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Hitler's Niece

3.17 of 5 stars 3.17 · rating details · 571 ratings · 102 reviews

Hitler's Niece tells the story of the intense and disturbing relationship between Adolf Hitler and the daughter of his only half-sister, Angela, a drama that evolves against the backdrop of Hitler's rise to prominence and power from particularly inauspicious beginnings. The story follows Geli from her birth in Linz, Austria, through the years in Berchtesgaden and Munich, t...more

Paperback, 320 pages

Published August 22nd 2000 by Harper Perennial (first published 1999)

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Jul 28, 2010 Paul rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: novels

[just to be clear, what follows is the actual review of "Hitler's Nice" - sorry, that should be "Hitler's Niece"; then after that comes some nonsense about first lines of novels.:]

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“Oh Hitler!”
“Oh Geli – meine kleine gehaltenmitgemütlichemkirchenkunsterschwartzeweldekirschtorte, is that a hard or a soft G?”
“It’s hard. But the rest of me is soft, so soft, mein Fuhrer. You know my name rhymes with gaily, which is an English word meaning happily.”
“Mine rhymes with whittler w...more

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Jan 04, 2013 Judith rated it 4 of 5 stars

Hansen makes no bones about how he feels about the characters in his books. In fiction, the rule is to "show, not tell", but Hansen tells. He lets you know right off just how you should feel about a person. For this reason, initially I thought this book read more like a young adult novel than a full-on fictionalized biography for adults. It is only because I prefer to finish what I start that I ultimately gave it more credit.

The story is about Angelika Raubal, the daughter of Adolf Hitler's half...more Hansen makes no bones about how he feels about the characters in his books. In fiction, the rule is to "show, not tell", but Hansen tells. He lets you know right off just how you should feel about a person. For this reason, initially I thought this book read more like a young adult novel than a full-on fictionalized biography for adults. It is only because I prefer to finish what I start that I ultimately gave it more credit.

The story is about Angelika Raubal, the daughter of Adolf Hitler's half-sister, known affectionately as Geli (pronounce it "gaily"). Adolf first met her when she was a baby, then saw her occasionally as she grew, and became fond of her. By the time she was 19 she was living with him, yet the true nature of their relationship was the subject of much speculation. It appears that many assumed that the two were lovers.

Hansen steps into this question without any doubts. He presents Geli as a spirited young woman with an intelligent mind of her own and a sense of fun. She is entranced by her charismatic uncle but never puts him on the pedestal others do. She continues to see him as a man, not a god. She is happy to have his attention for some time, happy to be provided for handsomely, but over time she becomes wary. When he asks or tells her to do things that bother her, she has no problem saying so. Hitler's own feelings toward Geli override his dissatisfaction with her reactions most of the time, but ultimately her knowledge about him is a kind of power he does not want her to have.

Geli died at age 23, of a bullet wound in her chest. Her death was ruled a suicide after a hasty investigation, and many speculated that it was, instead, murder. Hansen provides his own version of the death, following his gut reading of the facts.

The book provides insight into the man who ruled Germany and sent millions to their deaths. For me it helped explain how he came to office - not just his charismatic personality and ability to speak, but his ability to customize his message to the audience brought millions to his side. His private personality as presented here did not surprise me but made me wonder how much documentation of his proclivities there is out there. I may read more.

As for Geli, this was the first time I had heard about her. We all know of Eva Braun but not so many knew of Geli, or, for that matter, Hitler's preference for younger women as well as his basic squeamishness about things sexual. I was also not aware of his reverence for his mother, which likely was the genesis of some of his odd sexual habits.

I found this to be a good introduction to the pre-war Hitler, offering some explanation of how it all started, how his reputation grew and how his party took over. It is also a touching story about a young woman born into the wrong family.(less)

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Jul 07, 2012 Sarah rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Stay away. From Hitler's niece. General advice to the young men who were interested in her during her brief life; my advice to you. I read it mostly through because I generally like Ron Hansen as an author, but I did not like this for the following reasons:

1.The book is long and cumbersome. I suspect that Hansen did loads of research; but perhaps the project of creating a novel out of the scanty information available about the niece was doomed from the beginning. There is lots of detail about w...more

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Jun 18, 2011 Peter Walton-Jones rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography, political, documentary

