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)

Informative and engaging

The different points od view and political stances help to understand why nobody did anything for so long.

I made it through to the end!

A tad dry, but this is Erik Larson. A tad hard to follow, as there are a lot of people whose names are thrown at you very quickly. Getting a list of people & their positions in front of you would be helpful. An interesting view of Germany not often told.

Great book

A book one can not forget. So relevant, so interesting. One can not let go of it. Highly recommended. The narration is also superb.
Chills went through my body as the unfolding of the events and the ways they where precepted, by the diplomats in nazi Germany is unbelievable and frightening.

Personal look into one of history's darkest times.

I was worried this would be another status quo book on the history of Nazi Germany, but was pleasantly surprised to find a personal story that completely sucked me in. The great writing really humanizes all of the characters and makes the point that they were all human, highlighting their stupidity and arrogance in even mundane things.

This is a rarely, if ever, seen view into the life of people who were first hand witness to the rise of the Third Reich and their struggle to glean meaning from the events of the time. A great read for anyone that's a fan of history.

Fascinating history

Not my favorite of Larson's books but still fascinating. And like so many books about pre-war Germany, startlingly familiar.

Horrible German accent of the narrator killed a good book

The narrator could not be bothered to learn German pronunciation. He is butchering the language and making it hard to enjoy an otherwise decent book. Shame on you Audible!

Entertaining and Informative

This outstanding book reads like a novel, but informs like a documentary. It's a gripping story, based on factual data and information telling the horrible story of Hitler's rise to power, while the world slept. Highly recommended!

Superb book, can't recommend it enough

Superbly writtem account of the rise of the Nazis told from the point of view of the US Ambassador and his daughter. A must read for anyone who wants to know how one of the most advanced nations on earth slid into Fascism....

Not Larson's best

I've been a big fan of Erik Larson, and was looking forward to this book. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. I realize that it's non-fiction so the content is somewhat inflexible, but the narrative just staggered forward with little drama. Combined with protagonist who were self-absorbed and mostly unlikable and you have a VERY tedious story.

A valuable read

Larson’s books are accounts of true events. Dodd’s experience in pre WWII Germany teaches a valuable lesson for our times.