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kindleandkettle 's review for:
The German Wife
by Kelly Rimmer
The German Wife spans two timelines, the 1930's and the 1950's and follows the stories of Sofie and Lizzie. Two women, worlds apart but both facing hardships.
Sofie is the wife of Jürgen, who is an academic "offered" a job working on rockets during the rise of Nazi Germany. Sofie & Jürgen oppose the views of Hitler and don't want to join the ranks, but they are left no choice in order to protect themselves and their family. At the close of WWII Jürgen is recruited as a part of Operation Paperclip to move to America to work on their space program. Sofie joins Jürgen in 1950 but they have to face the rumours about their involvement with the Nazi party. They find themselves targets of gossips and violent acts.
Lizzie grew up on a farm during the Great Depression. After Lizzie and her brother lose their parents and the farm, they move to El Paso to seek work. It is her that Lizzie meets Cal, who offers to find her brother Henry work if he can enlist. Lizzie and Cal develop a friendship and later marry. In 1950, Cal manages the space program and Lizzie's brother Henry lives with them. He has struggled since returning from the war and isn't coping too well with the German's now living in their town.
The German Wife was a remarkably well researched book. I tend to read a lot of WWII historical fiction based in London & France, so it was a huge change to read something that focuses a lot on what happened within Germany during the war. Not everyone was complicit with the Nazi party, but they were not often left a choice. We see small acts of defiance from Sofie, Jürgen and other characters within the Germany setting.
Sofie and Lizzie were both extremely strong characters. They have both suffered severely during their lives and if they met under different circumstances, they would have had a strong bond. The dual timelines and perspectives really kept me engaged with the story. I found the timing perfect, I would finish a chapter but didn't feel like I wanted to stay with a particular character/timeline because something else compelling was going to happen. I highly recommend this book.
Thank you to Hachette Australia for gifting me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Sofie is the wife of Jürgen, who is an academic "offered" a job working on rockets during the rise of Nazi Germany. Sofie & Jürgen oppose the views of Hitler and don't want to join the ranks, but they are left no choice in order to protect themselves and their family. At the close of WWII Jürgen is recruited as a part of Operation Paperclip to move to America to work on their space program. Sofie joins Jürgen in 1950 but they have to face the rumours about their involvement with the Nazi party. They find themselves targets of gossips and violent acts.
Lizzie grew up on a farm during the Great Depression. After Lizzie and her brother lose their parents and the farm, they move to El Paso to seek work. It is her that Lizzie meets Cal, who offers to find her brother Henry work if he can enlist. Lizzie and Cal develop a friendship and later marry. In 1950, Cal manages the space program and Lizzie's brother Henry lives with them. He has struggled since returning from the war and isn't coping too well with the German's now living in their town.
The German Wife was a remarkably well researched book. I tend to read a lot of WWII historical fiction based in London & France, so it was a huge change to read something that focuses a lot on what happened within Germany during the war. Not everyone was complicit with the Nazi party, but they were not often left a choice. We see small acts of defiance from Sofie, Jürgen and other characters within the Germany setting.
Sofie and Lizzie were both extremely strong characters. They have both suffered severely during their lives and if they met under different circumstances, they would have had a strong bond. The dual timelines and perspectives really kept me engaged with the story. I found the timing perfect, I would finish a chapter but didn't feel like I wanted to stay with a particular character/timeline because something else compelling was going to happen. I highly recommend this book.
Thank you to Hachette Australia for gifting me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.