Flowers from Berlin Audiobook By Noel Hynd cover art

Flowers from Berlin

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Flowers from Berlin

By: Noel Hynd
Narrated by: George Kuch
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About this listen

This 1985 espionage thriller follows FBI agent William Cochran's efforts to stop a Nazi spy from assassinating FDR. Toss in a love affair with a British Secret Service operative and you have the makings of a pause-resister.

It is 1939. Roosevelt is winding down his second term in the White House. The Nazis have taken Austria, and Stalin's Red Army is systematically eliminating the Kremlin's enemies. Europe is going to hell in a handbasket. With isolationist sentiment running high in America, and the president's popularity at an all-time low, Hitler seizes the moment and dispatches his secret weapon: An agent named "Siegfried" who conceals himself behind the mask of middle-class America. A chameleon who can change identities and personalities at will. A cold-blooded killer who will win the war for Germany. A banker, linguist, and demolitions expert who has successfully infiltrated German intelligence, FBI Special Agent Thomas Cochrane is handpicked by Roosevelt for an impossible mission: to find Hitler's spy before he carries out a plan that will remove the president from office at a critical moment in the century's history. As Cochrane, with the help of British Intelligence agent Laura Worthington, circles closer to his elusive quarry, a spy with supporters in the highest levels of U.S. government readies the world stage for a final act of annihilation that will alter the tide of war - and the future of the free world - in unthinkable ways.

©2011 Noel Hynd (P)2014 Noel Hynd
Espionage Political Fiction War Imperialism Roosevelt Family
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Critic reviews

"Complex in characterization, crisp in dialogue, and thorough in its background." ( Library Journal

What listeners say about Flowers from Berlin

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Life Comes To History

A truly fascinating story. The group of characters herein bring life to history as so few books ever have. This is a profound "rest of the story" presentation. An invigorating way to spend an evening or two.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good not great.

The story line is very uneven and does not flow well. The narrater is not a bad reader but is not well versed in English. He very much needs to expand his pronunciation. Wilkes bar? Wan to rhyme with van.
This book suffers from poor editing.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Slow to Start But Builds Steam as is Goes

The story starts off a little slow as characters are built and story lines are established but once you get into the meat of the story, it turns into a nice WWII espionage tale. FBI, British SAS, NAZI's all mixed into a tale of intrigue. This is one of those stories for a winters afternoon when you want to get lost in a good book to forget the cold gray day outside.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Ok story...

But a terrible narrator whose mispronunciations are jarring. A bit preachy and simplistic but still inter.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A truly great piece of historical fiction

Having always been intrigued by the second world war, this novel was a treat to finish. The story is powerful and fascinating. The what-ifs left me speechless. The narration was good, but it was the story, the thoughts and ideas that people had in the years leading up to the US involvement, that captivated me. Yes, it is a story of espionage, but it is so much more. A must read in my opinion.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Pronunciation problems

You'd expect the narrator of a book named "Flowers from Berlin" to have a basic understanding of German pronunciation. In fact, it's probably safe to say that most educated English speakers know that the German letter w is pronounced like an English v. So there's little excuse for the narrator's constant repetition of "ab-whar" (for abwehr) or "where-mak" (for wehrmacht). Frequent mispronunciations of English words ("panalopy" for panoply, "nonpulsed" for nonplused, "obstensibly" for ostensibly) also distract from the story. Doesn't the publisher have an editor?

The story itself is okay as a routine spy thriller but isn't top-drawer.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Terrific Nazi Spy Novel

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

Yes.

Any additional comments?

But spoiled by a terrible reader. Not does he mispronounce the German words, he can't even pronounce the English ones (paradigm, allay, etc.). And he can't put the emphasis on the right word either. Then there's the grating Brooklyn accent.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Great WWII Story, Historical Fiction.......

Mixes well with actual events and characters such Admiral Canaris and the Abwehr. Went into it with no expectations and really enjoyed the story, well told with numerous subplots some more fast paced than others.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Poor flow.

Confusing - too long. Story skipped about too much. Poor continuity. Character development was very weak.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Disappointing

Would you try another book from Noel Hynd and/or George Kuch?

I'm afraid not.

What could Noel Hynd have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Well, he would have to become a more mature writer: develop his characters more fully, not resort to packaged dialogue

Would you be willing to try another one of George Kuch’s performances?

No. He has no idea of pronunciation: panoply is read as "panopily"; the Abwehr (naval intelligence service in Nazi Germnany) is pronounced in English.

Any additional comments?

The plot and the general idea for the novel are pretty interesting, the only thing that kept me going.

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