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The Berlin Crossing
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Product Description
Review
'Its humanity, attention to period detail and sheer guts will win you over'
(Guardian )'There are distinct echoes... of the shadowy, sinister world evoked in John Le Carre's The Spy Who Came In From the Cold' (Irish Independent )
'This fascinating tale, which throws new light on recent history, is an excellent first novel'
(Literary Review )'Bittersweet and beautifully observed' (Financial Times )
'If you enjoy a good story with depth and intrigue, I don't think this book will disappoint. I loved it. Thoroughly recommended' (www.thebookbag.co.uk )
Review
'It's humanity, attention to period detail and sheer guts will win you over'
(Guardian )'There are distinct echoes... of the shadowy, sinister world evoked in John Le Carre's The Spy Who Came In From the Cold'
(Irish Independent )'This fascinating tale, which throws new light on recent history, is an excellent first novel'
(Literary Review )'Bittersweet and beautifully observed'
(Financial Times )'If you enjoy a good story with depth and intrigue, I don't think this book will disappoint. I loved it. Thoroughly recommended'
(www.thebookbag.co.uk ) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
The destruction of The Berlin Wall is a momentous event than anyone who witnessed it will never forget, it happened so quickly and completely. We will never forget the East Berliners swarming through the breeches, the celebratory mood the excitement, it appeared that everyone was happy about it. OK, questions were asked about the speed of reunification not to mention how it was going to affect the West. But what about the East Germans? Those who were quite happy with how things were? Not the politicians and Stasi but the ordinary man on the street? `The Berlin Crossing' takes such a man, Michael Ritter and shows how reunification has destroyed his life. Once a respected `card carrying' English teacher, now he is treated with suspicion. His country no-longer exists and he believes that he has no place in this brave new world in a country that is still divided.
On her deathbed his Mother tells him to find Father Bruck the man who knows the truth about his father. He finds him but are some truths better left buried? Michael uses the information he discovers to write the history of his father starting in the Autumn of 1962 in London. It is part cold war spy thriller, part love story and makes for a compelling read.
It is apparent that the author knows Berlin well, I lived in West Berlin myself in the 70's and know what it is like to live surrounded by that wall, to stand on a platform and look over into the East while being watched by border guards. While reading `The Berlin Crossing' I was back there at a time when incredible risks were taken by East German to escape to the West. We are so used to reading the `West good - East bad' kind of story that this makes a refreshing change.
This is a very human and moving story of one man's odyssey to find out the truth about himself the question is will the truth set him free and allow him to pick up the pieces of his life to start again?
On her deathbed his Mother tells him to find Father Bruck the man who knows the truth about his father. He finds him but are some truths better left buried? Michael uses the information he discovers to write the history of his father starting in the Autumn of 1962 in London. It is part cold war spy thriller, part love story and makes for a compelling read.
It is apparent that the author knows Berlin well, I lived in West Berlin myself in the 70's and know what it is like to live surrounded by that wall, to stand on a platform and look over into the East while being watched by border guards. While reading `The Berlin Crossing' I was back there at a time when incredible risks were taken by East German to escape to the West. We are so used to reading the `West good - East bad' kind of story that this makes a refreshing change.
This is a very human and moving story of one man's odyssey to find out the truth about himself the question is will the truth set him free and allow him to pick up the pieces of his life to start again?
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
Have to be very honest and say that I surprised myself by enjoying Berlin Crossing much more than I thought I would. Great credit has to go to Kevin Brophy for the amount of work he obviosuly put into producing a book that's refreshingly original and highly stylish. Runs a tight line between thriller and spy and captures the essence of both without becoming confused or muddled. Brophy develops his lead character with confidence and has no objection to flinging him into situations that are incredibly intense and emotional as he trawls the streets of a much changed Germany after the collapse of the Berlin Wall. This is a guy who has to lose everything in order to find himself again and there's a real feel of loss and abandonment throughout the book on both a personal and a social level. Hard hitting, powerful and, in it's own way, deeply disturbing with an equal blend of violence, anxiety and raw emotion as people are thrown around in the the face of enormous change. Can't say that Berlin Crossing is quick paced and a real page turner, it's not, this is a book that takes some concentration and not one to dip in and out of but it's worth the read. Enjoyed it.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
This is an odd book. Set in London/Berlin/East Germany of the 1960's after the construction of the Wall and Germany and Ireland post German Re-unification. In essence it is a love story with spies. It is also a story about ideals, loyalty and double dealing. The characters are well drawn, the story believable and it makes no real claim to political insight. A thoroughly enjoyable and engaging read.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Good, but not great
I wanted to like this book. I studied German to degree level and have spent considerable time there. Read more
Published 1 month ago by R. A. Mansfield
masterful
This is a fantastic book that I thoroughly enjoyed. It is divided in four parts telling interrelated stories. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Ioannis Glinavos
I can't believe it.
Disappointing with the same level of credibility as a Jeffrey Archer pot- boiler.
I normally read sixty to hundred pages a night, but I feel if I persevere for much longer... Read more
I normally read sixty to hundred pages a night, but I feel if I persevere for much longer... Read more
Published 2 months ago by coopercat - surrey
Clever and interesting
I've read a lot of books set in wartime and post war Germany, but this one really stands out. A man's journey to find out about his unknown father uncovers a wealth of dark secrets... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Laura Smith
not the most believable novel
A flashback to the days of John le carre and Len Deighton, but not nearly as good as those two masters of the craft. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Ms. L. Walters
A Good Solid Read
Michael Ritter is an English Teacher, and a card carrying Party member. After unification his world starts to come apart at the seams as he sees his beloved East Germany start to... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Coincidence Vs Fate
A Softly Paced "Spy" Thriller without the Spying and not too...
Apart from Ian Fleming, I have never read a "spy" thriller, and I find Fleming too flowery, too descriptive for my taste, but I love James Bond's adventures. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Mr Paul Savory
Interesting
This is quite a well written book and it is quite intriguing.
It is partly a spy novel and partly an interesting historical novel. Read more
It is partly a spy novel and partly an interesting historical novel. Read more
Published 3 months ago by The Emperor
A different kind of Cold War story
THE BERLIN CROSSING
Kevin Brophy
Some of us remember the building of the Berlin Wall in the 1960's - the stories of , the Cold War have been told in many books and... Read more
Kevin Brophy
Some of us remember the building of the Berlin Wall in the 1960's - the stories of , the Cold War have been told in many books and... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Dr. I. Cox
A Jaded Look Over The Wall
I engaged with this book although for what probably amounts all the wrong reasons: it brought back memories of a friend of mine who hailed from the GDR. Read more
Published 4 months ago by D Webster
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