Nazi Wives

The Women at the Top of Hitler's Germany

By: James Wyllie

Narrated by: Dalya Raphael

“The real housewives of the Third Reich...[Wyllie] recounts their stories with a bracing combination of scholarship and an almost cinematic approach to spinning a compelling narrative” (Washington Post)

Nazi Wives is a fascinating look at the personal lives, psychological profiles, and marriages of the wives of officers in Hitler's inner circle.

Goering, Goebbels, Himmler, Heydrich, Hess, Bormann - names synonymous with power and influence in the Third Reich. Perhaps less familiar are Carin, Emmy, Magda, Margarete, Lina, Ilse, and Gerda....

These are the women behind the infamous men - complex individuals with distinctive personalities who were captivated by Hitler and whose everyday lives were governed by Nazi ideology. Throughout the rise and fall of Nazism these women loved and lost, raised families, and quarreled with their husbands and each other, all the while jostling for position with the Fuhrer himself. Until now, they have been treated as minor characters, their significance ignored, as if they were unaware of their husbands' murderous acts, despite the evidence that was all around them: the stolen art on their walls, the slave labor in their homes, and the produce grown in concentration camps on their tables.

James Wyllie's Nazi Wives explores these women in detail for the first time, skillfully interweaving their stories through years of struggle, power, decline, and destruction into the post-war twilight of denial and delusion.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press

©2020 James Wyllie (P)2020 Macmillan Audio

Good historical information.

The book had good historical information on a subject you don't normally read about. There was no noticeable transition from character to character. It seemed to just bounce from person to person. It may be a better read than listening.

The adherence to Nazism

Did enjoy the history of the time, but there were errors in the facts periodically: Eagle’s Nest was not destroyed and Heydrich was involved in the planning and implementation of Kristallnacht.

so much information that I didn't know

Nazi Wives is an inside look at the women married to the men at the top of the Reich. These are the women who loved, married and had children with some of the most horrific men in the Nazi party. They, alongside their husbands, followed Hitler. They hosted dinner parties that he attended. They hung the stolen artwork in their homes. They were part of the inner circle. And yet, most of their names were unknown to me and I was uncertain about what their fates were when the war ended.

Mr. Wyllie introduces the women, shows how their relationships worked, describes their interactions with Hitler, exposes the ways that the Holocaust was prominent in their lives. It is an enlightening book that left me feeling the same abhorrence that has affected me every time I have read about their husbands. It is a thoroughly-researched and well-written piece of nonfiction about a time that is discussed much, but with a micro view of something that is rarely mentioned. I am glad to have read it.

Burn in he'll beasts

Narrator was super. These woman would defend Jack the Ripper's actions if he was a Nazi or their idol Hitler Shaking my head. We MUST lean from the past or be destined to repeat! These Nazi wives wanted to ignore the cruelty and depravity of their husbands and their own cruelty, but karma will not

Very interesting

The book was very interesting and informative. It's always interesting to hear about the family life of notorious figures in history.

Excellent

I'm listening for a second time because it was so captivating.
I recommend slowing down the speed a bit... the "wives" names can be confusing at first, but afterwards it's very easy to follow...
The narrator is superb... and the story overall really fascinating. A great addition for those interested in WW2 period.

Danced on the surface when I wanted it to jump in

Liked the narration and steadiness of the story , I was hoping for a little more depth into mindsets but overall enjoyable

Sorta slow

I would have probably enjoyed this book much more if there had been a decent narrator but to be honest she drove me crazy and I only half listened to the book. I am sure that if I decided to read this I would enjoy it better and actually get something out of it. As they say a narrator can either make or break a book for you and as far as I am concerned this was broke. Do yourself favor just buy the book and read it and don’t waste a credit for the audible version.

Fascinating!

I really enjoyed this. The vast majority of WWII and Third Reich history focuses on the male figures involved, so I found it fascinating to see the women "behind the scenes" if you will. I devoured this in about 3 days. I couldn't stop listening!

Not terribly interesting

I didn’t find anything terribly interesting surprising or not worthy. But the performance was good and I stuck with it to the end.