Reviews
“A spellbinding tale of love and espionage set under the looming shadow of the Berlin Wall in 1975… A mesmerising read full of charged eroticism.”
~ Ian Skewis, Associate Editor for Bloodhound Books & author of best-selling novel A Murder of Crows (2017)
“A Time to Forget in East Berlin is a dream-like interlude of love and passion in the paranoid and violent life of a Cold War spy. The meticulous research is evident on every page, and Fewston’s elegant prose, reminiscent of novels from a bygone era, enhances the sensation that this is a book firmly rooted in another time.”
~ Matthew Harffy, best-selling historical fiction author of the “Bernicia Chronicles” series
“An engrossing story of clandestine espionage… a testament to the lifestyle encountered in East Berlin at the height of the Cold War.”
~ Lone Star Literary Life Magazine
“There is no better way for readers interested in Germany’s history and the dilemma and cultures of the two Berlins to absorb this information than in a novel such as this, which captures the microcosm of two individuals’ love, relationship, and options and expands them against the blossoming dilemmas of a nation divided.”
“This stand-alone story is both a powerful compliment to its predecessor and a testimony to the strength of a writer who allows the personal and the political to intersect along the road of life in delightful, refreshingly evocative ways recommended for literary, historical fiction and novel readers alike.”
“Readers who enjoy poetic prose and descriptions that go beyond an action-oriented or political inspection focus will relish this story — which means that it will reach beyond the usual audience of war fiction epic readers to tug at the hearts of those who may not have anticipated such a compelling blend of descriptive prose and psychological inspection.”
~ D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
About the Book
Several months after the ending to A Time to Love in Tehran (the first book of the trilogy), we find our hero John Lockwood (a former CIA officer) living a new life with a new identity in East Berlin, where he is dating the young Antonina “Nina” Rosenberg while the Ministry for State Security, known as the Stasi, recruit John for another mission.
A Time to Forget in East Berlin takes place in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) in 1975, and also from January 1 to January 5, 1976 as the “Capella” storm ravages northern Europe.
A Time to Forget in East Berlin is the second of three interconnected novels. The first novel A Time to Love in Tehran is set in Iran in 1974, the second novel A Time to Forget in East Berlin is set in East Germany in 1975-1976, and the third novel A Time to Remember in Moscow is set in the Soviet Union in 1977-1979.
About the Author
The American novelist CG FEWSTON has been a Visiting Scholar at the American Academy in Rome (Italy). He’s also been a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) based in London. He has a B.A. in English, an M.Ed. in Higher Education Leadership (honors), an M.A. in Literature (honors), and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing & Fiction. He was born in Texas in 1979.
He’s the author of several short stories and novels. His works include A Father’s Son (2005), The New America: A Collection (2007), The Mystic’s Smile ~ A Play in 3 Acts (2007), Vanity of Vanities (2011), A Time to Love in Tehran (2015), Little Hometown, America (2020), and A Time to Forget in East Berlin (2022).
“There is no better way for readers interested in Germany’s history and the dilemma and cultures of the two Berlins to absorb this information than in a novel such as this, which captures the microcosm of two individuals’ love, relationship, and options and expands them against the blossoming dilemmas of a nation divided.”
“This stand-alone story is both a powerful compliment to its predecessor and a testimony to the strength of a writer who allows the personal and the political to intersect along the road of life in delightful, refreshingly evocative ways recommended for literary, historical fiction and novel readers alike.”
“Readers who enjoy poetic prose and descriptions that go beyond an action-oriented or political inspection focus will relish this story — which means that it will reach beyond the usual audience of war fiction epic readers to tug at the hearts of those who may not have anticipated such a compelling blend of descriptive prose and psychological inspection.”
“A spellbinding tale of love and espionage set under the looming shadow of the Berlin Wall in 1975. Its protagonist, John Lockwood, is a hired gun with a philosopher’s nature and a soft underbelly. His innocent yet secretive lover, Nina, is as captivating and intriguing as one of the ‘perhaps bags’ Fewston describes. A mesmerising read full of charged eroticism.”
“A spy with a difficult past finds love in Fewston’s second espionage novel in a series.”
“An engrossing story of clandestine espionage… a testament to the lifestyle encountered in East Berlin at the height of the Cold War.”
“A Time to Forget in East Berlin is a dream-like interlude of love and passion in the paranoid and violent life of a Cold War spy. The meticulous research is evident on every page, and Fewston’s elegant prose, reminiscent of novels from a bygone era, enhances the sensation that this is a book firmly rooted in another time.”
~ Matthew Harffy, prolific writer & best-selling historical fiction author of the “Bernicia Chronicles” series and Wolf of Essex (2019), Storm of Steel (2019), Fortress of Fury (2020), A Time for Swords (2020), For Lord and Land (2021), and A Night of Flames (2022)
Matthew Harffy has been called “a master of the Dark Age thriller” by Theodore Brun, author of A Mighty Dawn (2017), and the “rightful heir to Gemmell’s crown” by Jemahl Evans, author of The Last Roundhead (2015).
