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The Traitor
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Drawing on the true story of the White Rose—the resistance movement of young Germans against the Nazi regime—The Traitor tells of one woman who offers her life in the ultimate battle against tyranny, during one of history’s darkest hours.
In the summer of 1942, as war rages across Europe, a series of anonymous leaflets appears around the University of Munich, speaking out ...more
In the summer of 1942, as war rages across Europe, a series of anonymous leaflets appears around the University of Munich, speaking out ...more
Paperback, 304 pages
Published
February 25th 2020
by Kensington
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Opposition
The Traitor is a compelling weave of fiction and imaginatively structured fact. A story that relives the harrowing days in Germany under Nazi rule, where young men and women espouse bravery, loyalty and fortitude in their opposition to the Nazi ideology. In 1942 several students at the University of Munich, led by brother and sister, Hans and Sophie Scholl, founded a non-violent, intellectual resistance group to the Nazi regime, called The White Rose (die Weiße Rose). The group conduct ...more
The Traitor is a compelling weave of fiction and imaginatively structured fact. A story that relives the harrowing days in Germany under Nazi rule, where young men and women espouse bravery, loyalty and fortitude in their opposition to the Nazi ideology. In 1942 several students at the University of Munich, led by brother and sister, Hans and Sophie Scholl, founded a non-violent, intellectual resistance group to the Nazi regime, called The White Rose (die Weiße Rose). The group conduct ...more

The White Rose was a group of German anti-Nazi students who showed courage to defy the totalitarian system and who paid the highest price for their beliefs.
The plot of The Traitor is based on The White Rose story, however, as the Authoress stresses, Hans Scholl, Sophie Scholl and their friends are in the background, the main protagonist, Natalya Petrovich being in the limelight.
I think this is an interesting HF, based on true tragic events, however, I expected the Scholls to be more 'visible' ...more
The plot of The Traitor is based on The White Rose story, however, as the Authoress stresses, Hans Scholl, Sophie Scholl and their friends are in the background, the main protagonist, Natalya Petrovich being in the limelight.
I think this is an interesting HF, based on true tragic events, however, I expected the Scholls to be more 'visible' ...more

3.5 stars
In 1942, Natalya volunteers as a nurse for the German Red Cross and witnesses WWII on the Russian Front. After her time volunteering, she moves back home to Munich where she joins the White Rose resistance group with her close friends. After the group is caught, Natalya must keep resisting but does not know who she can trust.
The inspiration for the novel is the White Rose resistance group. The main character, Natalya, does not join the White Rose organization until the very end of chapt ...more
In 1942, Natalya volunteers as a nurse for the German Red Cross and witnesses WWII on the Russian Front. After her time volunteering, she moves back home to Munich where she joins the White Rose resistance group with her close friends. After the group is caught, Natalya must keep resisting but does not know who she can trust.
The inspiration for the novel is the White Rose resistance group. The main character, Natalya, does not join the White Rose organization until the very end of chapt ...more

White Rose was a peaceful resistance group in the Third Reich led by a group of students including siblings Hans and Sophie Scholl at the University of Munich. The group mailed leaflets to random people picked from the phone book, appealing to the “blindness of German people” and spreading “words of resistance, struggle, and hope.” They were mailed from different cities to different cities to “allay suspicion from the home city of Munich and to make the group seem much larger than it was.”
Munich ...more
Munich ...more

Based on the true story of the White Rose.
Natalya became a member of the underground Resistance group the White Rose, but she got caught. The group took great risks to bring messages to the German people. These brave men and women risked their lives fighting against the enemy. Natalya was a traitor to Hitlers regime. She survives prison ut lost friends.
I had never heard of the White Rose, so this alone peaked my interest. The book is well written and the author has researched WWII and the White ...more
Natalya became a member of the underground Resistance group the White Rose, but she got caught. The group took great risks to bring messages to the German people. These brave men and women risked their lives fighting against the enemy. Natalya was a traitor to Hitlers regime. She survives prison ut lost friends.
I had never heard of the White Rose, so this alone peaked my interest. The book is well written and the author has researched WWII and the White ...more

