Rating: Good
Source: Author
Description: Anna Dahlberg grew up eating dinner under her father’s war-trophy portrait of Eva Braun. Fifty years after the war, she discovers what he never did—that her mother and Hitler’s mistress were friends. The secret surfaces with a mysterious monogrammed handkerchief, and a man, Hannes Ritter, whose Third Reich family history is entwined with Anna’s. Plunged into the world of the “ordinary” Munich girl who was her mother’s confidante—and a tyrant’s lover—Anna finds her every belief about right and wrong challenged. With Hannes’s help, she retraces the path of two women who met as teenagers, shared a friendship that spanned the years that Eva Braun was Hitler’s mistress, yet never knew that the men they loved had opposing ambitions. Eva’s story reveals that she never joined the Nazi party, had Jewish friends, and was credited at the Nuremberg Trials with saving 35,000 Allied lives. As Anna's journey leads back through the treacherous years in wartime Germany, it uncovers long-buried secrets and unknown reaches of her heart to reveal the enduring power of love in the legacies that always outlast war.
Genre: Fiction - Historical
Why I Picked This Book: I enjoy a good historical fiction and I realized I know almost nothing about Eva Braun.
My Impression: When this book came across my desk I was instantly intrigued by the premise. While I know who Eva Braun is I've always dismissed her as just Hitler's mistress/wife and the idea of someone discovering they have some kind of connection to her is intriguing. Plus, I can't resist a good family secret - especially not when paired with some historical fiction.
In the present day time line I really enjoyed getting to know Anna. She's intelligent and hard working and it's hard not to sympathize with her struggle to stay positive after her mother's death as well as making the best of a troubled marriage. I also liked that while Anna's husband, Lowell, is most definitely a creep he does come off as a fully fleshed out character. He has his moments of sweetness as well as being incredibly brilliant. I also found the research that Anna did during the book fascinating. Not only did we get a look at Eva Braun but she also interviews a woman who was a journalist on assignment in Germany during World War II. I also enjoyed getting a look at life in Germany during wartime for regular civilians.
Not only did I enjoy the look into a little discussed (or at least that I'm aware of) aspects of World War II but I also enjoyed getting to know Anna and watching her world open up as she becomes captivated by her research subject and aware of the connection. Hannes is also an interesting character if at times a little too perfect. There's a lot going on though it's a slow build for the bulk of the book which I enjoyed. I always love when I feel like I'm figuring out the puzzle right along with the characters. My only complaint is that a lot of different things developed and were resolved in the last third of the book which made it feel a little more frantic. Overall, I enjoyed this story and it has made me wanting to find out everything about Eva Braun. I always think it's a super high compliment if a historical fiction story has me wanting to dive into my own research about the topic.
Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Absolutely! I enjoyed how she brought this piece of history to life and I'd love to see more of that.
Would I Recommend this Book?: If you enjoy historical fiction I think you'd enjoy this book - especially if you are interested in World War II.
I don't know anything about Eva Braun either, and had no idea she saved so many lives. That alone would make this interesting for me. And I always enjoy learning about WWII.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely! I found it interesting to just think of her as a separate person in her own right and the time period is one I'm incredibly fascinated by.
DeleteWhat an interesting book. I tend to just think of Eva Braun and Hitler's GF too.
ReplyDeleteRight! It's so easy to be dismissive of the wives/companions of historical figures. This will definitely have me reading more.
DeleteThis is an interesting one. I didn't even know Hitler had a mistress.
ReplyDeleteApparently it was kept fairly quiet until after the War and there just hadn't been much published about her.
DeleteI would be careful in jumping to the conclusion that Eva Braun was responsible for saving any lives. This is, after all, a novel and the only sources I could find online that claim she did anything other than spend a lot of time climbing, swimming and trying on lots of clothes, can be traced back to this book...
ReplyDeleteI don't disagree. Historical fiction is just that - fiction. The book did bring her more to the forefront though and made me curious about learning more about the real Eva Braun.
DeleteInteresting choice to focus on. I really don't know anything about Eva Braun except how she was connected to Hitler. Glad you enjoyed this one. Great review!
ReplyDeleteThe unusualness of the focus definitely caught my attention!
DeleteLove the sound of this, anything that engenders an interest in the actual people and events in history is always a positive.
ReplyDeleteI always count a historical fiction a success if it makes me want to find nonfiction reads!
DeleteSounds like an interesting book! I'm always curious when anyone "fleshes out" a little-known historical character this way: how much of what they write is based on the historical record, and how much is from their imagination? Like you, I've always thought of Braun as a minor character, important only through her relationship with Hitler... which of course isn't fair; whether or not she was anything like her fictional counterpart in this book, she was a person in her own right.
ReplyDeleteYou do have to take historical fiction with a grain of salt of course but I do love a focus on a character that is often ignored. It is a fact that Braun is the reason that so many photos and videos of Hitler and bigwigs exist which is interesting. She's definitely someone I want to learn more about!
DeleteThat's a great review, Katherine, and it makes me want to pick this book up. You know, I am not familiar with Braun other than as the historical figure of being Hitler's mistress. I would like to know more too.
ReplyDeleteI am really curious about this book. As much as I've read about World War II (fiction-wise, at least), I don't know much about Eva Braun. You make this sound really good, Katherine. Thank you for your great review.
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