Rating: 
Summary: A Disappointment
Review: . . . possibly because I made the mistake of believing the jacket puff that said this is what John Le Carre would have written about Berlin in 1945. It isn't even close. I was so looking forward to it -- Berlin just after the war, the Potsdam meeting, a man looking for the woman he loved. In Le Carre's hands, this would have been epic passion. In Kanon's, it came across as total self-indulgence. Perhaps this is because, although he's a journalist, he pretty much ignores the Potsdam Conference and the beginning of the Nuremburg trials.
We also meet a number of Germans who worked in various ways for the war effort and the Nazis, and Kanon tries to present them as people with real dilemmas -- there's even a woman who turned in Jews who did it to save her child. A real dilemma, a desperate situation -- and somehow in Kanon's hands they seem trite and self-justifying and hollow. See "A Small Death In Lisbon" for how to present an SS member's problems. All in all I'm glad I borrowed this and didn't buy it.
Rating: 
Summary: "In Berlin . . . there¿s always something worse"
Review: Bernie Teitel reminds Jake Geismar that the Berlin he's returned to in the opening days of the post-war era is a risky place. Jake has taken advantage of his life as a war-time correspondent to return to Berlin on dual assignments - one by a magazine to cover the Potsdam Conference, the other a self-imposed one to seek out a former lover. His quests are impaired by Berlin's condition. Security hampers the first and the city's devastation challenges the second. He overcomes the obstacles to the first only to find the body of a murdered American soldier - a discovery made yet more mysterious by the amount of money the corpse was carrying. Pursuing the story behind this killing leads Geismar through the rubble of Berlin - both physical and moral. Berlin, former Nazi capital, shattered by bombs and shells, ruled by four invading nations, rife with black-markets, inhabited by people struggling to survive, is nearly a character in its own right. The rendition of Geismar's story is presented in so compelling a manner that you feel every nuance of his frustrations and shocks. Every character seems to offer issues you feel compelled to offer a personal response. He confronts us with many of the fundamental questions. What's right and what's wrong? What is the true cost of survival under totalitarian regimes? How much would you sacrifice for friends or neighbours? Clearly, Kanon will accept no absolutes on these questions. There are countless "gray areas" and just when you feel you can cope with the questions, "there's always something worse." You are an outsider in the Berlin of 1946, but tomorrow it could be where you are now. The city's ruin is distressing to Jake as he hadn't seen the impact of "strategic bombing." The physical ruins, however, prove as nothing compared to the impact of Nazi policies on the populace. Jake discovers Nazis where he least expects them. Even worse, he learns an old friend was compelled to become a "greifer," a Jew who identifies other Jews for the Gestapo. Geismar is also confronted by the Allied wish to overlook the role of some Nazis in order to put them to use for scientific and commercial ends. Kanon leaves no stone unturned in his ambition to paint a vivid and accurate picture of post-war Berlin. He does a stunning job of it, without overwhelming the reader in irrelevant details. Jake finds his abandoned lover, perhaps the only implausible event in the book. It's a small matter, however, as Kanon flawlessly carries the reader along in his historical journey. Although the murder almost sinks from sight as Kanon develops his persona, it remains the key to many of Greismar's encounters. The solution to the murder brings all the elements together. Kanon does more than exhibit his abilities at historical research. He delves into human feelings in ways few "mystery" novels can achieve. As he leads Greismar through the tortured city he confronts new realities of life under the Nazis and Allied greed. Right and wrong are increasingly blurred. Kanon has achieved a new level in the "mystery" genre.
Rating: 
Summary: Atmospheric Drama
Review: The soap operatic whodunit/love story of THE GOOD GERMAN is entertaining enough, but the real gift of this author is his ability to recreate the atmosphere of Berlin at the end of WWII. He paints pictures with words that completely immerse you in the frightening, pathetic world in which his story is set. The story may drag at points, but his vivid descriptive passages are well worth a read.
Rating:
Summary: Twisted Thriller
Review: The end of World War II and the convergence of beliefs and philosophies in occupied Berlin still fascinate history buffs. Enemies became friends, and friends became enemies as the pendulum of power swung from fanatic Nazis to conspiratorial allies on the verge of cold war. Joseph Kanon takes this setting and creates a murder mystery that gives new insight into the reality of history through the experience of ordinary people. Through the lambrinth of espionage emerges tough choices and cynical trade offs that bring new meaning to the phrase: "Let the end justify the means." This story is a wake-up call to those blinded by naive patriotism. When do the vanguished become the victimizers? In today's war on terrorism, it is a question to be reconsidered through a historical perspective, and Kanon makes readers face the rhetoric.
