The Berlin Letters
By: Katherine Reay
Review Score: 4 Stars

Boogie’s Bulletpoints
•Reay really takes you into the time when the Berlin Wall went up, and how families struggled with that sudden and unexpected separation.

•I love the multiple points of view as the time jumps occur over the span of the Cold War.

•This book was so intense, and I could not wait to find out what was going to happen to Luisa and Haris.

•There are a few really great plot twists in the story (which also add to the fear and uncertainty in East Berlin during the Cold War).

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The Berlin Letters was kindly provided as an ARC by Netgalley and Harper Muse. Thank you for allowing me to enjoy this wonderful book!

Release Date: 3/5/24

Y’all. The Berlin Letters was such an intriguing story. It was so engrossing, trying to figure out what Luisa knows about her Opa and his history in code breaking, as well as trying to learn more about her parents and what happened to them when the Berlin Wall went up.

The story is full of suspense, which adds to the fear and paranoia of the time (I love how well the Cold War period was represented by Reay).

This book was high on my list of “Want to Read”, and I am happy to say it lived up to the hype.

#bookstagram #books #readingnow #boogiereadsbooks #fivekeyfeels #audiobooks #audiobook #historicalfiction #arcreview #netgalley #boogiesbulletpoints #theberlinletters #katherinereay #harpermuse

The story of a family torn apart by the Soviet policies in East Berlin and the building of the wall between East and West Berlin. Luisa was smuggled out the day the wall went up, and was always told her parents were dead and raised by her grandparents. Her grandfather teaches her cryptology through games because he has his own secret life. Her journalist father is behind the wall, dealing with its oppressive policies, and longs to make contact with his daughter and the world.

What is not spoken between the members of this family becomes huge walls, separating them from truth and true contact. All the walls, both the mental and the physical are finally breached together.

The history of the wall, the culture of East Berlin behind the wall is detailed and really interesting. Great blend of history and story.

Katherine Reay whisks to life behind the wall. Compelling, heart wrenching, humbling, leaves you that much more thankful for freedom.

A special thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the honor of reading an ARC.

Terrific story based on real history! A page turner, especially towards the end as the tension escalates and lives are at stake. History buffs and fans of spy stories will want to grab this one.

Covering the Cold War era in Berlin from 1961, when the Berlin Wall was erected, to its demise in 1989, it brought back memories from news stories of the time, with names of political leaders and events that rocked the world. A good look at the effects of strict communism on the culture and lives of people under its control.
Well-written and researched, perfectly paced, with just a touch of clean romantic interest towards the end. Highly recommend!
5 stars!

Considering when Luisa’s part of the story takes place, I wondered if the author might utilize one of the most notable events in Berlin history. She did and did so quite effectively. I enjoyed the discussion of the secret codes and code breaking, especially the complexity of the codes and how multiple codes were utilized together. The story focuses on one family and how events in Berlin separated them and later brought them partially back together, as well as the uncovering of numerous family secrets. I liked how the author used secret codes/ciphers to link Luisa, her father (Haris) (whom she has been told is dead) and Walther (her grandfather/opa), and how Walther, through the cryptography games he played with Luisa as a child, was preparing her what she might learn in the future.

The story is very creative in terms of the family secrets, who knew what, and the information that one or more members thought they had kept secret from others but which the others knew or guessed. The author does a good job at portraying the paranoia and suspicion infused in East Germany through the Stasi and snitches, and how that sense of fear and mistrust becomes imbedded in people even when they are safely removed from the environment.

The discussion of Ostpunk and how the subversive nature of the punk scene was utilized to help undermine the East German government was interesting.

