📚Book Review: Nazi Wives by James Wyllie📚

First of all, thank you to @stmartinspress for this gifted copy!

When I saw this book was releasing, I knew I needed to read it. World War 2 history is something I’ve always been interested in and I need to fill that drive with it all. So when I saw that this was about the wives of the top leaders of the Nazi party, I was sold. I always wondered how these women could stomach that. How did these women just turn the other cheek? How did these women accept the atrocities their husbands were doing?

The answer is because they were okay with it! Other than one person deluding herself with a false reality, most of them were the people behind it! I was floored. I mean I know critically that was the case but to see the evidence and research to support it...shocked. These women were just crazy. Like I’m sorry but you have to be to be Hitler’s woman. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Some books gloss over their role or even like to portray them as innocent bystanders. Wyllie’s extensive research starts from their first meeting through the end of the way and what happened to them. Very captivating and well written. At a short 288 pages, you will fly through this one.

If you’re a WW2 buff like me, I highly recommend this one.

This one is out now!

This inside look at the wives of the Nazi elite was startling. These were not women who did not know what their husbands were involved in. They believed in the same principles that their husbands did, which caused the deaths of millions. I don't know what I was expecting, but this was so disturbing.

Nazi Wives was very interesting, but I struggled for the first half of the book in differentiating the wives. It could be due to my lack of knowledge on the leadership of the Nazis. This may be easier for those who have read more on Nazi leadership, but I don't think it took away from the book at all.

Does one ever think about the wives of Hitler’s generals? James Wyllie reveals these women’s lives. How did they feel about Hitler? Did they know what was happening in the camps? Were they antisemitic? What kind of women were they?

The book is an interesting read about the wives and marriages of Hess, Goering, Himmler, Heydrich, Bormann, Speer, and Goebbels. Eva Braun is included. I was surprised to learn a number of the women had many children, but then they were doing their duty to increase the population. One problem with the book was Wyllie jumbles up the women - a little bit here, a little bit there. This is no big deal if one reads the book in a couple of sittings; however, it becomes a challenge if read over an extended period. Who is Lina again? It might be helpful to jot down a list of characters. Included are an extensive bibliography and footnotes.

I did like the book, finding tidbits I never knew before. I therefore recommend reading it. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for a digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Real Housewives of the Third Reich! This book was absolutely fascinating. I think we have all learned about every man who was a leader in the Third Reich, but what about their wives? Haven’t you always wondered what sort of women were married to these men? Well, this well researched work delves into the details of these women, and many of their children. Some were very close to Hitler, some fought like cats and dogs amongst each other, some pretended that they didn’t know what was going on, and others willingly followed their fuhrer into suicide. After the war, those that survived were tried, and many spent time in prison. A couple even continued to render support to SS soldiers long after the war. What is certain is that they were all followers of Hitler and the Nazi party, none worked outside the home, they lived in absolute excess while their countrymen and women were starving. Most were not Christian but like Hitler followed Paganism and many were vegetarian. They were also fascinated with the occult, astrology, and homeopathic medicine. We also learn about the woman who held Hitler’s heart before Eva Braun.

The one thing is that the story was told in a linear style, so it jumps between the women constantly. You’ll recognize their last names, but when it’s only Ilsa or Margaret it’s east to forget who is who. I also wish there would have been more pictures of these women.

I think we will always be fascinated by the rise of Hitler and the Nazi’s and this book gives a great insight into the women behind the men behind the man.

I will definitely recommend this to anyone interested in WWII history. Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

“After tea, Hedwig invited them all to the attic to see something special: furniture made from human body parts.”

Wyllie’s Nazi Wives uncovers the lives of the wives of six infamous Nazi men: Goering, Goebbels, Himmler, Heydrich, Hess, and Bormann. While these women have been given brief mention in books focusing on their husbands, they have often been painted as innocent housewives and mothers, lacking the free choice to go against their husbands’ violent tendencies. However, through meticulous research, Wyllie demonstrates that this is far from true.

