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The German Heiress

Anika Scott (Goodreads Author)

3.71 · Rating details · 4,490 ratings · 700 reviews

For readers of The Alice Network and The Lost Girls of Paris, an immersive, heart-pounding debut about a German heiress on the run in post-World War II Germany.

Clara Falkenberg, once Germany’s most eligible and lauded heiress, earned the nickname “the Iron Fräulein” during World War II for her role operating her family’s ironworks empire. It’s been nearly two years since t ...more

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Paperback, 384 pages

Published April 7th 2020 by William Morrow Paperbacks (first published March 5th 2020)

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Historical Fiction 2020

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WW2 Era Fiction published in 2020

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· 4,490 ratings · 700 reviews

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Apr 11, 2020 Julie rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2020, e-book, edelweiss-review

An effective, highly suspenseful post WWII saga-

Clara Falkenberg, once an heiress to the Falkenberg Iron Works has been living under an assumed name since the end of the war. She earned a tough reputation while at the helm of the Iron works, but whenever possible, Clara snuck extra rations to workers who were brought in from Russia and Poland to work for them. But eventually she fled Essen fearing retaliation from the Nazis.

However, Clara hasn't heard from her best friend, Elisa, and her teenag ...more

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Mar 31, 2020 Paige rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

Clara hides in post-WWII Germany under a different name until someone recognizes her and unveils her true identity. Is that all she is? Her whole life comes down to the years during the war when she made poor choices. The focus of this novel illuminates morality through the eyes of a female war criminal.

Clara's circumstances put the reader in tight spot, and it is hard to trust her sometimes. As soon as I leaned one way, the next chapter would sway my feelings towards the opposite direction. I ...more

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Dec 14, 2019 Paromjit rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, netgalley

Anika Scott writes a post WW2 piece of intriguing historical fiction from the unusual perspective of the defeated and humiliated Germans, now living under Allied occupation of the victorious forces. Germany is a ruined and devastated nation, with ordinary people facing poverty and starvation, whilst having to come to terms with their part in and complicity with the horrors and terrors of their recent past. The allied forces are looking for war criminals to arrest, and a British Captain Fenshaw i Anika Scott writes a post WW2 piece of intriguing historical fiction from the unusual perspective of the defeated and humiliated Germans, now living under Allied occupation of the victorious forces. Germany is a ruined and devastated nation, with ordinary people facing poverty and starvation, whilst having to come to terms with their part in and complicity with the horrors and terrors of their recent past. The allied forces are looking for war criminals to arrest, and a British Captain Fenshaw is seeking justice in his hunt for Clara Falkenberg for war crimes. She is the German heiress, the Iron Maiden, the only daughter of a wealthy, privileged and corrupt Nazi supporting family that owned and ran factories that were supplied with slave labour by the Nazi regime with whom they were well connected. Clara was a celebrated figure for the fascists and served as propaganda for the Nazi Regime.

It is 1946, and Clara is now living a very different life in hiding, having assumed another identity in her efforts to escape being caught. In her eyes she tried to do all that she could to help the horrendously treated slave workforce but is this true? She heads for her home industrial city of Essen, wanting to find and see what happened to her best friend, Elisa, and her son, Willy, who turn out to have unexpected connections to her family and its past. Willy is suffering from severe mental health issues, unaware that the war has been lost, still guarding a mine with its Wehrmacht supplies, unwilling and unable to relinquish his post. Jakob Relling is a former soldier who lost his leg in the war, now a black marketeer, trying to do the best he can to provide for his family. Scott writes a well researched atmospheric story of survival, family, secrets, complicity, guilt, conscience, love and redemption. She captures the hard and turbulent post war times, providing us with complex characters in this fascinating and insightful period of history.

This is an intense, dark and twisted historical read that skilfully portrays the often common experiences, horrors and dilemmas of being on the losing side in a war for ordinary people. Many thanks to Random House Cornerstone for an ARC. ...more

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Apr 03, 2020 Brenda - Traveling Sisters Book Reviews rated it really liked it

Shelves: edelweiss, traveling-sister-reads

I had some mixed feelings here with The German Heiress. The story started off slow for me and I felt like I was missing something here with Clara's characters. I struggled with finding her convincing and the overall plot of the story. Once I stop trying to find her convincing or compelling and just go with the story, I started to enjoy the story. I found it to be more of a thriller than historical fiction.

