5 stars! A fresh and unique WWII perspective.

Published under both titles, “The German Midwife” and “A Woman Of War”, this novel is centred around Holocaust prisoner midwife, Anke Hoff, who is called to secretly care for a Reich mistress.

This was a captivating and suspenseful novel. If you enjoy pregnancy/midwife storylines, you will love this. The characters were truly phenomenal - I loved every one of them! Anke was an intriguing main character who I loved spending time with. Her situation was awful and several times I found myself stepping back to consider how I would handle being in her shoes. I felt the relief she experienced when removed from the concentration camps, and then the extreme worry and stress she endured as she realized what her “freedom” entailed and what consequences there could be for an unfavourable outcome. Flashbacks added suspense and tension and provided important detail to Anke’s backstory which had me fully invested and engaged in her situation.

The harrowing situations and torment the concentration camp prisoners faced was palpable. The stress they experienced when Nazi’s threatened family members safety if a prisoner didn’t agree to a request. What I found fascinating was the sense of hope that the prisoners focused on to keep them surviving and moving forward. Even during the most horrendous and devastating times, they were able to keep each other uplifted with even a small sliver of hope that things would get better. This was both heart breaking and heart warming and a true testament to the strength of the human spirit and survival.

Audiobook rating: 5 stars! The narrator did an outstanding job and added to my overall reading experience.

This was an excellent historical fiction novel that I highly recommend and will be added to my Favourites Shelf. Thank you to the publisher for my review copy and my lovely local library for the audio loan.

I have read many different books set during WWII, but this one was quite different. German midwife Anke Hoff is sent to a camp due to her defiance of the edict that any children born with a disability of any kind should not leave the hospital. Once in the camps she is responsible for delivering the babies of the interned, most of them Jewish. This was just terrible as the babies were often killed or left to die after their birth. She does what she can and becomes quite renowned for her skills. When she is plucked from the camp to work as a midwife at the Berghof of one of Hitler's inner circle. I won't say anymore about the story, as each reader needs to learn what happens next on their own. I did like Anke as a character. She was moral, had strong character, and was willing to do what she felt was right. Once at the Berghof she found herself befriending several people who lived there and even finding some romance. There was a bit of an unbelievable storyline at that point, but the author writes it in a very believable way, it even had me thinking, what it? The story before she is moved from the camps was the most interesting to me. I found the dilemma of does every child deserve a chance to live quite strong. Today, this is not as much of an issue with all the medical advances we have, but in the 1940s things were very different. A very interesting story.

Wow! I couldn't read this book fast enough! I simply devoured it, as you should with a well written book. This book is how historical fiction should be written. So engaging that you are living the pages. Beautifully written. I can't say enough positive things about this book and Mandy's writing. High recommend!

Before starting this book I think people should remember that this is just an imagining of something that could have happened. We have no idea if this did happen, but we know that a child was never made public if it did.

Anke is a midwife but is also a political prisoner in Nazi Germany. She tries to keep her status as a midwife hidden for a time but it is eventually found out in the camp she is in and then is put to work delivering babies and taking care of the expecting mothers. Her experience and high regard eventually lead her to being brought to Braun in order to safely and efficiently deliver her baby. This is where most of the book takes place and we get to see life at the top of the mountain where Hitler lived sometimes.

We do get to see flashbacks of what got her to be into this position she is in now and those were what I most enjoyed as the book went on.

Overall I did like this book. I was immediately drawn into Anke's world and the inner turmoil she felt about having to take care of and then deliver Brauns child is one that I felt as well. Anke is a character who always tries to do what's best for the mother and baby and sticks to her morals in this story for the most part. I could have done with one thing happening but I also wasn't surprised when it did. But that one thing having happened also made me not give this book a higher rating. I did like some of the side characters especially Christa (I think that's how you spell her name) and how they worked together so well.

A unique look into a possibility during the war. What will women do to save the ones they love or try to draw them near? Once I started, I was immediately hooked. I will continue to think of Anke, Deiter, Eva, and Christa for a long time to come. Well paced and wrapped up nicely without questions and loose ends. Knowing the end fate of Eva, it makes you all the more grateful for the outcome of the infant.

This was fantastic! Historical fiction is my favourite genre, and in turn, I'm pretty picky when it comes to novels that fall into this category, but Mandy Robotham did not disappoint. I definitely recommend it!

Anke Hoff is a midwife who, because she helps Jewish women in direct violation of German law, is sent to a concentration camp. There, she finds herself caring for those prisoners who arrive at camp pregnant or find themselves pregnant from assault. The conditions in which these women live and are forced to give birth are heartwrenching. But, Anke provides comfort and as good as care as she can under these circumstances.

