Berlin, 1930 —When a wave of change sweeps a radical political party to power, Sofie von Meyer Rhodes’s academic husband benefits from the ambitions of its newly elected chancellor. Although Sofie and Jürgen do not share the social views growing popular in Hitler’s Germany, Jürgen’s position with its burgeoning rocket program changes their diminishing fortunes for the better. But as Sofie watches helplessly, her beloved Berlin begins to transform, forcing her to consider what they must sacrifice morally for their young family’s security, and what the price for their neutrality will be.
Twenty years later, Jürgen is one of the many German scientists offered pardons for their part in the war, and taken to America to work for its fledgling space program. For Sofie, this is the chance to exorcise the ghosts that have followed her across the ocean, and make a fresh start in her adopted country. But her neighbors aren’t as welcoming or as understanding as she had hoped. When scandalous rumors about the Rhodes family’s affiliation with Hitler’s regime spreads, idle gossip turns to bitter rage, and the act of violence that results will tear apart Sofie’s community and her family before the truth is finally revealed.
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It's books like The German Wife that made me fall in love with historical fiction. Kelly Rimmer has been on my to-read list for a while, how I haven’t read her books earlier? When I finished The German Wife I couldn’t wait to check out the rest of her books. This story was one of the most emotional historical fiction books that I have read in a while. I always loved historical fiction that told stories in dual storylines, and that featured more than one character. The German Wife tells a story of a German wife, Sofie, and an American wife, Lizzie. The two of them are such different people, and that’s what made this book unique. Lizzie changed so much since the Dust Bowl, and in the present time, Lizzie was not the Lizzie I remember during the 1930s. I wondered if Lizzie wished that she gave Sofie more of a chance, and not judged her because she was German. My heart broke for Sofie, and her children, and how she was treated just because she was German, even if she had nothing to do with what happened.
I was afraid that Henry was up to something, but I had no idea how far he was willing to go. There was so much tension in this story, to the point where I knew that I should put the book down, but I couldn’t. There was one part of me that wanted to see how the story would end, but there was another part of me, that wasn’t sure that I wanted to know how it would end. From the book, the last few chapters were the most intense ones and had you on the edge of your seat until you turned the last page. When I turned the last page, the story was still with me, I couldn’t get it out of my mind. I ended up telling my mom, and some of my friends because it has so much impact on me.
It was…haunting, magnificent.
Having two timelines, told from two different character worked great for this book. I knew a little about the Dust Bowl, but I learned even more once I read this book. I wondered how Sofie and Lizzie would come together in the present time story. I did not like how Lizzie treated her, I didn’t like the new Lizzie. What I loved about Lizzie is how she protected her brother. The lengths you would go, to protect your family, your loved ones. I loved the story between Sofie and Jürgen the most, the way they tried to protect each other, and sometimes make the decisions that they didn’t want. I cried, laughed, and got angry along with them. I felt like I was there. I would highly recommend this to any historical fiction fans.
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