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    Flight from Berlin: A Novel
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    Flight from Berlin: A Novel
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    Flight from Berlin: A Novel
    Ebook441 pages6 hours

    Flight from Berlin: A Novel

    By David John

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    A world-weary English reporter and a maverick American female Olympian find themselves caught in a lethal game between the Gestapo and British Secret Intelligence Service in David John’s spellbinding thriller Flight from Berlin.
     
    While traveling to Berlin on the Hindenburg to cover the 1936 Berlin Olympics, journalist Richard Denham meets socialite Eleanor Emerson, recently expelled from the U.S. swim team.
     
    Richard and Eleanor quickly discover the dark power of Hitler’s propaganda machine. Drawn together by danger and passion, Richard and Eleanor become involved in the high-stakes world of international intrigue must pull off a daring plan to survive the treachery of the Third Reich. But one wrong move could be their last.
     
    Flight from Berlin is a riveting story of love, courage, and betrayal that culminates in a breathtaking race against the forces of evil.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateJul 10, 2012
    ISBN9780062091604
    Unavailable
    Flight from Berlin: A Novel

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    Reviews for Flight from Berlin

    3.5/5

    37 ratings9 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      I was dubious about this book when I read that it was by a first-time author and it featured a mix of wholly fictional characters, fictional characters based on historical characters (like Olympians Eleanor Holm and Helene Mayer), and historical characters (like the U.S. Ambassador Dodd and his daughter, Martha, and U.S. Olympian Louis Zamperini). I worried that this would be a formulaic book, borrowing hugely from the recent bestsellers In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin (about the Dodds) and Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption (about Zamperini). My concern was misplaced, at least partly. The real historical characters are bit players and both kinds of fictional characters are brought to life by David John.The book *is* formulaic, but mostly in a good way. It's a straight-ahead espionage thriller, with American and British good guys running around trying to outwit evil Nazis. It has a cinematic style, meaning plenty of flashy action sequences and dramatic scenes, and not a lot of deep thoughts. It isn't the kind of book I'd want to read exclusively, but it's a good palate cleanser between heavier fare.The story begins right before the 1936 Berlin Olympics, with previous gold-medal swimmer Eleanor Emerson learning she's been chosen to compete for the United States. Eleanor is a privileged young woman, daughter of a United States Senator. But she's no snob. She occasionally sings in a dance band and enjoys drinking, smoking and nightlife. Her background and predilections make for immediate conflict with Avery Brundage, head of the American Olympic team and a real martinet. When Eleanor flouts his rules once too often, he kicks her off the team and orders her home. But she's made herself popular with the press traveling aboard ship and is quickly named an Olympics correspondent.Once in Berlin, she meets British reporter Richard Denham. In classic Hollywood movie style, they clash and then come together. They become involved in the story of Hannah Liebermann, a world-class fencer who is the sole Jewish member of the German Olympic delegation and, separately, a mysterious dossier that the Nazis are desperate to acquire.The action of the plot moves from the Olympic games to the streets and clubs of Berlin, a party at the home of notorious Nazi propaganda chief Josef Goebbels, the famed Tiergarten and, most spectacularly, the zeppelin Hindenburg. Author David John sets believable scenes and populates them with lively characters, propelled along by a well-paced plot. My only real problem with the book is that John bases the dossier plot on a bit of historical speculation by a few historians that left a bad taste in my mouth and that may be offensive to some readers.I've read a couple of other recent novels also set at the 1936 Berlin Olympics: Rebecca Cantrell's A Game of Lies (Hannah Vogel) and Frank Deford's Bliss, Remembered. Flight from Berlin compares favorably to both of those books.DISCLOSURE: I received a free review copy of this book.
    • 3/5
      Starting during the 1936 Berlin Olympics and taking place just pre-WWII, Flight From Berlin is a fascinating look at a pivotal time period as the world decides how to react to Nazi Germany. Almost by chance, an English reporter and a beautiful American athlete-turned-reporter receive information which could effect the outcome of that decision. They also become personally involved with a Jewish family who they hope to help escape.There were parts of this book I liked a lot and parts I really didn’t. I think one reason for that was the somewhat uneven pacing. Events start slowly, then there’s a lot of action, then a kind of boring lull followed by some very exciting action. The initial dialog also felt a little choppy and unbelievable to me, although I’m not sure if that changed because the dialog really improved or if my initial problems were simply part of the process of starting a new book. One thing that was well done from the very beginning was the creation of atmosphere. The author never just spells out the fact that there is both rising fear and fanaticism lurking beneath the surface of German society, but little events do a lot to convey that impression. It was both very cool and very creepy to get a feel for what that time might have been like.The other strong point of this book was the author’s ability to build an awesome story so tightly tied to historical events and speculation that it very nearly could have happened. The use of real people for even some of the more minor characters appealed to me a lot. It made the book more exciting and believable to google the names of even minor characters and find out they were real! I also liked how much information was available at the end of the book, explaining which characters were real and which just modeled on real people, as well as identifying plot elements based on speculation by historians.There were just two things which I think kept this from being up there with Tom Clancy novels for me. First, while the action scenes were incredible without being over the top, there were some lulls which made the plot drag a little. And second, I didn’t think the information everyone was trying to get their hands on was all it was cracked up to be. After the build up, learning the contents of the dossier seemed like kind of a let down. As a result, all of the attempts to control the contents felt less urgent. Finally, I think it’s worth mentioning that this was at times a pretty violent book. The violence was never described graphically, but it was still quite brutal and was just this side of being too much for me.
    • 5/5
      superb i will give 5 star
    • 3/5
      Flight From Berlin is a fast-paced historical thriller centering around the 1936 Berlin Olympics and a mysterious secret dossier with dangerous information from Hitler's past. Olympic swimmer Eleanor Emerson and reporter Richard Denham are unlikely heroes and unlikely companions in this adventure, but they are likable characters whose passion for each other and for doing the right thing truly make this an enjoyable read. Although some of the events in the novel become increasingly implausible as the plot unfolds, this page-turner will appeal to fans of authors such as Dan Brown. David John's skillful interweaving of historical fact and fiction is reminiscent of Dan Fesperman's The Armsmaker of Berlin, another historical thriller dealing with Nazi Germany.
    • 4/5
      I was dubious about this book when I read that it was by a first-time author and it featured a mix of wholly fictional characters, fictional characters based on historical characters (like Olympians Eleanor Holm and Helene Mayer), and historical characters (like the U.S. Ambassador Dodd and his daughter, Martha, and U.S. Olympian Louis Zamperini). I worried that this would be a formulaic book, borrowing hugely from the recent bestsellers In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin (about the Dodds) and Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption (about Zamperini). My concern was misplaced, at least partly. The real historical characters are bit players and both kinds of fictional characters are brought to life by David John.The book *is* formulaic, but mostly in a good way. It's a straight-ahead espionage thriller, with American and British good guys running around trying to outwit evil Nazis. It has a cinematic style, meaning plenty of flashy action sequences and dramatic scenes, and not a lot of deep thoughts. It isn't the kind of book I'd want to read exclusively, but it's a good palate cleanser between heavier fare.The story begins right before the 1936 Berlin Olympics, with previous gold-medal swimmer Eleanor Emerson learning she's been chosen to compete for the United States. Eleanor is a privileged young woman, daughter of a United States Senator. But she's no snob. She occasionally sings in a dance band and enjoys drinking, smoking and nightlife. Her background and predilections make for immediate conflict with Avery Brundage, head of the American Olympic team and a real martinet. When Eleanor flouts his rules once too often, he kicks her off the team and orders her home. But she's made herself popular with the press traveling aboard ship and is quickly named an Olympics correspondent.Once in Berlin, she meets British reporter Richard Denham. In classic Hollywood movie style, they clash and then come together. They become involved in the story of Hannah Liebermann, a world-class fencer who is the sole Jewish member of the German Olympic delegation and, separately, a mysterious dossier that the Nazis are desperate to acquire.The action of the plot moves from the Olympic games to the streets and clubs of Berlin, a party at the home of notorious Nazi propaganda chief Josef Goebbels, the famed Tiergarten and, most spectacularly, the zeppelin Hindenburg. Author David John sets believable scenes and populates them with lively characters, propelled along by a well-paced plot. My only real problem with the book is that John bases the dossier plot on a bit of historical speculation by a few historians that left a bad taste in my mouth and that may be offensive to some readers.I've read a couple of other recent novels also set at the 1936 Berlin Olympics: Rebecca Cantrell's A Game of Lies (Hannah Vogel) and Frank Deford's Bliss, Remembered. Flight from Berlin compares favorably to both of those books.DISCLOSURE: I received a free review copy of this book.
    • 4/5
      Europe during the rise of Nazi power has long captured our collective imaginations. In Flight from Berlin, David John takes us to Nazi Germany during the 1936 Olympics. The story unfolds from the points of view of two unlikely heroes, British journalist Richard Denham and privileged Olympic athlete Eleanor Emerson. Richard Denham is a British journalist living in Berlin well acquainted with the changes in Germany. During a reporting assignment about travel on the Hindenburg, Denham meets Friedrich Christian a gay actor with a fondness for the counterculture of old Berlin with its warm boys and hot jazz. As Denham and Christian talk about the changes in Germany, we get a fuller sense of the openness of the Weimar Republic and how this has suddenly changed as Hitler and the Nazi Party have cracked down on the "undesirables". While Denham clearly disagrees with the Nazi agenda, he hadn't planned on getting involved in German politics. The growing cruelty and attacks on innocents grates on Denham and it seems clear that he won't be able to remain neutral. Somehow, either through his friends or his enemies, Denham attracts attention. Eleanor Emerson comes to the same place through a different route. At the start of the novel, Eleanor Emerson is far from political. When her father, Senator Emerson, suggests that she refuse to participate because sending athletes "will be condoning, lending respectability to the most iniquitous, the most unconscionable regime..." she shakes him off. Eleanor has worked hard for the chance to compete and fully intends to do so. Her Park Avenue pedigree and high spirits get her into deep trouble and put her in the position of seeing the Olympics in another light. As Eleanor learns of how the German organizers have removed and threatened Jewish athletes, Eleanor finds herself getting personally involved. Denham and Emerson meet at a society event and they connect. When they cover the Berlin Olympics, they meet Jewish fencer Hannah Liebermann. As Denham and Emerson learn how the Liebermanns are treated, their sense of fairness leads them to take matters into their own hands - and opens up a world of danger. David John's Flight from Berlin is well researched and complex - a fun, fascinating read.ISBN-10: 0062091565 - Hardcover $24.99Publisher: Harper (July 10, 2012), 384 pages. Review copy courtesy of the Amazon Vine Program and the publisher.