Rating:
Summary: More Than a Mystery
Review: I found this novel to be fascinating from the start. The rich detail of Canon's language captured the utter devastation of post-war Berlin and brought me immediately into the heart of the story. "The Good Geman," as with most good novels, works on a variety of levels; this one has an amazing number of plots and characters: the mystery of who killed the soldier who washes up on the shore in the middle of the Potsdam Conference, at the very feet of the victors; the story of the American journalist and his married German lover, as well as her scientist husband (is he or is he not a Nazi?); the German Jew who turned her fellow Jews in to the SS to save her mother and her child; the myriad of personalities and stories, for better or worse, brought together because of war; the moral enigma involved in dividing the spoils of a devastated country whose defeat no one is sorry for; and the strange bedfellows which are formed and who are forced to deal with one another to effect the final victory. The roots of the Cold War are brought to the surface and revealed here, with Russians, Americans, British and Germans all playing a game of cat and mouse in an attempt to gain the upper hand. You get the sense that no one will win this one. From the desperate Germans who sell everything from their bodies to their dishes in order to survive, to the smug military men who have no qualms about buying whatever they want with their cigarettes, the people who populate this bleak landscape look with horror to the past and with trepidation to the future. I found the story sometimes confusing, so much detail and so many questions. But I stayed with it and was satisfied. An excellent effort. Asked many interesting questions that I am still thinking about. But I am fascinated by moral ambiguity and this novel is full of that.
Rating:
Summary: fantastic engrossing story in a unique fascinating setting
Review: It is hard to understand why some people panned this book. It is in such an interesting setting, the story line is tightly woven, and the writing superb. Those who said it was slow didn't appreciate the historical setting in which the novel takes place. One of the best books I've read in years. Once I got 1/3 of the way into it, I couldn't put it down.
Rating:
Summary: MORE THAN A THRILLER ...AN ALLEGORY FOR OUR TIMES
Review: This remarkable book did not make it to the bestseller lists because (I believe) the publisher did not position it properly. It was widely pushed as a murder mystery/love story. And yes, it is that and so much more. Others have gone over the plot so no need to dwell on that here.
The title is ironical. Who is the "good" German and how good is he really? And to what lengths will the Americans go to make him good? There are serious moral questions raised here and no easy answers. The book is well-paced and written and comes alive with fully-fleshed characters: the tough Schaeffer who cares only for the result, the tragic Renate who just tried to survive, but at what a cost, the missing Emil who becomes the "good" German...or does he?, the shrewd Gunther who finds something to live for after all...and so many more. This is a mature and confident work.
This is a book that can be read simply for the story line of the murder mystery and love story. Whodunnit and why? On that level alone, the book is quite satisfactory. However, there is a deeper, more visceral level. The questions of complicity with the nazis and of turning a blind eye to the monstrous evil the perpetrated are all here. These questions raised by Kanon seem especially relevant today. I will be looking for a copy of his earlier books.
Rating:
Summary: History and Mystery
Review: Kanon's The Good German has a slow start - designed to immerse the reader in the atmosphere of the Berlin of the early post-war months. It is July 1945, the time of the Potsdam Conference. Kanon' s ability to take you virtually by the hand and to lead you through a place is exemplary. Here, it is particularly dramatic: ruins, bombed out houses, roads blocked by rubble, empty spaces where, before, Berliners had lived - and where the protagonist himself had lived as a journalist. Jake Geismar, supposedly reporting on the Conference, is really in Berlin fulfilling a promise, a quest. Kanon's portrayal of Berlin is accurate - based on visits to the modern Berlin and his in depth research of the Berlin at the end of WWII and the changes since then. You could easily use it as a tour guide of a different kind. But of course, Berlin of 1945 is not the story. The story of the returning US journalist and his German girlfriend leads the reader like a red thread through the book. Her family is mixed in with the plot. The description of day-to-day life in difficult times gives the story reality and perspective. People do a lot just for a package of cigarettes. Jake's search for his love of the happier pre-war days through the ruins, the alleyways, is becoming increasingly desperate. Is she still alive? Where would she be? Finding an individual in those early post-war months in Germany was almost impossible; no records were available, the houses where they had lived often destroyed and no forwarding address - unless you were really lucky. The story unfolds slowly at first, a hushed-up murder, and several dead-end leads. But things turn out to be a lot more complex as you go: more deaths and threats, intrigue and false allies. And the tension grows. It is a thriller after all: a thriller with political messages as well as interesting character developments. In addition to Jake, the protagonist, and Lena, his girlfriend, we meet intriguing characters, in particular among the Germans. While the Russians dismantled factories, taking home whatever technology they could find, a special team from the US's occupying forces were rounding up the scientists and experts who designed the technology in the first place. The Russians realized the problem and tried to get in on the act. Would it work? So, who is the Good German? The events around the Potsdam Conference provide a useful backdrop. It fits the story well to observe the increasing tension between US and Soviet soldiers who easily turn to an exchange of gunfire to mask more sinister intentions. The context is the beginnings of the next war (the Cold War), at least in the minds of some US officials and military. Kanon's book is in a category of its own. More than a thriller and more than a romantic story, it is a skillfully put together account of a complex situation in a difficult moment of time. It is successful as "a good read" and as a chronicle of events that gives the reader food for thought and reflection.
Rating:
Summary: The Good German review
Review: I enjoyed the novel "The Good German" by Joseph Kanon very much. This book was very well written. It had a very catchy plot. There was never a dull moment in this book. The feeling of mystery was evident, as well as the dreary feeling of Berlin, Germany in 1945. From beginning to end this book was thrilling. Though there was some questionable language.
Rating: 
Summary: I Really Wanted To Like This Book
Review: The subject matter is fascinating, the time period unique...however the book itself was less than satisfying and more than a bit contrived. The author often lingers too long on things that don't matter and fails to fully expoit areas that would have made it a far richer read. In summary, if you are still interested in this book, take a look at the reviews from other readers who found it lacking. They articulate the weakness in detail.
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