Another interesting historical fiction novel about WWII!
This one focuses on 3 women and their part in a the war and the effects it had on them and their families.
The ending came too fast for me; wish there had been a better closure for some of the characters.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC Kindle book.

Wow! This is an incredible book, this is book I am going to be telling everyone I know to read! What I look for most in any historical fiction novel is an author who knows their period inside out, so I can become so involved in the story that no historical inaccuracies distract me. Jessica Shattuck certainly knows this period, the depth of her knowledge and research really shows. I was entirely drawn into the world the characters inhabited, Shattuck's writing style is excellent and I often felt on the edge of my seat unsure of exactly what would happen next.
I loved the use of the castle as (in my opinion at least) a metaphor for Germany throughout the 2oth century. Beginning with the castle looking grand on the surface hosting glamorous parties but with hidden problems, the ruinous and abandoned state of the castle in the immediate aftermath of the war, to the eventual rebuilding of the castle in 1991 to nicely coincide with the reunification of Germany. I liked this idea a lot.
I particularly loved her characterisation, from the major to the minor I really felt she created three dimensional characters. The idea of the three women all representing different levels of engagement with the Nazi's and all having different opinions on guilt after the war was a really brilliant way to highlight the conflicted feelings of Germans in the post-war period. The heavy use of metaphor does not in anyway distract from the story which is compelling and the way the author moves between different periods of time and location adds to the drama. The story can feel at times like it is going off on a tangent and that you will never get the full picture, but stick with it as the way it is revealed in small morsels is really brilliant.
Even if historical fiction isn't the kind of book you would normally read, I would still recommend giving this book a try as it is an excellent read.

It is very unusual to read about the German Resistance to the rise of Nazism. This is an apparently very well researched novel, in part derived from the experiences of the author's family members.
The three central characters are well realised and offer stark contrasts in their responses. As a result this is a believable and absorbing novel, which is enjoyable and sweeps the reader along.

I really enjoyed this. The characters were really well done and I liked how the plot gradually got better as the book wore on.

What an absolutely phenomenal novel!! Starting out in 1945, this compelling book follows three women, Marianne, Benita and Ania, who along with their children, become family. The three women are bonded by the fact that their husbands were executed after they attempted to assassinate Adolf Hilter, and failed. Marianne had promised her husband and the other two men that if the attempt was unsuccessful she would search for their wives and children and keep them safe. Miraculously, Marianne finds all of them. They make a home in Marianne's late husband's family castle, a castle that is enormous, but has seen better days (no running water or electricity). As the women and children begin to find their "new normal" it becomes very apparent the toll the war took on everyone. With each of the women experiencing very different situations both before and during the war, their reaction to regular life after the war is quite diverse.

I am blown away completely by this book! This storyline is brilliant and extremely powerful. I was captivated from the beginning and I can honestly say there wasn't any part of this novel that lagged for me. I loved the fact that Jessica Shattuck explores each of the women's past, which sheds A LOT of light on their present. The writing was so descriptive that I felt like I was watching a movie--and speaking of movies, I would love to see this book on the big screen! Jessica Shattuck is an author that's new to me, but I have already looked up her previous novels because I will definitely be reading them! The Women of the Castle is a 5+++ star read and a 2017 favorite!! I HIGHLY recommend it to everyone--a MUST READ!!

Oh what a touching story. I felt so much for these women. This was such a touching story. One woman had an idea of what her of what her husband was doing but she she kept it in the back of her mind. She said "no way, this was not happening in my world". Another wife was so innocent and young, that she had no idea that she had no idea that this was even going on. The final wife was aware, shocked, and appalled and for that reason she took her two boys and left.

Such was the life that these three women were together after their husbands were gone, either through death or because they left them. Their stories are sorted and the lady of the castle (Marianne) took them in. Either through the knowing of their husband such as the case of Benita, the wife of her childhood friend, Martin. And Ania, the wife of another resistor who Marianne does not recall the name but still admits her to the castle.

These three ladies bond and become friends while the war goes on around them. Together they raise their children and become a family as such. The bond that they form lasts a lifetime for all of them and the book is the story of these three women. While they are together and their lives before they come together.

It is a very touching and moving story that I thoroughly enjoyed. It was entertaining, moving, mesmerizing, haunting, chilling and I really grew to like these characters immensely.

Huge thanks to Bonnier Zaffre for approving my request and to Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest unbiased review.

The widow of a man executed for being accused of trying to kill Hitler, Marianne has returned to the crumbling castle that belonged to her husband's family. She has a promise to keep, she will round up the children and widows that conspired with her husband. Beginning with the son of her best friend, she travels cross country building a new family. An Incredible story