We're going to Berlin at the end of the year and I'm looking for a novel to get myself and my daughter (14 years old) excited about it. Well, not that we are not already excited but I'd love to start reading something to expand that excitement ;-)
I'd very much prefer something by an anglophone author. I don't want to read a translation. I'd rather read the original myself but my daughter can't read German well enough to enjoy a novel.
Any suggestions?
Browse this list, I'll leave it to mom to filter out those not suitable for a 14 year old (some are not suitable):
click here for fiction-Berlin
I didn't see Ian McEwan's "The Innocent" in the above listing. I believe that Bernard Schlink's "The Reader" is set in Berlin, but I'm not positive. While I don't censor my teen's reading, I would not encourage "The Reader." I think McEwan's would be fine. It may not be too interesting for her.
That's a tough age, isn't it? My kids usually resist what I suggest. And I cringe at them reading some stuff at 14 that I'm fine with at 16.
Karen,
I love everything by Bernhard Schlink - and went through great length to get the original German version instead of the English translation my friend recommended to me. It's become very popular high school reading material and is often used in exams at German schools.
Schlink has worked in Berlin for several years and is still living there but none of his novels is set there.
I highly recommend his trilogy with private investigator Self as the leading character. Some of the best mystery novels I've ever read.
Oh, I just read a bit about "The Innocent". That sounds quite interesting, especially since I watched the movie Link The Tunnel together with my kids - fastforwarding through one scene though.
My kids may read what I suggest - or not. But they will have a look at it. Especially on vacation where the available reading material is more limited.
I have just started to read, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold. The opening chapter is Checkpoint Charlie, or perhaps another Berlin checkpoint. I noticed that this book is on the list an earlier poster posted.
Is the book obsolete? I don't think so, it's history and not that long ago. Great stuff.
Chris asks about Checkpoint Charlie: yes, it's the checkpoint featured in the book and film. The original checkpoint was removed around 1990 and is now in a museum outside Berlin. A replica has been built and you can have your pic snapped with an actor dressed as an MP.
I went to the other Checkpoint Charlie Museum right in Berlin in 2007.
Either of the Checkpoint Charlie Museum would very much worth seeing. I was very moved by it.
Friedrichstrasse 43-45, Kreuzberg, Berlin, Germany
Shortlink: http://dplr.it/explore/ch41
"The Spy Who Came in From the Cold" is a great book!
I LOVE Berlin! You really have something to look forward too!
