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A review by rozanne_visagie
The Berlin Girl by Mandy Robotham
5.0
Reviewed from an uncorrected proof copy provided by Avon Books UK via Netgalley for an honest review
Book: The Berlin Girl by Mandy Robotham
Published: 29 October 2020
Genre: General Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
My Rating: ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑
This is the third book by Mandy Robotham that I have read and it’s fantastic!
Georgina (Georgie) Young is a woman in a man’s world, determined to show everyone that she can do it too. We are taken to Berlin, Germany, in 1938 where Georgie is a reporter sent to Berlin to report under the name George Young for the London based newspaper, the Chronicle. She is part of the foreign press and needs to report about the events happening in Berlin, news about the Führer, Adolf Hitler. What he does, what he plans and anything about the Reich. When Georgie arrives in Berlin, the streets are decorated with Nazi insignia and an ombre feeling of domination vibrated through the air.
Before going to Berlin Georgie sits at a bar in the London Ritz feeling awkward and willing the Summer Media Ball to be over. A glamorous event for correspondents, reporters, photographers and editors. While watching everyone enjoying themselves, a man comes up to Georgie and starts making small talk. She later finds out he is a reporter for the Telegraph. After a dismissal she puts the man out of her mind, never to see him again. Or so she thought.
After a few weeks, Georgie finds herself on a plane to Berlin, alongside the reporter from the Telegraph known as Max Spender. They were assigned to Berlin, together. Having a rocky start from the get-go, Georgie and Max’s relationship as fellow reporters are moulded by the horrendous events and scenes they witness. Soon realising that the Berlin she visited in 1936 to report about the Olympics has been replaced by a city filled with Nazi propaganda, fear and a hatred for Jews. Both Georgie and Max report to their different newspapers, but as they convene with the press pack at the Adlon, they soon discover the dark and sinister ongoing’s in Berlin. When the names of Joseph Goebbels, Heinrich Himmler, Rudolf Hess, Frederik Graf and Adolf Hitler are mentioned, a storm is coming.
With the sudden and mysterious death of a fellow reporter, Paul Adamson, and rumours about a camp (Sachsenhausen) where Jews were taken, proving to be true, Georgie and Max team up together to help a Jewish family, Rubin and Sara Amsel with their 2 children to escape the claws of the Nazis.
What I liked about the book was that the story has a good flow to it. The author has the ability to let the trauma, sadness and pain jump off the pages and straight into the reader’s heart. It’s not the feeling of ‘I feel what the character is feeling’. It is more than that. The author sits us down in the living room of Rubin and Sara Amsel when Georgie and Max arrive there to support them after they had to send their 2 children to England for safety. The author sits us down with Georgie, Max and Rubin when he reads the devastating letters from his brother-in-law Elias, that is held in the camp Sachsenhausen.
My favourite character is the main character, Georgie Young. She doesn’t give up in a time of crisis and pain, even when being emotionally overwhelmed at times. Instead, she uses it to fuel the fire inside of her to seek justice for the people that are treated unfairly. The characters felt real and believable. This book had me on the edge of my seat and kept me guessing.
Overall the book was fantastic, but I felt the ending happened too quickly. From 1946 to 1994 in just a few pages. But aside from that, I enjoyed the story and can’t wait for Mandy Robotham’s next work. She makes historical fiction enjoyable and never disappoints. This piece of historical fiction made me realise that that which causes us pain can be used to achieve goodness, even in the long run.
I recommend this book to everyone who enjoys historical fiction.
If you’ve enjoyed The Tattooist of Auschwitz or Cilka’s Journey by Heather Morris, you will certainly love this book!
Add The Berlin Girl to your Goodreads list.
Other books by Mandy Robotham
[b:The German Midwife|43011720|The German Midwife|Mandy Robotham|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1543558692l/43011720._SY75_.jpg|65821768]
[b:The Secret Messenger|52762957|The Secret Messenger|Mandy Robotham|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1570442407l/52762957._SX50_SY75_.jpg|70900370]
Thank you to Avon Books UK and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.