Should we call this kind of book faction...or perhaps non-faction? It is a sort of history; loosely combining events and characters, drawing simple conclusions, making an interesting story, etc. I found it to be a good read, well-paced and a compelling storyline. One should not read it for an expose on Hitler and the formation of his philosophy...it is relatively cliche here. The basic idea however is true...that Hitler formed a very strong bond with his young (much younger than he) half-niece,...more

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Nov 19, 2011 Jeff Miller rated it 4 of 5 stars

Having recently read Ron Hansen's "A Wild Surge of Guilty Passion" this novel again shows Hansen's mastery of the historical novel involving seriously fallen characters. While this is a historical novel with a speculative edge it tells the story of Angelika Raubal, daughter of Hitler's half-sister and Hitler's involvement in her life. Though the speculation he entails is well-founded by other others who have done research into "Geli" Raubal's life.

I think in a recent interview of Ron Hansen by E...more

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Jul 17, 2012 Dawn (& Ron) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: pre WWII Germany fans

Shelves: historical-fiction, the-world-wars

Covering the time of Germany during Hitler's climb, but before the beginning of the war. We see his rise through the adoring eyes of his niece Geli. This gives a more chilling look into the man, as Geli becomes more infatuated by her uncle, and he too is somewhat under her spell, the German people's enchantment with him grows. We also get the unique chance to view him through his family relations and early friendships, then as his powers grow we see how these relationships change.

There is no war...more

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Feb 29, 2012 Clarissa Marie rated it 3 of 5 stars

I've read many reviews that sort of bashed the author and the story, which I admit had me going into this book with much hesitation. However, I decided to listen to myself and I read the book in several hours, for I enjoyed it.

The depravity of Hitler is all too apparent and I had to praise the author for describing him and his actions so well. More than once, I had a shiver go down my spine or I felt physically sick. Geli had my sympathy except in the moments where she almost seemed like she wa...more

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Aug 01, 2010 Erin Reilly-Sanders rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, foreign, adult, fiction

This book sets a slow, almost plodding pace towards an unavoidable end, kept back from the thrill of a horror novel by the inclusion of so many mundane pieces of action, conversations, and descriptions. Perhaps listening to it rather than reading dragged it out more than than necessary, but the book didn't seem as sensational as I had expected. Instead the "sickness" to the story was sort of assumed and expected, maybe to mirror the way in which Hitler was insinuated into German government. In a...more

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May 18, 2012 Skyring rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was a bit unsure about this book to begin with. I missed the fact that it was a novel and a few pages in I began to marvel at the writer's incredible sources, who apparently recorded conversations verbatim, even when Hitler was a young man.

Fiction, but based on a true story, and very credible.

Firstly, we get to see Hitler the young man. I read the book written by his friend in Vienna many years ago, and I can recognise the would-be artist, starving every time he went to the opera and wondering...more

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Jul 11, 2011 Annie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

At the start of the book, I couldn't quite get into it. Then I found out this is the same author that wrote The assassination if Jesse James by the coward wotshisname, and I thought, shoot, another book I'd probably never finish...(i never did finish that movie, really not my cup of tea...didn't even touch that book).

The writing is fluent, the words he chose to use in German was not. Maybe it's to contribute exotic feelings, but (and I was born in Germany and lived there for 8 years, so technic...more At the start of the book, I couldn't quite get into it. Then I found out this is the same author that wrote The assassination if Jesse James by the coward wotshisname, and I thought, shoot, another book I'd probably never finish...(i never did finish that movie, really not my cup of tea...didn't even touch that book).

The writing is fluent, the words he chose to use in German was not. Maybe it's to contribute exotic feelings, but (and I was born in Germany and lived there for 8 years, so technically it's my mother tongue and homeland) c'mon, what was ever exotic about Germany?

I spoke that language daily for the first 8 years of my life yet I found the ones inserted showy, most of them were unnecessary, and it made an already very history text book like novel even harder to swallow.

It does get better, like 30-40% in. I was constantly distracted by other novels and have finished two in the meantime, so was forcing myself to read on. After I broke that 35% barrier it did get a lot easier, maybe because it started focusing on Geli more.

Geli is, and will remain a mystery. Hitler has always been a subject that the Germans and Austrian allike would never try to mention willingly, that bit of history erased from their memory unless you actually go to historical sites. I heard things have changed in recent years, but you could never expect a person to lift his own scabs and reveal his wounds, that's just too cruel. Hitler mentioned by every other country seems to be less of a human being and more of a monster. As in this book.

Half way through reading, I looked up these people online. I found a photo of Geli, the one mentioned in the book. I also found photos of Eva Braun, Hitler's mistress and wife for less than 24 hrs. They seemed strikingly similar.

I'm a soppy person, so I have to admit that towards the end of Geli I shed some tears. Not because she seemed unhappy, that happens way too often. But because she seemed trapped. Whether it was as the book says or trapped by love though, I have no idea.

It's not a bad read, just not as enthralling as I expected the topic to be.(less)

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Mar 27, 2010 Tim rated it 5 of 5 stars

Ron Hansen's Hitler's Niece is a truly disturbing (as most reviews claim, trying to distance themselves from any fascination), but entirely engaging book that episodically relates Hitler's rise to power in the 20s and early 30s and his infatuation with his niece Geli Raubal. Hitler is menancing, pathetic, awkwardly playful, a commanding personality able to bend the will of those around him, except Geli. At least some of the time. The book is tied to history, but is also a work of substantial ima...more

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Sep 28, 2009 Jackie rated it 5 of 5 stars

My impression of Hitler and his close-knit circle had always been based on the impression that they were a cool, impervious, testerone-injected group of well-discplined fanatics. What I failed to realize is that they were a collection of fussy, effiminate, unathletic (although always touting the aryan, athletic ideal) sniveling, whiny, self-absorbed, sexually confused pychopathological misfits.

The book made it very clear that they were intellectually not just incorrect, but stunted, unable to u...more

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Feb 11, 2012 Alicia rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book got mountains of press when it came out back in 2000. So much that when I ran across the book at the library, I was able to recall that, for a moment, it was all that anyone was talking about. I also have the sneaking suspicion that I've read more of his books (I checked on amazon and nothing looks familiar, but I'm sure I'm just forgetting), and I worked with his wife in my Chronicle days (The Distant Land of My Father, which I didn't love but many others did). It's very well done, an...more

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Oct 11, 2010 Bill rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, lit-fiction

this is a well written, interesting novel about the relationship between hitler and his niece who was found shot to death in a flat owned by hitler, and with his gun by her side, in 1931.amazingly enough, this event has been largely forgotten.i wasn't even aware that he had a niece, never mind one who died under mysterious circumstanes.of course hitler and the nazi party had it pretty well hushed up at the time, so it's great that hansen has used a lot of resource material to come up with his ve...more

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Aug 03, 2010 Denise Elerick added it

I have to be careful that this is a fictional novel. Yes, it is based on research but not non-fiction . That being said, it was bone chilling for me to see how trapped this young woman was especially with Hitler's friends saying"don't tell him" and his friends acknowledging that one word from her could have them fired, shipped off, disempowered, killed. She allowed herself to be painted in a corner, with Adolf Hitler's help of course, and there was no getting out of this trap.
I was somewhat surp...more

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May 13, 2013 Leon marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Hitler's Niece tells the story of the intense and disturbing relationship between Adolf Hitler and the daughter of his only half-sister, Angela, a drama that evolves against the backdrop of Hitler's rise to prominence and power from particularly inauspicious beginnings. The story follows Geli from her birth in Linz, Austria, through the years in Berchtesgaden and Munich, to her tragic death in 1932 in Hitler's apartment in Munich. Through the eyes of a favorite niece who has been all but lost to

...more

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Jun 24, 2007 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Newsflash...Hitler was one sick puppy. Granted this gives more "insight" into how truly sick he was but it focused on his love life and his quirks. It was somewhat enjoyable but often difficult to get through.

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Sep 06, 2011 Marianne rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Not sure why the author felt he had to invent this tale; equally unclear on why a publisher would publish it. This voyeuristic, crude, often ridiculous, improbable fabrication adds nothing to what we already know about Hitler and his cronies, their times and actions, or the human condition in general. The least the author could've done is attempt to give meaning, insight, anything to his plodding, (okay, I'll say it) boring book. Cheap pornographic elements are rather disgusting to read. My reco...more

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Aug 03, 2012 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

I was fascinated to learn about Geli, who apparently played a large part in the life of Hitler yet remains a very small persona in the large history of Adolf Hitler. It was difficult to get into the book; it seemed as if the book couldn't decide whether it wanted to be fiction or non-fiction. The writing was clumsy, and it didn't get terribly interesting until a bit into the book. Hansen eventually found the flow, though, and the writing and narrative grew more fluid as the action progressed. As...more I was fascinated to learn about Geli, who apparently played a large part in the life of Hitler yet remains a very small persona in the large history of Adolf Hitler. It was difficult to get into the book; it seemed as if the book couldn't decide whether it wanted to be fiction or non-fiction. The writing was clumsy, and it didn't get terribly interesting until a bit into the book. Hansen eventually found the flow, though, and the writing and narrative grew more fluid as the action progressed. As is always the problem with historical fiction pieces such as this one, it is frustrating trying to pick out what an actual recorded occurrence or statement and what was fictitious creativity. In the end, I probably would have preferred reading a non-fiction work, but with the controversy and mystery surrounding Geli's death, a fictional piece had the luxury of picking a side and following it through to its creepy conclusion.
The fictionalization of Hitler in this novel was interesting to say the least. He was repeatedly described as "whining" and childish, which was difficult to reconcile with the volume and anger of the Hitler I see in other areas. I am not sure how convinced I was by the portrayal, as I didn't feel that Hitler's peevish side was successfully linked to the public persona that the world pictures his as today.
Overall, I was glad to know more about this somewhat hidden part of history, but the characters were not consistent (even in their inconsistencies), and the writing seemed too unsure of its status in the Dewey Decimal System.

Warning: spoilers below.
This Hitler creeped me the eff out. His grotesque pursuit of his much younger niece and his eventual sexual domineering of her were so disgusting and repulsing that if I never knew the meaning of having my "skin crawl" before, I definitely know now. The description of a naked Hitler with "tan teeth" jerking off while subjugating Geli was perverse and disturbing.
I had a distinctly hard time understanding the character of Geli as portrayed in this book. She was an intelligent, bright, and clever girl by all accounts, so I don't see how she could go through fits of jealousy over Hitler's attentions to other girls while he overshadowed every part of her life and often left her feeling violated. She kept wondering if he would ever marry her, wondered about whether he loved her or not, and even thought about doing sexual things with him after he had done disturbing things and betrayed her trust by showing naked pictures of her to all of his comrades. (less)

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Oct 20, 2010 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

It was so hard to read a novel about Hitler. I have never wanted to think of this man as anything other an evil, sinister monster. To read this book, you have to also see him as a person. Even more you have to witness all these other characters sucuumb to his thinking and his persuasiveness as he ascends to power of the Nazi party. Though he never fooled Geli, his niece; she saw him for what he truly was. The book is historical fiction so not 100% accurate to the historical record, but the autho...more

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Feb 05, 2013 Deanna S rated it 4 of 5 stars

I had heard a lot about this book before I decided to read it, and most people said it was either disturbing, or not worth the read. I was too interested though after having watched the documentary Triumph of the Will for my class. And I have to admit, I am glad I took the chance.

However, those people were right. The book is disturbing. I found myself visibly shaking my head at some points and having just an overall feeling of revulsion. That being said, I could not put the book down. The intera...more

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Jan 22, 2011 Holly rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-reads

How do you tell an intimate story of Hitler that is neither sympathetic to the monster, nor so off-puttingly creepy that the reader puts the book down with a shudder? You create (or find in the history books) an ambivalent heroine with ambiguous loyalties, who, though she spent most of her life within Hitler's social, intellectual and emotional orbit, was not an anti-Semite, was apolitical, and was disgusted by him.

Hansen depicts Geli as an early victim of Hitler's sociopathy (which is why she...more How do you tell an intimate story of Hitler that is neither sympathetic to the monster, nor so off-puttingly creepy that the reader puts the book down with a shudder? You create (or find in the history books) an ambivalent heroine with ambiguous loyalties, who, though she spent most of her life within Hitler's social, intellectual and emotional orbit, was not an anti-Semite, was apolitical, and was disgusted by him.

Hansen depicts Geli as an early victim of Hitler's sociopathy (which is why she didn't/couldn't leave).
The early Hitler is like an illustrated checklist of sociopathic personality traits. That in itself is expected, not particularly interesting or surprising in a novel about Hitler. Rather, what was more interesting were certain characters who are immediately repelled by Hitler, even if they cannot say just why. (Also, I think, the rarer reaction to a sociopathic personality by certain wise people).

