The Berlin Letters is a beautiful story about a family who were torn apart by the Cold War. The most infamous symbol of the Cold War was the Berlin Wall which features prominently in this story from the time it went up until it finally came down. It was, in Katherine Raey’s usual style very well-researched and incorporated family drama with major events.

Haris is willing to do anything to protect his daughter: even if it means spending the rest of his life in prison. Nearly 30 years later Luisa will do anything to find the father she never knew and believed was dead. It is a story about lies, political extremism and idealism, oppression - and the power of love to overcome all. Some of the most tumultuous events come into it.

One little detail I enjoyed about this novel was the quite unexpected reference to my favourite movie, Henry V, starring Kenneth Branagh which was released the same year that the Berlin Wall came down. Love the way that the protagonist responded to in the same way as I do. Especially to the famous St Crispin’s Day speech.

What I find most profound and frightening about Cold War era novels as that none of this happened very long ago. Within my own lifetime there were places in Europe where a person could be tortured and imprisoned by the State for decades simply for having the “wrong” beliefs, reading the “wrong” material or questioning the political classes. If anything makes you value your freedom more, it should be the realization of how fragile it is and how many people very recently had to fight so hard to obtain and defend it.

I listened to the audiobook from Netgalley, which had two different narrators. Some people don’t care for nor than one narrator, but I think it worked very well for the parts narrated at different times by Luisa and her father.

Thanks to Harper Muse for approving me for this title. All opinions provided are freely given and my own.

The Berlin Letters takes us on an incredible journey - one that is complex, thrilling and filled to the brim with secrets and lies. Then at the end of this journey there is love, forgiveness and a brighter future - I loved the epilogue!

The author has done an excellent job of researching the extremely complex and fascinating history of Berlin and then reflecting this through the story of Luisa and her family - a story that is powerful and rich in detail. Luisa is a wonderful, determined and very likeable character and her story was engaging from beginning to end.

The audiobook narration is clear and has a perfect pace, allowing the story to flow and be understood by the listener. All three narrators beautifully bring the characters to life through their tone and expression.

Thank you to the audio publisher, HarperCollins Focus for an audio copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Louisa, a CIA codebreaker, immigrated to the US from Germany as a child. Through a series of coincidences, she discovers coded letters from her father to her grandfather. Until that point, she had thought her father was dead, but he is alive in an East German prison.

I enjoyed this book. The cold war is a subject is a newer topic for me. I was vaguely aware of the wall coming down in 1989, but I was 8 and didn't really understand what was happening. The book alternates between Louisa's life in DC and her father's life in East Berlin. The beginning of the book was a little slow, but the pace picks up when Louisa travels to East Germany to free her father from prison.

A mother’s decision changes the fate of the entire family, now after two and a half decades everything will be revealed. Luisa a CIA cryptographer has discovered a link to her past in letters hidden to protect there secrets. They hold many secrets but only one matters to Luisa, her father is alive and he is being held in a Stasi jail. As Luisa searches for answers, she also knows she will stop at nothing to free the man she thought was dead. These letters hide not only secrets from East Berlin but secrets of her family and their past as well. As she heads to Berlin she is faced with more danger than she ever imagined.

This is a story of hope, unconditional love, and rebellion. There is so much fictional literature surrounding World War II but not enough about post war Germany. ‘The Berlin Letters’ was an immediate “I need to read this book” for me and it did not disappoint. I was hooked in and stayed glued to the story from beginning to end. This story is so complex and some of the twists left me with my jaw on the floor. Following Haris and Luisa readers are taken on a journey, as the wall is built the journey begins. I listened to the audio of this book and the cast was outstanding. It didn’t feel like they were narrating a book, it felt like listening to someone recounting their story. They brought this beautiful story to life. Luisa and Haris will stick with me and I cannot wait to reread their story. This book is perfect for historical fiction lovers, Cold War enthusiasts, and anyone who loves a little espionage. I will be recommending this to anyone who will listen.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse for providing me with the audiobook of ‘The Berlin Letters’ by Katherine Reay in exchange for an honest review.

