on + 21 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 9
This book was just "OK". If you're a WWII history buff, then you might like it. It's a basically-uneventful account of the US Ambassador and his family's time in Germany in the years leading up to WWII. I found it a bit boring. Lots of facts and info I really wasn't interested in knowing in the first place. The subtitle, "Love, Terror, etc." is misleading. The only "love" involves the Ambassador's daughter, who, it appears, screwed anything that held still long enough. The "terror" was mostly on the part of the Germans... not the Ambassador or his family, who were generally unmolested the entire time they were there.
Candace K. reviewed In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin (Large Print) on + 57 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 9
If you have ever wondered how people could have closed their eyes to the atrocities that happened during the years before and during World War II in Germany, this book provides an excellent look at the country through the eyes of the American Ambassador and his family, and others close to the family.It is very well written and fleshed out by this award winning author. It reads more like a fictional story then an historical account, and it is hard to grasp that these things actually happened and the world just proceeded on its merry way while a sick leader (Hitler)was randomly murdering various ethnic groups and classes at will with no backlash. I was personally appalled to learn that even the United States did not "like" the Jews and generally felt some of the same feelings against them as did Hitler, but of course did not murder them. Makes me wonder if they were happy to leave that to psychopath that lived in and ruled Germany. My suggestion? Read this book...well worth the time.
Ken R. (robear61) reviewed In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin (Large Print) on + 3 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 8
Larson is the king of weaving two or more historical stories into a fascinating narrative. Even though his books are non-fiction, they read closer to a novel than a historical document. In the Garden gives us the background of the Nazi's rise to power and the life and interaction of the American Ambassador and his family. As Ambassador Dodd is a man out of the element, Larson seems to struggle to give us a compelling story. A great deal of time is spent on the "wildish" daughter of the Ambassador and just plain name dropping. Larsen's earlier works have more character and a broader feel. In the Garden has its moments, but it finally feels more like a romance than a true historical narrative.
Julia H. (PrintsS) reviewed In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin (Large Print) on + 20 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
A unusual look at Hitler's Germany 1933-34 from the perspective of an idealistic first-time ambassador and his daughter and son with just enough context to bring it to life. History as it was lived. Unique.