The book beautifully captures the camaraderie, hope, and courage of a group of writers trying to create meaning in a world falling apart. Mathias and Johannes feel like real people—loyal, passionate, and terrified all at once—and their bond makes the stakes feel even higher.

The historical setting is vivid and heartbreaking. The tension of living under Nazi rule, hiding in plain sight, and protecting loved ones keeps you on edge the entire time. Inspector Weber and Deya add layers of moral complexity and heartbreak, showing the impossible choices people had to make.

This is a story about friendship, love, and the small acts of courage that keep hope alive in the darkest times. It’s moving, suspenseful, and full of humanity—an unforgettable read that makes you reflect on bravery, sacrifice, and the power of storytelling.

The Holocaust never makes easy reading but it can be fascinating and gripping, as with `The Vienna Writers Circle`.

Maetis´writing is engaging from the start as we quickly feel an empathy with the characters and, although I´m always afraid that with reading so many WW2 novels, I´ll eventually tire of the subject, this is definitely not the book to disappoint!

I would definitely recommend this novel that balances an emotional and tense storyline with credible details and facts.

Thank you to MIRA and NetGalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily and it reflects my personal opinion.
I really struggled to get into this fictional account of life in Austria as WW2 commenced. It is entitled the Writers' Circle but there wasn't much about how they got together as a group of authors. I didn't think the horrors and worry of living through that time as a Jew was conveyed very well, with a jump from their decision to obtain new identities to suddenly having had plastic surgery and being elsewhere months on. Kristallnacht, such an important event, was barely mentioned. The narrative style seemed to be more journalistic rather than storytelling which resulted in a lack of engagement from me. It seems other readers enjoyed it but I gave up at 40%, bored with the repetition, lack of story and atmosphere.

"The Vienna Writers Circle" deals with an interesting premise, but I liked it less than expected. There were just too many coincidences and last-minute-saves for my tastes, it just took away from the tension and suspense.

Unfortunately ran out of time to finish book, would be happy to give a full review if given an extension. Score given for what I managed to read of the book.

This is a remarkable story, told beautifully.After reading this ARC, I couldn't help it: I bought my own copy to as+dd to my collection and have since reread it. I strongly recommend it to anyone willing to learn a little about the Austrian Jews during WW2 - especially at a time when anti-semitism is again on the rise.

I didn't enjoy this as much as I'd hoped. It was a well written and researched story but, I couldn't get my head around it. It made my blood run cold at how the Jewish community were treated by the Nazis in WW2. A time in our history which must never be forgotten. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Set during world war 2 it tells of how Jews and other groups were treated by the Nazis. An historical fiction story took a while to get into this story.

I really loved this book. It took me a couple of chapters to get in to, but when I did I devoured it.
I've already recommended it to friends.

What a brilliant read! Historically accurate, great character and storyline development. Told from different pov's. Highly recommend.

I expected to enjoy this more than I actually did. But I can't ctiticise it objectively so I hope that others will read, and enjoy, it.

I very much enjoyed this work of historical fiction set in Vienna during WWII. It was a hard read at times, as Holocaust stories tend to be, but was ultimately uplifting and inspiring. The enormous amount of characters prevented me from giving it 5 stars, but I thought it was an excellent read nonetheless.

A novel told from the perspective of a group of writers who regularly met at a cafe in Vienna to discuss ideas and plot lines. As the story develops, real life events and characters are drawn into the narrative making for a great piece of historical fiction. The story begins around 1938 when Nazism is on the rise and the persecution of those who don't conform to the Aryan ideal is intensifying. Through links with escape networks, many of them are able to flee or have a change of identity to remain in the country whilst living under threat of being discovered.

Thanks to Netgalley the author and publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review

This is a fascinating and thought provking read but also, as you might expect given the subject matter, horrifying. I must admit that the first chapter set me on edge. I found that hearing one characters end at the start of the book was rather soul destroying and kept me on watch throughout the remainder of the novel.
Well researched and worth looking out for more from this author.

A novel regarding the Holocaust from an Austrian perspective. A gripping story with a very interesting cast of characters. The chapters each start with a quotation from Sigmund Freud who, though terminally ill, was able to escape to England and avoid the death camps though that was a fate that awaited his sisters. The connection with the actual Vienna Writers Circle is perhaps tenuous but provided a good historical context for the story. The plot is complicated but ingenious - more a thriller than a typical Holocaust novel, There is excellent build up of tension and suspense with a surprisingly neat conclusion bringing together the various strands of the story. There is a very good "feel" of the period and this will appeal to fans of Philip Kerr - which is high praise.

I absolutely love historical fiction books but unfortunately I really did not enjoy this book. I found the plot weak and couldn’t engage with any of the characters.

The story line is brilliant no boring parts and kept me glued to the end. Great author Can't wait for the next one!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"The Vienna Writers Circle" is a vivid and engaging portrait of a fascinating era in Austrian history, and a tribute to the enduring power of friendship, creativity, and perseverance. I believe it is always important to remember this point is history so we know what extreme hate looks like, what humanity is capable of, what humans are capable of and how we can avoid this ever happening again.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Beautiful and thoughtfully written. It explores a group of Jewish writers in Austria and their bid to survive. The group being pursued by the Germans but is it for the state or personal gain. Everyone has a secret, everyone tries to survive, what will they do. Would really recommend. A really fascinating thought provoking book.

The Vienna Writers Circle is an interesting exploration of the climate of fear amongst Jewish intellectuals during the rise of the Nazis and the establishment of the Final Solution.
Primarily following the lives of two writers and their families, Maetis plots an intriguing tale of comradery, personal choice and creative freedom. Lives are torn apart, beliefs hidden, choices made and survival challenged.

With well drawn characters and a perpetual sense of trepidation within, this book captivates the reader and transposes them into the murky world of Nazi Germany. Historical fiction at it's best