I have had difficulty getting through Katherine Reay's books before but I listened to this on audio and enjoyed it more than I did her previous books. The narrators (there was more than one) did justice to the book. This is a work of historical fiction, specifically the Cold War, which is an area of fascination to me. In this novel, a young woman who works for the CIA and is stuck in the role of codebreaker (instead of moving on to more interesting positions) uses those skills to free her father, who she had presumed was dead, from a prison in East Germany. This is at great risk to her, of course. The narrators take turns telling the story from the young woman's and her father's perspectives. One reason that this novel was good was because it avoided many of the pitfalls of some other historical fiction novels that fall into the abyss of romance; there is a little romance here but it clearly takes a back seat to the history of the book and, quite frankly, the relationship between the woman and her family. Both are infinitely more interesting, in my mind. I would give this 4.5 stars; there was some confusion here and there which accounts for the half point.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins Focus for giving me the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in return for my honest review.

Katherine Reay is a master at illuminating a corner of the world and making you feel like you live there. The Berlin Letters drew me in from the very first chapter. Invested is not a strong enough word. Did I finish the book and immediately tell my Grandma to read it? Yes. Have I had a book hangover for several days mourning the fact that I have to wait another year before getting another Reay masterpiece? Also YES.

The audiobook especially brought Luisa and Haris' characters to life. You don't often see father-daughter dual POV books and I really enjoyed that aspect of this one. The male narrator's voice when portraying Luisa irked me, but other than that, I LOVED listening to this story, especially because there are so many German words I would have had no idea how to pronounce on my own. Listening added an authenticity factor to an already well-researched and well-crafted narrative.

FIVE stars. Highly Recommend.

Thanks to Net Galley, the Publisher, and the Author for sending me an audiobook copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own!

I really liked The Berlin Letters by Katherine Reay. I received an advance copy of this book in audio and my review expresses my own opinion. This is a story of Germany divided and letters written in code. Luisa Voelker was passed over the Berlin Wall as a small child just as it was being closed and was raised by her grandparents, thinking that her parents were dead. When Luisa's grandfather passes away, she finds letters from her father. This helps her understand why she hasn't advanced in her career with the CIA, and she knows she must turn these letters in to her boss. Haris Voelker is Luisa's father and as a journalist he stayed and supported those in East Berlin. As time passes, Haris begins to realize the Soviet promises are not coming to fruition. He is eventually turned in my neighbor "friends" and is sent to prison. Luisa discovers where he is and goes to Berlin to attempt his release. I found the story about codes very interesting and could see how many families were separated for so many years. Lots of thrills and mysteries with lies, family and traitors. A well-researched book about a period in history we may not fully understand.

This was a gripping story that I stayed up way too late to finish! I was drawn into the story right from the first story and was totally captivated. I’ve never read a book from the Cold War time frame and I feel like I learned so much. The character growth was great. The narration switches between and female and male narrator. The male narrator has a thick German accent…which feels authentic, but was hard for me to understand at first. I got used to it and really enjoyed it! The audio production was well done

This audiobook had great narrators and pacing. It tells of a family suddenly separated by the construction of the Berlin Wall. As the story progresses, we're introduced to a woman working as a codebreaker for the CIA who discovers something familiar in a series of letters. This sets her off on a journey of unraveling family secrets in a race against time. I enjoyed the timeline of events, ranging from just prior to the construction of the Berlin Wall to a short time after its fall. The author's thorough research is obvious and made for a captivating read.

Wow! This was such a captivating audiobook with excellent narrators. A multigenerational story during the times of the Berlin Wall filled with family secrets, espionage, and codebreaking. The story was fast paced, had great character depth, and unfolded with mystery/suspense that kept me engaged throughout the book. This book has to be on the list of one of the best historical fictions in 2024.