The story takes place post-WWII and the perspective is unique here. During World War II, C ...more

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Apr 25, 2020 Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader rated it really liked it

Clara Falkenberg was nicknamed “the Iron Fraulein” during World War II because she operated her parents large iron business. An heiress before war, she is now potentially in ruin with interrogators at her door.

Clara flees in hopes of finding her friend, Elisa, and quickly sees her home city in ruins. As she searches for Elisa, she meets Jakob, who works on the black market and is also seeking Elisa. All the while, the officer is still looking for Clara to make her answer his questions about pote ...more

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Apr 18, 2020 Karren Sandercock rated it it was amazing

Shelves: edelweiss-above-the-tree-line

Clara Falkenberg, was once Germany’s most eligible and richest heiress and during World War II she took over operating her family’s iron works empire. It’s been nearly two years since the war ended; Clara has been in hiding using a false name and she now calls herself Margarete Muller. Post war Germany was a mess, it was easy for Clara to get false documents and change her name. Like everyone living in Germany she had lost weight, her clothes were worn, she stopped coloring her hair blond and sh Clara Falkenberg, was once Germany’s most eligible and richest heiress and during World War II she took over operating her family’s iron works empire. It’s been nearly two years since the war ended; Clara has been in hiding using a false name and she now calls herself Margarete Muller. Post war Germany was a mess, it was easy for Clara to get false documents and change her name. Like everyone living in Germany she had lost weight, her clothes were worn, she stopped coloring her hair blond and she no longer resembled the rich young women she once was. She decides to return home to Essen, to find her best friend Elisa, she’s also curious to know if the family mansion is still standing and what happened to her mother Anne?

She has no idea she’s been under investigation herself for committing possible war crimes by Captain Thomas Fenshaw, he knows about her fake identity, her father has been arrested awaiting trial and the determined English officer wants to apprehend her as well. Clara manages to escape from Thomas Fenshaw, she continues on her journey to Essen and on the way she encounters Jakob Relling. He’s a handsome ex German soldier who lost a leg fighting the Russians, and he’s now working on the black market and is also searching for Elisa. Clara and Jakob decide to join forces and try to find Elisa and also what happened to Elisa young son Willy?

Clara was rather naïve, when she took over running her father’s factory she tried to help the starving people being forced to work and when she fled she had no idea what happened to them after she left. Was she a war criminal or a gullible young woman left to run her family’s business due to deception, lies, betrayal, and infidelity that she knew nothing about and had been hidden from her?

I enjoyed reading The German Heiress it’s an interesting story, it looks at WW II from the German point of view, and it’s full of twist, turns and many surprises. Thanks to Edelweiss for my digital copy, I gave the book five stars, I have shared my review on Edelweiss, Goodreads, Twitter, Australian Amazon and my blog. https://karrenreadsbooks.blogspot.com/ ...more

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Apr 24, 2020 DJ Sakata rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction, family-drama, netgalley, war

Favorite Quotes:

What a slippery thing conscience could be. It had driven her in two directions. To her father, with all the duties of family and work… And then she had been driven to help the workers, an act that put everything else at risk. One side of her conscience undermining the other. And still she had listened to both. She had thought she could do justice to both.

In Jakob’s experience, you had to watch the Tommies when they were being too nice. You never knew when they’d turn on you, remi ...more

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Apr 04, 2020 DeAnn rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2020

4 made me think stars

This one is set in post-WWII Germany and follows Clara Falkenberg. She’s from a prominent family that ran an iron business before and during the war. Once her father is off at war, Clara is the one who takes the helm. I say that this one made me think because Clara’s motives and thoughts feel a bit muddled. It made me think, what would I do in her place? Would I step into my father’s shoes and just carry on the business or would I question the humanity of what is happening?

N ...more

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Dec 01, 2019 Kylie Corley rated it it was amazing

I won an ARC through Goodreads, and I could not have been more ecstatic.
I've always been obsessed with World War II historical fiction. This one had a German view.
This had all of my emotions in overdrive.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and couldn't wait until I could get back to reading it. ...more

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May 02, 2020 Faith rated it it was ok

Shelves: netgalley, audio, overdrive, reviewed

If you are looking for a pro-nazi book you might enjoy this thriller more than I did. Clara ran an ironworks factory in Essen during the war. Her father has been accused of being a war criminal and now the British are trying to capture her too. Knowing that the British are after her, inexplicably she decides to return to her home town, where they are sure to look. She wants to find her friend Elisa and Elisa’s 15 year old son Willy. In Essen she encounters Jakob, a former German soldier.

