The German Wife: An absolutely gripping and heartbreaking WW2 historical novel, inspired by true events

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Subject to persecution both subtle and overt, their children brainwashed, indoctrinated, even parents in prestigious positions are powerless to prevent it happening. Friendship with Jews gradually becomes something that will attract punishment, being made an example of. “We had so long been afraid of the consequences of dissent that even as the nation descended into madness, any moral call to rise up against the chaos went unheeded.” The social and political sacrifices…told through her cast …allowed for important compelling questions to be examined.

Harvey, Elizabeth. "Visions of the volk: German women and the far right from Kaiserreich to Third Reich." Journal of women's History 16.3 (2004): 152-167 online. Landler, Mark (23 April 2006). "German fights stigma against working mothers". The New York Times . Retrieved 17 April 2018. I felt the whole book was really well written and the author must have worked for months doing the research. It kept a pretty good pace and I don’t usually enjoy multiple POV over 2 time frames but this worked very well for this book. I felt it gave the whole book a well rounded finish.

Many thanks to Graydon House | Harlequin Trade Publishing | HarperCollins for the opportunity to read The German Wife in advance of its June 28, 2022 publication.

Yes yes, I see you rolling your eyes. Yet another WWII novel! But this is a bit different from the rest and if you enjoy historical fiction and flawed characters that you love to hate, you’ll probably enjoy this one. On the other hand, Hans's wife, Annaliese, I can hardly say that I liked her, but I also cannot blame her.

Sofie’s story centers on how her genius husband, Jurgen, is physically and financially forced to work for the Nazi party and eventually join the SS. As much as they despise the Nazis, they know they must toe the line to protect their children and save their own lives. This is especially painful since Sofie’s best friend, Mayim, is Jewish. After the war, Jurgen is kidnapped by the United States under Operation Paperclip. He is initially held prisoner at Fort Bliss, then allowed his freedom and the right to bring his family to America. Throughout the book, I had to keep reminding myself that I can’t feel sorry for a Nazi family because of the atrocious acts they have committed in the labor camps, but Rix’s storytelling stirs emotions of empathy, leaving me to battle my emotions throughout. Wondering, what choices I would have made if I was faced with the same scenario. What a rollercoaster ride through the atrocities during WWII, to love, to just trying to get by and survive.

In this heartbreaking story based on real events, it will be up to one woman to fight for her love in a world that wants to destroy it. The details of the medical research are so well-written but so hard-hitting. You need to have nerves of steel to read through those details. There's a scene where it says that the doctor wanted to run away from the room during the medical trials and I really wanted to join him in running away. It’s horrendous to know what those jerks did under the guise of societal welfare. One of those American wives is Lizzie Miller, from a hardscrabble farming family which lost everything in a debt spiral during the prolonged drought of the 1930s. Her brother, Henry has seen first-hand what the Nazis did, resulting in mental distress termed combat fatigue. To the dismay of the hosts of the welcome party, Lizzie takes a stand and harsh words fly between her and Sofie. Kelly Rimmer cemented herself as a favorite author of mine with her powerful and deeply emotional novel, Before I Let You Go, released in 2018. Since that time, I have eagerly anticipated each new book, and time and again, she delivers another deeply powerful emotional novel. The German Wife recently published this summer, and it is the story of Operation Paperclip, of which I was vaguely familiar. My thanks to Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for the ALC of “The German Wife”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.Abortion in Germany is legal during the first trimester on condition of mandatory counseling, and later in pregnancy in cases of medical necessity. In both cases there is a waiting period of 3 days. This is a story of the horrors of the concentration camp Dachau, a forbidden romance, a marriage broken and three people changed forever because of the cruelty of the Nazi's. This is historical fiction at its finest. I found The German Wife to be absolutely phenomenal and cementing Kelly as one of Australia’s finest authors. When a book allows the reader to not assume but assess, to consider then conclude which side you would uphold and support, that is mastery. This is a book that all historical fiction lovers must definitely read.