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The Girl from Munich

(The Girl from Munich #1)

Tania Blanchard (Goodreads Author)

3.58 · Rating details · 2,452 ratings · 236 reviews

Germany, 1943. The choices she makes will change her life forever.

Growing up in Hitler’s Germany, Charlotte von Klein has big dreams for the future. Her mind is full of plans for a sumptuous wedding to her childhood sweetheart Heinrich while working for the Luftwaffe, proudly giving her all for the Fatherland.

But in 1943, the tide of the war is turning against Germany, and ...more

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Paperback, 352 pages

Published September 1st 2017 by Simon & Schuster AU

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May 02, 2019 Lisa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

5 Heartwarming stars
The Girl from Munich by Tania Blanchard is about love hardships & decisions tha might make or break you!!
Charlotte Von Klein & her mother Mutti & Father Vati are trying to get by in Munich Germany in 1943, with the war all around them Charlotte wants to do her but for the war effort going to the front line to be a photographer but her parents vehermintly are against it after losing their son Ludqwiga pilot killed in the Eastern front in Stalingrad.

Vati & Mutti are dreading l 5 Heartwarming stars
The Girl from Munich by Tania Blanchard is about love hardships & decisions tha might make or break you!!
Charlotte Von Klein & her mother Mutti & Father Vati are trying to get by in Munich Germany in 1943, with the war all around them Charlotte wants to do her but for the war effort going to the front line to be a photographer but her parents vehermintly are against it after losing their son Ludqwiga pilot killed in the Eastern front in Stalingrad.

Vati & Mutti are dreading losing another child to this terrible war but Charlotte is so insistent on doing something they let her stay close so she gets a job as a swcretary working for Luftwaffe working for Erich Drescher a handsome man was well chissled & charming she was shown the ropes by Bettina Weiss, learned very quickly but had an instant attraction to ERich he made her heart flutter but at home she was promised to Heinrich ( an arranged marriage) they had been kindred spirits, best friends since children.

Heinrich was in the medical profession wanting to be a doctor eventually he was called up to the eastern front, Charlotte was heartbroken but there was nothing she could do, she continued working at her job profficient at what she had to do but she was drawn to Erich more & more until she could'nt take it any more he kissed her & then she was his.

She got letters from Heinrich saying they would marry when he got back but aftwer a while his letters stopped she had to get on with her life & eventually Erich & charlotte got married they thought eveeything was okay until out of the Blue everything came crumbling down their marriage would be tested.

Meanwhile Mutti was so against Charlottes Marriage they were estranged for a while until Vati was taken to a prison camp in the next town Mutti was inconsolable as her other son Willi was killed also, this put a strain on Mutti she went into deep depression losing both sons to war then having Charlotte away from her was the last thing she could take.

I am really enjoying this genre it really is addictive but sadness is written right throughout i loved Charlotte she was a strong no nonsense woman who's love for Erich was so strong that nothing could break them, it was atmospheric endearing & well written the pacing was up there the tension was building chapter by chapter. I also loved the old style romance between Erich Charlotte & Heinrich was beautifully written no smuttiness which was a nice change, all in all a fabulous read. ...more

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Sep 01, 2017 Brenda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: aussie-authors, arc, own-read, read-on-kindle, 2017-release, net-galley, historical-fiction

Charlotte von Klein lived in relative luxury with her Mutti and Vati in Munchen, Germany in 1943. The war was all around them with Lotte’s eldest brother having already been killed which had devastated the family. They hoped desperately that Willi would return to them unscathed. Lotte was engaged to her childhood sweetheart Heinrich, and she knew his training to become a doctor would take him far. But when Heinrich was sent to the Front, Lotte was beside herself…

When Lotte’s father managed to ge ...more

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Sep 25, 2017 Amanda - Mrs B's Book Reviews rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2017-books

*https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com
4.5 stars
World War II based historical fiction remains one of my favourite genres. It was a welcome experience to read The Girl from Munich, by debut Australian author Tania Blanchard. Rarely do we hear tales of the ordinary German people’s experience of war, especially in the dying stages as they conceded defeat. Blanchard comprehensively explores the war from the German civilian point of view from during the war, in 1943, through to after the war as the Al *https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com
4.5 stars
World War II based historical fiction remains one of my favourite genres. It was a welcome experience to read The Girl from Munich, by debut Australian author Tania Blanchard. Rarely do we hear tales of the ordinary German people’s experience of war, especially in the dying stages as they conceded defeat. Blanchard comprehensively explores the war from the German civilian point of view from during the war, in 1943, through to after the war as the Allies took responsibility for Germany’s future. Interwoven in this compelling tale of war, is a coming of age tale and the complicated love story of Charlotte ‘Lotte’ von Klein.