In fact, many of these women were proponents of the Nazi cause prior to meeting their husbands. They all contributed to and benefitted from the regime in some way and supported their husbands in their actions. While some began to have doubts as the years progressed, none of them ever took a harsh stance against Nazism, even following the end of the war.

Wyllie paints a picture of striking dissonance between the horrors carried out by the men while their wives indulged at home, hosting parties and entertaining. The luxuries enjoyed by these women also contrasted heavily with the widespread poverty and hunger across Germany at the time.

“The top Nazi wives were able to enjoy many privileges and their gilded lifestyles because Hitler allowed them to.”

All of these women came of age in a turbulent time and chose to turn towards evil. While some would later deny knowledge of the extent of the regime’s terrors, they all began as fervent supporters of Hitler.
“Cut adrift, they each gravitated towards a self-styled saviour who promised them the world.”

Wyllie clearly put so much work into this book. It shows on every single page. While it was a bit difficult to keep the women straight in my head (they were all referred to by first name throughout the book), this would have been easier with a physical book in my hands. This book as a whole was incredibly well-written and flowed very well.

I learned so much from this book. It was amazingly fascinating and terrifying at the same time. Having read many books focusing on the Holocaust, it was interesting to see the dynamics present back inside Germany at the higher-echelons of Nazi society. As the regime escalated its violence and horrors over the years, some women started to have doubts, while others were already immune and untouched by the horrors they were supporting. Wyllie does an amazing job painting this picture, describing the home lives of the women and their husband’s actions in contrast to one another.

I will be checking out Wyllie’s other works and cannot wait to see what he comes up with next.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

My Thoughts:
My first thought is Nazi Wives is a difficult book to read. It is difficult because I dislike all of the characters. They are repulsive to me. However, Nazi Wives is a book unlike other books I’ve read about the Nazi Party and the people who were its leaders.

An early statement in the book set the tone and theme.
“The women were drawn to savior like men.”
In looking at men as their savior, they idolized them to the point of taking on whatever belief and ideology these men believed. The women were absorbed in the godlike men. This is scary stuff, because the women gave control of themselves, their children, and their belief system over to mere humans who were of course murderers.
It is hard to wrap my mind around a woman who let her daughter have an affair with an uncle. Hitler was technically the half brother of the young woman’s mother. This is still, at the least, inappropriate. Yet, she displayed the savior like mind-set for Hitler.

This is a heavy and ambitious book because it is about several people and families. I’m a note taker for every book I read. So, keeping up with Nazi Wives was not a problem. It might be a problem for people who do not take notes.

Not all the wives were in the inner circle compared to those who were often at Hitler’s Berghof home; and, there was jealousy and envy among them. There was a pecking order with the women. Certain women were regarded more Aryan looking or they represented the idea of what a Nazi wife should be like.

There are several new things I learned in reading Nazi Wives.
For example, both Hitler’s girlfriends attempted suicide. One of them succeeded.
I didn’t know several in the Nazi Party believed in paganism.
One of the men was revolted by sex, but most of them had multiple sex playmates besides their wives.

Nazi Wives reveals the specific roles of the wives who contributed to the mistreatment and abuse of Jews. And, their continued anti-Semitism post war.

I believe the research for Nazi Wives is remarkable. For example, Hitler’s valet gave information about the final days of Hitler and Eva Braun. Some of the wives gave interviews or wrote memoirs. Some of the wives remained quiet, never revealing their candid stories.

The final chapter chronicles the characters post World War II. Those who were arrested for war crimes, exonerated, sentenced for prison terms or death, and those who took their own lives.

Over-all this is an important book! It’s important in the revealing of critical information about these people. History knows their action against the Jews. History knows their specific work in the Nazi Party and World War II. Nazi Wives recreates the personal and intimate nature of their lives.

