3.5 🌟
First, I’d like to thank NetGalley, Jennifer Coburn, and Sourcebooks Landmark for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

As a historical fiction novel set during WWII, The Glimmer Factory is a compelling and well-crafted read. I appreciated the dual perspectives of a Jewess and a Nazi and how their lives intersected in meaningful and unexpected ways. This narrative choice offered a nuanced exploration of the complexities and moral conflicts of the time.

That said, there were a few storylines I wish had been explored further. For instance, I would have liked more closure regarding what happened to Hilde's husband after the war. Additionally, Hilde’s ultimate fate felt rushed in the epilogue—I think an additional chapter dedicated to her would have provided a more satisfying conclusion. I also felt that having one of Hannah’s friends, like Radek, survive alongside her could have added more emotional depth to her story.

As for the titular Glimmer Factory, while it played an important role, it felt like only a small part of the book. Given the title, I was expecting a greater focus on the factory itself and its significance.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed The Glimmer Factory and would highly recommend it to fans of historical fiction, especially those who appreciate multi-faceted stories set during WWII. Jennifer Coburn has created a thoughtful and engaging novel that lingers with you after the final page.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review. This is the story of Hannah and Hilde, a Jew and a Gentile growing up in the shadow of Hitler’s Reich. They were childhood friends until Hilde’s family supported the doctrine of hate against Jews, and Hannah’s family moved to Czechoslovakia from Munich, in search of better treatment. Unfortunately, this does not come to pass, and on the eve of their planned departure for Palestine, Hannah becomes ill, and the plans change. When she and her grandfather are deported to a camp called Terizen, the reader is introduced to what life truly has become for the Jewish people. Told they are going to a place where they will be well-treated, life there is anything but what they were promised. Jennifer Coburn gives an honest and well-researched depiction of camp life, while building strong relationships and a support network among people who are fighting to stay alive. I did not know anything about this camp, and the descriptions are graphic and realistic, definitely evoking an emotional response in me. I gave it four stars and not five because I felt it ended abruptly, right at what I thought was the most suspenseful part of the book. The Epilogue wrapped everything up, but it spanned a big gap in time and I felt it did not blend seamlessly with the rest of the book. Kudos though, to the author for celebrating resilience, perseverance, the will to survive and the bonds of friendship, especially during terrible times. I highly recommend this book.

This is my second book by the author- she continues to deliver well researched novels on a topic requiring sensitivity from a dark period of time.

****Publishing January 28, 2025*****

The book starts out by explaining about Theresienstadt ghetto. It was advertised that this ghetto was a free settlement for Jewish people,but in fact,it was far from that. People died, starved, and it was a slave camp. This ghetto was also used for any kind of inspections.

This book follows the lives of Hannah Kaufman,19, who was left behind when her family evacuated due to having smallpox that ended up at Theresienstadt, and Hilde, 20, who was widowed and works for the Reich. They knew each other from high school. When Hilde goes to Theresienstadt to make a propaganda film for the Reich, she realizes it is different from what she was made to believe. Hilde asks Hannah to be a translator for her film, but with Hilde being a Nazis and Hannah a prisoner will that really be allowed? Will Hilde be able to ultimately help Hannah?

From the research to the story to the characters in this book, this author created a heart-breaking and powerful story! You get the perspective of what it was like working for the Reich, through the eyes of Hilde and the perspective on what it was like living in Theresienstadt ghetto through the eyes of Hannah. This was not an easy book to read, but very well-researched and informative! I loved the author’s note at the end of her book detailing out her research! A must-read for those who love Historical Fiction!!

Thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Landmark, I was provided an ARC of The Girls of the Glimmer Factory by Jennifer Coburn via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Another well researched and well written work of historical fiction from this author, and it was hard to put down. Hilde and Hannah were childhood friends, but with the rise of the Nazis, Hannah’s family moved to Prague, thinking they were safe. Hilde became a staunch supporter of the Reich, while Hannah ended up in Theresienstadt. “Propaganda has the power to divide us, make enemies of our neighbors and even physically harm one another”. When Hilde is on the team to film the so called “model” of the detention camp, the paths of Hilde and Hannah cross again. The detailed descriptions of the camp were accurate, as I have visited there to see the horrific site myself. The stories of man’s inhumanity to man must continue to be told. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Told in alternating points of view, The Girls of the Glimmer Factory is poignant historical fiction about two former childhood friends. Years later, in 1942, one is a widowed German woman working for the Nazi propaganda machine and the other is a prisoner in Theresienstadt, a model ghetto in present day Czech Republic where the Nazis plan to make a propaganda film to convince the world that the Jewish people are living well in the camps.

This is such a heartbreaking and emotionally challenging story. I was thoroughly absorbed in Hannah’s life before & during her time in the prison camp.. Hilde’s story is less engaging perhaps because of her misguided allegiance to the Nazi party. But they were a good balance to one another under Coburn’s deft writing, revealing the true horrors of this historic period.

Unable to evacuate to Palestine with the rest of their family, Hannah and her grandfather are trying to survive in Prague. As the Nazis take over, Hannah and her grandfather are forced to resettle in the model ghetto called Theresienstadt in Czechoslovakia. There, they are forced to perform slave labor, eat meager rations, there is no running water, and they must live in barracks. In truth, the ghetto is nothing more than a rundown place. When she finds out the Nazis plan to make a propaganda film to convince the world the Jewish are living well in the camps, Hannah becomes determined to show the world the truth. Working with other resistance members, they try to disrupt and derail the filming. Hilde is a German girl who is a firm believer in the Nazi cause. Working in the Reich Ministry of Enlightenment and Propaganda, she wants to create a documentary that will renew confidence in what Hitler is doing. When the film meets resistance, Hilde is determined to make a name for herself. Then, she recognizes her childhood friend, Hannah. Soon, the two’s worlds collide. Who will ultimately survive?

The plot is well written, engaging, and well researched. The characters are authentic, realistic for the time period, and believable. Readers will enjoy this gripping historical fiction as it explores both sides of history. Readers who like historical fiction, stories of resistance, and survival will want to pick this one up. Due to an on-page rape scene and other mature content, this book is best suited for an adult audience. Recommended for most public library collections. 5 stars, ADULT

Through Hannah, a Jewish woman, and Hilde, a German Nazi,
The Girls of the Glimmer Factory tells the story of the
Theresienstadt Ghetto and of the Nazi propaganda machine.
These two pieces of history intesect when Hilde makes a Nazi
film about the ghetto and runs into her childhood friend Hannah,
who is forced to toil there. What I love most about
jennifer coburn's books is how she takes little known pieces of
WWIl history and truly brings them into the spotlight in her
novels. So much of this book is based on real historical events
and people that I can almost guarantee you've never heard of
before. If you're a historical fiction fan, especially WWlI era, pick
this one up.

The Girls of the Glimmer Factory by Jennifer Coburn is a poignant Historical Fiction with a difference and that special something. Set during WWII, two friends' lives take completely different paths. Hannah has a deep family connection, especially to her Minna. But she becomes imprisoned at the Nazi model ghetto Theresienstadt in former Czechoslovakia. There are temporary plants, grass, food to eat and smiles on the faces of the prisoners in the least worst physical condition in a bid to persuade The Red Cross of their generosity and compassion. But beneath the vibrant facade lie desperation, anger and despair. Prisoners were treated abysmally and died there but as it was not a mass-scale killing camp, some held onto tiny strands of hope. Many were also sent to Auschwitz, from one hell to the next. In propaganda film and materials, Jews were promised a "paradise settlement" but instead realized it was a labor camp with little food. In this story, though characters do not want to leave home, they do dream of paradise. A resistance rises up and babies were smuggled out. It is all Hannah can do to survive torment, starvation and disease.

Hannah's childhood friend Hilde was a Nazi activist and as such was thrilled with her job as a secretary working on the documentary film "Hitler Gives A City to the Jews". She enjoyed her creativity outlet and feeling important. Her goal was to climb the work ladder. Her complaints were so trivial in comparison to what millions endured!

Mica splitting played a role, albeit a small one. What gripped me most aside from family relationships is the extreme cruelty and calculation of the Nazi propaganda. I knew about it before but this was very impactful. I like the importance that music played in the camp. It may seem impossible to believe but when desperate, beautiful things can result even under the harshest conditions and the tiniest doses offered hope.

My sincere thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and NetGalley for providing me with an early digital copy of this emotive novel.

In this story we follow Hannah Kaufman and Hilde Kramer, two childhood friends. Hannah and her family who are Jewish eventually ending up at Theresienstadt together. Hilde is now working for the Nazi’s as a hand for their film production. The location is Theresienstadt, a model Nazi camp where the Nazi’s are wanting to make films and propaganda, to show that the Jewish people held here are being treated well. When the Red Cross came for tours, it showed them that the Jews were being treated fairly. This was obviously not the case. More than half the prisoners at this camp were sent to Auschwitz to be massacred.

I loved this story of unlikely friendships, resistance and the fact of propaganda. The first half of the book started out slow for me, but a little more than a quarter way through it, I couldn’t put it down. When you are done reading you must read the authors note where she states what was real and which parts were altered for the story, this amazed me. Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark and of course the author, Jennifer Coburn for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Thank you so much to @netgalley , @bookmarked , and @jennifercoburnbooks for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release date: January 28, 2025

This book took me by surprise. What an incredible story of turmoil, strength, and perseverance. This story that takes place during World War II will blow you away. The dual perspectives were incredibly well-done: one woman being a Nazi activist and the other being a Jewish girl trying to figure out how to survive the unknown in a work camp.

The immersion of the reader in this bleak time period is emotional and tangible with every turn of the page. I didn’t know anything about this specific camp and the glimmer factory so it was interesting to learn about both. I also loved how the author added a section at the end explaining all of the historical references, which enhanced the meaning of the story and added a layer of respect to those who experienced this war in their own lives.

Coburn does an excellent job of putting the reader in the story. The historic world building is incredibly descriptive and touches on more than one of your senses. You feel Hannah’s emotions and you experience Hilde’s naivety start to finish. Add Jennifer Coburn to your historical fiction author list because she has nailed immersive storytelling.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

I had the pleasure of reading The Cradles of the Reich, so when I heard Ms. Coburn wrote another book about the travesties of human suffering during WWII, I had to read it. True to her work, the research is incredibly comprehensive. But the real gift is how Ms. Coburn masterfully weaves the research into a book that will capture the reader. The book opens as Hannah and her family prepare to emigrate to Palestine from Prague. Unfortunately, Hannah and her opa are unable to make it, and are eventually relocated to Theresienstadt. Theresienstadt was labeled as "Hitler's gift to the Jewish people." One can only imagine the real life there and how Hannah lives or maybe more appropriately survives.

The situation facing Hannah is juxtaposed with that of Hilde. Hilde was a friend from their days in Munich. Hilde is a cunning, selfish German who aspires to climb the ranks of the Reich. Hilde works her way into the ministry that produces film propaganda to appease the world as to the true nature of German treatiment of Jews. Together, the contrast between Hannah and Hilde is a perfect metaphor for the reality of Theresienstadt.

But what really shines thorugh is the intricate writing based on the author's thorough research. My compliments once again on a throughly engaging book!

This was an interesting look into the Terezin ghetto. Most of my prior reference to this came from Herman Wouk's The Winds of War series. This showed more of the relationships and reinforced how both Jews and Germans were misled as to the purpose of the ghetto and the work camps. I was surprised by the betrayal of Hilde but had certainly heard of family members doing such things.

This is the second novel I've read by this author and I've enjoyed both of them very much. This book is very well researched and I learned a lot. It is the story of two friends. One Jewish, just trying to survive and the other a woman who will do almost anything to advance herself. I had never heard of Theresienstadt and found it fascinating. So many artists and so much talent among such misery and deplorable conditions. The will to survive is amazing. I enjoyed every page and would highly recommend this book.

I had heard of the more notorious Nazi concentration camps: Bergen-Belsen, Buchenwald, Dachau, Kraków-Plaszów, and Ravensbrück. The most infamous was Auschwitz. Jennifer Colburn’s The Girls of the Glimmer Factory, a historical fiction novel that is set in ghetto labor camp called Theresienstadt, introduced me to a transitional camp for German, Czech, and Austrian Jews. It was a camp I’d never heard of before.

Colburn’s novel features Hannah Kaufman and her family, who are on the verge of fleeing to Palestine when Hannah and her grandfather, Oskar, whom she fondly refers to as Opa, are left behind and eventually wind up at Theresienstadt, a transitional ghetto camp. The Nazis created a fictional story about the camp, describing it as a spa town where workers participate in the arts, attend concerts and lectures, visit cafes and coffee shops, have access to books, and are able to worship at synagogue. A Council of Jewish Elders meet to select the cultural activities. This proves to be propaganda. While the Jewish prisoners do have access to those activities, they were not free. They are slave labor, the same as prisoners in the other camps. Meals are meager. Barracks, latrines, hygiene facilities, and medical care were disgusting. People are dying of typhus and other diseases. The “glimmer factory” is where young women sliced mica into slivers, which the Nazis sell for the war effort. Mica sparkles: therefore, “glimmer” is the term the girls used. It was hard on their hands, but it is not the back-breaking work others endured.

Hilde Kramer is a young widow who returns to Berlin and finds a job with the Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda. The Ministry has long had a goal to enhance the Party’s image by producing a film about Theresienstadt. Hilde’s dream is to make that film. Chapters alternate between the ghetto camp and Hilde’s attempts to be successful within the Nazi party. I found her personality and this arc of the story particularly unsympathetic.

On the other hand, I found life at Theresienstadt, as sad and horrific as it was, to be fascinating and strangely uplifting. Oskar is optimistic almost to the end, admitting at last that he’s been duped. Yet, in a situation so hopeless, how else does one go on? There is resistance, of course, and the characters who take risks to save others most certainly are based on real-life heroes.

In her Author’s Note, Ms. Colburn describes the research that went into this novel. While many of the characters are fictitious, the Nazi officials named are real, as are many of the Jewish artists. She was able to view the actual propaganda film that was made and examine items made by prisoners. Naturally, she has taken some artistic license in writing this work of fiction. It is, however, based on actual events.

I received an ARC copy of The Girls of the Glimmer Factory in exchange for my honest review, My thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks to Net Galley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and the author.

4.5 stars rounded up

The Girls of the Glimmer Factory is the second book I have read by Jennifer Coburn. Cradles of the Reich was the first, which was a 5+ star read for me. The Girls of the Glimmer Factory started off slow for me but a little over half way through it picked up. The story is about Hannah and Hilde, two childhood friends one Jewish and the other not. They end up at Theresienstadt together. Hilde is working for the Nazi’s. Theresienstadt is said to be a model work camp set up to show the world that the Jews were not being treated bad. It was made to look like a model ghetto when the Red Cross came for tours to make sure the Jews were being treated fairly. This was definitely not the case. More than half the prisoners of the camp were sent to Auschwitz to be exterminated.

This was a very well researched book. When you are done reading you must read the authors note where she states what was real and which parts were altered for the story. I was glad that the author included the actual facts.

I visited this camp when I was in Prague and it brought back many memories from my trip.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. It is always important to keep reading about the Holocaust to keep it alive and to make sure the world never forgets.

This novel centers on Theresienstadt, the Jewish “settlement” created by the Nazi propaganda to show how well they were treating the Jewish people. It is told in alternating POV, Hannah, a young Jewish girl sent to Theresienstadt with her grandfather, and Hilde, a German girl who used to be best friends with Hannah, until she began to believe in the mission of the Reich. Their paths crossed again when Hilde was on the propaganda team that visited Theresienstadt to create the films that would be shown to the public. Hilde was ambitious and dedicated to the Nazi cause until she came face to face with Hannah and learned what was really happening in the other camps. How will she respond to what she knows?

This was a beautifully told, heartwrenching book. It’s the first WWII novel that I’ve read that included the perspective of a Nazi sympathizer. Extensive notes at the end share the author’s research process and what parts were real/imagined/changed for the writing of this book.

I received a digital ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publisher.

In The Girls of the Glimmer Factory, Jennifer Coburn combines meticulous historical research with a compelling, and heart-wrenching, fictional narrative. The book centers on the little-known story of the Theresienstadt ghetto, a "model" camp that the Nazis created, and filmed, in an attempt to reassure the world that horrific tales of concentration camps were nothing but rumors. The themes of propaganda v. reality, survival and familial ties, and the mechanics of belief are all explored with great success and reverberate in today's world. Highly recommended.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for a chance to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

It is hope within darkness. An untold story of WWII where beauty is hidden and one does what they have to in order to survive. It showed true grit and determination. A definite must read for 2025.

Thank to Netgalley for an ARC

“Propaganda has the power to divide us, make enemies of our neighbors, and even physically harm one another. Dictators propagating false narratives are nothing new but always dangerous. On the other hand, human connection- women’s friendships in particular- has the power to help us discover who we really are and find our strength when we need it most.”
This is a story of women’s friendships and human connection in the midst of inexplicable inhumanity, injustice, pain and loss. This is also a story of unfathomable hope and determination in the desire to be free from the horrors of Hitler’s ‘Final Solution’ and Nazi rule. Within the Jewish Ghetto of Terezin and the fortress of Theresienstadt, unimaginable atrocities occurred while those imprisoned there continuously tried to find the beauty in the world through their rebellion and sorrow.
Well written with factual, historical events depicted in heart wrenching detail, The Girls of the Glimmer Factory gives an inside look at everyday life inside Terezin as told by the point of view of both its prisoners and those who visited. I definitely had all the feels reading this one. The lives of the two main characters were in juxtaposition until they weren’t, and the results for each were never the same.
Although this book kept reminding me of another I had read based on life and events at Terezin, it is different. The thing is, with stories having this many similarities within the Terezin ghetto, you know the truth is there too.
When reading “a novel about the dangers of propaganda”, it’s important to note that it’s a timeless lesson, one that resonates even today. Coburn keeps this in mind throughout her telling of the story, and presents it in candid detail.