The Girl From Munich transports the reader to July 1943 in Munich. Charlotte (Lotte) von Klein is a young woman devoted to her homeland, Germany and the beloved leader taking her country into war. With both Lotte’s brothers off fighting in the war for their country, Lotte decides it is high time that she did something for the war effort. Ideally, she wants to use her well honed photography skills and take pictures from the front but Lotte’s protective parents deem this too dangerous. Instead, Lotte settles for a secretarial post, working for the Luftwaffe. In the meantime, Lotte is kept busy with her mother’s ambitious wedding plans for Lotte’s upcoming wedding to childhood sweetheart and best friend Heinrich. Heinrich is a junior doctor in training and is soon called up to work on the front, derailing the couple’s plans for marriage. Lotte promises herself to Heinrich as he goes off to war but the war has other plans for Lotte.

I love nothing more than a new tale from rising from the ashes of World War II, I feel it is so important to keep the memory of this chapter in world history alive. I believe the author of The Girl From Munich, Tania Blanchard, must feel this urge too, hence why this book was written. There is a strong ring of truth in this book and the sense of realism hit me quite hard. I feel this is down to the fact that The Girl From Munich is inspired by Blanchard’s own Grandmother’s experiences and memorabilia left from her time in Germany during World War II. It adds much substance to this sweeping historical drama.

Charlotte or ‘Lotte’ as she is referred to in the bulk of this novel was a character I quickly took a liking to. Although she seemed a little immature and sheltered in a way through her upbringing in Germany’s social elite, I still found her experience of war quite fascinating. Lotte goes through quite the transformation over the progression of this book. When we meet her she is fixated on making it as a war photographer. These aspirations are quashed by Lotte’s parents, who with the prospect of losing two sons to war, do not want to lose their little girl either. It gives Lotte a big reality check and she compromises with her parents by taking up an administrative role with the still vital Luftwaffe. It is a position that sees this young naive girl, transform slowly into a woman and it also leads her to cross paths with Erich Drescher, her superior. Erich’s presence has a profound effect on Lotte’s future.

Love plays an important role in this historical fiction offering. When we first meet Lotte, she thinks she is in love with Heinrich, her best friend and childhood sweetheart. He is only man she has had experience with in the love stakes. The pressure Lotte’s family, in particular her mother places on the importance of entering into a marriage with Heinrich is awfully suffocating. In trying to secure a safe future and life of privilege for Lotte through marrying Heinrich, who is substantially more financially secure than Lotte’s family, highlights the lack of choice woman of this era faced. Lotte and Heinrich’s romance is one more of affection than true love. The subsequent love triangle that develops between Lotte, Heinrich and Erich is much more realistic. It forces some tough decisions in the love and life department for our lead. This aspect also serves to highlight the growth Lotte experiences and the maturity that dawns upon her as she must wrestle with her life path. I will say in some respects, Lotte did appear a little too naive and immature. She seemed to run to her parents and family a lot in the difficult times, rather than face her problems head on as a grown woman. Despite this, I enjoyed following Lotte’s progress during and after the war.

Blanchard is able to haul the reader into one of our most defining eras in our world history, Germany in World War II, through The Girl From Munich. It is almost refreshing to hear the voices of the everyday German citizens through reading this book. It is important to recognise that the ordinary people living in Germany during World War II were victims of war themselves. They were led to blindly believe that all their country’s problems would be solved by the war. They continued to believe in this philosophy even as the country was plunged into disarray. Through The Girl From Munich, we see a country hit with bombs, air raids, displacement, rations and stealing. Blanchard helps us to see how this continued long after the war, when the German people were subjected to further difficulties. These included the anxieties associated with the round up of anyone who was associated with the Nazi party, a lack of appropriate housing, little amenities, a fight for employment and the changed way of life due to the presence of the Allies. Blanchard excels in bringing a time and a place in our past to our attention.

The Girl From Munich is a sad and devastating tale of sorts that is touched with much realism. Blanchard’s story highlights Germany’s loss of human life, through the soldiers who fought for the country, through to the bystander’s who got caught up in the bombings and air raids. The Jewish people’s plight and the Holocaust is touched on only very briefly through an American soldier’s recount of what he saw when he liberated one of the camps. I found noteworthy world events attached to the war such as the Nuremberg trials fascinating and I appreciated how Blanchard wove these important world events into her narrative. Although I found this a sad tale, it offers a strong light of hope at the end, as Lotte survives the war with all the horrors she has seen and experienced.

The Girl From Munich was a book I am grateful for reading, due to the insight it gave me into the German experience of war. With strong messages of hope and new beginnings at the close of this wartime novel, I was pleased to learn from the author that a sequel is in the works. I know for sure I will be rushing out to read this one as soon as it is released. And, I thank you for sharing your family’s history with us Tania Blanchard. ...more

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Jun 15, 2017 PattyMacDotComma marked it as dnf-abandoned

Shelves: aa, australian-author, arc-netgalley-done, historical-fiction, kindle

Did not finish - no rating

This may appeal to fans of historical fiction and romance for a YA audience. I don't know that this was written for young people, but it reads that way to me. After reading only five chapters, I certainly can’t offer a fair opinion of the book or give it a rating.

The story focuses on ‘the girl’, of course, and how her family (what’s left of it) is managing in Munich during WW2. I have no doubt there's a strong story line, judging by what I read and what other reviewers ...more

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Jun 17, 2017 Kerri rated it it was ok

Shelves: aussie-author

I enjoy reading Historical fiction, especially World War II fiction, but this is not what I expected it to be, and had I known more I probably would never have picked it up. I'm not a fan of Young Adult or Romance as I do not enjoy reading about immature characters, soppy storylines or love triangles so I'm probably not the best person to review this book, I just wish I wasn't the first one to do so. I did enjoy reading the parts of the book that described what was going on in Germany at that ti ...more

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Nov 22, 2019 Darce rated it it was ok

Shelves: historical, romance, love-triangle, realistic-fic, 2-stars

this was... a let down. i was expecting, and hoping for, a dramatic and devastating war book, chock full of death, destruction and pain (sorry i ran out of D adjectives). instead, i got a book that was half war and then turned into this whole soap opera thing with bigomy and romance. and no one even died! like, no-one! i swear!

basically, this book really wasn't for me and i could barely finish :( ...more

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Oct 01, 2017 Carolynne rated it did not like it

To describe this as a "sweeping tale" is an exaggeration. Although set in WWII Germany the reader never feels transported. Characters are 2 dimensional with no real personal growth demonstrated by either Lotte, Erich or Heinrich. Genuinely interesting ideas aren't explored in depth ( the brain washed generation; German civilian expectation of being "liberated" by the Americans and shock at being treated as the guilty vanquished; national shame; women's rights). The persistent love triangle is al ...more

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Jan 07, 2018 Michelle Bradley rated it it was ok

This was an incredibly superficial narrative which could have been so much better. It certainly did not live up to its blurb. I only finished reading it because I am stubborn and did not want to admit defeat. Lots of melodrama and very simplistic writing. Such a shame as the subject matter is intriguing and could have become a riveting story.

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Aug 12, 2017 Carolyn rated it liked it

Shelves: netgalley, 2017, ww2, australian-author

I very much enjoyed being immersed in 1943 WW2 Munich and seeing events through the eyes of everyday Germans who up then had believed that their revered leader Adolf Hitler was winning the war. Now as the tide starts to turn they discover what it is like to be on the losing side, to be subjected to nightly bombings, hearing rumours of what has happened to so many of their Jewish friends and neighbours and to have so many of their sons, brothers and husbands dying and missing.