    • 4/5
      Great thriller, detective novel involving a somewhat spoiled American heroine who joins forces with a foreign correspondent as they tangle with the Gestapo and British spies at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.Gold medal-winning swimmer Eleanor Emerson is dismissed from the U.S. team before the ship even reaches Germany due to drinking and partying on board. Fortunately, due to her connections, she gets a job covering the Olympics as a journalist. Eventually, she meets British journalist Richard Denham. Denham soon finds himself unknowingly involved in an undercover plot to reveal secrets of Hitler's past.Throw in a missing dossier with the secret that could topple the Reich along with a host of real life characters making cameo appearances and it makes for one superb read that climaxes with an escape via the Hindenburg Zeppelin.The build up of the missing dossier starts out slowly. However, it was so interesting to just read about the Berlin games, I was completely riveted to the story from the beginning. I was fascinated by the real life characters and background of the games. The characters were great and I am hoping that the author continues the story of Richard and Eleanor.
    • 4/5
      Berlin, 1936. The Olympics are underway and all eyes are on Hitler’s Germany. The Nazi propaganda machine has hidden its brutality from view, but there are those who still recognise the veiled terror. Eleanor Emerson, expelled from the US swim team, meets up with Richard Denham, a British journalist. Together, they learn that Berlin is center stage for more than just the Olympics. They find themselves in the middle of a very different kind of game, this one between the Gestapo and The British Secret Intelligence Service. There is a secret document that threatens to bring down the Third Reich, and Hitler's men want to get it before it is handed over to the SIS... by any means necessary.Eleanor is a feisty young woman with a rebellious streak. Being quite the socialite, she gets herself kicked off the Olympic team en route to Berlin for partying a bit too hard. Her lines are fantastic and full of wit. She is a strong, likeable character. The same can be said for Denham, the cynical journalist determined to report the truth. He, too, is very well drawn. We get a great sense of how he values both his profession and his fellow man. All of the good guys stand out in their own way, in fact. For that bad guys, though, I was more likely to get them confused. They get a bit muddled, but I got them straightened out in the end.The historical backdrop is phenomenal! So many real people and events are wonderfully woven into the story. The Olympics is the obvious, but the Hindenburg is also written in. Even the Wallis Simpson scandal gets a mention. Berlin itself comes to life. It’s easy to imagine what things were like back then, with the city being cleaned up to show a “nice” face to the world.My main criticism, and the thing that really knocked the rating down a star, is the ending. I saw it coming pretty early on and spent the rest of the book hoping I was wrong. It’s just pretty predictable and...safe. It wraps the story up neatly and reconciles the book with actual events, but after such an exciting story I found myself wanting something radically different. Something that rewrote history entirely. Still, Flight From Berlin is a well written historical thriller. A must-read for anyone interested in this time in history, and great for fans of thrillers as well![Full Disclosure: I won this book through Goodreads First Reads.]
    • 4/5
      A fascinating story set in Germany during the years leading up to World War II. Bounded by the spectacle of the 1936 Olympic games, the beauty and grandeur of the Hindenburg zeppelin, and the horror of the plight of the Jewish people trapped in Germany. Hitler and the Nazi regime intended to use the Olympics for propaganda purposes. They hoped to show the supposed superiority of the Germans, while hiding from the world the truth about the the regime's atrocities. The author mixes into this the story of Eleanor Emerson, a wealthy socialite who wins a place on the U. S. Olympic swim team. She had already won a gold medal at the previous Olympic games. Her cavalier attitude, smoking, and drinking combined with a marriage on the rocks all are leading her to lose her chance to compete again. Even if she can't compete, she is determined to go to the Olympics and secures a job as a news correspondent covering the games. Richard Denham is a seasoned British journalist who sells his stories to both British and American papers. A veteran of World War I, he has seen his share of war and suffering. When Eleanor and Richard first meet at a publicity function in Berlin, there is an instant attraction. Their relationship is intertwined with intrigue as Richard becomes involved with the British Secret Intelligence Service agents. They want to recruit him to secure a dossier from inside Germany, which contains papers that could have a devastating effect on Hitler's regime if they come to light. Suspense and intrigue are the driving forces behind this exciting tale. Eleanor and Richard's love story is played against the backdrop of a world on the brink of war. A very captivating first novel by an author we hope to hear more from soon. Book provided for review by Amazon vine.