Source: I received a complimentary eBook copy from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Kindle ARC of Nazi Wives. Nazi Wives is the grim, yet fascinating, true account of the wives and girlfriends of the officers of the Third Reich and Hitler. James Wyllie's writing is engaging and factual without being dry historical material. The devotion of the women to their husbands - Hess, Himmler, Heydrich - is well portrayed. The knowledge that some of these same women had just a strong devotion to Hitler is astonishing. The book follows the rise of Hitler and his officers and mainly focuses on the wives and girlfriend's roles in the ascent. Mr. Wyllie has written a very informative and well-documented book on a subject that may not have been touched on so thoroughly before this.

When I requested this ARC from St. Martin's Press, I didn't set out to read it during US election week, but it turns out that was the perfect time to read it. Author James Wyllie's extensive research provides insight into the women behind the men who controlled Nazi Germany. What motivated them? Not surprisingly, it was a mix--genuine belief in party ideology, attraction to Hitler's charisma, and enjoyment of the riches their husbands acquired.

Some of the women profiled are sympathetic, in a qualified way. Newsflash--Nazis were not nice people, and in many cases, the husbands were not nice to their wives either. Mostly, they treated them as property. Magda Goebbels became a symbol of Aryan womanhood, birthing a large brood of children despite the toll pregnancy took on her health and marriage.

It's not difficult to draw similarities between Nazi Germany and the Trump regime. At times, the comparisons were chilling, but Germany's ultimate surrender in World War II is a heartening reminder that the arc of morality does bend toward justice, eventually.

Readers who are not well-versed in the history of the Nazi party would do well to take notes on names to follow this book--I had a hard time keeping the people straight. NAZI WIVES is a timely explication of the women behind the movement, and challenges some of the widely held misconceptions about Nazi Germany. #NaziWives #NetGalley

Princess Fuzzypants here: Much has been written about the Nazi hierarchy. There can be no question these were evil men but with some exceptions, little has been written about the women behind those men. Magda is the one with whom I was most familiar, mostly because of her blind loyalty to Hitler that she killed her children and herself, rather than live in a world without him.

Even Magda is fleshed out in unexpected ways from the almost threesome she shared with her husband and Hitler, flashing in and out of favour, right to the end. Was she the fanatic her final actions seem to indicate or was she a realist who knew the crimes that had been committed would not be forgiven. She was an intelligent woman, as were many of the others.

Some like Heydrich’s widow were rabid in their beliefs and cruel in their own right. Others like Goering’s second wife Emmy had empathy for many of the victims of Nazi tyranny and would at times try to help those at risk. There were marriages of love and there were marriages of convenience. Some of the men were unbridled womanizers and some were somewhat less lusty but all of these women tried to present the “right” image of a Nazi family whatever the cost. In return they were feted and lived charmed lives until the atrocities and the war caught up with them.

Unlike Eva Braun who stayed true to the end and was rewarded with one day of marriage, they survived the end of the war. Some fought for their husband’s lives and and reputation. Even those who realized the horrors these men committed, none was apologetic. They would live and die in the fantasy that was The Third Reich. After the war, several of them served time in prison for their contribution. Even those who did not lived hard lives. Many felt they should have been dealt with more severely.

The author did a credible job of giving us a realistic view of the women behind the image. While empathy would be a stretch too far, the reader can at least understand how these women lived their lives under the Swastika. Five purrs and one paw up.

I have read many books about WWII and Nazis, both fiction and non-fiction. This book tackles the wives of the upper level Nazis, the women behind the powerful and cruel men. The only one I’d ever heard of was Eva Braun, so this was new territory to read. The book is well-researched and well-written. Good portraits of these Nazi wives are portrayed and the reader can get a sense of the women behind the men. I found this interesting, yet also very disturbing.

This was a book I was looking forwarding to reading. I might not have been in the right state of mind, though, while reading this book but I did find it interesting and informative. I did find it a little confusing as to who was who and had to go back and highlight the women's and couples' names. Perhaps this is one I will need to go back and read again at another time when in a better state of mind.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/St. Martin’s Publishing Group for a copy of “Nazi Wives: The Women At The Top of Hitler’s Germany” in exchange for my honest review.

