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Penguin
October 1999
On Sale: October 15, 1999
429 pages
ISBN: 1573227579
EAN: 9781573227575
Paperback
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Fiction
A New York Times Notable Book
A compelling, intelligent thriller that "places the reader in the vortex of the Cold War endgame in Eastern Europe...captivating." (New York Times Book Review).
One historic evening in November, Berlin erupts in giddy celebration as the Wall between East and West crumbles after twenty-eight long years. The borders have shifted. The rules have changed. But in this extraordinary novel--which follows a cast of men and women, spies and journalists, lovers and brothers, each caught up in the last days of the Cold War--triumph is accompanied by terror and freedom is laced with danger. From revelry in Berlin to riots in Prague, uneasiness in Budapest to uprising in Romania, this beautifully crafted thriller takes us back to a cataclysmic moment that changed our understanding of the world--and of ourselves.
* Includes a Readers Guide inside, as well as an exclusive interview in which John Marks addresses the political and social significance of the Wall
* Author's literary and journalistic talents combine to create a thriller that's both exciting and enlightening--filled with the authentic atmosphere gained from his five years in Berlin
* A "history lesson through fiction," a la Cold Mountain, Los Alamos, Memoirs of a Geisha, or An Instance of the Fingerpost
* Includes a map of central Europe and chronology of historic Cold War events
"Insightful...gripping...[Marks] manages to capture perfectly the heady mixture of hope and fear surrounding the collapse of the East German government in 1989."--Chicago Tribune
"A former Berlin bureau chief for U.S. News & World Report, Marks handles his involved story line with assurance. An intelligent, memorable and thoroughly engaging debut."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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