Soon, she is taken to a mountain retreat to care for another expectant woman. Eva Braun, who is pregnant with Adolph Hitler's child. What follows is simply a compelling, powerful story that answers the question, "What would you do if...?"

The turmoil that Anke feels is palpable. How does she care for this woman, who carries an innocent child fathered by a murderous, evil man? As Eva's pregnancy progresses, Anke finds herself developing a friendship with Eva, who we come to view as a normal woman, experiencing her first pregnancy. A woman who is excited to welcome her first child.

The premise for this story is fantastic. Historically I don't know how accurate it is. But, honestly, I didn't care. And confession. I have sat on this review for months. Literally.

This book left me thoughtful. Wordless. At times it was a horrific gut punch. At other times, almost heartwarming and tender. But what it did so well was show the reader that in the moment of childbirth, every woman is the same. Every woman, no matter her station or her race or circumstance, is equal. Childbirth and motherhood unite us.

Easily recommended.

Fans of “The Alice Network” and “The Tattooist of Auschwitz” are gonna love this debut novel by Mandy Robotham.

Anke Hoff is a trained midwife…and a Jew. She is a trained and talented midwife who feels it is her duty to help the pregnant women who arrive in the concentration camp. She has learned not to be hopeful but to be ambivalent to women who ask about their babies’ chances. Chapter One takes place in 1944 in the notorious camp of Ravensburk. It’s heartbreaking to read the pain and suffering these women experienced during labor and what most often happened to their babies. The scenes are rather gruesome, yet realistic/

The camp’s guards and administrators know of Anke’s talents. She is chosen to be the midwife to Eva Braun, who is carrying the heir to the Third Reich. When she arrives at the Hitler’s mountain retreat, she is given lots of freedoms, but she knows that she if still a prisoner of war. The guards and the servants watch her every move. The only time she feels any real freedom is when she is with Eva.

Readers get to experience Eva’s pregnancy, and it begs the question of “What if?’ What if Eva and Adolph Hitler had had a child? And given their end, what would have happened to it?

As Eva’s pregnancy slowly and uneventfully progresses, Anke finds herself making friends with her captors and the house servants. She has small, but significant relationships with several of the secondary characters, which adds a second layer to this wonderfully written tale. When Eva does go into labor, there are unexpected complications.

Anke is used to making life and death decisions, especially since Hitler’s rise, but her attachment to Eva and others makes for intersting reading.

I was surprised by the graphic nature of some of the scenes involving pregnancy, labor and birth. But they are tasteful and appropriate given the nature of this story.
“The German Midwife” receives 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

This was good, but not great. The premise was interesting, and the ending suspenseful, but nothing carried this book into spectacular. The past/present chapters were confusing and probably not necessary. The story would have been smoother if told chronologically instead of back and forth.

Thankyou to NetGalley, Avon Books UK and the author, Mandy Robotham, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of The German Midwife in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
I thought this book was hauntingly beautiful and thought provoking. I was thoroughly immersed in the story from the beginning. The characters are well drawn and captivating .
It is certainly an interesting, and scary, prospect that Hitler could have fathered a child in his lifetime. 3.5 stars.
Worth a read.

was completely absorbed by this story. I would recommend it to anyone interested in stories of bravery, love and tragedy especially if there’s an interest in World War 2. It’s quite possibly the best book I’ve read this year. The birth descriptions were incredible but not gory, the characters and plot well written. 10/10 all round from me. With thanks to Netgalley and publisher for a copy in exchange for my honest review. I hope to be able to review more from this new author. What a great start to her writing career!

This is as best as historical fiction can get. Stunning, and leaves a reader on the edge of their seat wondering. I loved nearly everything about this book. It had its slow bits, but they were made up for in the character development and story telling of this novel. I get that this is an alternate history story, but it just leaves the reader with this sense of wonder about this innocent child being the heir to Hitler. Just crazy. As I said this is a great Historical Fiction novel that I see many readers could enjoy.

Another great book about the Holocaust and Hitler.This was the author 's first novel and she sure hit a home run.
This was about a German midwife,stuck in the camps,due to some misplaced notion along with her whole family.
She took great care of the Jewish woman about to give birth,as they had no one else,with her experience and caring.
One day,she was whisked away to care for Hitler's
Eva,who was also expecting.She was treated well and told she and her family would be set free,upon the imminent safe arrival.of the child,Eva was carrying.
She was also able to get another young lady out of the camp,to help her.
Remember,this is fictional and I:ve read much about Hitler and Eva and they didn't have a child.
But this is a wonderful angle to read about.
The book will certainly capture your attention.
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review although this one was hard to review without giving too much away.
Also,kudos to the author Mandy Robotham,for writing "The German Midwife."

Most readers seem to have enjoyed the time they spent with Mandy Robotham’s The German Midwife (aka A Woman of War), but I have to admit the novel left me conflicted.

