A Woman in Berlin cover art

A Woman in Berlin

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options

A Woman in Berlin

By: uncredited
Narrated by: Diana Bishop
Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £11.48

Buy Now for £11.48

About this listen

Between April 20th and June 22nd of 1945 the anonymous author of A Woman in Berlin wrote about life within the falling city as it was sacked by the Russian Army. Fending off the boredom and deprivation of hiding, the author records her experiences, observations, and meditations in this stark and vivid diary. Accounts of the bombing, the rapes, the rationing of food, and the overwhelming terror of death are rendered in the dispassionate, though determinedly optimistic, prose of a woman fighting for survival amidst the horror and inhumanity of war.

©2002 Hannelore Marek, 2003 Eichborn Verlag AG, Frankfurt am Main, 2004 Antony Beevor - Introduction, 2004 Hans Magnus Enzensberger - Afterword, 2004 Philip Boehm - Translation (P)2006 Oakhill Publishing Heartfelt Thought-Provoking Inspiring War Russia
All stars
Most relevant

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

I chose this book after enjoying the Christopher Isherwood Berlin novels, I had some trepidation before actually starting it. But once I did I was gripped, knowing this was a true story made every character matter. I was I could not put it down and missed the heroine after I had finished reading.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The author is the heroine.

Which character – as performed by Diana Bishop – was your favourite?

Yes

Any additional comments?

This book deserves the widest possible audience.

Intelligent and inspiring book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
What could be a dreary and laborious book turns out to be captivating in the sense that it becomes almost addictive just to follow the main characters trials and sufferings and their determination to survive with as much dignity as could be sustained during this dark period of German history.

A chilling truth long suppressed

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Written in a way that displays a deadness of the soul after years at war and the realisation that she is now in unpredictable and fragile territory. It is an honest diary of events which excludes any indications of political affiliation or national pride but is purely depicting the harrowing plight of females surviving at the very end of WWII in Berlin.

The deep sense of survival and strength in overwhelming adversity.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

If you could sum up A Woman in Berlin in three words, what would they be?

Devastating, honest, powerful.

What did you like best about this story?

The clear almost matter of fact tone when recounting the horrors inflicted on defeated civilians, no histrionics, self pity or partisanship. There could never be any doubt that every word is true.

What about Diana Bishop’s performance did you like?

You could believe she was the author.

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

Yes

Any additional comments?

This might just be the best audio book I've ever bought.

Riveting.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A powerful account of experiences of the women in Berlin at the end of the war. The diarist writes with honesty and humour as she reveals the grim reality of life.

Diary of three months that changed life in Berlin

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews