Wow, where do I start with such an outstanding book?
Set in Bavaria 1945 we meet 3 women, all widows living in the dilapidated (and once grand) Lingenfels castle. The Russian army is approaching and Germany is in the height of its shame for the atrocities committed by the Third Reich.
Marianne is a woman who has been widowed as her late husband was executed for the attempted assassination of Hitler. Staunch in her views of what is right and wrong she is a natural doer and leader. Her views of right and wrong are very black and white, with no tolerance for the shades in between.
Benita, also a widow for the same reason has had a much harder time during the war. Separated from her young boy and put into the sex trade industry, she and her boy are rescued by Marianne. When Benita falls for an ex Nazi soldier she must conceal this from Marianne as she knows what response she would receive.
We then meet Ania. She is taken in with her 2 boys and has a much more complicated past due to her involvement in the crumbled regime.
Throughout the time periods, Marianne comes to the harsh realisation that her clear cut, unwavering views of the world post WW2 may be doing her more harm than good.
This book is an astounding piece of work. There are so many stories surrounding this time period, but so very few from the side of the Germans.
It's so easy to be judgemental in our era, as we see Hitler & his barbaric regime with the clarity of hindsight and statistics. And for the most part it's correct.
But what about the people who truly believed that they were building a better country? Who (at first) knew nothing of the true intent of their dictator? And by the time they did, the fear in which they lived meant they either acted less favourably (or didn't act at all) to protect their loved ones?
The SS were so very ready to accept informers information of less 'desirable' country men and women. Something as little as not performing you respectful duties as a Heil Hitler or a doff of the hat were enough to earn a public beating.
It's impossible to imagine what it was like to live in such conditions.
This book is so thought provoking, insightful, brutal and brilliantly told.
I'm fascinated with this era having studied it in depth, but this is the first real text that I've read from the point of the surviving Germans.
I urge you to read this astonishing work by Shattuck.
Thank you to Readers First and Bonnier Zaffre for a copy of this book in exchange for an open and unbiased review.
Set in Bavaria 1945 we meet 3 women, all widows living in the dilapidated (and once grand) Lingenfels castle. The Russian army is approaching and Germany is in the height of its shame for the atrocities committed by the Third Reich.
Marianne is a woman who has been widowed as her late husband was executed for the attempted assassination of Hitler. Staunch in her views of what is right and wrong she is a natural doer and leader. Her views of right and wrong are very black and white, with no tolerance for the shades in between.
Benita, also a widow for the same reason has had a much harder time during the war. Separated from her young boy and put into the sex trade industry, she and her boy are rescued by Marianne. When Benita falls for an ex Nazi soldier she must conceal this from Marianne as she knows what response she would receive.
We then meet Ania. She is taken in with her 2 boys and has a much more complicated past due to her involvement in the crumbled regime.
Throughout the time periods, Marianne comes to the harsh realisation that her clear cut, unwavering views of the world post WW2 may be doing her more harm than good.
This book is an astounding piece of work. There are so many stories surrounding this time period, but so very few from the side of the Germans.
It's so easy to be judgemental in our era, as we see Hitler & his barbaric regime with the clarity of hindsight and statistics. And for the most part it's correct.
But what about the people who truly believed that they were building a better country? Who (at first) knew nothing of the true intent of their dictator? And by the time they did, the fear in which they lived meant they either acted less favourably (or didn't act at all) to protect their loved ones?
The SS were so very ready to accept informers information of less 'desirable' country men and women. Something as little as not performing you respectful duties as a Heil Hitler or a doff of the hat were enough to earn a public beating.
It's impossible to imagine what it was like to live in such conditions.
This book is so thought provoking, insightful, brutal and brilliantly told.
I'm fascinated with this era having studied it in depth, but this is the first real text that I've read from the point of the surviving Germans.
I urge you to read this astonishing work by Shattuck.
Thank you to Readers First and Bonnier Zaffre for a copy of this book in exchange for an open and unbiased review.