A deft summary of the effect of Hitler's speeches reminded me of the oratory of a recent US president: "Shunning rationality, he sought the peoples' faith with his own certainty. Hard questions were given easy answers. Objections were overcome with insistence. Opinions difficult to accept were continually repeated. Every complex issue was simplified. Every suspicion of paranoia was offered due consideration and respect. The ill-educated in the audience got the impression that they finally understood politics. (p. 85)

I grew annoyed with how every intention and motivation was spelled out - I hardly needed to do any interpretive work as reader. And sentences such as these, which over-explain aspects of the culture and factual background, seemed a little clumsy: "His twenty-three year old sister Paula hesitantly brought out their finest porcelain service and simpered and curtsied to him before going back into the kitchen to help Angela with the Austrian dessert that was called Kaiserschmarren." [page 30]
His organization was now called [NSDAP], the National Socialist German Workers' Party, but was primarily known by an acronym formed from the first and sixth syllables, Nazi, which . . . [page 38]

Some perfectly (appropriately) revolting sexual encounters between Hitler and Geli.(less)

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Apr 19, 2011 Larry Bassett rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

I haven’t bought a bottle of German wine in many years. But, thanks to Ron Hansen I may try some liebfraumilch one day soon. Hitler’s Niece turned out to be better than I expected. I got it through GR Bookswap by chance. I was scrolling through some books and ran across Hitler’s Niece. I had read a small flurry of GR reviews from my home page and the title left me curious but not convinced. But there it was popping out on Bookswap a couple of weeks later so I figured “Why not?”

I was not immediat...more

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Jul 10, 2008 Selena rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: no one, really

Basically this is a fictional novel based on true facts about Hitler, his niece and the Nazi party. I read it so quickly only to be done with it! The two stars represent the fact that at least it was a noteworthy idea - basing fiction on fact. I usually go for that sort of thing. But, the book was just horrible. Hilter's niece, Geli, was portrayed as a complete idiot and although she supposedly disagreed with Hitler's ideals, she "went along for the ride" and didn't realize her uncle was a creep...more

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Mar 17, 2010 Martha rated it 5 of 5 stars

It was a very interesting book that added insight to the type of person Hitler is. I always thought he was just a perfectly evil man, and that was all. Never did I ever think that the life he led behind closed doors was sad, and repulsive. This book made me feel so sorry for his niece, and the other people that were ignorantly used by him.

It feels odd for me to say this, but I enjoyed the book. Now Hitler is human to me.

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Jan 30, 2009 Christina rated it 4 of 5 stars

I wasn't looking for another book on Nazi Germany but this book just kind of grabbed me. Even though it is historical fiction, the author is very well researched on the subject and lots of it was based on fact, so I feel like I got a bit of a history lesson on how Hitler came to power. It's surprising that one doesn't hear much about his niece Geli given how much importance she had in his life.

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Mar 19, 2009 Vivian rated it 3 of 5 stars

I must admit to knowing next to nothing about Hitler's relationship with his family and with his young niece before reading this book. This fictionalized account of their relationship was an emotional read for me. At turns fascinating and revolting, I wanted to stop reading but couldn't put the book down. Ultimately enlightening, but so disturbing and difficult to read.

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Feb 24, 2013 Barbara rated it 2 of 5 stars

Fictionalized fact. The book jacket tells it best. "through the eyes of a favorite niece who has been all but lost to history, we see the frightening rise in prestige and politcal power of a vain, vulgar, sinister man who thrived on cruelty and hate and would stop at nothing to keep the horror of his inner life hidden from the world."

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Jan 17, 2012 Rachel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sad-endings, 3-stars

Let me first begin by saying I will forever be haunted by what I read. The book is chilling and will make probably everyone uncomfortable, no matter who you are. The story follows Geli Raubal, a sweet young woman who lives with her dear Uncle Adolf in the late 1920s. While most young women spend their time going out and enjoying themselves, this was not at all Geli's cause. She was sheltered by her uncle, who becomes slowly obsessed with her leading to a very tragic end that will leave you speec...more

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Apr 01, 2011 Karen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction-based-on-true

A very disturbing look at Hitler's early years. His niece did exist and was reported to have killed herself, though some Hitler biographies imply he killed her. No one can really know what happened between them. But watching how he manipulated people around him was pretty creepy.

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About Ron Hansen

Hansen was born in Omaha, Nebraska, attended a Jesuit high school, Creighton Preparatory School and earned a Bachelor's degree in English from Creighton University in Omaha in 1970. Following military service, he earned an M.F.A. from the Iowa Writers' Workshop in 1974 and held a Wallace Stegner Creative Writing Fellowship at Stanford University. He later earned an M.A. in Spirituality from Santa...more

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