In the Garden of Beasts

Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin

By: Erik Larson

Narrated by: Stephen Hoye

Length: 12 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

Erik Larson has been widely acclaimed as a master of narrative non-fiction, and in his new book, the best-selling 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 listenable 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.

©2011 Stephen Hoye (P)2011 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"In this mesmerizing portrait of the Nazi capital, Larson plumbs a far more diabolical urban cauldron than in his bestselling The Devil in the White City... a vivid, atmospheric panorama of the Third Reich and its leaders, including murderous Nazi factional infighting, through the accretion of small crimes and petty thuggery." ( Publishers Weekly)

"By far his best and most enthralling work of novelistic history….Powerful, poignant…a transportingly true story." ( The New York Times)

"[L]ike slipping slowly into a nightmare, with logic perverted and morality upended….It all makes for a powerful, unsettling immediacy." (Bruce Handy, Vanity Fair)

Great Larson Novel

Great reader, good Lasron story. Not as good as Devil in the White as far as the story, but I did get a great sense for what it was like in 1933-1934 Germany and lead me to re-up on my history of the how such a terrible thing could happen.

Thank you to those who wrote letters, diaries,etc

The first thing I did after the listen was google Martha Dodd, the Ambassador's flighty, flirty daughter. Her social and sexual exploits bring flesh and blood to what could have been another dry, academic account of the rise of Nazism in Germany. Larson skillfully tells the story through letters, documents, diaries written by the protagonists and other real people who lived the events. In this era of instant communication, it's difficult to understand the naivete exhibited by the politicians and leaders when confronted on paper with the evidence of evil occurring in Berlin in the early thirties.
One thought, this story would not have been available if the Dodds had had email...wonder how many other great stories are lost to digital communication?

Great Historical 'Story'

While a bit dry in parts, the story as a whole was fascinating - an account if events that are noticably absent in school teachings.

Scary

Too many parallels to today's GOP! Will we ever learn from our past misdeeds? Scary!

Great listen!

Good book, but scary to see the similarities happening here in the. U.S. We should all understand our history and prevent these tragedies!

Informative and intriguing.

Fascinating to listen to. I have always be interested in WW 2 history and to hear about the facts leading up to the rise of Hitler from the perspective of an American witnessing it was great. And the side story of Martha added to it.

Not as enjoyable as previous work

As with many others, I assume, I purchased this based upon his previous work, Devil in the White City. Unfortunately, this did not live up to expectations. I'd simply say that the topic was not as worthy of the effort. I appreciated hearing of the challenges of Ambassador Dodd and his daughter, but there was very little intrigue or plot development. A challenging post during a challenging time, but I was left a little blah by the book.

Another Thrilling Work by Larson

Erik Larson writes for history buffs and nonhistorians alike. He gives his reader a fascinating look at the many historical figures that are at the heart of an event. His works are always engaging from start to finish, and this book is no exception..Great work by the narrator as well. Highly recommended, especially now.

What If. . .

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would highly recommend this book to friends - and have - because it shows the possible results of a world that is unwilling to provide leadership, encouragement and support to those who oppose the emergence of a transparently tyrannical and increasingly brutal bigot who is step by step, taking over a country. History has shown time and again that you cannot negotiate with such people and appeasement certainly doesn't work.
What If - other countries/world leaders had provided support, or even encouragement to those within Germany who opposed Hitler in 1934? What If - Western leadership, which understandably was weary of war, had recognized that the only way to avoid war was to stop this war mongering despot who was relentlessly developing a war machine and a national will to war that could only mean one thing.
What If - the world today existed after a little known, poorly educated, finatical bigot and minor figure named Adolf Hitler, fell victom to a coup in 1934. . .
I found myself hoping for this outcome even though the course of this history had already been written.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character was of course, Ambassador Dodd, who recognized the developing threat, but was unable to overcome the opposition of the elitist elements withing the foreign policy apparatus sufficient to make a difference.

What about Stephen Hoye’s performance did you like?

The performance was a little dry, through no fault of Mr. Hoye, but owing to the narrative nature of the book.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

It's a book that should be widely read. There are lessons to be learned and we should all try to decide how to apply these lessons to more recent developments in Iran, Syria, etc.

Great perspective on a dangerous time.

1933 through 1945 was such a fascinating time, and to see it through the eyes of firsthand witnesses was awesome. If you're a fan of history, World War II, or other similar topics, I would absolutely recommend this book!