This intriguing new novel by V.S. Alexander gives the reader a look at the horrors of World War II from another perspective - those of Natalya Petrovich. Natalya is a German citizen, lives in Munich and is a student at the University. She was born in Russia but her parents moved to Munich when she was very young to have a better life. She sees the cruelty of the war when she volunteers to work as a nurse at the Russian front. When she returns to Munich, she vows to try to make a difference. When
...more

The Traitor is inspired by the Germany's White Rose, a group of people, mostly in their early twenties, who resisted the Nazis from within Germany. The group was uncovered, and the majority of its members were executed. Rather than writing a fictionalized narrative of one of the White Rose members, V.S. Alexander invents one—Natalya, a Russian who immigrated to Germany as a child with her parents, in order to escape the Stalin regime in the Soviet Union.
Natalya begins the novel as a relatively n ...more
Natalya begins the novel as a relatively n ...more

I absolutely enjoyed reading 'The Traitor' which was based on a true story. I had never heard of the White Rose group, so learned something new. I love reading about this period in history and was so grateful to have the chance to read this book by V S Alexander. I rarely write what a story is about as i prefer one to read the book for themselves, but i do highly recommend. I hope to read more books by this author.
My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy. This is my honest review w ...more
My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy. This is my honest review w ...more

A surprisingly compelling book that took over my reading as I opened it "just in case" and couldn't put it down until the end; while it is inspired by the White Rose student resistance movement of Munich 1942-3, it is a first-person narration by a fictional associate of the movement, Natalia Petrovich, a young German-Russian nurse and student who meets some of the main members of what will become the White Rose when volunteering as a nurse in the German army on the Eastern Front in 1942 and witn
...more

Feb 22, 2020
Misfit
marked it as thinking-about-it
Will wait for reviews. My luck with this publisher is not so good.

Apr 23, 2020
Mal Warwick
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
trade-fiction
In June 1942 a group of students at the University of Munich led by brother and sister Hans and Sophie Scholl formed the nonviolent White Rose resistance to Nazi terror. Theirs is the best-known of many anti-Nazi resistance groups that sprung up in Germany during the war. However, their heroic effort ended just eight months later with their arrest in February 1943. They and one of their collaborators were executed by guillotine four days following a show trial. The story of the White Rose has oc
...more

Jan 14, 2021
Grace Johnson
added it
It is with regret that I am *temporarily* DNFing this book. I've only done that once, and I hate to do it, really, but I do have my reasons.
#1 I can't get into it. 50+ pages in, and nothing has drawn me to the heroine or the story. Alexander's prose is good enough in and of itself, but the first-person portrayal is sorely lacking.
#2 I have many, many, many other things that I need and want to read. Therefore, I'm putting this on the back burner so that I can focus on the others.
I'll probably ret ...more
#1 I can't get into it. 50+ pages in, and nothing has drawn me to the heroine or the story. Alexander's prose is good enough in and of itself, but the first-person portrayal is sorely lacking.
#2 I have many, many, many other things that I need and want to read. Therefore, I'm putting this on the back burner so that I can focus on the others.
I'll probably ret ...more

“Not all Germans were Nazis” is the subtitle of The Traitor. What impact and power! But most Germans were subjugated by the Nazis and most Germans suffered. This book tells the story of Natalya, as she participates with the White Rose resistance group during World War II in Munich.
The real students behind the White Rose movement appear this book. Natalya is fictionalized. The White Rose, the meaning of the name is not known, was a peaceful movement by a small group of university students in 1942 ...more
The real students behind the White Rose movement appear this book. Natalya is fictionalized. The White Rose, the meaning of the name is not known, was a peaceful movement by a small group of university students in 1942 ...more

The Traitor by V.S. Alexander is based on a true story regarding the White rose resistance movement. A group of students that attended the University of Munich resisted against the Nazi Regime. Most of the group where executed including Hans and Sophie Scholl, who are real, but the main character is fictional
Natalya Petrovich was born in Russia but came to Germany with her parents to get a better life and away from the Stalin regime. She attends the University of Munich. She also volunteers as a ...more
Natalya Petrovich was born in Russia but came to Germany with her parents to get a better life and away from the Stalin regime. She attends the University of Munich. She also volunteers as a ...more

The Traitor is set during a dark period of Germany's history. It shows, through the characters of Natalya and her friends, that not all Germans were Nazis and that some, like her, had the courage to resist despite the risk to them and their families. Those risks become all too evident as the book progresses as well as the desperately difficult moral choices they face.
The book's title raises the question who exactly is the "traitor"? Is it Natalya and her companions, as the German State would hav ...more
The book's title raises the question who exactly is the "traitor"? Is it Natalya and her companions, as the German State would hav ...more

The Traitor By V.S. Alexander
4.5 Stars
V.S. Alexander has a compelling way to draw his readers into history. He is a fantastic story teller. He possess a magical way to feed the reader with bits of real history, woven into the fiction.
The Traitor is based on the true story of the “The White Rose” (die Weiße Rose) which was a non-violent, intellectual resistance group in Nazi Germany. It was led by a professor and a group of students at the University of Munich. The group conducted an anonymous le ...more
4.5 Stars
V.S. Alexander has a compelling way to draw his readers into history. He is a fantastic story teller. He possess a magical way to feed the reader with bits of real history, woven into the fiction.
The Traitor is based on the true story of the “The White Rose” (die Weiße Rose) which was a non-violent, intellectual resistance group in Nazi Germany. It was led by a professor and a group of students at the University of Munich. The group conducted an anonymous le ...more

(***Please note that this review may contain spoilers***)
Before I jump into my thoughts about The Traitor, I wanted to start with a quote from the author's notes. "I can safely say that fewer Europeans outside of Germany, and most Americans, particularly young people, know little of the resistance movements like the White Rose and the Red Orchestra. Their only exposure may be a mention in passing during a history class on World War II. This is another reason I wanted to write The Traitor. We sho ...more
Before I jump into my thoughts about The Traitor, I wanted to start with a quote from the author's notes. "I can safely say that fewer Europeans outside of Germany, and most Americans, particularly young people, know little of the resistance movements like the White Rose and the Red Orchestra. Their only exposure may be a mention in passing during a history class on World War II. This is another reason I wanted to write The Traitor. We sho ...more

I felt like the presentation of Natalya's choices and struggles felt realistic. I really enjoyed the premise of the book and enjoyed reading about the White Rose, a subject that isn't often written about in WW2 books; OVerall, I thought that this book was a decent read but didn't blow my mind or feel particularly surprising or impactful.
...more

This is a beautiful, well researched novel by #V. S. Alexander, about an area of resistance that I never was aware of. Based on real resisters and a group called White Rose, that operated under great risk, to bring truth to the German citizens.
Natalya is a Russian born German citizen, living in Munich during WWII with her parents. As they struggle to survive and stay under the Nazi’s radar, Natalya is pursued by a handsome German that is attractive, but she is leery of his motives, but is confl ...more
Natalya is a Russian born German citizen, living in Munich during WWII with her parents. As they struggle to survive and stay under the Nazi’s radar, Natalya is pursued by a handsome German that is attractive, but she is leery of his motives, but is confl ...more

A re-telling, as a historical-fiction novel, of the White Rose resistance group in wartime Nazi Germany. The group, and the leading figures, among them Sophie Scholl, Hans Scholl, Cristoph Probst, were real, and rightly celebrated for their courage and defiance, printing and strewing anti-Nazi leaflets in the University of Munich and elsewhere. This novel tells their story -- first-person -- through a fictional character, a peripheral figure in the White Rose, Natalya Petrovich, a Russian-German
...more

Natalya Petrovich is a German citizen of Russian origins struggling to keep herself and her parents safe in Nazi Germany. So horrified by the Nazi regime, however, Natalya can't help but fight against it by joining the White Rose, a nonviolent resistence movement. This leads Natalya deeper into the horrors of Hitler's Third Reich, often with little hope of surviving. But she has made her choice: to actively bring about change rather than hide from the truth. Throughout her ordeal, Natalya mainta
...more

Good story sort of based on true events involving the scholls siblings which I wish more was aboutthem in the novel.