I read a lot of historical fiction but this period of time and set in East Berlin is new to me and I loved it. Katherine Reay managed to evoke the terror and confusion of Berliners the day the wall went up. It is extraordinary how the GDR managed to project manage that task so quietly! The image of the little boy trapped on the wrong side from his parents will stay with me for a long time.
I always love a dual timeline and thought she did a great job of giving them a distinct voice. The history felt part of the narrative rather than added information which can happen when an author needs to include all their research and lose the story.
And I really liked that this book wasn’t bogged down in romantic love. This was about the love a father has for his daughter, and family love that becomes distorted by the past. It shows the reality of how hard it is to move forward from such trauma and how that impacts the next generation.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

This is a period of history that I did not know a lot about and it made this book SUPER interesting. I really enjoyed the dual timelines, they synched up well and filled out the story.

I thought the repeated scene at the end from each POV didn't fit as well and there was zero need for a romance thread.

A compelling and gripping story about the hardships of living in East Berlin during the Cold War and the measures that the Stasi took to keep the people suppressed and surveilled. One daughter's perseverance to save her father from a lifetime in prison goes above any concern for her own survival. This is a must read.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

"I have found over the years that I fare better being surprised by hope rather than being fooled by reality."

I've unwittingly taken a hiatus from Katherine Reay's books and am so glad that I'm back to reading them again. Katherine Reay has a magical way of transporting the reader to wherever and whenever her characters are. The "past" component of the beautiful story starts in 1961 East Berlin and quickly makes its way to 1989. The "present" component of the plot takes place in one week of November 1989. The past is narrated in third person whereas the present is in first person and I loved how Haris and Luisa's voices mingled together to create a rich and complex tale of sacrifice, loss, regret, betrayal, secrets, and power of love.
I had not given much thought previously to how East Berlin functioned after WWII and during the Cold War years. The vivid descriptions of the conditions were eye-opening and heart-breaking. The codebreaking was truly fascinating and I loved how Luisa's mind worked. How the past collided into the present in the end was masterfully done and I'm still mulling over the details of the story a week after I've finished it.

It's an adrenaline and intrigue-infused race against time to find the truth and save a life - a fast-paced historical fiction that will have you thinking about the Berlin Wall in a new way. I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Harper Muse via NetGalley and was under no obligation to post a positive comment. All opinions are my own.

Wow. Just wow. This book sucked me in and wouldn’t let go. I was a teenager in the 80s and grew up during the later years of the Cold War. This book took me back to that time period and all the things that I’ve heard and read about happening in Berlin came to life in its pages. It has it all— secrets, intrigue, healing, hope. Can’t recommend it enough.

****Publishing March 5, 2024****

From the writing to the characters to the story, this book will captivate you from the start!

In Katherine Reay’s latest book, The Berlin Letters, this dual timeline book is from the point of view of Luisa parents, during the era of the Berlin Wall and Luisa during the end of the Cold War in 1989. Luisa is a CIA code breaker, and she is assigned to the Berlin Letters Project where she makes discoveries about her own mother and father, whom she never really knew, since she was raised by her grandparents. She even finds matching letters written by her father and grandfather at her grandmother’s house where she lives. When she learns her father is alive and in prison, can she save him in time? How will she react? What will she discover? How will this change her life?

Katherine Reay is one of my favorite authors because you can tell she meticulously researches her books, which turns into a fascinating and well told story that is informative and entertaining! Katherine Reay perfectly captures the emotions and hardships of the time period. If you love Historical Fiction, then this is one to add to your TBR list!

Thanks to Harper Muse, I was provided an ARC of The Berlin Letters by Katherine Reay via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. #NetGalley #TheBerlinLetters

This book immediately caught my eye. The cover is spot on, the author is one of my favorites, and the topic is not one I know much about. I was so excited to get my hands on a copy. I am so glad that I did. I knew nothing about the Berlin Wall. What lead up to it, who put it up, and the big questions...why? I am going to age myself and say that I remember President Regan saying, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." After The Berlin Letter, I am a little bit clearer on the topic, as usual I am still craving more knowledge. This book is phenomenal. You can feel the history oozing out of the pages and through the cover. I feel in love with the characters and the way in which Katherine Reay develops them, made me tear through the pages. I love a book that circles around a family and their complex histories. This one blew me away.

