Title: Not for comsymps. Excellent for post WWII Berlin history
Product review: As I read this book, I thought sometimes what uncomfortable reading it must be for those who were, or remain, comsymps, those who "liked Uncle Joe" (like FDR), ridiculed the spy menace in Britain and the US, and still snicker at RR. Some of this rancor at being mugged by reality shows, I think, in the negative reviews.This is history well-told, with fascinating detail, and judgements, some of which I don't agree with, but all of which are respectable.The earliest history and Imperial Germany are well done, but, like the Nazi story, have been told many times. But the details after 1945 I have never seen put together like this. They are woven together in a lucid and lively way, and put well into German and international context.I have been interested for some time in the social interplay in grand hotels, from Vicki Baum's great novel to Eloise and the Plaza. I enjoyed following the Adlon thru this book's index.
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