While volumes have been written about the men involved with Hitler, rarely are the women they were married to mentioned. Author James Wyllie has written a comprehensive background to all the top women. Gerda Bormann, Magda Goebbels, Carin Göering, Emmy Göering, Ilse Hess, Lina Heydrich and Margaret Himmler. Mr. Wyllie has answered to questions as to whether these women were merely pawns and naïve to what their husbands were doing or were, they active participants.

They all were well educated, from conservative middle-class families, from the professions, business, army or the lower gentry. Like many women of the day, they were looking to find a good husband to take care of them. They all enjoyed a luxury lifestyle, VIP status but also broken marriages, cheating husbands, suicide, assassination, desertion, impoverishment and incarceration.

They all appeared to be completely aware of what was happening around them and were active participants. Their dedication was total and unwavering. Some if they had come to any real power would have used it ruthlessly and without hesitation or remorse. They totally endorsed their husband’s ideas; they lived and breathed the ideology. They set themselves up to be beacons for German women to follow. They felt that their husbands stood for peace and the ones that were captured, they were cruelly imprisoned.

Mr. Wyllie wrote a very enlightening book, on a subject that is rarely written about.

I received a ARC from Netgalley and St, Martins Press in exchange for my honest review of this book.

It was interesting to get the point of view from the Women closest to Hitler and his confidants. The women had their own struggles trying to take care of their children and homes with their husbands being gone all the time. Some of the husbands were not faithful. The women were as devoted to the Nazi cause as the men. If you are interested in the women's perspective, then give this book a try.

As an avid WWII history buff, I looked forward to reading Nazi Wives by James Wylie. He explores what is known about the wives (Himmler, Hess, Goering... and other members of the upper echelon of Hitler’s Nazi Germany, The reader can tell that the book is full of research based on the many notes. I had to read this over a period of several weeks due to Being able to absorb the details in this book. This book could be used for a college class. The trouble with reading an ebook version is that it is extremely difficult to go to the notes. When finished, I discovered an index too. I would definitely would advise getting a book format to be able to use the notes and index while reading. There are also pictures and I think it would be much easier to see them in a book. This is something I am going to do. I am ordering a hardback so that I can read it again.
Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC. The opinions of this book are my own.

The Women of the Third Reich

History has provided detailed accounts of the major figures of the Third Reich: Goering, Goebbels, Himmler, Heydrich, Hess and Bormann. Their wives have lingered in the shadows, but this book gives us a chance to know who they were, how they reacted to the atrocities of their husbands, and how they interacted with each other.

I found the book fascinating. When you realize that these women grew up in a Germany that had been soundly defeated in WWI, a Germany were food was scarce likewise entertainment, and luxuries, it’s easier to understand how they wanted more for their families. Looking behind the curtain of the family lives of these men makes the group more understandable, if not more sympathetic. The women were unapologetically devoted to Hitler and his policies the same way the men were.

Although there are some historical details that are inaccurate, the book as a whole is well worth reading. It introduces a broader view of those close to Hitler. I found the psychological portraits well done. The interactions between the women in this closed society were equally fascinating. If you enjoy reading about WWII, this is a good addition to your library.

I received this book from St. Martin’s Press for this review.

This book discusses the different wives of high ranking Nazi members. It discusses how they wasn’t just the a stay at home housewife who didn’t know anything about what was going on with the Nazi’s.

Overall, I thought this was a good overview of the upper crust ladies of the Reich. I would say that it helps to have some knowledge about them going in.

Despite years of interest in reading about and studying the nuances of the ins and outs of the Second World War, I have read very little about the wives of those mover's and shakers in Germany's Nazi Party. Truthfully I didn't find that to be odd - thank you James Wyllie for bringing these ladies into the light. I found several things to be notable - in most instances, the ladies were intensely interested in the politics involved in Germany between wars, and were affected more intensely by the depravations Germany suffered as a result of the First World War than were the men. For the women, it was a more personal affront and affected their children and other family members to a much stronger degree than was expressed by the men of the party. For the men, it was politics and what you can make of it, but to the women, it was the future of their children, their families, that were at stake. And for the women, it seemed to be easier to justify or overlook the genocidal aspects of the party line. In their defense, it didn't start out that intensely skewed into the mores of the party in the 1920s when they were young and impressionable and intensely tired of living in a society in which all things were limited, all interests and needs curtailed by the humiliating reparations demanded of the German population by the Treaty of Versailles.

