The German Wife

The German Wife by Kelly Rimmer is an amazing story, which the author reveals to the reader by way of two women: Sophie von Meyers Rhodes, the German wife, from Berlin, Germany, and Lizzie Davis, an American from Dallam County, Texas. Rimmer does a wonderful job juxtaposing the lives of the two women through the turbulent years, leading up to and beyond World War Two. Rimmer will elucidate and explain how the Third Reich came into power, and the gradual change in the laws that led to violence and the persecution of the Jews. What is significant here is how the war and the policies and ideology of the Nazis affected the personal lives of the characters: Sofie von Meyer Rhodes, Jurgen, her husband, Adele, her aunt, Mayim, her childhood Jewish girlfriend, her children: Georg, Laura, Gisela, and Felix. And then there is Lizzie Davis and her family, her mother and father and her brother, Henry, and the millions of innocent people touched by war. No one can evade the agony of war, not even Karl and Lydia zu Schiller, and their son, Hans, devoted Nazis to the very end. You will come to realize that hate and war destroy everything it touches. This profound story reminded me of a line that I once read that said, “If you hate someone and or want revenge against someone, don’t forget to dig two graves. One for your victim and one for yourself.” Because hate and war will destroy you. Rimmer’s story is beautifully written and provocative. It will make you stop to think just how could we have allowed this tragedy to happen? How could we have stopped it before it got out of hand? What could I have done to prevent it? We know from experience and from history that standing idly by is not the answer. The story is bittersweet. It will not only bring you to tears, but it concludes in the only practical way that is possible: It will allow people to move forward (those who have survived) and to begin a new chapter in their lives, one without hate, one without war. Thus, I highly recommend this book to all readers.

As something of a history buff, I was aware of some of the facts in this novel, but I had never considered some of these perceptions and situations. Well-written and enjoyable.

I had to sit with this for awhile after finishing it. When I was younger, I would tell myself I knew exactly what I would do if I was faced with the choices the German people were with the rise of the Nazi party. As I got older and studied it more and read more, I realized, it wasn't as black and white as my original impressions made it out to be. So many things were at stake for so many of them. I am not condoning any of the actions of any of them, because it is not my job to judge or pardon. As a wife and a mother, I can tell you that my first priority is and will always be my family. This story does an amazing job of of portraying 2 woman from 2 countries both trying to protect their families in the best way they know how. The author did an amazing job of taking two difficult family situations and telling them in a parallel storyline to give the reader a perspective we don't often see in WW2 fiction. This one is going to stay with me for a long while.

I chose this book out of my kindle list, now knowing anything about the author or, even the subject. No one I knew had read it and I was looking for distraction, I enjoyed it so very much, and loved the historical facts that came along with the fictional story. I am listening to a book on Audible also, about the WWII and how innocent and unaware the victims of this horrific war survived, and I will pass it on to my other reading friends.

This novel is based on a real WW II program and offers a different perspective by a German family who is not in favor of the Hitler regime. The book is extremely suspenseful and interesting; I learned so much. The characters are so well drawn, I felt like I was there with them. It is raw, heartbreaking and educational, yet hopeful. I loved every page.

This book was intensely moving. That said, while it was compelling as a story, it was difficult in terms of empathy. It was brave of the author to make a protagonist a German Nazi wife and mother who doesn’t sympathize with the cause. But I always kept myself slightly aloof from this scenario. I’m sure there were many Germans who felt as she did, but it was still hard to wrap my head around her character completely. It felt almost too idealized. The American character of Lizzie was believable and flawed in equal measure, and it felt like the author was balancing the two women’s experiences almost too much. I did not like that both women spoke in the first person; at times it was confusing, and they sounded surprisingly similar. I actually think if each had been written in the third person it would have been less confusing, and it would’ve been more engaging. I don’t think first person narrative always garners the most empathy. Lizzie’s scenes on the farm and Sophie’s at the labor camp were the most compelling. The ending was a bit too pat. But it’s certainly a new and worthy take on WWII and its aftermath. But please, someone edit out the early reference to a Crock-Pot. At least call it a crock pot. The brand name didn’t exist till the 1970’s.

I went through so many emotions while reading this book. Everyone needs to read this, to understand the history - so it is not repeated.

Ed my deepest questions of "how could this possibly happen. How could my people do these awful things. Thank you Kelly for these deep answers