The German Wife: A Novel

This novel is based on a real WW II program and offers a different perspective by a German family who is not in favor of the Hitler regime. The book is extremely suspenseful and interesting; I learned so much. The characters are so well drawn, I felt like I was there with them. It is raw, heartbreaking and educational, yet hopeful. I loved every page.

This book was intensely moving. That said, while it was compelling as a story, it was difficult in terms of empathy. It was brave of the author to make a protagonist a German Nazi wife and mother who doesn’t sympathize with the cause. But I always kept myself slightly aloof from this scenario. I’m sure there were many Germans who felt as she did, but it was still hard to wrap my head around her character completely. It felt almost too idealized. The American character of Lizzie was believable and flawed in equal measure, and it felt like the author was balancing the two women’s experiences almost too much. I did not like that both women spoke in the first person; at times it was confusing, and they sounded surprisingly similar. I actually think if each had been written in the third person it would have been less confusing, and it would’ve been more engaging. I don’t think first person narrative always garners the most empathy. Lizzie’s scenes on the farm and Sophie’s at the labor camp were the most compelling. The ending was a bit too pat. But it’s certainly a new and worthy take on WWII and its aftermath. But please, someone edit out the early reference to a Crock-Pot. At least call it a crock pot. The brand name didn’t exist till the 1970’s.

I chose this book out of my kindle list, now knowing anything about the author or, even the subject. No one I knew had read it and I was looking for distraction, I enjoyed it so very much, and loved the historical facts that came along with the fictional story. I am listening to a book on Audible also, about the WWII and how innocent and unaware the victims of this horrific war survived, and I will pass it on to my other reading friends.

A relatable account of families caught in worlds where surviving requires the unthinkable. The decisions made by both German and American characters drew this reader in and left me empathetic. This was one of the most interesting of the many historical novels I have read. Well researched and excellent character development. Kelly Rimmer did it again.

The German Wife by Kelly Rimmer is an amazing story, which the author reveals to the reader by way of two women: Sophie von Meyers Rhodes, the German wife, from Berlin, Germany, and Lizzie Davis, an American from Dallam County, Texas. Rimmer does a wonderful job juxtaposing the lives of the two women through the turbulent years, leading up to and beyond World War Two. Rimmer will elucidate and explain how the Third Reich came into power, and the gradual change in the laws that led to violence and the persecution of the Jews. What is significant here is how the war and the policies and ideology of the Nazis affected the personal lives of the characters: Sofie von Meyer Rhodes, Jurgen, her husband, Adele, her aunt, Mayim, her childhood Jewish girlfriend, her children: Georg, Laura, Gisela, and Felix. And then there is Lizzie Davis and her family, her mother and father and her brother, Henry, and the millions of innocent people touched by war. No one can evade the agony of war, not even Karl and Lydia zu Schiller, and their son, Hans, devoted Nazis to the very end. You will come to realize that hate and war destroy everything it touches. This profound story reminded me of a line that I once read that said, “If you hate someone and or want revenge against someone, don’t forget to dig two graves. One for your victim and one for yourself.” Because hate and war will destroy you. Rimmer’s story is beautifully written and provocative. It will make you stop to think just how could we have allowed this tragedy to happen? How could we have stopped it before it got out of hand? What could I have done to prevent it? We know from experience and from history that standing idly by is not the answer. The story is bittersweet. It will not only bring you to tears, but it concludes in the only practical way that is possible: It will allow people to move forward (those who have survived) and to begin a new chapter in their lives, one without hate, one without war. Thus, I highly recommend this book to all readers.

Once I started reading, I could not put the book down. Rimmer did an amazing job at writing how it must have felt being an ordinary citizen trapped in Nazi Germany with no way to escape the advance of Nazism and the moral compromise some people made to keep their families alive. It presents the question what would you have done perfectly, and where was the line drawn for ordinary citizens, the dilemma of survival vs guilt and I would recommend this read

I had to sit with this for awhile after finishing it. When I was younger, I would tell myself I knew exactly what I would do if I was faced with the choices the German people were with the rise of the Nazi party. As I got older and studied it more and read more, I realized, it wasn't as black and white as my original impressions made it out to be. So many things were at stake for so many of them. I am not condoning any of the actions of any of them, because it is not my job to judge or pardon. As a wife and a mother, I can tell you that my first priority is and will always be my family. This story does an amazing job of of portraying 2 woman from 2 countries both trying to protect their families in the best way they know how. The author did an amazing job of taking two difficult family situations and telling them in a parallel storyline to give the reader a perspective we don't often see in WW2 fiction. This one is going to stay with me for a long while.

This book gives both sides to the WW2 war. It tells of close friends who disagree with what went on. How many Germans had to work even though they didn’t want to for fear of their families’ safety. It tells of the fear of Americans when the Germans were brought over. The prejudice that went on. Highly recommend.

Kelly Rimmer is a fantastic author, and The German Wife is another wonderful , well researched novel to add to her catalogue .There are a lot of authors writing in the World War Two genre , but the German Wife tackles the topic from a totally original viewpoint . Juergen, a talented scientist and his wife Sofie a forced to make decisions against their better judgement in Nazi occupied Germany throughout World War Two . Fast forward 15 years and they are adjusting to life in the United States , excused of any war crimes they may have committed while Juergen works with US scientists on the space program . It is a really thought provoking story and although I was invested and sympathetic to the main characters I did wonder if their self preservation was worth the terrible things they had to do . A 5 ⭐️ read for me !

A really interesting and eye opening view of life in both pre war Germany and life in Germany during the Second World War. Seen from the perspective of a non Jewish family who had close friends who were Jewish. Heart trenching at times, I felt this was a brilliant portrayal of how some German families must have felt at this awful time in history. The book also deals with how life is post war, seeking solace in America, only to find further difficulties there. I loved the characters they were all very real to me and so it was a sad moment when the story ended. Really recommend this book and will be reading more of Kelly Rimmer books for sure.

Extraordinary. Totally unimaginable the division, dissension, discrimination that took place 70 years ago, and how all this is repeated in modern times.

This turned out to be one of my favourite books. This story weaves together a rich tapestry of historical events but manages to connect everything so well. It spans significant moments like the Dust Bowl, the Great Depression, the rise of Hitler and WWII, the conclusion of the war leading into the Space Race, and the controversial Operation Paperclip between Germany and the US. At the same time, it offers emotional stories from each character and how they view the world.

I thought this would be more about living in Germany as a German in world war 2. Its mainly about German nazis smuggled out after the war to work on the space programme in America.