In the Garden of Beasts Love Terror & an American Family in Hitlers Berlin

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Average customer rating 4.8 (10 comments)

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Who would think that a book about a maligned ambassador to pre-WWII Germany and his family would be of interest? History has not treated William Dodd well, and the events of the novel precede the of course fascinating, and so exhaustively documented, drama of the actual war period. Nevertheless, this is another wonderful effort from Erik Larson, who seems to excel at taking seemingly minor events, initially appearing unrelated, and weaving them into a well-told and engaging story. This tale will inform the reader of the evolution of cultural and societal changes in Germany as the leaders of that country moved it, and the world, toward WWII. This book sat on my bookshelf for too long before I ventured to start it; the best thing about the delay being that I've now realized he should be on my buy-as-soon-as-published list, and so next up is his recently released "Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania". Can't wait!

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Subtitled “Love, Terror, and an America Family in Hitler’s Berlin,” the love and terror in Erik Larson’s The Garden of Beasts is carefully muted and well-hidden, clinically observed through a historian’s eyes and the writings of the various characters. It’s fascinating to look at Hitler’s Germany from a different point of view as World War II approaches. But the reader is kept safely at arm’s length, as if watching a silent movie with solemn voice-over. The result is a powerful mix of the well-known and predictable with those small surprises and insights of individual lives. The US Ambassador Dodd is torn between a historian’s recognition of truths that must be slowly told and a politician’s need for instant words and instant responses. Seen as alternately weak and strong, he walks a fine line and annoys almost everyone, eventually destroying his career on a raft of good intentions. Meanwhile his daughter makes decisions based on feelings, while her emotions seem to rely on the whim of the moment. We know she’s in love because she hangs out with the same guy too much and her diary says she likes him. We know she’s not in love because she’s going out with someone else. Almost a distraction at the start of the book, her shifting relationships eventually reflect the shifting tides of public opinion, leaving her always a few steps to the side where it’s never quite safe. The “Jewish problem” is told unflinchingly, with honest recognition of glass houses on both sides of the pond. There’s a quiet recognition of how quickly society's acceptably wrong attitudes become vicious cruelty. Tolerance and good intentions blind many to what’s really going on. Fanaticism becomes something to be aspired to. Wrong becomes right if the purpose seems good. And surely no true leader should be swayed by the opinions of the rest of the world, or so they'd have us believe. The tragedy is well-known as familiar players take the stage. But the underlying fall of normalcy is what Erik Larson’s book makes so clear. The reader doesn’t enter into anybody’s lives, anymore than Dodd and his family entered into the lives of the German people when they traveled there. But we observe and we draw our own conclusions, hopefully ones that might help us see more clearly in the world of today. Genuinely, but not emotionally involving, The Garden of Beasts sheds light on the past and invites reflection on the present with clear historical research and quiet sympathy for Dodd, trapped on the border where beasts roamed free. Disclosure: We’re reading this for our book group.

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the reality of life. During Hitler's Berlin is vividly portrayed. ambassadors have to be careful even though this one takes chances in a time when no one escapes the scrutiny of the complex system of Berlin spies in wwII. Reading this book brought me into that time period with the safety of a spectator. Because It is clear that I would be scared to death to actually be there in person. There were many brave souls who show up in this book...prepared to be caught by a paranoid regime and their courage is striking

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I just started and finished this book. A very interesting account of pre-WW2 Berlin as told through the eyes of the US ambassador to Germany and his daughter. I thought it was going to be dry and a bit of a chore to plow through, but was pleasantly surprised. There were very few ZZZZZ moments and it really did a lot to help explain to me how the monster known as Hitler came to power. Highly recommended.

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This book is the fascinating story of the American ambassador to Germany living in Berlin on the eve on the Second World War. It was terrifying reading it in hindsight, knowing that the people that Ambassador Dodd was socializing with were the authors of World War II, the Holocaust and it's aftermath. It's a good story and well written.

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I'm a slow reader by nature. I'll start a book, read a little, put it down, return to it, rinse and repeat. This one was different. I've never come across a book that had the particular framework as this one: the story of an American family, transplanted to Germany, the father hastily appointed ambassador to Germany as Hitler's rise to power takes place. I finished it late into the evening of the second day, and can recommend it as a engrossing story of national events and family dynamics; it felt like the author was asking me, what would you do if you were in their place?

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This book really explained in detail how the horrors in Berlin were so misunderstood and under appreciated at the time. Everyone should read this book.

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In the Garden of Beasts provides a unique look at Berlin, Germany, and Hitler's rise to power in the 1930s. What would the world be like now if Europe and the US had responded differently and earlier to the rising violence?

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From the first chapter, Larson's intimate, lively history grips the reader and carries one along; it's an intriguing account of the life of Roosevelt's last choice of Germany's ambassador, brought naively into the disintegrating society. Rather than change Germany by polite historical reviews, the story shows the impact the unbelievable events have on the ambassador and his family. A MUST READ, even by readers who normally avoid history.

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An intimate look at Germany in the 30's through the eyes of our American ambassador and his high spirited daughter. Eric Larson gives you a compelling view of the sinister rise of Hitler and the third Reich through the diaries of the planspoken Ambassador Dodd and Martha his romantic, willfull daughter. The writer makes the history of that period come alive in this well researched and fascinating book. If you liked Larson's "The Devil in White City" you also will like this book!