This review is also posted on my blog:
https://willowscornerbook.wordpress.com/2020/08/23/book-review-the-berlin-girl-by-mandy-robotham/
Book: The Berlin Girl by Mandy Robotham
Published: 29 October 2020
Genre: General Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
My Rating: ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑
This is the third book by Mandy Robotham that I have read and it’s fantastic!
Georgina (Georgie) Young is a woman in a man’s world, determined to show everyone that she can do it too. We are taken to Berlin, Germany, in 1938 where Georgie is a reporter sent to Berlin to report under the name George Young for the London based newspaper, the Chronicle. She is part of the foreign press and needs to report about the events happening in Berlin, news about the Führer, Adolf Hitler. What he does, what he plans and anything about the Reich. When Georgie arrives in Berlin, the streets are decorated with Nazi insignia and an ombre feeling of domination vibrated through the air.
Before going to Berlin Georgie sits at a bar in the London Ritz feeling awkward and willing the Summer Media Ball to be over. A glamorous event for correspondents, reporters, photographers and editors. While watching everyone enjoying themselves, a man comes up to Georgie and starts making small talk. She later finds out he is a reporter for the Telegraph. After a dismissal she puts the man out of her mind, never to see him again. Or so she thought.
After a few weeks, Georgie finds herself on a plane to Berlin, alongside the reporter from the Telegraph known as Max Spender. They were assigned to Berlin, together. Having a rocky start from the get-go, Georgie and Max’s relationship as fellow reporters are moulded by the horrendous events and scenes they witness. Soon realising that the Berlin she visited in 1936 to report about the Olympics has been replaced by a city filled with Nazi propaganda, fear and a hatred for Jews. Both Georgie and Max report to their different newspapers, but as they convene with the press pack at the Adlon, they soon discover the dark and sinister ongoing’s in Berlin. When the names of Joseph Goebbels, Heinrich Himmler, Rudolf Hess, Frederik Graf and Adolf Hitler are mentioned, a storm is coming.
With the sudden and mysterious death of a fellow reporter, Paul Adamson, and rumours about a camp (Sachsenhausen) where Jews were taken, proving to be true, Georgie and Max team up together to help a Jewish family, Rubin and Sara Amsel with their 2 children to escape the claws of the Nazis.
What I liked about the book was that the story has a good flow to it. The author has the ability to let the trauma, sadness and pain jump off the pages and straight into the reader’s heart. It’s not the feeling of ‘I feel what the character is feeling’. It is more than that. The author sits us down in the living room of Rubin and Sara Amsel when Georgie and Max arrive there to support them after they had to send their 2 children to England for safety. The author sits us down with Georgie, Max and Rubin when he reads the devastating letters from his brother-in-law Elias, that is held in the camp Sachsenhausen.
My favourite character is the main character, Georgie Young. She doesn’t give up in a time of crisis and pain, even when being emotionally overwhelmed at times. Instead, she uses it to fuel the fire inside of her to seek justice for the people that are treated unfairly. The characters felt real and believable. This book had me on the edge of my seat and kept me guessing.
Overall the book was fantastic, but I felt the ending happened too quickly. From 1946 to 1994 in just a few pages. But aside from that, I enjoyed the story and can’t wait for Mandy Robotham’s next work. She makes historical fiction enjoyable and never disappoints. This piece of historical fiction made me realise that that which causes us pain can be used to achieve goodness, even in the long run.
I recommend this book to everyone who enjoys historical fiction.
If you’ve enjoyed The Tattooist of Auschwitz or Cilka’s Journey by Heather Morris, you will certainly love this book!
Add The Berlin Girl to your Goodreads list.
Other books by Mandy Robotham
[b:The German Midwife|43011720|The German Midwife|Mandy Robotham|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1543558692l/43011720._SY75_.jpg|65821768]
[b:The Secret Messenger|52762957|The Secret Messenger|Mandy Robotham|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1570442407l/52762957._SX50_SY75_.jpg|70900370]
Thank you to Avon Books UK and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.
This review is also posted on my blog:
https://willowscornerbook.wordpress.com/2020/08/23/book-review-the-berlin-girl-by-mandy-robotham/