BERLIN: Uprising

Berlin: Uprising is a story of Berlin post war. Tension is high. The city is no place to live for sure. It's dangerous at every turn. The author obviously researched this book. I felt the authenticity of the time period in the narrative. I learned so much from reading this book. Excellent descriptions and characters. It's a great rendering of a city in turmoil. I recommend if you want to learn more about this time period. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

The author did a brilliant job of capturing the time period in this novel. The characters and plot were also well written. This was a great piece of historical fiction!

Intriguing if too-short tale about a family living in Berlin, post-war.

The father, Klaus Schultz is imprisoned along with many other German POWS in a Russian gulag; the existence of which is denied by both Russian and German authorities at the end of the war. He is with 2 friends, the 3 of them having been betrayed by a comrade, to the Russians. The story follows Klaus’ wife and 2 children who are living in post-war Berlin, as it is being carved up among the ‘victors’. The family do not know if Klaus has survived the war.

Berlin workers on the Soviet side of Berlin are meeting to try and keep the work quotas (which increase week on week), to acceptable levels; people are starving. But soon these meetings are subject to scrutiny and manipulation. Meanwhile on the other side of Russia, life in the mine at the gulag is as harsh and dangerous as it gets – the friends realise the only way to survive it is for one of them to make the attempt to escape across the frozen wastes – and to let people know these camps even exist!

A good tale, but I felt I wanted much more detail and background to the story. The story is great but one conversation about what the Russians did when they entered Berlin is not enough for a husband and wife to have closure and acceptance over it! Lots of emotional stuff was glossed over at the expense of the thundering story – this could be viewed as a positive by many readers (it’s VERY exciting towards the end). A good read, but not enough detail for me personally.

Paul Grant's Schultz Family Trilogy goes from strength to strength.

After reading his debut book "Caught in the Mousetrap" I was hooked by the characters and also the great descriptions of the environment.

The final book in the trilogy is set in Berlin in the early 1950s as East Germany is racked by unrest and German soldiers are still trickling back from the Soviet Union after being released from wartime captivity.

The author realistically captures the febrile atmosphere within the city as the political tensions ramp up and also the challenges of day to day life in a city still devastated from 6 years of war..

Grant has clearly done his research and fleshes out details of the city and his characters with easy to read, but punchy prose. He doesn’t put a foot wrong with his knowledge of the history and his eye for descriptive detail.

I’m sometimes wary of self-published work, but this is real quality with characters you care about and a pacey plot that keep you turning the pages. This is a well crafted thriller that delivers great insight into the 1950s East Germany and Berlin alongside a compelling story.

Surely this isn't the final episode?!

This is a tension-packed, thrilling read about post-war Berlin and the German POWs in Siberian camps. Although this is the last part of a trilogy, it can stand alone on its own merits.
The story centres on the Schultz family - father Klaus has been a prisoner for ten years, having become the focus of a vengeful Major who is intent on making him suffer.
Klaus' wife, Maria, has raised their two children alone, but at the same time looked after and stood up for others who were persecuted during that time. Her son, Ulrich, now a young man, has followed in his father's footsteps as a builder. But, Ulrich wants more for his co-workers, for his fellow Germans, and gets involved in many protest meetings, all planning for the big uprising.
The drama comes from every direction - from the dangers in the Siberian gold mines to the Stasi in East Berlin.
Secrets, plots and conspiracies blend well with the changing relationships of the main characters as they encounter warnings and betrayals, not knowing who to trust and who to fear.
An exciting read that had kept my attention throughout. I almost wish I'd read the previous two stories in the trilogy first.