Thanks to NetGalley, Katherine Reay, and Harper Muse for the advanced copy of this audiobook.

1989, the Cold War era. Luisa works for the CIA, decoding letters from WW2, trying to find something that could be of use to the US Government. Until she finds a letter from a more recent era and is shocked to find an encrypted message, leading to her grandfather.

Some investigation uncovers more letters- and shocking news about the existence of the father she had thought dead. What’s more, he is still in East Berlin. What will Luisa do?

I listened to the audiobook on Netgalley. Act 1 and 2 was brilliant. I went through a roller coaster of emotions. The dialogue, the inner turmoil, and the narrators’ enunciation blended beautifully. Though slightly repetitive. What kept me invested was the deciphering of messages and how nicely everything unfurled.
The history came alive in front of me, until it all fell flat in final Act. Somehow, nothing made sense there.

Since the overall entertainment value was so high, I give this 3.5 stars.

It's 1989 and Luisa Voekler works as a CIA code breaker. Her co- worker has Luisa look over some letters that are deemed the Berlin letters. Something she sees jogs Luisa's memory of her Opa. Luisa was raised by Opa and Oma in America. Her parents were killed in a car accident in Germany. As Luisa finds the letters and decodes them she finds that her father is still alive in East Berlin.

I really enjoyed this audiobook. The narrators did a fantastic job. I enjoyed learning more about the Berlin wall. I was just little when the Berlin Wall fell. I have vague memories. We have different timelines of Horace, Walter and Luisa. I had to know what was going to happen to Horace. This book broke my heart for the people of West Berlin. Not being able to trust their neighbors or the government. This was an excellent read.

This was absolutely incredible! I loved the full cast audio which made you feel totally immersed in the storyline. I read Forty Autumns last year and this was the perfect companion novel that explores just how intense the Berlin Wall affected family relationships. I also loved the element of mystery and the codebreaking. Very well done.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Harper Collins Focus for my copy of The Berlin Letter by Katherine Reay Narrated by Saskia Maarleveld, Ann Marie Gideon, P. J. Ochlan in exchange for an honest review. It published March 5, 2024.
First off, the narration was top-notch, I love these particular narrators on their various works.
Wow! This book has got to be Reay's best book to date! It was written with such honesty, and care, I could not stop reading it! I drank it in and did not want to stop. I learned so much about the Cold War, and especially about the Berlin Wall, and the surrounding politics, I truly did not know about before. I feel like this is such an underrepresented historical event in fiction, and I am so grateful that the time was spent researching this to teach the public about it!
I cannot say enough good things about this book! The most surprising part about this book for me was the punks. I especially loved learning about them and the church behind the Iron Curtain.

The Berlin Letters is a deep deep book. If you like history and the post world war 2 era or even if you aren't too familiar this book will definitely put you in the know.
The Berlin Letters sometimes read like a history textbook, there was so much historical information that might either bore you or intrigue you depending on where you fall in this genre. This history is woven together by a fictional story about a family torn apart by the erection of the Berlin wall. A family separated a husband and wife in the east side and their infant with the grandparents on the west who eventually migrate to the USA.
The story is in part told through the titled letters from a daughter less father to his father in law. Decades of letters written in code because when Luisa the grown up daughter now working as a decoder for the CIA comes across these letters after her grandfather's death. She will soon discover the truth about the fate of her parents and the dire situation they faced and still are. Because the present year is 1989 and the Berlin Wall is still very much still dividing Germany.
This book is a little depressing, the strugle and pain these divided people were forced to endure after ww2 when the rest of the world were getting on with their lives is heartbreaking but that is history and we must never forget.
A stark and moving portrayal which was excellently narrated.
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Focus for an advanced copy of this audiobook.

💭What I thought would happen:

I think that’s the Berlin Wall behind the woman so I’m guessing it’s set in the 80s? Her outfit is ick.

🗯Thoughts/sassy musings:

Zzzz did I snooze through that? No but perhaps I should have.

I really liked the ending and I love HF that contains mystery letters leading the mc to the unknowns of the past.

Did I know anything of the Cold War before this? Nope. Do I want to learn more? Honestly…not really. It’s just so damn depressing and it’s important to remember but I’m just not interested.

This book made me depressed.

This is my fourth read by this author. A Shadow in Moscow made my Top Ten of 2023 and I’m sure this one will make my next Top Ten list. This book immediately grabbed my attention depicting the fear of a desperate mother as she shoved her three-year-old child over and through barbed wire towards her family to prevent the child from being raised in the increasingly oppressive regime in East Berlin. And that was just the prologue!

The audiobook is narrated by Saskia Maarleveld, Ann Marie Gideon and PJ Ochlan. They did a fabulous job giving life to the characters in this story. I was enthralled. I was glad that I had a digital copy of the text for name verification, but the publisher’s summary can aid with this as well.

The story alternates between dual timelines of the 1960s when the Berlin Wall was built and subsequent events and devastation the parents face with the loss of their child and 1989 when the child, Luisa, who was raised by her grandparents is now living in the US and working as a code breaker for the CIA.

From a young age, Luisa was taught by her grandfather how to work with codes. He would leave her codes to break to get her gifts on special occasions. This love for breaking codes leads to her working at the CIA, though her frustration with her stagnant position leaves her feeling like she’s not good enough. When a coworker shows her the project that she’s working on, Luisa recognizes a symbol in the letters and searches the family home for reference. What she finds is a secret that shockingly launches her into a harrowing adventure and revealing truths about what happened to her mother and her father, who wrote propaganda for the GDR sanctioned newspapers.

The growth and development of characters, especially Haris, was incredibly moving. There’s a moment when he talks about smiling and how it hurts that made me cry. I cried multiple times through this story from the prologue to the end. It really pulled at my heartstrings. I did find at times that switching between narrations, there was a little repetition, especially at the end of the story. However, the emotions attached to those events from a different character were all the more powerful for it, so I didn’t mind, but others may find it unnecessary.

Highly recommend this historical fiction story that covers a family affected by the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Muse for a copy provided for an honest review.

Berlin Letters is a great, pretty quick read about one woman's fast activation from deskbound CIA codebreaker to full-blown operative within a matter of days. Finding hidden letters between her presumed-dead father in East Germany and her recently deceased grandfather in DC, she's quickly thrust into the tumultuous late 80's time of changing politics and the last days of the Berlin Wall. The pacing is great and some characters are very notable and timely, like a group of extreme East German punks, a long lost training colleague and some seemingly neighborly neighbors. A great Trabant ride through time.

The Berlin Letters by Katherine Reay is an intriguing look at history through a unique generational perspective of the Berlin Wall — from both behind it for its duration and as seen from a Western perspective near its end in the 1980s. It is a story of family, reconciliation, and of truths surviving impossible circumstances.

Reay has done a fabulous job with historical detail and accuracy, as evidenced by the gripping narratives of Luisa and Haris and supported by her informative author’s note. The elements of freedom and life in the U.S. contrast with the determined and steadfast survival of those living in danger behind the wall. This juxtaposition combines with unfolding family secrets in Luisa’s life connected to ongoing CIA activities to pull the reader into a memorable story experience. For me, this book raises questions and curiosity about those who lived closely to these events and survived the atrocious conformity of communism.

I especially enjoyed the audiobook production and the emotions the narrators lent to the story, enriching the experience with German accents and inflections.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the audiobook copy. This is my honest review.

Cold War-era Germany is a chapter of history that I didn't know much about, so I found this novel to be really interesting. Louisa is a strong main character who's very intelligent and likable, and I enjoyed getting to know her. Her narration was so well done.

This book felt a bit longer than I cared for. I normally listen to audiobooks at 1.25x, but I listened to most of this one at 1x because of the accents and wealth of information.