Luisa Voekler has led an astonishing life already. Born in Berlin, German during a volatile time. Luisa and her mother, Monika visit her grandparents. Easily making their way between east and west Berlin. This all changes in a blink of an eye. Overnight a wall is erected and no one can pass. Keeping families, friends, businesses, everything separate. Monika has a gut feeling to throw young Luisa over the wall and into her father's waiting arms. He catches her and makes his way away from the police and from Monika's watchful eye. Did she make the right decision? The book is told in a dual timeline when the wall is erected and until a few days before it comes down. Luisa is now a CIA Code Breaker. Thanks to her grandfather's entertaining codes that he always sets up for Luisa on special occasions. He always kept her on her toes, thinking, learning, and looking for differences in the most minuscule ways. When one of her coworkers brings her a stack of letters to help her break the code. Luisa has a feeling that she has seen that infinity symbol before. Could these letters somehow be connected to her grandfather? As Luisa digs deeper into her grandfather's past. She is met with a realization that her life and what she was told was not what happened. She is left with more questions, than answers. She decides the only way to move forward, is to go back to where it all started...Berlin.

I was completely absorbed and enraptured by this story from the beginning. Code breaking, spies, the Berlin Wall, all of it. I have not read much about this time and I am now determined to find more books centering around this moment in history. Thank you to Katherine Reay and Harper Muse for this phenomenal read!

This well written, thoughtfully plotted dual timeline story of a father and a daughter will keep you reading late into the night. For those of us who grew up during the Cold War, this is a reminder of our freedoms and the ensuing protection of NATO. For this who learn about the Cold War in history class, this is eye opening and a wake up call to value democracy and our freedoms. I will be purchasing this for my high school library.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Title: The Berlin Letters
By: Katherine Reay

Genre:
Adult Historical Fiction, WWII,

Red Flags:
War, Grief, Abandonment, Violence, Death

Favorite Quote:
“Yet in all her strength and fury, in all the sickness and waste that came after, she never regretted breaking her own heart. Or mine.”

“Glaring Mistakes can be made in any job, I suppose. Sorting them out is often the bigger problem. Correcting them, too, is challenging. Are you right? It’s hard to ask oneself that question. But one must if one wants to grow.”

“I refuse to die in the waiting room of the future.”

Summary:
The Fall of the Berlin Wall- 1989
Killed in a car accident, that is what Luisa Voekler has been told all her life when asking about her parents. Luisa, a CIA cryptographer, is working on decoding a message when she recognizes a symbol from her childhood. This symbol begins a long, adventurous journey. As she searches for answers, Luisa’s past collides with her present. In Berlin, Haris has lost all that is beloved to him, and has so many life regrets, but he had no choice, or did he…

Review:
This is a touching, bittersweet novel told from two different perspectives. The historical time period of the Fall of the Berlin Wall is fascinating. I did struggle with the middle of the novel as the transitions into Germany, with new characters, and a different plotline, confused me. However, the themes of family secrets, loss, love, and forgiveness, engaged and enticed me to hold on through the bumpy parts of the book. The end was worth the wait, and it was unexpected. These reasons are a reflection of my rating.

Thank you to Katherine Reay, Harper Muse, and NetGalley for the Advanced Readers Copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

#reluctantreaderreads
#KatherineReay
#netgalley #netgalleyreads
#Theberlinletters
#advancedreadercopies

Another captivating, compelling historical novel from Katherine Reay! I love everything I read by her and The Berlin Letters is a fascinating addition to her fantastic body of work. Reay tells her story with poignant details and incredible heart. I was engrossed in the story and the fate of these characters.

The Cold War Berlin setting was incredibly fascinating as I learned so much about post-WWII Germany and the Berlin Wall. Getting a glimpse of life behind the Iron Curtain was so interesting. Learning about how the world worked in East Berlin was so intriguing. People thought differently, accepted things differently, revolted differently, and fought for freedom. I came to this book with my American experience and the German and Soviet experience surprised me. The way the wall came up so quickly was surprising. I couldn't believe they had collected so much barbed wire! Then I found it fascinating how the Party controlled the news, the border, peoples jobs and homes, churches -- everything. But that control couldn't hold forever. The ending was the most compelling part of the novel as the wall comes down and the world changes forever.

I loved the dual perspectives in this novel giving us the story from different times. The letters that Luisa reads were clever and intriguing. The codes were even more compelling. We read Luisa's grown up perspective in 1989 and Haris', her father, perspective through the 1960s-1980s. I appreciated the similarities between their voices and also how they both change and grow through their stories. Haris is absolutely fascinating because of his growth. He begins the novel a very different man than who he becomes at the end. Seeing his opinions of the party and their platforms shift was an intriguing journey. I also enjoying getting to know him and Luisa better through their shared perspectives. They both are surprised by the secrets they discover and their abilities to create and decipher codes were impressive. I love their reunion at the end and the ways they experience such a poignant moment in history together.

The storytelling is exquisite as Reay creates a compelling and vibrant story. Although I have not yet visited Berlin, I was transported there though Reay's writing. I could see the creation of the wall and the many additions to it's intensity. I could see the abandoned churches, the sterile block housing, the dying trees, the simple apartments and sophisticated Stasi center. I also felt the emotions of the people -- the fear, the anger, the determination, the courage, the strength, and the overwhelm. Reay so expertly balances the experiences of the masses with the experiences of individuals. In many ways, Reay puts us at the center of the conflict and I was impressed by how much I felt I understood this time in history after reading The Berlin Letters.

Another absolutely fantastic novel from Katherine Reay. The characters are complex and endearing. The storytelling is fantastic. And the historical moment is unlike any other. I was fascinated by all I learned in this novel and grateful for Reay's many notes and sources that she mentions at the end of the book. A must read for anyone interested in understanding the Berlin War years and anyone who appreciates a compelling story showcasing the best of the human spirit during a unique time in world history.

The Berlin Letters by Katherine Reay is such a fascinating read. The author does such a wonderful job of writing about the Iron Curtain and The Cold War. I think this is her best book so far. The characters are well developed and makes the story totally engrossing. I learned so much about this period of time in history. This is a fast paced spy story that will stay with you long after you are finished reading it.

The story is about Luisa and her family, who get separated when the Berlin Wall is erected, their struggles and how they cope to survive. It shows how opinions we thought to be true can change over time. This book will keep you on your toes until the very end. The story will evokes many emotions in the reader from hatred, sadness to joy and even love. I would highly recommend this book to everyone. One of my favourite reads.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse for an advanced copy of this book.

The Berlin Letters was fascinating! I doubt I would have ever chosen to pick up & read a book about The Iron Curtain & The Cold War...but Katherine Reay's writing kept me coming back for more & anxious to see how it ended!

I loved the book. It kept me engaged & it was very hard to put down! I always appreciate aome good twists & turns and I wasn't disappointed!

One of the reasons I enjoy Katherine Reay's books so much is that they challenge me to read "outside the box", so to speak...reading books & genres I might not automatically choose.

Thank you to Netgalley & the Publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Did you read the book description? If so, it tells you nearly the entire plot. The part of the book I most appreciated was its depiction of the family and other relationships affected by the Berlin Wall. This depiction feels genuine, nuanced and affecting. Luisa’s father’s life in East Berlin is also compellingly described.

Where the author lost me was the plans to get Luisa’s father out of East Berlin. Just the idea of sneaking somebody out in the late 1980s is silly. The Wall had been there for over 25 years and vast sums had been spent to make it impregnable. And it’s East Berlin, the most surveilled place in the world. Luisa’s own plan is laughable, but the new plan of her friend’s isn’t any better when it comes to the part of actually getting her and her father together in East Berlin and then out. [spoiler]The only reason they get out is because they happen to be there the night when the Wall comes down. But that means that Luisa’s father would have been able to leave (soon, if not the same day) without her efforts, which makes the whole escape plot seem pointless.[/spoiler]

Reay is a good writer, and I hope her plotting comes up to the same level in the future.

