Nell Zink will never write the same book twice and Sister Europe is no exception to this rule. When I read what the book was about I was excited because I love books on Berlin. In fact I was in Berlin when I red the book. This book is short but packs a punch. Imagine being a celebrated author and you are being feted for all you have done for the world in Arabic literature. Then imagine nobody really wants to go to the event. Where are all your fans and friends? People do show up but it's a cast of characters that Zink brilliantly invites to her story and you'll have laugh out loud moments and serious ones too but more importantly you'll be enetertained. The characters include Princess name (my Gave) Demain, Livia and a dog named Toto to name a few. If your are looking for some escapism from this crazy world but don't want a 500 page book, than Sister Europe is just perfect. If you've never entered the world of Nell Zink this is the perfect book to start. We are lucky to have her!!! Thanks to Knopf and #netgalley for the read.

This will please Zink's fans even as it might baffle some readers. It's a character driven novel about a group of Berlin intellectuals (and a teen girls) who attend a literary award ceremony but the plot is slim. Each character has their chapter as it moves from the dinner until after. Some of this is philosophical, some prosaic, all of it is slightly satiric. The language is gorgeous. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. For fans of literary fiction.

Thank you Netgalley & Knopf Publishing for an eARC ♥️♥️♥️

The story that unfolded before me was a mesmerizing tale of Berlin's elite, gathered to honor a literary legend. But beneath the surface of champagne toasts and polite conversation, secrets and scandals simmered.
Naema, the princess-turned-patron, was a mysterious figure, her illness a clever disguise for the secrets she kept. Her grandson, Prince Radi, was a master of manipulation, orchestrating the evening's events with a calculating gaze.
As the guests arrived, each with their own hidden agenda, I found myself drawn into a world of intrigue and deception. Demian, the Berlin native with a heart of gold, was hiding secrets of his own. Livia, the wild child, was dancing with danger. And Toto, the American publisher, was chasing the next big thing – no matter the cost.
But it was Nicole, Demian's 15-year-old daughter, who stole the show. Her rebellious spirit was contagious, sparking a chain reaction of events that would leave me breathless.
As midnight struck, the group embarked on a wild ride through Berlin's underbelly. They danced with strangers, chased the sunrise, and uncovered secrets that would change them forever.
Nell Zink's prose was a revelation – a masterclass in seduction, weaving a tale that was both breathtaking and brutal. Berlin's midnight mirage had me questioning what was real and what was just a clever illusion.

Nell Zink's prose is always biting and clear, delving right into the heart of things as they really are. Sister Europe is no exception. Meandering from perspective to perspective, Sister Europe tells the tale of an underattended award ceremony for an author, being hosted by a minor royal in Germany. Absurd and inviting, we get a historical take on the rich people behaving badly trope. I'm not exactly sure what Zink is trying to acheive here but I enjoyed her writing nonetheless.

Sorry but this novel didn’t hold my attention. I have always been interested in reading from this author but I just couldn’t get into the plot/story. Her prose is very lovely and descriptive, but I was so confused by the absurd plot. The aristocratic storyline was a little too muddled for my taste. I will say the standout is the cover art. Might be the most beautiful cover I have ever seen laid eyes on.

In the novel, Sister Europe, we follow a diverse cast of characters through the course of one night. Each chapter jumps you to a different character as they begin the night at a literary award event and all the unexpected paths they will follow after leaving the event. All the characters were so well written and brought such interesting perspectives to the strange group of people pilgrimaging through the night. I thoroughly enjoyed the lyrical writing style of this book. I thought the book kind of lost some spark in the middle, but was able to turn it around with a very reflective ending.

The book centers around a group of mostly upper-class individuals who come together at a grand literary celebration, with chaos and drama unfolding later. One of my favorite tropes in literature and media is when an unlikely group of people shares space together, which is why I picked up this book. I expected something along the lines of Happy Hour by Marlowe Granados, which, though not groundbreaking, was fun and briskly paced. This book, while also briskly paced, didn’t feel fun at all, and ultimately fell short of those expectations. I want to note that this wasn’t due to the unlikable characters—I've never minded that in books before—but because the plot (or lack thereof) didn’t interest me, nor did the characters. They all came across as pretentious, frequently breaking off to talk about literature, history, and culture at any given moment. Maybe this was the point, but it didn’t captivate me in any way. There are books that handle this kind of intellectual discourse in much more interesting and nuanced ways, and still manage to captivate readers, even when they’re long and dense (e.g., The Idiot and Either/Or by Elif Batuman). The writing in this book does convey a strong sense of atmosphere, but at times, it felt overwritten, as if trying to mask the lack of other elements that would have made it a better book. While it does make some interesting points about class, wealth, race and the trans experience, those moments are few and far between. Ultimately, I don’t think I was the right audience for this book, and I didn’t enjoy it as much as I had thought I would.

(1.5 stars rounded up)

Thank you to Netgalley, the author (Nell Zink), and the publisher (Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Knopf) for an advanced copy. Thoughts and review are completely my own.

very interesting story. would recommend. i liked the characters and their interactions, and the idea was cool. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

My thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for an advance copy of this novel about a literary celebrations for in author, set in Berlin, that takes on a life of its own, in many different ways.

I have been reading books all my life, for a variety of reasons. Escapism of course, to learn new things about the world, and to learn the truth about the world, something that many people try to keep from us. I also read because I love the style of authors. I don't know when I started noticing how different authors made be interested in the stories they were telling. How they told the story, the use of dialogue, the use of narrative voice. I really don't know. Maybe it was classes in literature. I always had authors I looked forward to, but was it the characters, the familarity of the story, I have no idea. I do remember the first time I read Nell Zink, and being stunned by how good of a writer Zink was. I enjoyed both the story and how Zink told the story, and from there I was a fan. Sister Europe is Zink at her best, a story about a literary party, the people involved, their lives, and mistakes, all coming together as the party ends and the quest for more food begins.

Masud al-Huzeil is an author of note, and is being celebrated for his outstanding achievements in the field of excellence in Arabic Literature, at a gathering in Berlin. The party is being sponsored by the Princess Naema, who usually loves these kind of events but time and illness has made her not willing to travel outside of her home in France. Naema is also surprised to find that there are not many interested in attending the gathering, and asks Masud to invite as many people as he can. Masuad reaches out to his friend Demain, who invites his friends, Livia and her attack poodle, and Toto an ex-pat American how has found a home in Berlin. Toto is a publisher of small press biographies on rock stars, and in turn has invited a date a woman he calls the Fade, for the fact she has never actually attending anything Toto has invited her to. Instead offering elaborate tales of things coming up, or illness, that he enjoys hearing, far more than what her company might be. Added to this party is Nicole, Demain's daughter, who is going through a lot, including an afternoon pretending to be a sex worker. Which has attracted the attention of a nationalist cop with his own issues. Dogs are walked, stories are told, troubles are shared, and flirting is carried on as the party leaves the hotel, into a city where anything can happen, and does.

A short novel but one packed with a lot going on. Each character gets to tell their story through alternating chapters, talking about their lives, problems, thoughts and feelings. Each person is richly detailed, sometimes too much is told, but it all fits in with the story Zink is telling. Berlin the city is also a character, one dealing with the weight of its history, and it legacy, along with many of the characters. Zink has a distinct style, able to make one wonder, and laugh usually at the same time, than wonder if it is appropriate.

I enjoyed this story quite a bit. The characters are really well done, with a past that keeps occurring in the present, one that Zink really balances well with the others. Zink never does the same story twice and this is no exception. Fans will enjoy this, and for new readers this would be a good place to start with a truly exceptional writer.

Another clever, funny, and whip-smart novel from Nell Zink. Her latest follows a mismatched band of Berlin's Bourgeois as they journey through the city in pursuit of any destination. When an elderly princess finds that her gala honoring an Arab author will be poorly attended, she invites anyone she can to the event. Among these attendees are Demian, his baby trans daughter Nicole, the off-duty cop trailing Nicole who he's mistaken for a prostitute, Demian's best friend Toto, Toto's young internet date, the endlessly wealthy horndog Prince Radi, and Livia, a woman whose famiy wealth has its origins in the Third Reich, and her dog. The novel follows this group as they pass through Berlin's memorials to the victims of its dark history, a rave held in an abandoned subway tunnel, and Burger King.

The ultimately novel lacks teeth and any kind of consequence. It never fully leans into the absurd or provides an intimate, original look at Berlin. It's more Nell Zink for people, like myself, who love Zink's work, but is minor work compared Zink's previous novels.

Nell Zink is a master! Sister Europe is witty: even when it seems like it might be too on the nose, Zink finds a way to catch you off guard and make you laugh out loud.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy! This was a very well written one book (I really admire the author's prose). However, the book did not hold my attention in the way that I wanted it to. I really enjoy character driven books (and I don't need a plot to love a book) but unfortunately, I just couldn't connect to the characters. But that doesn't mean another person won't love this!

What a fun book! I read this in one sitting on a train ride. I feel like this was the perfect way to read this book as it tales the story of one night in the character's lives in Berlin. I highly recommend this novel if you are looking for a quick and enjoyable read.

Smart and delightful farce of upper crust Berlin arts and media people following a group of characters traipsing through the night of an under-attended literary awards dinner. Winsome, mordant, bouncing between acute character sketches that initially read satirical but belie a sense of gracious and wizened humanism about the modern condition and purgatorial afterparties.

Is there anyone more interesting then Nell Zink? This novel is just so precise.
SIster Europe features the wealthy class of Germany in a literary awards night followed by a celebration in the Berlin. Important and strange characters include the Royal Princess Naema and her adult grandson Radi. Naema is doing her best to ensure that her dinner for author Masud el-Huzeil is well attended. It's a dinner that she did not plan to attend herself so she has put a call out to potential attendees A cast of unusual and eclectic characters attend the event including a young transwoman and a very intelligent poodle named Fisti. Lots of discussion about gender, sex and class. Perfect for all Zink fans (and soon to be fans!) #knopfpantheonandanchor #sistereurope #nellzink