The story is told th ...more

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Nov 12, 2018 Jeanette Lewis rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fictionistas

The story is centred around Lotte, a German girl, a product of the Nazi Régime. Her unfaltering belief in Hitler and the Third Reich like most Germans of the time is identified. The obvious brain washing received by Lotte at school and by her parents leaves no doubt in her mind that Hitler is the saviour of Germany. This story has a background of real family experiences and for this reason it is an astounding admission that, Lotte, a teenager/young woman is unaware of families within her neighbo The story is centred around Lotte, a German girl, a product of the Nazi Régime. Her unfaltering belief in Hitler and the Third Reich like most Germans of the time is identified. The obvious brain washing received by Lotte at school and by her parents leaves no doubt in her mind that Hitler is the saviour of Germany. This story has a background of real family experiences and for this reason it is an astounding admission that, Lotte, a teenager/young woman is unaware of families within her neighbourhood and surrounds that are being thrown out of their homes and trucked away for being “undesirables, impure” by the Gestapo, never questioning “why” and remaining committed to the fanaticism of the Nazi doctrine. It isn’t until when one of their own household staff disappears that Lotte is discomforted, the reader may have little sympathy with her and the organised life of privilege that surrounds her considering also the rationing taking place for ordinary Germans. Lotte’s stepfather “Vati” is well off and Lotte has a good life, rather precocious, mapped out for her by her mother to marry a family friend’s son Heinrich, a young man training to be a doctor. It seems that the events of this war engineered by Hitler have little impact on this family until the loss of Lotte’s two brothers. However the belief in Hitler’s war still leaves the family in a bubble not questioning any of the events taking place. Mutti, becomes understandably protective and possessive of Lotte and regardless of everything continues to make wedding preparations for her daughter. Mother and daughter are a little dismayed that some materials are not available, so inopportune for them this war! The wedding dress is to be made by Munich’s best designer who suddenly disappears, shuttled off by the Nazis for being a Jew. The dress is finished off by the assistant. Still, there is no real understanding by this family of events that are unfolding other than Vati having to spend a lot of time away from home. Lotte finds her mother’s attitude suffocating and longs to develop her photographic skills further and/or play her part in the war effort. Through her stepfather she is able to obtain a safe job assisting Oberinspektor (Upper Inspector) Erich Drescher. From here events around Lotte move quickly. The Allies start bombing Berlin and are beginning to move through Germany, the Russians are moving in from the East but still the fantasy exists for Lotte and her German workmates. Heinrich can no longer hide from his responsibilities and is sent to the Eastern front as a medic while Lotte despairs that their marriage plans will have to be postponed. With the Americans moving further into Germany and now defeat well in sight plans to evacuate are put into place. Lotte’s situation has already been compromised by Erich for whom she has developed a strong attachment. On the run they end up at an aunt of Lotte’s where her condition is now obvious. Sadly for Lotte, even with Germany defeated yet again, the country being torn apart, she has to endure her shame, associated bigotry and the continued obsession by her mother. As this book progresses, now approximately half way, the reader may have a change of heart regarding Lotte with so many further complications occurring to her young life. A change has come about, standing up for herself, taking responsibilities for herself and Erich. This is further consolidated when meeting a young American soldier who reveals to her and Erich the conditions he witnessed when Dachau was liberated. It is only then that Lotte comes face to face with the reality of the brutality carried out by the Nazis and Hitler. “There was nothing we could say. It was hard to believe the stories, hard to believe that our fellow citizens, Germans like ourselves, could be capable of such cruelty. Everything I had believed about this war which we had put our hearts and souls into, was not so. I began to understand the obsession with finding any ties to the Nazis. I felt ashamed to be German.” ...more

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Aug 30, 2017 Jo - •.★Reading Is My Bliss★.• rated it it was amazing

I have read several books set during the second World War but never from a German civilian perspective. Once again, I had my mind and eyes opened by this telling on what it was like for the people living in these war torn countries and the struggles they went through.

Lotte has dreams of pursuing a career in photography and marrying her sweet fiance Heinrich. He is a doctor and can offer her a secure future where she will want for nothing. Unfortunately he gets called up as a medic to serve his c I have read several books set during the second World War but never from a German civilian perspective. Once again, I had my mind and eyes opened by this telling on what it was like for the people living in these war torn countries and the struggles they went through.

Lotte has dreams of pursuing a career in photography and marrying her sweet fiance Heinrich. He is a doctor and can offer her a secure future where she will want for nothing. Unfortunately he gets called up as a medic to serve his country in one of the army hospitals. It is 1943 in Germany and their country is at war.