Willy w ...more

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Oct 30, 2019 Faithtagada rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

i have loved this book so much! i was tensed while reading it anticipating the end.
great historical novel set from a different point of view - german side and their role and choice during the second world war. strongly recommend it!

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Nov 05, 2019 Rachel rated it it was amazing

The German Heiress by Anika Scott is a gripping post WWII historical fiction centered in Germany 1946. While the country lay in ruins and chaos, many were trying to create a sense of order and justice against the mayhem. This book centers around 31 year old Clara Falkenberg, the only daughter of an aristocratic and wealthy family that rose to high ranks through industrialism, slave labor, and important connections with the Fascists during WWII. While Clara herself did not believe in “the cause” ...more

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Mar 02, 2020 Louise Wilson rated it really liked it · review of another edition

1946 Post War, Essen.

Clara Falkenburg is living under an assumed name. She is being hunted down for was crimes by Captain Fenshaw. Clara decides to look for her best friend, Elsia after returning home to find her city destroyed and Elisa and her young son missing. Clara's father is in prison waiting trial for war crimes. Thenstory touches slightly on her family and there is a shocking secret revealed.

This story revolves around Clara's search for her friend, Elsia and her son. Clara is also tryi ...more

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Nov 15, 2019 Ash rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, 3-stars, arcs, read-2019

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

These days I’m usually not tempted by World War II-era historical fiction. It’s a crowded subgenre and most of it is historical romance... not my cup of tea. However, The German Heiress intrigued me because, as the name implies, it presents a German perspective, which is uncommon.

Despite its unconventional approach, this book definitely suffered from comparison. I’ve read many truly Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

These days I’m usually not tempted by World War II-era historical fiction. It’s a crowded subgenre and most of it is historical romance... not my cup of tea. However, The German Heiress intrigued me because, as the name implies, it presents a German perspective, which is uncommon.

Despite its unconventional approach, this book definitely suffered from comparison. I’ve read many truly spectacular WWII books; next to them, The German Heiress was good, but not great. It didn’t pack the emotional punch I expected, although it had its moments. It was an enjoyable reading experience, and well-paced; when I sat down to read the book, I was surprised by how fast I flew through it.

For the first half of the book, Anika Scott went out of her way to establish Clara as unequivocally “good,” a woman with virtuous beliefs who tried to do the right thing. Not only did I find this boring and flat, I also wasn’t buying it. Clara’s moral righteousness seemed all talk and little action. She was also surprisingly naive, considering who she was and her experience during the war, and acted recklessly for a woman on the run. This version of Clara was nothing like the calculating, morally gray, iron-willed woman I expected based on the book’s synopsis.

Starting at around the halfway point, Clara finally begins to question the morality of her family’s actions during the war and grapples with feelings of guilt and regret. While this was a refreshing change of pace, it happened so abruptly it didn’t seem believable. The book had a few well-developed side characters – Jakob, in particular, was wonderfully complex and realistic – and I would have been more invested in the story if they had played a more prominent role from the beginning. The romance was better than most, which coming from me (a heartless cynic) is a significant compliment.

The plot was interesting, and probably the highlight of the book. There were several narrative threads that Scott wove together seamlessly. She wrote from a third person point-of-view following three main characters: Clara, Jakob, and a third whose identity you’ll discover partway through the book. Each of these characters had multiple goals they were working toward, and there was even an element of mystery as Clara and Jakob searched for Elisa and Clara uncovered secrets about her family. The ending was perfect.

If you go into this book knowing what to expect, I think you’ll enjoy it.

This book contains a brief scene depicting animal abuse. ...more

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Nov 25, 2019 Missy rated it it was amazing

Clara Falkenberg, once Germany's heiress and nicknamed "the Iron Fraulein" during World War II. She's taken on another name, after running away, only to return two years after the war is over to discover her home town in ruins and her friend she's been in search of is nowhere to be found.
Running from a British officer wanting to interrogate her for war crimes.
This novel will keep you turning the pages until the end. I stayed up way past my bedtime unable to put it down until I finished.

