Stars for BERLIN

Imagine Berlin, a city of fragments and ghosts, a metropolis that inspired countless artists and witnessed uncountable murders. Imagine the most arrogant capital of Europe devastated by Allied bombs, then divided by a Wall. Imagine it reunited and reborn as one of the creative centers of the world.

Rory MacLean takes readers through all that history in BERLIN: Portrait of a City Through the Centuries. Told through the biographies of 23 Berliners who conceived and created the new capital of Europe over five centuries, BERLIN is immersive history that’s receiving outstanding reviews:

“…[MacLean’s] careful arrangement of detail and far-reaching scope make for a perfect description of one of Europe’s most enigmatic and controversial cities…Maclean brings this ‘city of fragments and ghosts,’ with its fractured and volatile past, to life.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review

“As their stories weave into one, patterns and commonalities emerge, and the reader, too, is invited to inhabit Berlin with them, taking part as the city ‘reinvents itself, reconciling a mythic idea of itself with its bitter, bloody, buoyant past.’ The result is sprawling, experimental, and in certain moments, ungainly but also deeply enthralling, much like the city itself.” — Booklist, starred review

“The mix of historical fiction, nonfiction, and personal narrative will…engage readers who welcome MacLean’s use of different writing forms to propel the account.” — Library Journal
BERLIN will be available from St. Martin’s Press on October 21, 2014.