Lotte has already lost one brother to this horrendous battle being led by Hitler and the thought of losing Heinrich terrifies her. Her dreams of being a photographer are soon squashed by her parents when she is employed in an office position at the regional command headquarters. Lotte will be assisting Oberinspektor Erich Drescher in a personal assistant/administration role, helping him cope with his workload.

Over the months Lotte develops a bit of a crush on Erich which leaves her feeling ashamed of herself. She is engaged to another man but feeling this strange pull towards Erich. Heinrich’s communication with Lotte dimishes over time and it gets to a point when nobody even knows if he is still alive. Erich goes through a similar experience with his own family and eventually Erich and Lotte find comfort in each others arms.

The people of Germany hear murmurings of the Americans slowly moving towards their country and having the upper hand in this horrendous war but Hitler has completely brainwashed them into thinking he is still in control. Many lives are lost unnecessarily on the frontline and all those innocent jewish people are being carted away on trains every day. There are air raids at night killing people, destroying homes and it made me sad to think of all of the beautiful history that was destroyed by this war, although the loss of human life could never compare.

‘I dreamed of life going back to normal but a little voice in my head wondered how life could ever be normal again without the ones we loved and with the trauma this war had left with the living.’

Seventh of May 1945 the war is over. Like a lot of displaced people, Lotte is determined to find her family so she can begin to rebuild her life. Erich plans on doing the same, once Lotte is safely back with her parents. The bond between them has only strengthened, they have been through so much together. Heinrich is still in her heart but the connection Erich is even moreso.

This war has changed Lotte, the things she thought she always wanted, the life she envisioned, the things she deemed important to her now are no longer important. The war may be over but the struggle to survive is just beginning. Will she be spending her future with Heinrich or Erich?

I got completely swept up in this story of love, duty and survival. I learnt a lot and was also left feeling really sad for what so many people went through. The civilians of Germany were victims too, brain washed and loyal to the end to their horrid leader. Despite all the sadness surrounding this book, it was a fantastic, enjoyable read for me.
...more

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Aug 25, 2017 Kathryn rated it really liked it

Shelves: 4-star, historical-fiction, australian-author, 2017

The Girl From Munich is set in Germany during WW11 and post war. It shows the lives of the ordinary people as they too coped with the war that their "beloved" Fuhrer had led them into. Lotte was one young woman who believed in the cause and wanted to help where she could and escape the confines surrounding her from her mother and others. She is a keen photographer, however that has all to fall by the wayside as war sets limits on film. She is expected to marry Heinrich, a young doctor and life l The Girl From Munich is set in Germany during WW11 and post war. It shows the lives of the ordinary people as they too coped with the war that their "beloved" Fuhrer had led them into. Lotte was one young woman who believed in the cause and wanted to help where she could and escape the confines surrounding her from her mother and others. She is a keen photographer, however that has all to fall by the wayside as war sets limits on film. She is expected to marry Heinrich, a young doctor and life long friend. Although Lotte notices some things just don't sit right with her, even though she does have love for him.

We follow Lotte through the last three years of the war, and in doing so see Germany coping with bombs being dropped on them, losing loved ones to the battlefield and not being able to find loved ones in other areas. Lotte like many believes what she has been indoctrinated with, until finally she realises what others might be saying could be true. So often we see the war from the eyes of the allied forces, so I really liked being given the chance to empathise with those also caught up in war on the other side. It also highlighted for me the unswerving and unthinking loyalty that some give to a leader, blinkered - and it is happening today, which is the sad thing, many have not learned from our past.

This is a coming of age story for Lotte, a valuing of herself and a learning to trust her own heart and instincts. I liked her courage, fortitude and ability to keep going. Her relationship with Heinrich comes into question when she finds herself attracted to Erich, and it is this relationship that helps Lotte blossom into the person she becomes.

This is a debut novel written by Tania Blanchard, she is an Australian with an Italian father and a German mother. She was fascinated by the stories her German grandmother told her, and for me that gives this book a ring of truth, an inheritance that she shares in a work of fiction. I am pleased to see she intends writing a book to continue this story in the new chosen land, and I for one will be looking out for it.