Thank y ...more

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Jan 24, 2020 Karen rated it it was amazing

THE GERMAN HEIRESS
BY ANIKA SCOTT

This was an excellent story of historical fiction of post World War II Germany that explores the German people's condition after the war. This novel takes place about eighteen months after the war has ended. The allied forces are occupying Germany. The Americans have gone and the British are hunting down who they consider to be war criminals. Margarete Muller is the name by which Clara Falkenberg is going by in Hamelin. She is proposed by Dr. Blum the small town d THE GERMAN HEIRESS
BY ANIKA SCOTT

This was an excellent story of historical fiction of post World War II Germany that explores the German people's condition after the war. This novel takes place about eighteen months after the war has ended. The allied forces are occupying Germany. The Americans have gone and the British are hunting down who they consider to be war criminals. Margarete Muller is the name by which Clara Falkenberg is going by in Hamelin. She is proposed by Dr. Blum the small town doctor who says to Margarete, something like he doesn't believe she is who she says she is. He goes on to tell her he thinks she is not really German and that he thinks she is really Jewish. Then he whispers to her that he has secrets also. He repulses her and discloses that during the war he worked in one of the Nazi camps that she knows did horrendous things to innocent people who we all know suffered unspeakably cruelties that are sickening. We all would do anything we could if we could magically undo what 6 million innocents suffered at the hands of Hitler and the Nazi regime. We must never forget the unimaginable horrors that so many innocent people suffered for being in Hitler's twisted mind the wrong ethnicity. I am sickened by how long this went on without the rest of the world not getting involved sooner.

One of the things that I love about this novel it explores the protagonist's growth over the course of this story in that she always had a conscious but it evolves even more. This is about one German woman's journey on a quest to find her best friend after the war and she also is simultaneously on an inner journey to realize how her families empire indirectly hurt so many innocent people. Even though this family detested the Nazis they are considered war criminals because they built airplanes and other iron materials. I really liked Clara Falkenberg the youngest child and only daughter of a snobby and emotionally unavailable mother who is British and didn't work in the family business so doesn't get arrested after the war. However, the British Allied forces that are occupying their family mansion and Anne Health is appalled to be living in what she considers squalid conditions. She is luckier than most of the city of Essen to have a roof over her head with electricity and water to bathe and enough food to eat. The majority of the rest of the German people are starving and homeless because of the bombing of the city of Essen during the end of the war. I don't understand why Clara's mother wasn't considered a war criminal since she benefited from being married to Clara's father who ran the family business before asking a young Clara to take over for him. Her father Theodor had the philosophy that he hated the Nazi regime but he felt like it was okay to continue to produce goods that he had done before the war and that the Nazis were only going to be in power during the war and then things would go back to normal when they were not in power. In other words, their iron empire was his families legacy that was a business and how they earned their money and he felt that he had no choice but to keep the business going or to be arrested and shot by the gestapo or sent off to a concentration camp which would include his whole family. I can certainly see his reasoning in not wanting to have his own family shot or sent to their deaths in a concentration camp by running a family business that ran before the Nazis came to power because he saw them as a temporary regime. He really had no choice but to do what he he has always done or face death or take his family and flee Germany and emigrate where?

In Theodor's efforts to save his family from getting shot, arrested and death in a concentration camp or emigrating and being homeless he has a young Clara fill in for him to keep the business going. She becomes known as the Iron Fraulein. Unlike her father she helps the refugees by demanding from Berlin more food and building more housing for the refugees forced into labor with the help of her best friend Elisa and her first love Max. She really had a conscious and tried to protect the refugees who worked for her. She tried her best to help the forced labor done by refugees. She couldn't stand to see anyone suffer or being treated inhumanely. At the end of the war she had to flee because the Allied forces considered her a war criminal for taking her father's place at the helm of the iron production and for manufacturing goods that helped Hitler fight the war. I thought that she was different than her father and she was highly misunderstood and I was routing for her. She is being hunted by a determined British Captain Fenimore and his troops whom despite her false identity papers, he knew he had captured Clara when he stopped the train while she was trying to return home. She tried convincing him that he was mistaken but he was resolute in arresting her. Her father was already arrested and failing in health.

I really don't want to say too much but there is so much more to this novel. I loved Clara's character because she is not a war criminal at all despite the fact that she oversaw an iron factory that manufactured airplanes and military goods that the Nazis used to fight the war. She really helped so many of the refugees who were transported there by the Nazis. She didn't force them to work for her Hitler did. She was really only twenty years old and had so much compassion for them. She helped them to improve the quality of their lives by advocating for them by getting them more food and better housing. She got them medical care and never hurt them by informing on them she even hid them at her home and helped the ones who didn't want to work for her escape. Captain Fenimore is relentless in tracking her down and she is concerned about finding her best friend Elisa who is missing. This is so much more than a cat and mouse game.

