Little Man, What Now?

Rating:
Summary: Hardship and love a time of despair
Review: The story of the life of the little man Johannes Pinneberg and his love in the Weimar Republic (Germany before Hitler). It accurately presents the hardship of people in the worldwide economic crisis in the 30ies. Pinneberg is a salesman who believes himself above the proletarians. He strives for a bourgeois kind of lifestyle. But after marrying his struggle for survival begins with his social decline. Pinneberg learns: you have to work like an animal or you won't work at all. The book is a story about money, hardship and the constant threat of failure. But one thing prevails: love.

The book is one of my all-time favorites. If you don't mind reading books that are literature at the same time I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Quite good
Review: This novel provides an interesting look at Germany in the years between World War I and II. As I read it and saw got an understanding of the depths of economic depression the country was in, I began to have a better grasp of how Hitler was able to mesmerize the nation and take power -- he spoke in a way that made people think he'd restore their pride and prosperity.

The story itself is fairly basic. I liked how Fallada wrapped the lessons about history and the economic/political situation around the simple tale of a young couple trying to raise a family and survive in the Depression. The characters were a little stereotypical and could have had more depth, but in general they were quite interesting. The pace of the novel was good. The book was a bit long, but Fallada is a good enough writer that it didn't bother me too much. This book is a good read that any history buff will certainly enjoy.