The Oppermanns Audiobook By Lion Feuchtwanger cover art

The Oppermanns

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The Oppermanns

By: Lion Feuchtwanger
Narrated by: Remy Auberjonois, Joshua Cohen
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Written in real-time, as the Nazis consolidated their power over the winter of 1933, The Oppermanns captures the fall of Weimar Germany through the eyes of one bourgeois Jewish family, shocked and paralyzed by an ideology they cannot comprehend.

In the foment of Weimar-era Berlin, the Oppermann brothers represent tradition and stability. One brother oversees the furniture chain founded by their grandfather, one is an eminent surgeon, and one a respected critic. They are rich, cultured, liberal, and public-spirited, proud inheritors of the German Enlightenment. They don't see Hitler as a threat. Then, to their horror, the Nazis come to power, and the Oppermanns and their children are faced with the terrible decision of whether to adapt—if they can—flee or try to fight.

Written in 1933, nearly in real-time, The Oppermanns captures the day-to-day vertigo of watching a liberal democracy fall apart. As Joshua Cohen writes in his introduction to this new edition, it is "one of the last masterpieces of German-Jewish culture." Prescient and chilling, it has lost none of its power today.

Introduction read by Joshua Cohen.

©2023 Lion Feuchtwanger (P)2023 Podium Audio 20th Century Historical Fiction Jewish World Literature Fiction
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This is a beautifully written novel about the Nazi’s takeover of a seemingly civilized country and their destruction, with the cooperation of too many Germans, of a cultured and loyal Jewish minority.


The Barbarians Take Over

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I really enjoyed listening to this book.

I liked the contrast between the measured description of what was happening in Germany and the sensitive description of what the characters went through and felt, not to mention the painful tension between the love for the idea of Germany and the dismay for what Germany was turning in to.

I found the last part of the book less convincing and I don't think I understood why and what for the main character did what he did.
This last part seems to me a bit off and at odds with the rest of the book.

A beautiful chilling book

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Haunting depiction of the denial and realization creeping grip of nazi fascism experienced by wealth Berlin Jews in 1933

Haunting parallels to USA Today

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This is a very important story written in real time prior to WWII in Germany showing how a liberal democracy can be taken over by those who do not wish us well. Let this be a lesson to us all and wake up out of our complacency.

Important read to understand what is happening today

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Every one should listen or read this book in the first few months of the Trump administration. So much of the language and tactics of the current MAGA agenda are following the National Socialists as they came to power in 1931/32. Ultimately, fascism is insidious and incremental, sneaking into the consciousness of a people to fundamentally change how they think about others, Empathy is numbed; Compassion is ridiculed. A certain absurd rationality takes over that can explain away the most brutal behavior. We are right now about where Germany was in 1931. Beware. This book opens your eyes to how it happens.

Stunning warning to us all.

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The story, set in Germany as it descends into Hitler’s barbarism eerily resonates with today’s times.

Moving

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Excellent historical fiction that if not know can be repeated in todays world. I recommend it totally

Quality of the writing

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Very well translated, very well read, vivid portrayal of a moment in history we should all understand

Timely account of how difficult it is to understand and react to political change

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Brilliant, and scary and totally applicable to current events.
The author has an uncanny ability to get into people's minds.

Brilliant, and scary and totally applicable to current events.

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The novel The Oppermanns is wonderful, and its content is impressive. However, the performance of some characters in the audiobook is a bit hard to listen to due to affected voices that become irritating in certain passages. While the book itself is excellent, the audio performance could be improved for a more enjoyable experience.

Some voices are irritating

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