As I understand it, Hitler’s few living relations have voluntarily committed themselves to intentionally stamping out their bloodline and I had great difficulty rectifying that knowledge against the context of Robotham’s work. I appreciate the theories that inspired this piece, but I also felt the framework Robotham chose thumbs its nose at the intensely personal decisions of very real people and couldn’t help wishing she’d opted to express herself through a different lens.

By pure coincidence, I also read this novel alongside I Was a Doctor at Auschwitz. The memoir, penned by Gisella Perl, is the firsthand account of the time its author spent as an inmate gynecologist. Fair or not, the natural overlap in subject matter prompted unconscious comparison and while I felt the fiction heavy, I couldn’t help noticing it the paler of the two. The course of Perl’s experiences with the officers of the camp also undermined Anke’s rise and at the end of the day, I found I had little patience for the fiction.

When all is said and done, I liked the ideas on which this story was built and appreciate Robotham’s style of writing but have such mixed feelings about the historic context and contemporary implications that I’d have a hard time recommending it forward.

Smazing premise. Hitler’s mistress is pregnant with his child. Told from the point of view of a German Mideife how is sent to a work camp for crimes against the Reich. Her salvation is to become Eva Baum’s midwife. Very well researched. A lot of tension. Moral dilemmas.

Thank you Net Galley and Avon Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Anke is a young nurse and midwife working in a hospital pre-World War 2. While helping a young mom
give birth in the Jewish quarter, she is arrested and sent to a Nazi camp. Her existence looks bleak until her presence is requested for a pregnant woman, special to the Reich. Anke is still a ‘prisoner’ of sorts, but her situation improves. She has food, clothing, a place to stay. She can keep all this and insure the safety of her family as long as she cooperates.
Her new pregnant patient is Eva Braun and the baby is Hitler’s. Anke develops a friendship with Eva. The romance with the SS Officer in charge of the compound where Anke is staying adds another dimension to her life. The best laid plans do not always work out.

This book would appeal to midwives, nurses, or any woman that has given birth to a child. It is historical fiction with a big ‘what if’ factor.

One of the best books I have read! Fantastic read.. full marks and more... a story that will keep u turning the page...

The German Midwife by Many Rotham is a wonderful and beautifully written. It is the story of a young German woman, Anke Hoff, who is forced into a prison camp during World War Two. She is devoted to the woman in her care and does her best to save them and their babies. Soon she is sent to Berghof, the home of Joseph Goebbles. hitler's pregnant mistress is staying there during her pregnancy. Anke is told to take care of her. Though she hates Hitler she is devoted to the young pregnant woman. Anke becomes friendly with a German officer who helps her at the end of the book. She learns at the end of the book that he was shot as a traiter two weeks after they parted.

Can not say enough about this book! The author is an eloquent writer and developed the characters well throughout the story. The story was rich in history and kept me curious throughout. Highly recommend this book!

The German Midwife is a heart-wrenching debut novel by Mandy Robotham. I was thrilled when NetGalley approved my request to review an ARC of this beautifully written story.

Set during World War II, The German Midwife is a multi-layered story of love, hope, resilience, and determination. Anke Hoff is a German woman living in Berlin during World War II. She is a midwife in a German hospital when she is taken by the Gestapo and imprisoned in a work camp for aiding a Jewish woman during a difficult birth. Because of her betrayal to her country, her entire family meets the same fate.

While Anke is in the work camp, she is summoned by a high-ranking leader in the Reich to assist a woman in her pregnancy and delivery. Anke soon finds herself in a remote German mountain villa being a midwife to Hitler’s mistress. Even though she struggles with the fact this is Hitler’s child, Anke is completely committed to her role as midwife and befriends the young, naive, mother-to-be.

Although her time at the villa is more humane than the work camp, Anke is still seen as a betrayer to her country. Her handler, Captain Dieter Stenz, watches her closely, and over time, forms a bond with Anke that will ultimately put both their lives at risk.

Robotham enveloped me in the lives of these characters from the first page. Her ability to connect me, not only to their lives, but to the despair and turmoil of the time period, was remarkable. I was deeply moved and often horrified by the events that unfolded in Anke’s life. I found myself holding my breath one moment and crying the next.

I loved the uniqueness of this master of Historical Fiction. It was beautifully written, the words flowing off the page, reaching out, and twisting your heart in such a way you felt breathless and on edge.

There is some difficult subject matter in this story and at times I felt overcome with emotion at certain events. Although hard to read, I do think Robotham did a wonderful job in making these events pertinent to the development of the story and the characters.

Mary Robotham has won my heart as an author, and I will definitely be reading more from her. Thank you NetGalley, Mary Robotham, Avon Books, and HarperCollins Publishers for the opportunity to review this beautiful gem of a story.