“Larson is a marvelous writer...superb at creating characters with a few short strokes.”—New York Times Book Review Erik Larson has been widely acclaimed as a master of narrative non-fiction, and in his new book, the bestselling author of Devil in the White City turns his hand to a remarkable story set during Hitler’s rise to power. The time is 1933, the place, Berlin, when William E. Dodd becomes America’s first ambassador to Hitler’s Germany in a year that proved to be a turning point in history. A mild-mannered professor from Chicago, Dodd brings along his wife, son, and flamboyant daughter, Martha. At first Martha is entranced by the parties and pomp, and the handsome young men of the Third Reich with their infectious enthusiasm for restoring Germany to a position of world prominence. Enamored of the “New Germany,” she has one affair after another, including with the suprisingly honorable first chief of the Gestapo, Rudolf Diels. But as evidence of Jewish persecution mounts, confirmed by chilling first-person testimony, her father telegraphs his concerns to a largely indifferent State Department back home. Dodd watches with alarm as Jews are attacked, the press is censored, and drafts of frightening new laws begin to circulate. As that first year unfolds and the shadows deepen, the Dodds experience days full of excitement, intrigue, romance—and ultimately, horror, when a climactic spasm of violence and murder reveals Hitler’s true character and ruthless ambition. Suffused with the tense atmosphere of the period, and with unforgettable portraits of the bizarre Göring and the expectedly charming--yet wholly sinister--Goebbels, In the Garden of Beasts lends a stunning, eyewitness perspective on events as they unfold in real time, revealing an era of surprising nuance and complexity. The result is a dazzling, addictively readable work that speaks volumes about why the world did not recognize the grave threat posed by Hitler until Berlin, and Europe, were awash in blood and terror.
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"Germany in 1933-34 was a country on the brink. William Dodd became Roosevelt's reluctant ambassador to Germany. For a while he tried to stay optimistic about the changes Germany was undergoing but as repression and brutality increased, he became increasingly critical. Finally on June 30, 1934, the "Night of the Long Knives" when Hitler purged his government, it became clear what his intentions were and Dodd became more outspoken. It is sad how little he was backed by the State Dept. and how their only concern was Germany repaying its WWI debt. This book is a fascinating look at the rise of Hitler and the origins of World War II. With so many books written about the War itself, it is great to see a book on the run up to the war and learn the back story."
— Scott (4 out of 5 stars)
" Erik Larson's "In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family" appears to be an historically accurate description of a short period of time in Germany during which Adolph Hitler consolidated his authority and began his reign of terror and brutality. It helps to understand how a well-educated, not desperately poor citizenry joined in the lunacy of their government without much resistance and perhaps without much awareness of the monsters they were becoming. It is a chilling story and encourages some self-reflection on the society we are, ourselves, becoming. On my part, I find it almost incomprehensible that we have recently waged wars of choice on two undeveloped countries lasting, in the aggregate 25 years. We are paying the price with shortages of resources to educate our children but all so many in government care about is helping their wealthy sponsors accumulate even more vast wealth. We are fortunate that no Hitler has risen to lead us while we wonder around in this wilderness. "
— Harvey, 2/6/2014" Enjoyed the book however prefered Devil in the White City. "
— Lucie, 2/5/2014" By turns a charming, horrifying, and illuminating view of the rise of Hitler through the lens of a curious old school Yankee professor and his vivacious free spirit daughter. Exceptional novelistic history. "
— Rom, 1/13/2014" I liked the book, very interesting to see what Germany was like pre hitler and the denial from the USA. "
— Adenarn, 12/19/2013" It seems I am one of very few who was absolutely bored by this book. I had very high hopes. Having read Devil in the White City, I fully expected a well-researched, detailed, utterly thrilling narrative about the Dodds' experience in Berlin and the rise of the Nazi regime. True on all but one account, and unfortunately, that is the one that keeps readers going for 364 pages of story. Overall, the book was simply not thrilling. Interesting at times, but not thrilling. True to form, Larson did his homework. The research he underwent for this book is astonishing. One simply needs to read the nearly 100 pages of footnotes and Bibliography to see that. However, I feel that may have been to his detriment. At times, the book felt disjointed, disconnected from the overall purpose. Or what I believed to be the overall purpose. For two reasons. 1) It seems Larson was too moved by his own research that he felt ALL was necessary for inclusion. Too many times to count, I read a portion of the book and when finished I thought, 'Why is this even relevant?!' Several characters made appearances in the book so minor they were never mentioned again. And for what purpose? They didn't add to the story. In my opinion, they distracted. It seemed as if Larson thought all of his research was quite interesting and so readers would certainly find it interesting, as well. Unfortunately, I found it distracting and by the end of 364 pages of narrative, extremely annoying. 2) In addition to the unnecessary, was also the redundant. Martha was (extremely) promiscuous, we get it. Dodd was disliked and distrusted by members of the State Department, we get it. It was almost like a rollercoaster. The very interesting and intriguing, followed by the totally irrelevant, then the redundant, and back again. The book is called In the Garden of Beasts (a very cleaver title, I thought), so everything that was not specifically about the Dodds - with particular interest in the Ambassador - or their interactions with and/or relations to the Nazi party or the United States about the Nazi party, distracts from the purpose of the book. My favorite parts of the book followed the above theme. I found those instances quite interesting and enjoyable to read. I just wish Larson had stuck to that purpose. More about the 'beasts', less about Martha's dating life (unless it is with a 'beast', of course). Overall, I suppose I can say that I am glad I read it. It was a unique aspect of the overall World War II narrative. Unfortunately, I won't ever be excited enough to read it again or recommend it to others. "
— Lindsay, 12/18/2013" Erik Larson is a master at authoring historical fiction like "The Devil in the White City"- a five star book as well. But what he does best is provide such an extensive bibliography of research you wonder, what wasn't fact? All of that is irrelevant, however, when you begin "In the Garden of the Beasts..." because it is a page turner of the first order, and one of those books that you count the pages to the end, not to hurry, but to dawdle. "
— Mickeymu, 12/1/2013" Interesting read a bit like a text book. "
— Donna, 11/27/2013" After repeatedly hearing and reading the same standard version of how WWII erupted I found this to be a very refreshing perspective of it. Its definitely worth the casual read if you enjoy historical based writing. "
— Tiarae, 11/20/2013Erik Larson is the author of six previous national bestsellers—The Splendid and the Vile, Dead Wake, In the Garden of Beasts, Thunderstruck, The Devil in the White City, and Isaac’s Storm—which have collectively sold more than ten million copies. His books have been published in nearly twenty countries.
Stephen Hoye has worked as a professional actor in London and Los Angeles for more than thirty years. Trained at Boston University and the Guildhall in London, he has acted in television series and six feature films and has appeared in London’s West End. His audiobook narration has won him fifteen AudioFile Earphones Awards.