Summary:
August 1961 changed the life of Monica Voekler and her family. She planned on joining her parents and sister for lunch, but she's stopped by a barricade. One that arrives overnight and separates more than just parts of a city. The Berlin Wall changes history and the lives of the Voekler family. Sacrifices are made with devastating consequences. Lies that were once believed reveal their truth. Eyes that were blinded to the reality of the the wall are cruelly opened. Navigate the Berlin Wall with the Voeklers- from all angles- as it goes up, while it's up and the day it's torn down.

Katherine Reay has quickly become one of my favorite historical fiction writers for good reason. The Berlin Letters has sealed her place among my favorite writers. I LOVED this book. So very much. I was gripped to the story. There were several times I thought I knew what was going to happen only to be proven wrong. I was captivated. I was enthralled. I was rooting for each character. I didn't want to put the book down. This book has found it's way onto my favorite books of all time list.

Monica Voekler is a wife and mother in 1961. On this particular day she plans on joining her parents for breakfast. However, she finds a wired barricade stopping her from entering West Berlin. It doesn't take her long to realize the barricade has nefarious intentions. Nor does it take her long to realize she has to decide not just her future, but that of her 3 year old daughter, Luisa. As Monica watches events unfold at the barricade and the actions of the guards in charge of it, she knows the life she knew is over. The woman who set out to meet her family doesn't return home the same.

Monica's husband, Haris, is a reporter for a local newspaper and a member of the Stasi party. He's heard rumblings of a barricade going up and is positive it's for good intentions and not meant to be permanent. He's the last of his family to see things for what they really are and he stands to lose everything he has left. However, in learning the truth, Haris fights for the truth to be known. He finds help in the last place he would've expected it ands sets out to educate the world beyond the wall of what life is like for those living behind it. He has no idea the words and secrets he passes on become known by more than the eyes he wrote them for.

Luisa Voekler has been brought up by her Grandparents after her parents die in a car accident. Her Opa has died, so it's now just her, her Aunt and her Oma. Her family doesn't know that Luisa is one of a team who cracks WW2 and Third Reich codes and ciphers. When Luisa helps her coworker decode a set of letters from berlin, she notices small details like dots over paragraphs and an infinity symbol. The same symbol she's found on one of her Opa's envelopes. Thus begins the journey of uncovering secrets she has no clue of and no idea how deep they went.

As Luisa discovers more letters with the symbol on them between her Opa and someone she long since thought she lost. Once she makes the connection of who her Opa exchanged letters with, she's on a race against time to rescue them from the hell they're in.

I cannot tell you how much I loved this book. I'm not even remotely doing it justice here. Katherine Reay wrote a story that had me gripped to the very end. My heart broke over Monica's story. My heart felt despair over the path Haris found himself on and the consequences it had. I was shocked as Luisa learned the truth of her beloved Grandfather. By the time I read the last line, I had traveled all over the emotional map. This book was AMAZING!! Not only did you learn about the characters and all they endured, but you learned so much history. I haven't heard of any other book involving the Berlin Wall and Katherine did it perfectly.

If you love historical fiction, you will be a fan of this book. You get a real and in depth look at what life was like during the years the Berlin Wall was up. I cannot rave about this book enough. Katherine Reay, thank you for telling the story of so many. Thank you for bringing to light the events many people know nothing about.

Such an amazing book. Totally engrossing novel set in East Berlin and Washington DC during the Cold War era of the 1960s, 70, and 80s.. I was completely caught up in the story of Luisa and her family, all victims of the Soviet domination of East Berlin during that time. So well written and researched, I would have read 24/7 if I had been able to. It’s a different view of an era I remember very well but did not fully understand. Highly recommended—my first five-star book of this year.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.



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