I loved this novel for so many reasons that I recommend highly to all readers who love historical fiction to give this one a try. I am really impressed that this is a debut novel. This is one that is already a favorite novel and five star reading experience that I plan to purchase it when it goes on sale in April of this year. I want the physical copy to add to my own personal collection. It is unique in its depiction of the dilemma of the double edge sword that the German citizens had to face with trying to survive a war that they had not wanted. Most of them were kind people who hated Hitler and the Nazis who abhorred anyone that participated in helping Hitler in his cause to wipe out an entire race of innocent people. What he did was evil and we must never forget it. This book was well written and it hooks you in at the beginning and never lets you go. I was sad when it ended. If you love this genre and love a strong female protagonist you will love this book. I will never forget Clara and some of the other characters in this book that I have not mentioned in this review.

Publication Date: April 7, 2020

Thank you to Net Galley, Anika Scott and Harper Collins Publishing for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#thegermanheiress #anikascott #harpercollinspublishing #netgalley ...more

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Apr 14, 2020 Mackenzie - PhDiva Books rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction

Edgy, heat-pounding, gripping fiction… The German Heiress by Anika Scott isn’t the typical post-World War II historical fiction novel. It has bite and suspense that had me completely immersed in the story!

Clara is not your average heroine from historical fiction. I always find the best characters to be enthralling but maybe a bit bad sometimes. Clara is certainly flawed which in my mind made her all the more compelling. This is my first Anika Scott book but I’d venture to call her a daring autho Edgy, heat-pounding, gripping fiction… The German Heiress by Anika Scott isn’t the typical post-World War II historical fiction novel. It has bite and suspense that had me completely immersed in the story!

Clara is not your average heroine from historical fiction. I always find the best characters to be enthralling but maybe a bit bad sometimes. Clara is certainly flawed which in my mind made her all the more compelling. This is my first Anika Scott book but I’d venture to call her a daring author in that she wrote a book that broke the mold in a way, and still made it beat with the heart of historical fiction. No small feat, if you ask me!

Since the War, Clara has been living under an assumed name. Though she is the heiress to her family’s ironworks empire, the war took all of that from her and left her with more questions than answers. Even as an heiress and privileged member of society, Clara always had a heart for those lose fortunate than her, sneaking extra food to the workers at the ironworks. This quality really endeared me to Clara. She is someone who may not always do everything the right way, but she does have morals and compassion.

When Clara hasn’t heard from her best friend, she disregards her own safety to try and return to Essex to look for them On her way, she is detained by a British officer accusing her of war crimes. After a daring escape, Clara continues her journey meeting another person who may not be operating entirely within the law—Jakob. As the two realize they may be able to help one another, the two also try to keep a hold of their own secrets. Now, either could betray the other, but they also may be one another’s key to salvation.

This was a side of post-World War II Germany I hadn’t seen before. I loved the characters and the gritty yet refined feel to the story itself. A book that can take me into the highest and lowest parts of society will always grab my attention. Thought-provoking, suspenseful, and edgy. A story of good versus evil that you won’t want to stop reading.

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for my copy. Opinions are my own. ...more

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Apr 18, 2020 Patricia McAlexander rated it it was amazing

There are many World War II era novels, but this one is unique. The protagonist is a young, beautiful German woman, Clara Falkenberg, who during the war ran an iron works for the Nazis; they called her “The Iron Fraulein.” Many of its workers were forced or slave laborers. Yet she was not all bad as the Javert-like British officer, pursuing her after the war, believes. She’d run the factory out of loyalty to her idealized father and did her best to alleviate the terrible conditions of the worker ...more

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Jan 01, 2020 Rebecca Hodge rated it it was amazing

Between the heights of the superhero and the lairs of the total villain lies a vast expanse occupied by ordinary people struggling to make choices under extraordinary circumstances. Set in post-World War II occupied Germany, THE GERMAN HEIRESS is the story of Clara, fleeing from accusations of war crimes, Jakob, a survivor of the Russian Front now struggling to care for his family, and the British officer who searches for Clara. Meticulously researched, this gripping historical fiction deals def ...more

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Mar 16, 2020 Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews rated it really liked it

Living two lives - one during the war and one after.

During the war she was Clara Falkenberg who was in charge of her family's iron works and was cruel to the workers.

After the war, she assumed another name, Margarete Mueller, lived in a boarding house, and worked as a secretary.

Could she hide her identity forever? She thought so, but the British had been following her for years and had extensive records of her war crimes.

