The Bohemians is a WWII spy thriller set in Berlin, Germany. If you like WWII novels, you should give this one a try. The story moves at a rapid pace and is hard to put down once you start. The main characters are a German Resistance couple who experience unthinkable, horrific things. Just when you think you know everything there is to know about the Third Reich, this novel will continue to educate you. Although a tragic story, it is worth the read. Highly recommend! ( )

Fascinating story of a small group of people that internally led the resistance to Hitler. Harro Schultz-Boysen is the son of a conservative Prussian who served in WWI. He is educated and as a young man wrote for a liberal newspaper. All along he felt the rise of Nazism was wrong and was arrested and tortured as a result; however, his mother who had some influence, got him from prison. He then believed he could fight the system best from the inside and joined the Germany Air Force.

Libertas Haas-Heye was the daughter of a fashion designed and whose mother came from an aristocratic family. She was always interested in the arts and had a liberal education. As a young woman she joined the Nazi party, but after meeting Schulze-Boysen, she became involved in the resistance as well. They were married but at times their marriage was "open" and other lovers were involved. Still, she and Harro had the same feelings about the Nazi's.

Eventually, both were arrested along with other "bohemians" - artists, etc. They were eventually hanged as traitors due Harro's dealings with the Soviets. He claimed he was not a traitor but did so for the sake of his country.

The story is interesting but not always easy to read due to the many, many name involved and the long unpronouncable Nazi titles. The author also too often changes the names of some involved, sometimes calling them by nicknames, other times, by last names, and other times by first names. Sometimes there was just too many details especially as far as titles, place names, and organizations.

This does tell a story of people whose names have gone unrecognized. There is obviously lots and lots of research with pages and pages of notes. Glad I read it, just the low rating because I think the writing could have been "cleaner." ( )

What this group lacked in trade craft was more than compensated by sheer bravura. ( )

Mit 1933 brach für viele Menschen eine schwere Zeit an, denn schnell wurde man verhaftet und hatte kaum eine Chance auf ein faires Verfahren.
Es trifft auch den 23-jährigen Harro Schulze-Boysen, der Herausgeber der unabhängigen Zeitschrift Gegner ist. Er wird von der SS verhaftet und schwer misshandelt. Sein bester Freund ist jüdisch und überlebt die Misshandlungen der SS nicht. Harro sinnt auf Rache. Die Gelegenheit bietet sich, als er die adlige Libertas kennenlernt. Gemeinsam versuchen sie mit Gleichgesinnten sich dem Naziterror entgegenzustellen. Bis 1942 leisten sie mit unterschiedlichen Aktionen Widerstand und leben in ständiger Gefahr. Von der Gestapo wird die Gruppe die „Rote Kapelle“ genannt.
Dieses Buch ist sehr spannend und der Schreibstil ungeheuer packend. Es ist eine reale Geschichte, die einen wirklich erschüttert. Es ist die Geschichte von Harro und Libertas, die sich sehr lieben und – was noch wichtiger ist -die alles riskieren, um gegen das Regime zu arbeiten. Obwohl sie wenig bekannt sind, könnten sie wirklich als Vorbild dienen.
Ich kann dieses Buch nur empfehlen. ( )