Alone in Berlin

By: Hans Fallada, Michael Hofmann - translator

Narrated by: John Telfer

Berlin, 1940. The city is paralysed by fear. But one man refuses to be scared. Otto, an ordinary German living in a shabby apartment block, tries to stay out of trouble under Nazi rule. But when he discovers his only son has been killed fighting at the front he's shocked into an extraordinary act of resistance and starts to drop anonymous postcards attacking Hitler across the city. If caught, he will be executed.

Soon this silent campaign comes to the attention of ambitious Gestapo inspector Escherich, and a murderous game of cat-and-mouse begins. Whoever loses, pays with their life.

Every Man Dies Alone was published in the UK as Alone in Berlin.

English edition copyright 2009 Melville House Publishing; Translation copyright 2009 Michael Hofmann.

©1994 Aufbau-Verlagsgruppe GmbH, Berlin (P)2010 Hachette Digital

Excellent story, masterful narration

Where does Alone in Berlin rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the best.

What did you like best about this story?

Its authenticity.

What about John Telfer’s performance did you like?

His voices.

If you could take any character from Alone in Berlin out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Probably the judge, Fromm.

Any additional comments?

A fascinating insight into the workings of Weimar Germany in all its facets of good and evil.

Fallada is a genius of the human soul

2nd time reading this masterpiece. John Telfer provides first-class narration that captures the spectrum of emotional color from despair and cruelty to ultimate redemption. One of the best tellings of the brutish inhuman corrupt regime of the nazis and those who risked everything to remain decent. A classic of world literature.

so very well written!!

Would you listen to Alone in Berlin again? Why?

yes! the characters are so interesting, complex, more real than you think at first, one gets involved in their lives...

What was one of the most memorable moments of Alone in Berlin?

The Krangles determenation and success in keeping their dignity to the very end!!

Screeching voice acting ruined the story.

I struggled to finish this book. The story itself was okay, though perhaps some of the finesse was lost in translation. I hated many of the characters due to the vocal performance. Way to much wailing, screeching, stunted word by word shouting and over the top character acting. The normal reading voice was good. I wonder if I would have liked it more if I'd read the book rather than listened to it.

What would I have done?

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I have already recommended this book to several friends.

What other book might you compare Alone in Berlin to and why?

Like Markus Zusaks The Book Thief it let's you know how germans experienced the second world war. Which is a refreshing perspective.

Any additional comments?

This is a chilling tale where you soon realize that everybody is keeping an eye on each other (neighbours, friends, colleagues, relatives) and the risk of being reported to the Gestapo is always there. And if the Gestapo has got a good look at you they will always find something missing, no matter who you are.
So I kept thinking when I read the book: What would I have done? And the sad thing is, I think the answere might be: Nothing. The whole atmospere is so scary, I suppose most people would just lower their head, hope to sneak under the radar and wish for the whole thing to be over as soon as possible so everybody could start living.