They found her on a train back to her hometown to find a friend, was pulle ...more

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Jan 30, 2020 Susan Collins rated it it was amazing

A really enjoyable WWII story told from the Germans' point-of-view! Plot was filled with twists from beginning to end. A must read to learn how the opposing people were treated after the war! ...more

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Jan 20, 2020 Katie Sparkes rated it it was amazing

Such a beautiful story, with such detail that puts you right into the middle of a strong woman on her quest for answers! All of the characters you meet continuously keep you intrigued. The story never goes off track into rambles or stories that do not coincide with the big picture. It was amazing to see a story where the woman was the main focus and the men did not overshadow her story of development and discovery. The ending will have you on the edge of your seat, and though you find the answer ...more

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Dec 09, 2019 Gloria Arthur rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Finding Clara by Anika Scott

For those that love historical fiction, this was an unique and gripping plot that sees a German woman's perspective of post war. The characters were well developed and intriguing.

Set in 1946, Essen, Germany, Clara Falkenberg has returned home and is trying to find her best friend Elisa, after the war.

Clara is a wartime icon and German heiress who ran the family munitions factory during the war and is now wanted as a war criminal by the English allies.

To survive Clara ...more

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May 09, 2020 Jessica | Booked J rated it it was amazing

Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Tik Tok | You can find my review here.

As always, a copy of this book was provided by the authors in exchange for my honest review. This does not effect my opinion in any way.

Being cooped up in the house for quarantine means more time for reading--like, SO much more time for reading. (And avoiding anxieties. Er, at least, attempting to by avoiding reality and drowning in fiction. Or is that just me?) Fortunately for readers seeking their next form of escapism, th ...more

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Mar 05, 2020 Erin rated it really liked it

Shelves: first-reads

I received this book through Goodreads First Reads.

3 1/2 stars rounded up to 4. I think it was a strong debut novel for this author with a lot of interesting characters. What made me toss back and forth between 3 and 4 stars was the ending. It seemed like there was a lot of build up, throughout the novel, but then the ending seemed a bit....rushed? That is the only word I can think of to describe it, as if the novel was left unfinished. Aside from that, I would recommend the book for anyone who ...more

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Aug 17, 2020 Morgan rated it did not like it

Shelves: did-not-finish

Clara Falkenberg, nicknamed ‘The Iron Fraulein’, daughter of a German father and English mother. Rich industrial family having scattered when the war is almost at an end and the Allies are bombing their town and taking poisoners.

We meet Clara, in the first chapter, with false identity papers now calling herself Margarete Muller. She is visiting her boyfriend Dr. Blum. He proposes marriage and only just now reveals to her that he did some not so nice things during the war. Clara is upset by this ...more

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Jan 29, 2020 Sarah Smith rated it it was amazing

Shelves: netgalley-read, 2020-book-hoarder-reading-challenge

I received this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) through NetGalley. It will be published April 7, 2020.
Net Galley's description was that this book was "for readers of The Alice Network and The Lost Girls of Paris, an immersive, heart-pounding debut about a German heiress on the run in post-World War II Germany." BOOM I was sold!

The book takes place after 2 years after WWII had ended in Germany. Clara Falkenberg has false documents saying she is Margarete Müller, but in reality she is an h ...more

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Nov 03, 2019 Jessica Gilmore rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Germany 1946. A country coming to terms with a decade of evil, with a lost war, with deprivation and hunger, with occupation. Many citizens have secrets to hide, even if their guilt is just looking the other way, but some have culpability for real, serious crimes, and the forces occupying their destroyed country are determined to root them out. People like Clara Falkenberg, the Iron Maiden, Nazi poster girl who ran factories manned with slave labour.

British officer Fenshaw is on a mission to fi ...more

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Dec 31, 2019 Katrina Oliver rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

A fascinating story, focussing on the lives of German people at the end of the Second World War. I was totally gripped and immersed in the story of Clara Falkenberg, the Iron Fraulein of Hitlers propaganda machine, and her struggle to survive at the end of the war. The author very cleverly highlights the way in which the German people were all affected by the Nazi reign. Each in their own way was aware of, or carried out, acts that they would later regret. This is a novel which really highlights ...more

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Dec 30, 2019 Louise Fein rated it it was amazing

I read The German Heiress with much interest as it is set in the aftermath of post WWII Germany in a period and from a POV not often portrayed. The author gives us a perspective and insight into a country and people devastated by a horrific regime, trying to find their way in great hardship and to come to terms with their own complicated past. The author paints a realistic picture of the time and draws interesting, complex characters who each embark on personal journeys which end in unanticipate ...more

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