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The German Wife

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Member Reviews

I am thrilled to be part of the Harper-Collins blog tour for Kelly Rimmer’s latest novel: The German Wife. This was a truly captivating read, focusing on two women: a German mother and wife who has had to make huge sacrifices to protect her family, and a young woman who will do anything to protect her brother after her parents die. Based in historical fact, the story focuses on how the US brought German nuclear scientists over to work for our government after WWII. Sofie is the wife of one of the most respected rocket scientists, and she is trying to settle her young family into their new home and country, while Lizzie has left the family farm with her brother Henry, and is trying to make a new life in the city.

I have to be honest. I’ve never really had a lot of sympathy for those who supported Nazi Germany. (I do have sympathy for the women and young girls left on their own in Berlin when the Russians arrived and systematically terrorized everyone). But I have pondered how anyone could support the atrocities that happened during WWII, especially in the camps. This novel does such an incredible job in letting you take that point of view – a person who has no choices left if they are to survive or if they are to protect their family and thus must do things they don’t want to do.

Henry’s story in this novel is particularly touching as well, as he suffers significant mental duress and PTSD from his time as a soldier. It’s heart-breaking.

This book is well-written and I couldn’t put it down. Once again Kelly Rimmer has written a novel that I will not forget.

Thank you for my copy and for having me as part of the tour.

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The German Wife was a totally new idea for me- more about the repercussions of historical events than the actual events. Before reading this book I never thought about the people living through a dust storm or figuring out to raise a child under Nazi rules. I think I thought all the people working on making bombs were fine with the destruction the bombs would cause and were ok with using prisoners as slave labor. I did not know about the German engineers being brought to America to help us build rockets nor did I think about how Americans would feel about these Germans being in their town. In short, this book really made me think. And I loved it!

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The German Wife is a dual timeline story about the lives of Jurgen and Sofie von Meyer Rhodes. In 1934, Jurgen is a University professor who dabbles in rocketry. As Hitler comes to power, their best friends join the Nazi party and become anti-Semitic, even though one of the women's best friends is Jewish. When Jurgen is offered a position working for the government on rockets, he declines, but when he loses his job and his family is threatened, he agrees even though he doesn't believe in what Hitler and his government are doing. As time goes on, he becomes more complicit in the Nazi plans. When the war ends, Jurgen is taken to the US under arrest, but when they realize his knowledge would benefit them in the space race, he moves to Huntsville Alabama to work for the CIA’s fledgling space program. He is allowed to bring his family, Sofie and their two youngest children, to the US where they live with the other German families also working in the program. Rumors about Jurgen and his affiliation with the SS and Nazi party keep the other women from befriending Sofie. When Sofie shares information and her feelings with her neighbour, she tells others and they become pariahs. Things happen that cause many lives to be changed forever, all due to hatred of all things German.

Although the story is called The German Wife, it is the story of two women: Sofie von Meyer Rhodes, the German Wife and Lizzie Miller, an American women who grew up in Texas during the depression and married a wealthy man who is Jurgen's boss. It was interesting to see these two women, both strong minded, stubborn and not happy about the Germans working for the US government. They butt heads on more than one occasion. Seeing how their pasts influenced their lives, gave me insight into both of them and their emotions. I enjoy historical fiction and this was a time with events that I really did not have a lot of knowledge about. I can't imagine what it must have been like for these German families to come and live with people who thought of them as the enemy. Racism, hate and violence occurred and the police didn't do much about it as they also didn't want them there. Kelly Rimmer’s research on this book was thorough and I enjoy how accurate her stories are. This story is told in alternating points of view from Sofie and Lizzie in both the past, 1930s and the 1950s. It also has three different setting, Nazi Germany, Oakden Oklahoma, and Huntsville Alabama. The different timelines meld together well and I was hooked from the start to the end. This was a heartbreaking story and I felt for all the characters involved in the tragedy that takes place. It is a story of family, survival, grief, love and trying to be accepted. It deals with racism, evil, PTSD, good vs evil, and more. I definitely recommend this book to those who enjoy historical fiction, especially stories dealing with WWII or the time immediately surrounding the war.

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This novel follows Sofie, a German woman, and Lizzie, an American woman, during the times before, during, and after World War II. I would say that this is not your typical World War II story, as much of it takes place in America. So if you are like me and love historical fiction, but have had enough of World War II stories- do not pass this one up. An excellent tale of what happens when people make assumptions about you without knowing the real story. Lizzie sees Sofie as a German Nazi whose family doesn't deserve to be in America, and Sofie sees Lizzie as a bigoted American socialite. Neither one of these assumptions could not be further from the truth.

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I am a recent newcomer to Kelly Rimmer's work. This is a very well researched book, with extremely realistic characters, has made me determined to read the rest of her books. Set during WW2 and the vile German killing machine, it is a realistic portrait of the horrors that occurred and a vivid reminder to us to not allow something similar to happen again. No matter what the cost. Great plot, exceptional writing skill, realistic characters; all set in the background of a true global travesty. Exceptional!

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Kelly Rimmer has done it again with THE GERMAN WIFE. One of the only books I listened to during the pandemic was The Things We Cannot Say. I absolutely loved it so when the publisher reached out to me asking if I'd like to join the blog tour for this one, it was a no-brainer.

I read a lot of WWII fiction and I found this book to be different than most. It's much more nuanced and complicated and very character-driven. This is a dual timeline novel alternating between the 1930's-1950 in both the U.S. and Germany. While this book was not entirely without depictions of violence and suffering, I found that it contained less than some other WWII novels as dictated by its focusing on the periods of time before and after the war.

What this book is very heavy on is moral and ethical dilemmas and conflicting interests and priorities. This is a book that makes you think and that's the kind of book I love! I don't have to love every character. I can disagree with their choices. Hate them even. But if I find myself examining things from a different perspective or having a two-sided debate in my head, that's a win. Kelly Rimmer did an exceptional job of introducing these moral predicaments not only as they related to the war but also into the interpersonal and romantic relationships of the characters.

I had never heard of Operation Paperclip before reading this book. I would strongly encourage you to read Kelly's note at the end. While it's quite obvious throughout THE GERMAN WIFE that painstaking research had been done, I loved hearing her thoughts on both the research and the fate of her characters.

I do have two gripes about this book. Both are something I've never felt the need to mention in a review but I just can't help myself. I don't think the title or the cover has done this book justice. Both imply a story with a singular focus or plot and this book is just not that!!

This would be an excellent book club selection and it includes a thought-provoking reader's guide. I am already looking forward to Kelly Rimmer's next book! She is now on my auto-buy list.

Many thanks to Graydon House for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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This is a heartbreaking yet beautifully told story spanning multiple generations of women on two continents. It is wrought with powerful feelings and will draw readers into the devastating consequences of the holocaust and all its profound ramifications. Kelly Rimmer exquisitely captures and portrays the wide array of emotions that surround survivors and those who perceive them.

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Jürgen Rhodes was forced to work along with Hitler’s plans in 1930s Berlin. A brilliant scientist, they were hoping to use Jürgen in their developing rocket program. A top-secret program. His choices when it came to joining the SS were taken away from him.P. At what point does Jürgen say no? In fact, can he decline? Sadly, Jürgen powers on, despite this being a part of something he hates. However, we are provided with how all of this affects Sofie. She wonders if being married to Jürgen makes her as complicit as her husband when it comes to Hitler’s crimes.

It is 1950s Alabama and now Sofie and her two children have joined Jürgen, as he was one of well over 1000 German scientists, engineers, and other top specialties, who were pardoned and brought to the US for the space program, and it was called Operation Paperclip. Lizzie Miller’s husband Calvin was the manager at the space program and Jürgen was one of his employees. As one of the American wives who now has to live among German wives, we start to see things from her point of view.

When it came to Lizzie and her brother Henry, they grew up in Texas and suffered greatly due to the Dust Bowl and the depression. Now in 1950s Alabama they are neighbors to Jürgen and Sofie. They hear the grumbling that goes on that Jürgen was possibly part of the Nazi regime. But hopefully they’ll lead separate lives and she will do her best to fight any prejudice where she might be naturally inclined. Her worries are for her brother Henry, as he is suffering from his time in the war, to the point that she learns that it might be combat fatigue and this is flavoring a lot of his actions. This in some ways affects how she views anyone that is in America that has come from Germany.

