Berlin

Starred review from November 1, 2018

Lutes's (Jar of Fools) magnum opus stands as a masterpiece on par with any work of literature in any genre, since he began the project more than two decades ago. Opening in 1928 and continuing into the early 1930s, the story tracks art students, jaded journalists, revolutionaries, politicians, beggars, the idle rich, prostitutes, an American jazz group navigating the nightclub scene, and more, as the liberal stronghold of the Weimar Republic gives way to extremism and fascism. More than mere lenses through which to view historic events, each of the characters is wonderfully developed and authentic. Meticulously researched and told with real compassion for how a society might fall under the control of a hateful regime, this is history as seen from the streets, through attic windows and salons, and the back of the crowd during a riot. VERDICT An extraordinary epic that will leave readers both heartbroken and in awe of the virtuosic talent that went into its creation. [See the interview with Lutes on p. 61].{amp}mdash;TB

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from October 15, 2018
Weimar Berlin, with its cultural vibrancy, sexual libertinism, and political turmoil, has inspired any number of acclaimed narratives by creators from Isherwood to Fassbinder. The completion of Berlin, which Lutes has been serializing for more than two decades, adds another formidable work to that list. The monumental graphic novel opens in 1928, with the fateful meeting of aspiring artist Marthe M�ller and journalist Kurt Severing on a Berlin-bound train. Newcomer M�ller is increasingly drawn to the city's vitality, while Severing's innate cynicism grows into despair as he witnesses the rise to power of the National Socialists. In addition to this central pair, Lutes follows the lives of a handful of representative Berliners, including struggling workers, a divided Jewish family, Communists and Nazis, a wealthy socialite, and a touring group of African American jazz musicians, all set against his vividly rendered portrayal of the teeming metropolis. Lutes' unfussy graphic approach is derived from the European ligne claire cartoon style, a geographically and stylistically appropriate technique for his complex, sprawling tale. When Lutes launched his ambitious effort in 1996, he had no way of knowing how prescient and timely its story of idealistic radicals resisting violent white nationalists in the streets would be by the time he completed it.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)