This book, in focusing on the women, brings to the fore all that the society who reached maturity in the 1920s and 1930s was up against. Most could not remember a time when Germany was at peace, food was plentiful, there was time for entertainment and socializing, and education was available to all who desired it. For them the world during and post-WWII was all that they knew and was unacceptable to almost everyone of that generation. This was an intense and compelling read. Thank you James Wyllie for this fine viewpoint into the past.

I received a free electronic ARC of this novel from NetGalley, James Wyllie, and St. Martin's Press. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. Obviously, a great deal of work and research went into Nazi Wives, bringing to us an overview of cause and effect that was before obscured by the very horror of the history of this war. It doesn't make the protagonists less evil. Just lets us see into their influencers along the way. You cannot defend yourself against evil if you don't see it clearly, understand the intentions and expectations of the protagonists.
Publication date November 3, 2020.

Nazi Wives, The Women at the Top of Hitler’s Germany, by James Wyllie is an excellent written account of the wives of Hitler’s inner circle and most infamous, maniacal and staunch supporters of the Nazi regime.
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The book follows Carin/Emmy Goering, Gerda Bormann, Magda Goebels, Ilse Hess, Lina Heydrich, Margarete Himmler and Eva Braun - some of the most recognizable surnames in history. This book will remind you that even if post WW2 these women weren’t as seriously vilified as their husbands, don’t get it twisted, because they were deeply anti-Semitic, turned a blind eye to the atrocities their husbands committed and were completely delusional. This book is rife with affairs, misogyny, jealously, backstabbing, power struggles to become the First Lady of the Third Reich and all vied for a spot next to the Fuhrer himself, as their husbands did.
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I typically struggle with non-fiction novels but Wyllie was able to talk about and weave these women’s lives together like a story, I eerily felt transported back to Nazi Germany and was completely immersed in the information. I highly recommend picking this one up if you’re a fan of WW2 historical fiction or non-fiction.
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Thank you to author James Wyllie, @netgalley and publisher @stmartinspress for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I received an advance reading copy of this book from NetGalley.com in return for a fair review. I have read a number of books about World War II, but I have never found one that talked about the women who were married (or in a relationship with) Nazi officials. Women like Ilse Hess, Emmy Goering, and Magda Goebbels were up front and center during a very turbulent time. I have often wondered what became of these women and what roles did they really play in their husbands' lives. For the most part, these Nazi wives were born around 1900. They lived through World War I, which the Germans lost in a big way. The Treaty of Versailles that ended the war left Germany with little land or power. Hitler wanted to restore the country to a greater glory and the only way to do that (in his mind) was to expand the borders, and so his rampage throughout Europe began. We all know that the Nazi leaders were not 'nice' people, and for the most part, neither were their wives. (I would not want to be friends with any of them.) They enjoyed a lavish lifestyle during war time, with their fancy cars, expensive clothes, and elegant homes--often decorated with stolen art. They all shared a hatred for Jewish people and doted over Hitler. Their husbands cheated, lied, and were responsible for more deaths than we can count, while their wives often looked the other way. At the end of the war when they knew they would be defeated, the men insisted that even though they may not be victors, the cause would rise again someday and succeed with a new generation--a very chilling thought in today's world. Many of these women were tried at Nuremburg and convicted of lesser crimes. Some served prison time, some committed suicide--the most famous being Magda Goebbels, who also killed her six children before she and her husband swallowed cyanide. All in all, this was a very interesting book that completely held my attention. My only complaint was that I found it difficult to keep all of the women straight ( i.e., who was married to who). Other than that, the author did a fine job presenting the information and giving a unique insight into the women who not only knew Hitler on a personal level, but also lived with his henchmen. These women definitely liked the lifestyle their husbands provided. Sadly it was at the expense of the rest of the world. Excellent read.