As it happens I saw on a current events TV programme a piece interviewing an Austrian Willi Huber who came to New Zealand to see Mt Cook, in the Sth Island. He was an SS soldier at 17 and was a gunner on a tank until in hand to hand combat he received a bayonet wound. He is 94 now and was instrumental in setting up the ski slope at Mount Hutt. What struck me was the similarities in the history in this book and his story. It added to the realism of the book for me, plus I was hooked into his amazing story. ...more

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Oct 28, 2017 Nicole rated it it was ok · review of another edition

This felt more like an Edwardian bodice ripper than an historical novel set in WWII Germany. I felt like the war was incidental and that, frankly, the heroine could have been anywhere at any time. The actually horrors of WWII were really nowhere in sight in Charlotte’s romantic little world. Be warned, this is not a historical novel, it’s a romance and not a very good one at that.

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Feb 09, 2018 Em rated it did not like it

I was completely unimpressed with this book. The characterisation is flat and rote, the story is almost entirely told rather than shown, and the emphasis is on the emotional life and romance of Lotte, the POV character, who has all the depth of a puddle.

All of those deficiencies could have been forgiven however, if not for the context in which this story was set. The author doesn't seem to have done any research beyond wikipedia and given the atrocities of the Nazis and the war this is not a sub ...more

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May 29, 2018 Anita Tymkiw rated it it was ok

I love historical fiction and enjoyed a German experience of WWII presented in this book. Despite this fascinating back drop and relatively interesting story, I was disappointed in the writing which was unsophisticated and full of cliches. All the characters lacked depth. Too often I thought their reactions and dialogue were inauthentic and I found myself rolling my eyes at some points. Lotte, the main character, seemed to think like a modern day woman so it was hard to believe that she was born ...more

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Mar 09, 2019 Permanently 23 rated it did not like it

This is one of the worst books I’ve read in recent memory. Woeful. One star feels generous.

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Sep 19, 2017 Kirsty Dummin rated it really liked it

Actual 3.5*

I found this a difficult genre to pinpoint. It's obviously historical fiction but there are strong elements of romance with a hint of being aimed at a younger audience.

This is the story of Charlotte (Lotte), a young woman in Hitler's Germany. Lotte has dreams of being a photographer but her mother has ideas of marrying her off to a wealthy doctor and family friend Heinrich. Lotte instead gets a job as a receptionist for the local Luftwaffe base and meets Erich. This is a story of love ...more

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Aug 15, 2018 Drka added it

Shelves: did-not-finish

Yawn. Dnf
Won’t rate it because I read just a few chapters and that was enough, I could not suppress my scepticism that this would improve.
I will just say that Dachau is 30 mins north of Munich by car. If you don’t know about Dachau look it up.
Fantasy.

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Sep 16, 2017 Michelle rated it really liked it

Shelves: tbr-for-review, physically-on-michelle-s-bookcase, aww2017, september-2017

Review appears in its entirety at: http://bookgirl.beautyandlace.net/boo...

Tania Blanchard has written an eye opening debut set in WWII. Now, I learned about the war in high school history, I have watched movies about the war and I have read books set in the war but The Girl From Munich was something completely different from anything I have been exposed to, and remember.

The Girl From Munich is set in Germany, during the war and in the aftermath, and centres on German civilians. These are storie ...more

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Mar 13, 2019 Jo Eales rated it liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 11, 2020 Victoria rated it did not like it

I picked this book up at a relative's place over the break. Big mistake! I did push myself to finish it just so I could add it to my 2020 reading list. This is no more than a Mills and Boon mushy story. It is set in Germany in ww2. Triangulated love relationship, manipulative mother, make up most of the story. There are some seriously questionable ideas in this story; questionable in that there is no credible explanation as to why circumstances happen. You're left scratching your head wondering ...more

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Sep 06, 2017 Trevor rated it liked it

Shelves: australian, netgalley

Up front - this is not the usual type of book that I read. Having said that though I did enjoy the story though I do have a couple of gripes:

1) Some of the situations seemed contrived so that particular comments could be made about WWII and the way in which it was conducted and people treated
2) The writing style was at times laboured

The overall story was however enjoyable and in the main well paced. For a debut novel this was a good read.

I was given a copy of this novel by the publisher in excha ...more

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Dec 08, 2020 ~Madison rated it it was ok

its nice knowing how someones love life goes on during a world war that affects their whole life but there was way too much romance, I would've liked more war focused chapters.

