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)

Riveting

Yet another enthralling masterpiece by the master, ErikLarson. and on to The Devil in the White City!

Unique Historical View of the world ignoring Nazi threat

Insightful view into the rise of the Nazi regime by an American family living in Berlin who had the unique duty to interact socially and politically with Hitler and his top officials.

The fatal flaw.

Enjoyed getting an inside perspective into history. Why do we always wait until it's too late?

Very Informing and Entertaining

This is a very detailed accounting of the arising of one of the greatest villains in history.

good book if you want a light listen of 1940s war

good book if you want a light listen of 1940s war time focused on the events around Hitler.

Thrilling story with a stunning narrator

I loved the story, the reader, and the content. Erik Larson never disappoints. I have read this at least twice, but possibly more

Well Written, but

The story is well written, though not at the same level as Devil in the White City. The Audible performance is well done. However, it is difficult to care for the two main characters. As a historical book, I understand the people are who they are. And yet, let’s just say it was the history that pulled me through this novel rather than any compelling interest in the Ambassador and his family.

Excellent!

My 4th Erik Larson book and this one did not disappoint. He’s just so talented at making history come alive in story form. I learned quite a bit about what it was like in Germany soon after Hitler became Chancellor. So many people, from all countries, we’re simply in denial early on. It’s just a fascinating book built around the perspective of US Ambassador to Germany William Dodd and his promiscuous daughter Martha.

Intriguing and Chilling…a Warning for our Modern Era

Excellent vocal performance, I was hooked from the start. Such a sad window into a pivotal time in world history, containing many lessons we still refuse to learn… It was a very compelling way to teach history through a story-based narrative. Highly recommended.

It was OK.

I thought the story would have more tension considering the premise. It was meh.