Title: The Moment: A Novel by Douglas Kennedy
Publisher: Atria Books (2011), Paperback, 544 pages
Objective rating: 3.5/5
Comments: The book is a love story but also an historical novel with detailed information about Berlin during the Cold War when the city was divided into East and West Berlin. As a writer, American Thomas Nesbitt had access to the city of East Berlin, which was closed off to the rest of the world by the Berlin Wall. It was in East Berlin that he met the love of his life. Years later in Maine, the past and his life in East Berlin return in the form of a package mailed to him from his former love.
Unfortunately, the love story was lost for me in the many pages of the recreation of the history, climate, politics, and physical atmosphere of the divided city. Those looking for a straightforward romance will also find themselves engrossed in details showing the mood and the terrible politics of the time. As such, I found it a bit too heavy and long, but I'm very sure The Moment would be very worthwhile for those who want to know more about Berlin and its history.
Author Douglas Kennedy is the New York Times bestselling author of Leaving the World. His website is www.douglaskennedynovelist.com
I received a complimentary review copy of this book.
© Harvee Lau of Book Dilettante. Please do not reprint without permission
In school I loved History. But, for some reason never really liked historical fiction, though reading what this book is about made me want to read it. Then I saw how many pages...yikes!! I still may decided to read this though, I'd like to read about Berlin and it's history.
ReplyDeleteI might enjoy this one a little more than you did, but only because I love historical fiction, and love to learn about different times, places, and people. I can understand that since you were hoping for a love story, this one didn't grab you, but I do appreciate having read your insightful and thoughtful review today!
ReplyDeleteZibilee: I actually do like historical novels and have reviewed many of them. However, I got a bit bogged down about a third of the way through and thought the writer tried to say too much about the subject in one book. It is quite long and took a while to get to the relationship with the woman who sent him the package!
DeleteI can't say that I've read many books about Berlin!! I don't want a heavy book though but it does sound interesting.
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