Jan 19, 2020
Tristan (Rosetree_bookreviewer)
marked it as to-read
V.S. Alexander does an excellent job of bringing the lesser known stories of WWII to readers. I absolutely LOVED “The Taster,” and was thrilled to get the chance to read an ARC of “The Traitor.”
The Traitor is inspired by The White Rose, a resistance group in Germany led by young adults. The story is told through Natalya, who was born in Russia but lives her life primarily in Germany. She hopes that by joining the resistance group, she can do her part in fighting against the horrors unfolding in ...more
The Traitor is inspired by The White Rose, a resistance group in Germany led by young adults. The story is told through Natalya, who was born in Russia but lives her life primarily in Germany. She hopes that by joining the resistance group, she can do her part in fighting against the horrors unfolding in ...more

"Not all Germans were Nazis."
No truer words than these. However, even long after the war, Germany was synonymous with Hitler and the Nazi regime but interestingly enough, most Germans did not agree with his politics but because of his power they dare not defy him. So therefore it was easier to "Heil Hitler!" than it was to go against him. To do so was treason, and for treason the sentence was death.
But to live under that kind of rule, that kind of dictatorship, to be told what you can and can't ...more
No truer words than these. However, even long after the war, Germany was synonymous with Hitler and the Nazi regime but interestingly enough, most Germans did not agree with his politics but because of his power they dare not defy him. So therefore it was easier to "Heil Hitler!" than it was to go against him. To do so was treason, and for treason the sentence was death.
But to live under that kind of rule, that kind of dictatorship, to be told what you can and can't ...more

As I have read other books written by this author, I admit to keeping an eye for books by them. Though I have to say it was the book cover that initially caught my eye. I have seen two different covers for this title and do like both. Both covers could easily be taken from scenes within the book. After noticing the cover, I read the blurb and knew it was a book I had to read. I find the World War Two era fascinating and humbling and think it is a period in history that should never, ever be forg
...more

As war rages across Europe, a series of anonymous leaflets, criticizing the brutal Nazi regime, appear on the streets of Germany. Their message, written in secret, is a daring act of defiance.
Natalya Petrovich, a student, knows more than she should. As a member of the secret resistance group, the White Rose, Natalya is risking everything.
But even among those she trusts most, there is no guarantee of safety. The Gestapo are everywhere and Natalya knows that falling into the hands of the secret po ...more
Natalya Petrovich, a student, knows more than she should. As a member of the secret resistance group, the White Rose, Natalya is risking everything.
But even among those she trusts most, there is no guarantee of safety. The Gestapo are everywhere and Natalya knows that falling into the hands of the secret po ...more

5 stars for “The Traitor”
This story touched my soul to an extent that I have not felt a book do in a very long time. I definitely cried a lot during the progress of the story, because it’s so well written and deeply moving. The author has a gift of making you feel what Natalya is going through. Her struggles, her successes, the way she grows as a human being by standing by up for beliefs in the face of death.
I loved everyone in the White Rose, especially Lisa for her outstanding bravery and co ...more
This story touched my soul to an extent that I have not felt a book do in a very long time. I definitely cried a lot during the progress of the story, because it’s so well written and deeply moving. The author has a gift of making you feel what Natalya is going through. Her struggles, her successes, the way she grows as a human being by standing by up for beliefs in the face of death.
I loved everyone in the White Rose, especially Lisa for her outstanding bravery and co ...more

I won this book- thank you Good Reads and Kensington Books!! I really like reading Historical Fiction as I find it fascinating. Although it is considered fiction, you can almost read in between the lines to visualize the truth in it. This was a great book and enjoyed it from start to finish. It broke my heart to read about how war changed and destroyed people. The ones brave enough to fight for what they believed in was amazing- the risks they took were unbelievable. A book that will keep me thi
...more
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V.S. Alexander is an ardent student of history with a strong interest in music and the visual arts. Some of V.S.’s writing influences include Shirley Jackson, Oscar Wilde, Daphne du Maurier, or any work by the exquisite Brontë sisters. V.S. lives in Florida and is at work on a third historical novel for Kensington. ...more
V.S. Alexander is an ardent student of history with a strong interest in music and the visual arts. Some of V.S.’s writing influences include Shirley Jackson, Oscar Wilde, Daphne du Maurier, or any work by the exquisite Brontë sisters. V.S. lives in Florida and is at work on a third historical novel for Kensington. ...more
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