The Women in the Castle in Around the Year in 52 Books

Jan 17, 2017 John Warner rated it really liked it

Shelves: ww2, historical-fiction

On July 20, 1944, Operation Valkyrie was activated…and failed. Operation Valkyrie Operation Valkyrie’s involved a number of Germany’s military leaders and aristocracy who sought to assassinate Adolf Hitler, to seize political control of Germany and to negotiate peace with the Allies. The conspirators were arrested and the majority executed. Many of those left behinds, mothers and children, were separated, children removed for re-indoctrination. This historical novel tells the account of three wo ...more

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Oct 04, 2017 Sue rated it it was ok

I rank my books by how much I enjoyed the reading experience. I can enjoy a book even if the subject matter is difficult. I can appreciate the writing style, the characters, the message. I did not enjoy this book so it gets a two but I'm conflicted. As a reader, I still hope for the happy ending. Naive, but true. There is no happy ending in this one. This is a story about post-holocaust Germany and the reconciliation of what happened. Every single person has to come to terms with what they did a ...more

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Mar 16, 2018 Beth Given rated it liked it

Having just finished The Nightingale, it's hard not to compare this book about resistance during World War II -- and frankly, I enjoyed The Nightingale a lot more. The characters in The Women in the Castle were hard to connect to, the broken timeline was hard to follow, and the storyline made me uncomfortable (I hated the part about the Russians, the part about the secret affair with the ex-Nazi, pretty much every relationship Marianne had with every other character in the book ...)

Something cha ...more

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Jan 25, 2018 Amanda Mouttaki rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2018

I had seen this book listed several months ago and the description initially made me feel "meh" about it but I picked up a Kindle copy when it was on sale for $1.99 a few weeks ago. I must say I really enjoyed it. It is a completely different type of WWII historical fiction story and tells the story that often isn't told. This time period was so multi-faceted. I initially thought it may end up being a bit apologetic or "woe is us" but it manages to tell the story of these women who had different ...more

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