Went into this thinking I would love it because of how the book was described but its kinda misleading, I really didn't know it would be this romance heavy ...more

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Apr 24, 2019 Elise Ryan rated it really liked it

An easy read, and an interesting look into a side to this part of history that I knew very little about. The main character is wonderfully formed.

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Jul 04, 2017 Jennifer (JC-S) rated it liked it

Shelves: review-books, australian-womens-writers-challenge, net-galley

‘Times have changed, Mutti.’

In 1943, Charlotte (Lotte) von Klein is a young woman with grand plans. A proud German, she wants to support the Fatherland as best she can. She and her family are planning for her wedding to her childhood sweetheart Heinrich, but in the meantime Lotte wants to support Hitler’s war effort. Although Lotte’s mother would prefer her not to work, Lotte’s father arranges for her to work for the Luftwaffe. This sets Lotte on a path that will change her life.

Lotte is a young ‘Times have changed, Mutti.’

In 1943, Charlotte (Lotte) von Klein is a young woman with grand plans. A proud German, she wants to support the Fatherland as best she can. She and her family are planning for her wedding to her childhood sweetheart Heinrich, but in the meantime Lotte wants to support Hitler’s war effort. Although Lotte’s mother would prefer her not to work, Lotte’s father arranges for her to work for the Luftwaffe. This sets Lotte on a path that will change her life.

Lotte is a young woman who has lived a life of privilege. The war changes this. Her family home becomes accommodation for other families whose homes have been destroyed, and her fiancé Heinrich is caught up in the war. Lotte finds her Luftwaffe supervisor, Erich Drescher, attractive and is unsettled by her feelings for him. They are thrown together as they flee in search of safety as Germany falls to the Allies forces.

This is another side of World War II, of people who believed (at least initially) in their country’s leadership, who ended up on the losing side of the war. It’s also a love story with more than a few twists. It’s difficult to write more detail about the story without spoiling it for intending readers.

This is Ms Blanchard’s debut novel. While there were aspects I didn’t like, overall, I enjoyed the read. The way in which Ms Blanchard bought this aspect of Germany at war to life, depicting ‘normal’ (albeit privileged) people as they came to terms with the consequences of being on the losing side in war. I also thought that the way in which Ms Blanchard depicted the anxieties of individuals, through the uncertainty of losing contact, of not knowing whether some family members were alive or dead rang true. And then, when the war is over, there’s the struggle to find a new way of life in a world that has changed in so many different ways.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster (Australia) for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

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Jun 30, 2017 Mirelle rated it liked it

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This review was originally submitted to Netgalley.
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I read a lot of historical fiction books centering around Germany in World War 2, and maybe this is why I am quite critical of any books that are set in this period. Maybe it's also because my grandparents lived in Germany throughout this period, and I feel a very personal connection to that time and place. In saying all t ...more

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Sep 28, 2017 Helen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

‘It was as if a tiny crack in the very ordered, planned world of mine had appeared, allowing me to look at life around me, at the life I might want to take for myself.’

I thoroughly enjoyed ‘The Girl from Munich’ by Aussie author Tania Blanchard set in the final years of World War II. It was refreshing to read a book from the perspective of a young German girl during this period and I found it to be excellent historical fiction, especially considering it is her debut. Inspired by tales from her G ...more

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Dec 03, 2018 Lara (luellabella✂️) rated it really liked it

No rating, sadly adding it to my DNF pile. This book had so much promise for me - an Aussie author, a beautiful cover and what looked to be a great storyline. I’m not sure why but it just didn’t grip me enough to continue waiting for it to get better. I always feel sad (and a little guilty?) when I put down a book, knowing I won’t pick it up again but my TBR pile is only getting longer and taunting me with possibly more enjoyable tales!

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Sep 30, 2017 Lauren Chater rated it it was amazing

Beautiful and moving historical fiction set against the backdrop of Germany at the end of WW2. I raced to the end, desperate to know what happened. Great read.

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Oct 14, 2018 Lydia Dyas rated it did not like it

This book was so bad I returned it to the publisher.

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About Tania Blanchard

Tania Blanchard

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Tania lives in Sydney with her husband and three children. Coming from a family with rich cultural heritage with a German mother and Italian father, stories have always been in her blood. Following a career in physiotherapy, it was only when she had her family that she decided to return to her passion of writing.

Her debut novel is The Girl from Munich, the story she has always wanted to write, in ...more