To the extent that Roths book presents a historical sketch of life in Germanys Weimar Republic, what in your opinion are the main features of that sketch?  Provide examples.

Does Roths portrait challenge in any way the commonly-held view that the Weimar Republic had a whiff of fragility, of scandal, of doom, and was an interval of tremulous republican government, but most of all a period that was fast, febrile and fun?  Why or why not?

Do you find Roth to be a reliable narrator, a voice you can trust to depict a well-balanced portrait of life in Weimar-era Berlin and Germany?  Why or why not?  Use specific examples from the book to support your argument.