The scale of suffering in this book was beyond comprehension, whether in 1930s Texas, 1930s Berlin, or 1950s Alabama. Not only did this book remind me of the time in history when the Dust Bowl devastated the lives and farms of thousands, but I learned about Operation Paperclip, the program designed to pair German and American scientists in a common goal. I was even shocked when reminded of how Hitler was so proud of his race that German women were encouraged if not pressured to bear as many children as possible. Another great impression I had with this book is that everybody that served under Hitler was not as easily brainwashed as to his ideals. Many were forced into service.

When Jürgen or Sofie cried, I cried. When Lizzie became exasperated with Henry, I felt her pain. This book also allows the reader to see both sides of the war, from the effect it had Sofie and also Lizzie, from the Jewish or German point of view. Also, it was rather sad that the United States was in such a race for space that they easily brushed the crimes of a lot of Germans right under the rug. Perhaps Jürgen was innocent of the ways many other Nazi soldiers felt, no doubt many of the Germans that were allowed to emigrate to the US for the sake of the space program did believe in what they fought for. This displayed injustice on a grand scale, reiterating the pain that I felt for the millions of those lives lost, and for so many more that suffered or were affected by the war in other ways.

This impressive read by Kelly Rimmer proves her exceptional talent, her incredible research, and how she managed to deliver a powerfully emotional story. Any historical fiction that brings a different perspective during that horrid time is certain to make any reader think. I was riveted to this book from the start to finish, and this story will be with me for a long time to come. This would be a perfect book club book and I beg the reader to please read the author’s note at the end of the book and to consider the discussion questions. This will allow for the serious thought as to this contemplative read.

Many thanks to Graydon House and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please enjoy the following video review - https://youtu.be/Of1jEA5RJh0

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I love all books that take place in the WWII era. While this is my first Kelly Rimmer book (and definitely not the last), I had heard great things and was very excited to read this book.

and it did NOT disappoint - I loved this book, such a quick read that I couldn't put it down! The words used to tell this story are powerful! It will grab you from page one and take you on a journey until you close the back cover. Set in Nazi Germany, in the dusty farm fields during the depression, we learn what it means to have your right to choose stripped of you. This story is about sacrifice and overcoming. The characters seem so lifelike and you can't help but connect with them on a deep level! Highly recommend this book!

Special thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Graydon House and Netgalley for early access

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The German Wife by Kelly Rimmer is yet another notch in this author’s literary belt. I’ve read all her books and she still continues to come up with new and powerful storylines. I often hear from readers that they are taxed from reading so many Holocaust and/or WWII historical fiction books, especially when many seem so similar. Honestly, I can completely understand your feelings, however as a Jewish person, I feel like I owe it to those who perished to read every single one of them. Oy…the guilt I put on myself.

That’s why I like Rimmer’s books so much. Each has made me look at the war from a new perspective. In this book, the reader is exposed to what the Germans felt like in the US after Operation Paperclip was enforced. Rimmer also shines light onto the many Germans that had absolutely no choice than to become a member of the Reich, no matter how much he or she were against it.

This book is written in two timelines that meet up in the 1950s. Prejudice became widespread when many Germans moved to Huntsville for the space program. I knew little about Operation Paperclip and was glad a story was drawn around it so I could understand it better. Usually I like both storylines equally, but in this one I happened to like Sofie’s timeline and story more than Lizzie’s. I’m sure book clubs will have plenty to discuss after reading this book.

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The German Wife by Kelly Rimmer

What would you be willing to do to protect your loved ones?

In 1930, Sofie lives in Berlin, Germany with her husband Jurgen and their children. Jürgen is a scientist and is forced to work in the Nazi’s rocket program. They’re both against the Nazi party and are willing to risk their own life to help their Jewish friends and family, but when their family is at risk, They may have to do unimaginable things in order to survive.

In the US, Lizzie lives with her brother and their parents. They own a farm but because of the Great Depression, they’re struggling to make ends meet. When tragedy strikes their family, her life changes forever.

In 1950, both Sofie and Lizzie live in Huntsville, Alabama. Sofie’s family is relocated because the US government is interested in Jurgen’s rocket knowledge and they want him to work in the space program, so they pardon them for their involvement in the war. But Lizzie and other American women are not so happy about their German neighbors and Sofie and her family learn soon that war is never going to be really over for them.

The story alternates between two different timelines and between Sofie and Lizzie’s perspectives, this way we are able to learn about their lives, what both women endured and how they got to where they are now.

This book reminded me why I love historical fiction so much! I loved to learn about this period of time and about the involvement of Germans in the space program and at the same time to read about these stories of sacrifice and resilience that are devastating and uplifting at the same time.

This is my second book by Kelly Rimmer and I can definitely say that I’m already waiting for her next one. Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing, Graydon House and NetGalley for my advance review copy of this book.

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A gripping book and so hard to read in today's political climate, but an important book as well. The feelings are raw and real for both the women. Rimmer sheds light on a time in history that is not overly well publicized in an approachable way. She gets into the heads of both sides in a way that leads the reader to empathize with both sides of the conflict. Not a beach read, but one of the most thought provoking books you will read all year.

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Kelly Rimmer has quickly become one of my go to and favorite Historical Fiction authors. Whenever I see one of her books is going to be released I get excited. The German Wife is no exception. The research Kelly Rimmer does for her books is extremely evident and she has a way of making you feel as though you are watching it unfold right before your eyes. This book is a dual timeline story and covers WWII and the 1950’s in Huntsville Alabama when the American’s are bringing the German scientists to America to start working on the space race. Needless to say not many American’s were happy about it because of the lack of trust of the Germans.

Rimmer is a not to be missed Historical Fiction author. If you haven’t read any of her books this is not a bad one to start with but I recommend you read them all.

Thank you to #netgalley and #harlequintradepublishing for allowing me to read the eARC of this book. All opinions expressed above are my own.

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Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Canada for the early access copy of this book. I am an Indigo Books and Music employee. This review is my own.

'The German Wife' by Kelly Rimmer stands apart from recently published works of WW1/WW2 historical fiction as it explores the perspectives of a German family forced to play along with the rising tide of Nazi ideology and fanaticism whilst endeavouring to retain their humanity and protect their Jewish friends and their children. With a duel timeline and follow two separate family stories - German and American - this books shines a light on the prejudice held by many people in America against German families for their perceived failure to stand up and quash the rise of Hitler's ideology. It also provides a window to understanding how German families survived during the years before WW2 broke out by pretending to agree with the ideology and the sacrifices they made to keep their families safe.

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Many thanks to NetGalley, Graydon House and Goodreads (I was a Goodreads Winner of a physical copy!) for the opportunity to read and review the latest historical fiction novel by Kelly Rimmer - 5 stars!

In 1930, in Berlin, Sofie and her husband, Jürgen, are doing well - Jürgen is an academic, Sofie's childhood friend, Mayim, lives with them and helps with their children, and their beloved aunt lives next door. But when Hitler becomes in power, all changes. Jürgen is offered a job that he can't refuse, working on rocket development. But they soon learn that it comes at a cost.

In 1930 in Texas during the Dust Bowl, Lizzie and her family lose everything. Trying to start over, Lizzy and her brother, Henry, find their way to Huntsville, Alabama. In 1950, Operation Paperclip, a secret US plan to bring over German scientists to help further rocket and space research, ends up with both families living in the same community.

It never ceases to amaze that we continue to learn of so much about WWII - I had never heard of Operation Paperclip and the way that governments are willing to look aside when it behooves them. At first, I had a bit of a hard time with all the time and POV changes, but it ended up being perfect because we truly got to see both sides of this story. It all boils down to doing what is right but many times that isn't easy or without cost. A must read, highly recommended book!

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Set in Huntsville, Alabama, Berlin, and Texas, this novel portrays a clash between Germans and Americans working on rocket science in the 1950's. Two back stories lead up to this clash: those of a young Texas woman who grew up in desperate poverty during the Depression era dustbowl crisis, and a young wife of a German scientist who was forced to work for the Nazis during WWII. The American woman, Lizzie, hates the Germans in Huntsville and assumes they were Nazis themselves and even ran a concentration camp. She lets them know that at a NASA company picnic. The German woman, Sophie, gives it right back to her, calling Americans out for the "whites only" signs in town. Cakes are thrown, guns are shot, and streets are painted with nasty graffiti. Through the back stories, the reader develops sympathy for both characters.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It posed interesting ethical questions about how to survive during tough times. People are not always who we think they are, as this book beautifully shows. In tough times, particularly war and economic devastation, many of us do what we have to do to survive. Does that make it right? Read the book and think about it.

Perfect for reading groups and book clubs - lots to discuss!

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Kelly Rimmer takes us to the past in The German Wife. More specifically, she takes us to WWII Germany, the Great Depression era, and 1950s Huntsville, Alabama and the space program. The level of research Rimmer did for this book shows in every word, and I feel like she tackled the hard stuff without shying away from any of it. Parts of this book really got to me while other parts were amusing or sweet. This is a story about rebuilding and doing what you have to for your family. It's also about prejudice and misconceptions, and making your way in a time when some either couldn't or didn't want to understand another's circumstances and that things are very often not what we first believe. This book is very well done, and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes WWII era historical fiction.

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Well researched historical fiction about Operation Paperclip, a program that brought German scientists to Huntsville after the war to work on rockets for the race to get into space. This was not popular with the Americans who were suspicious and resentful of the Germans.

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Sophie von Meyer Rhodes and her husband, Jurgen, are German citizens in 1930 when Hitler comes to power. Their intention is to avoid supporting the part at all costs. However, Jurgen's knowledge about rockets means he is offered a high ranking position among the Nazis. His attempts to deny the position only lead to threats and suffering that can be solved by his agreeing. What Jurgen learns and sees is beyond anything most people know about and his silence means his family is untouched.

In 1950s Alabama, a group of German scientists have been relocated courtesy of the United States government. Their backgrounds have been cleaned up and not many know they truth. As happens though, the truth does find its way out and Sophie and Jurgen in particular face discrimination for what others think they know.

As the story progresses and we learn more about Sophie and Jurgen's story, we learn that decisions aren't always what they appear to be. There are often many factors behind difficult decisions, especially when the decision is a forced one.

Kelly Rimmer writes an amazing researched story that not only sheds light on an aspect of WWII history, but also the history of what happened to many of the people who didn't face charges and trial. The background building of each of the characters sheds light on their decisions as the story progresses and is so very well done.

I enjoyed learning more about an aspect of this time in history I didn't know much about, particularly the moving of so many to the United States so that America could benefit from their knowledge.

I voluntarily received a copy of this book from Harlequin and NetGalley. All views are simply my honest opinion.

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Rimmer (The Things We Cannot Say) draws on actual historical experiences of Operation Paperclip where the U.S. government brought over a thousand German scientists to the U.S. to work on the burgeoning space program .

Sofie von Meyer Rhodes and her husband Jurgen were living with their children in Berlin when Jurgen was forced to work for the Nazi government in the 1930s after losing his position at a university. As a civilian working at a German army facility, Jurgen worked on rocketry and helping the government develop a space program.

Fast-forward to the 1950s where the U.S. government recruits German scientists, bringing them to the U.S. in Huntsville, Alabama, to work with American scientists in the space program. Jurgen left Sophie behind in Germany for five years before being reunited with her and their children Felix and Gisela.

World War II and the immense casualties is ever present in the lives of Americans as the Rhodes family quickly becomes the target of wrath by those who resent them for their ties to the Nazi regime. But few are more disturbed by their presence than Henry Davis, an American war hero who channels much of his anger at Jurgen.

But when the threats to the Rhodes family becomes more than hateful graffiti, they must figure out how to move forward in a country that is largely unwelcoming and come to terms with the tragedies of their past in Germany. Though Rimmer has painted the Rhodes in a somewhat sympathetic light, her introspective novel will leave readers grappling with the moral question of whether those who stood by without overtly supporting the Nazi regime were complicit in its consequences by their mere inaction. This unforgettable novel will resonate with fans of World War II fiction.

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