The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum
Heinrich Böll · 1917–1985 · Germany
Originally Die verlorene Ehre der Katharina Blum (German)
Why it matters
An ordinary woman's life is destroyed by a smearing tabloid after one night with the wrong man. Böll's lean, furious parable about the press, reputation, and the violence of headlines.
At a glance
political novelcrime & noir
Difficulty 4/10fast pace141 pagesA lean, fast, almost reportorial style deliberately mimics tabloid documentation.
Where to go next
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Heinrich Böll · 1971Group Portrait with LadyLvl 6Slow burn
Günter Grass · 1959The Tin DrumLvl 8Medium pace
Bernhard Schlink · 1995The ReaderLvl 3Medium pace