Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Focus, Harper Muse, for the free audiobook in exchange for my honest review. This is narrated by Saskia Maarleveld, Ann Marie Gideon, and P. J. Ochlan, all of whom do an exceptional job!!! I highly recommend the audio book if that is of interest to you.

I have not read many historical fiction novels about the day Russia permanently separated East Berlin from West Berlin with a solid concrete wall. The wall went up unexpectedly and instantaneously divided friends, families, employees, and even buildings. This is a well written and researched story that kept me on the edge of my seat.

Louisa discovers that her German grandparents fled East Berlin at the time the wall went up, and her mother passed her over the barbed wire fence in a selfless act to provide Louisa with freedom. Now living in America and working for the CIA as a code breaker, Louisa starts down the path of discovering that her grandfather was a spy and her father is still alive.

The story is told alternating between Louisa and Harris, her father. The dual-time, dual-narrated story starts down from the building of the wall to a daring rescue.

This is a fantastic, well written story that I highly recommend!!!

This book had me on edge the entire time. I couldn’t believe she was the daughter and that her father was indeed still alive. The cake story while hilarious I never thought it would lead to her discovering the letters. The fact that the CIA was able to get ahold of some of her grandfathers letter was crazy and that one small symbol not only tipped her off but lead her to be able to save her father. The fact that the wall fell at that perfect time and they were able to walk through to freedom was like the icing on the cake. The only thing I wish we would have gotten was the pregnant coworker I would have liked to know if she made it through labor and delivery smoothly.

I had not long turned 14 when the Berlin Wall came down to immense celebration, signalling the end of the cold war and a new era of peace in th world. It was such a momentus memory, that I was intrigued to listen to The Berlin Letters, written by Katherine Reay and narrated by Saskia Maarleveld, Ann Marie Gideon and P. J. Ochlan.

I remember learning about the divide in school, seeing the footage of people trying to cross the divide and not succeeding (I feel old saying this, but there was much less censorship for teens in the late 80s, especially when it came to learning about the two great wars and their ramifications

Ergo, I was intrigued to listen to this audiobook and I was not disappointed. The book begins when CIA code breaker Luisa Voekleris just 3 years old, and with her mother on the way to visit her mothers parents. However, on the way, their journey is barred by barbed wire and guards with guns. Overnight, Soviet leader Nikita Khruschev recommended to East Germany that it close off access between East and West Berlin on an ideological basis. On the night of August 12-13, 1961, East German soldiers laid down more than 30 miles of barbed wire barriers through the centre of Berlin. In a desperate act, Luisa's mother risks her life and passes Luisa over the barricade to Luisa's Grandfather, but cannot get over the barrier herself

Fast forward to Washington 1989, and Luisa is working as a code breaker when she discovers a cache of letters which leasds her to discover that her father is still alive and in prison in Germany. Not able to secure any assistance in the US, Luisa flies to West Germany to reunite with her father which is a significantly harder endeavour than she could have ever imagined

Beautifully written, honest, emotive and lyrical. A stunning novel that is very well researched andreflective of an essential part of global history and the impact it had on the people of Berlin

Thank you to Netgalley, HarperCollins Focus, Harper Muse, the author Katherine Reay and the narrators Saskia Maarleveld, Ann Marie Gideon and P. J. Ochlan for this outstanding ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinins are my own