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4.34 AVERAGE
4.34 AVERAGE
I could not put this books down. The story was captivating.
I loved how this book told an American story and a German story before, during, and after the war. I love WWII historical fiction and I’ve never read anything like this. Operation Paperclip is a fascinating part of history and this story really makes you stop and think about decisions people had to make to survive and the consequences they may or may not have faced because of those decisions.
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Type of read: Commuter Read
What made me pick it up: We're planning a trip to Germany in December and many times I'll try to match some of my reading content to upcoming travels and adventures. Additionally, I was a huge fan of 'The Tattooist of Auschwitz' and when the description for 'The German Wife' mentioned that book, it all clicked.
Overall rating: Oof. 'The German Wife' might be one of my top books for 2024. There is so much weaving through these pages and it's absolutely heartbreakingly, beautiful. The juxtaposition of the two main characters is very well done and you can feel the emotions of each character through their tellings of their experiences. 'The German Wife' is told from dual perspectives (Sofie and Lizzie) and there is quite a bit of time jumping (1930s to 1950s); however, the author does a great job of labeling each chapter/section so you know exactly who is talking and what year it is. Even enjoying it as an audiobook, it was probably one of the easier dual perspective/time jumpers I've read in a while.
As a US citizen, I find some of the situations in the book compared to our current political climate incredibly frustrating and devastating to read. There's a line, fairly early on in the book, where they talk about history and that if we don't learn from it, it's bound to repeat itself and I just feel like it was one of those gut-punch moments in the book where you realize the severity of what's happening - both in the book and daily life in general. That's not to say you haven't realized the severity before...it's just again brought to the forefront and you start wondering how a nation could allow themselves to get to such a point when they've seen or even experienced it happening before.
Overall, I feel like Rimmer did a great job of capturing the tension, questions, and struggles of the characters and their life. I would 100% recommend 'The German Wife.' I also have to say that Nancy Peterson and Ann Marie Gideon did amazing jobs at the narration. Especially when you're listening to a book that has accent work, it's so nice when the character is still clear and easy to understand. Both of these individuals put so much emotion and thought into their narrations and it truly made the book shine.
Reader's Note: 'The German Wife' includes themes of antisemitism, torture, death, suicide, loss of a parent, alcoholism, depression, and PTSD.
What made me pick it up: We're planning a trip to Germany in December and many times I'll try to match some of my reading content to upcoming travels and adventures. Additionally, I was a huge fan of 'The Tattooist of Auschwitz' and when the description for 'The German Wife' mentioned that book, it all clicked.
Overall rating: Oof. 'The German Wife' might be one of my top books for 2024. There is so much weaving through these pages and it's absolutely heartbreakingly, beautiful. The juxtaposition of the two main characters is very well done and you can feel the emotions of each character through their tellings of their experiences. 'The German Wife' is told from dual perspectives (Sofie and Lizzie) and there is quite a bit of time jumping (1930s to 1950s); however, the author does a great job of labeling each chapter/section so you know exactly who is talking and what year it is. Even enjoying it as an audiobook, it was probably one of the easier dual perspective/time jumpers I've read in a while.
As a US citizen, I find some of the situations in the book compared to our current political climate incredibly frustrating and devastating to read. There's a line, fairly early on in the book, where they talk about history and that if we don't learn from it, it's bound to repeat itself and I just feel like it was one of those gut-punch moments in the book where you realize the severity of what's happening - both in the book and daily life in general. That's not to say you haven't realized the severity before...it's just again brought to the forefront and you start wondering how a nation could allow themselves to get to such a point when they've seen or even experienced it happening before.
Overall, I feel like Rimmer did a great job of capturing the tension, questions, and struggles of the characters and their life. I would 100% recommend 'The German Wife.' I also have to say that Nancy Peterson and Ann Marie Gideon did amazing jobs at the narration. Especially when you're listening to a book that has accent work, it's so nice when the character is still clear and easy to understand. Both of these individuals put so much emotion and thought into their narrations and it truly made the book shine.
Reader's Note: 'The German Wife' includes themes of antisemitism, torture, death, suicide, loss of a parent, alcoholism, depression, and PTSD.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Hate crime, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Antisemitism, Grief, War
Minor: Child death
challenging
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I enjoyed this book but was way more invested in Sofie’s story than Lizzie’s. I was glad Lizzie found her peace and I enjoyed her story in the beginning, but her relationship with Calvin was vague and it was hard to feel any emotion for them or her character.
Sofie on the other hand… as a Mom so many parts to her story haunted me. Her choices, big and small, shaped her’s and her family’s future. The 11 years their family spent consumed in German Nazi truly showed how slowly life can change and how quickly small cracks can completely destroy a country, society and stability.
I highly recommend this book.
Sofie on the other hand… as a Mom so many parts to her story haunted me. Her choices, big and small, shaped her’s and her family’s future. The 11 years their family spent consumed in German Nazi truly showed how slowly life can change and how quickly small cracks can completely destroy a country, society and stability.
I highly recommend this book.
This is now one of my new favorite WWII books. What an amazing/thought provoking story.
I have lots of feelings about this book.
I enjoyed the book but didn't enjoy the format. I usually love a dual timeline but switching between two characters and two eras when the chapters are short doesn't work for me. I often had to go back to the beginning of the chapter to see where I was. That's why I didn't rate this five stars.
At first, I was going to say that I felt that Lizzie's backstory was unnecessary. I was much more interested in Sofie's story. But once I thought about it, I can see that the author was trying to draw parallels between the two women in that they both made choices to protect themselves. While Sofie's actions obviously carried more weight, Lizzie was quite hypocritical in her opinions about Sofie. I did NOT like Lizzie. She was just selfish.
This book did keep me up after I finished it. I would love to say that I would always stand up for what was right no matter what. But when the lives of your loved ones are at stake, it's not an easy choice.
I enjoyed the book but didn't enjoy the format. I usually love a dual timeline but switching between two characters and two eras when the chapters are short doesn't work for me. I often had to go back to the beginning of the chapter to see where I was. That's why I didn't rate this five stars.
At first, I was going to say that I felt that Lizzie's backstory was unnecessary. I was much more interested in Sofie's story. But once I thought about it, I can see that the author was trying to draw parallels between the two women in that they both made choices to protect themselves. While Sofie's actions obviously carried more weight, Lizzie was quite hypocritical in her opinions about Sofie. I did NOT like Lizzie. She was just selfish.
This book did keep me up after I finished it. I would love to say that I would always stand up for what was right no matter what. But when the lives of your loved ones are at stake, it's not an easy choice.
challenging
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes