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The Fall
In the summer of 1989, Victor McDade follows his new bride to Munich and finds himself an American adrift in a foreign land. Without working papers of his own, resentful of his hard charging wife and alienated from the orderly world of his West German hosts, he embarks on a quest across the Iron Curtain at one of history’s defining moments. Neither McDade nor the world will ever be the same.
What others are saying about The Fall:
"In the tradition of James Michener and Leon Uris, Moran weaves a fast-paced Cold War narrative together with bracing insights on the nature of marriage, fame, fidelity and modern life. Punctuated by sex, tragedy and laughter, The Fall is a wonderful read and a painless education about one of the most important moments in modern history."
Lynda Hammes, Publisher, Foreign Affairs magazine
"The Fall is that rare species: A compulsive page turner that also speaks volumes about geopolitical gamesmanship and the equally baffling complexities of the human heart. The shadowy verities of Berlin during the height of its East/West schizophrenia simply jump off the page.”
Douglas Kennedy, bestselling author of The Moment, The Pursuit of Happiness, and The Woman in the Fifth
“With a new Cold War looming, Michael Moran's The Fall takes us back to the end of the last one. The timing is perfect. His thriller evokes Germany - East and West - with authenticity and with wit. His hero, Victor McDade, may be a screw-up - but he's a lovable one, and the lessons he learns on the wrong side of the Wall are lessons we need to remember today. A great read, with laughs and some scenes of real terror.”
Michael Goldfarb, Author of Emancipation and Ahmad’s War
"With a hapless expat journalist as its vehicle, Moran's The Fall is at once a rollicking read and an important reminder about the high stakes for Germany, Europe, and even U.S. Cold War broadcasters amid the breathtaking events a quarter century ago."
Robert McMahon, Executive Editor, CFR.org and former Director of News, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Michael Moran, a veteran journalist and producer of three Emmy Award-winning documentaries, is Managing Director of Global Risk Analysis for Control Risks. He is author of The Reckoning: Debt, Democracy and the Future of American Power (Palgrave Macmillan, 2011) and co-author of The Fastest Billion: Behind Africa’s Economic Revolution. He worked as an editor Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty from 1990 to 1993. He lives with his three children in Montclair, N.J. | Twitter @TheUnraveler
What others are saying about The Fall:
"In the tradition of James Michener and Leon Uris, Moran weaves a fast-paced Cold War narrative together with bracing insights on the nature of marriage, fame, fidelity and modern life. Punctuated by sex, tragedy and laughter, The Fall is a wonderful read and a painless education about one of the most important moments in modern history."
Lynda Hammes, Publisher, Foreign Affairs magazine
"The Fall is that rare species: A compulsive page turner that also speaks volumes about geopolitical gamesmanship and the equally baffling complexities of the human heart. The shadowy verities of Berlin during the height of its East/West schizophrenia simply jump off the page.”
Douglas Kennedy, bestselling author of The Moment, The Pursuit of Happiness, and The Woman in the Fifth
“With a new Cold War looming, Michael Moran's The Fall takes us back to the end of the last one. The timing is perfect. His thriller evokes Germany - East and West - with authenticity and with wit. His hero, Victor McDade, may be a screw-up - but he's a lovable one, and the lessons he learns on the wrong side of the Wall are lessons we need to remember today. A great read, with laughs and some scenes of real terror.”
Michael Goldfarb, Author of Emancipation and Ahmad’s War
"With a hapless expat journalist as its vehicle, Moran's The Fall is at once a rollicking read and an important reminder about the high stakes for Germany, Europe, and even U.S. Cold War broadcasters amid the breathtaking events a quarter century ago."
Robert McMahon, Executive Editor, CFR.org and former Director of News, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Michael Moran, a veteran journalist and producer of three Emmy Award-winning documentaries, is Managing Director of Global Risk Analysis for Control Risks. He is author of The Reckoning: Debt, Democracy and the Future of American Power (Palgrave Macmillan, 2011) and co-author of The Fastest Billion: Behind Africa’s Economic Revolution. He worked as an editor Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty from 1990 to 1993. He lives with his three children in Montclair, N.J. | Twitter @TheUnraveler
328 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 15, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 11, 2015
A convincing & gripping story set in 1989 East Germany just before the fall of the Wall.
Victor McDade is married to another journalist at Radio Free Europe in Munich. Victor is unemployed and bored in Munich, but manages to get a freelance job reporting on life in East Germany.
Once the story crosses the German German border the action speeds up and whilst the freelance job appears simple, nothing is straightforward in a rapidly imploding East Germany.
The book has some great characters and their personal back stories and frailties create a compelling story that illustrates well the dangers of life in East Germany where perhaps even as many as 10% worked or informed for the Stasi by spying on friends, family and colleagues.
Whilst obviously well researched the book is let down by a large number of typos and some sloppy errors. I get that it's fiction but for example McDade is given a pass for the Invalidenstraße checkpoint (which was for West Berliners and GDR citizens only) and then enters via Checkpoint Charlie, a completely different checkpoint.
That being said Moran has created a fast moving read for anyone interested in the fall of the Wall and life in East Germany.
Victor McDade is married to another journalist at Radio Free Europe in Munich. Victor is unemployed and bored in Munich, but manages to get a freelance job reporting on life in East Germany.
Once the story crosses the German German border the action speeds up and whilst the freelance job appears simple, nothing is straightforward in a rapidly imploding East Germany.
The book has some great characters and their personal back stories and frailties create a compelling story that illustrates well the dangers of life in East Germany where perhaps even as many as 10% worked or informed for the Stasi by spying on friends, family and colleagues.
Whilst obviously well researched the book is let down by a large number of typos and some sloppy errors. I get that it's fiction but for example McDade is given a pass for the Invalidenstraße checkpoint (which was for West Berliners and GDR citizens only) and then enters via Checkpoint Charlie, a completely different checkpoint.
That being said Moran has created a fast moving read for anyone interested in the fall of the Wall and life in East Germany.
March 31, 2015
Decent, if depressing, fiction that takes place during the weeks leading up to the fall of the wall. The lead character is kind of a dolt, which doesn't help.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews