The German Wife

Inspired by True Events, an Absolutely Gripping and Heartbreaking WW2 Historical Novel

By: Debbie Rix

Narrated by: Tamsin Kennard

Length: 11 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's Summary

Germany, 1939: Annaliese is a doctor’s wife, living in an elegant grey stone house with ivy creeping over the balcony. But when her husband is ordered to work at the Dachau labor camp, her ordinary life is turned upside down by the horrors of war. And Annaliese finds herself in grave danger when she dares to fight for love and freedom. 

America, 1989: Turning the pages of the newspaper, Annaliese gasps when she recognizes the face of a man she thought she’d never see again. It makes her heart skip a beat as a rush of wartime memories come back to her. As she reads on, she realizes the past is catching up with her. She must confront a decades-old secret - or risk losing everything.

Germany, 1942: Annaliese’s marriage is beginning to crumble. Her husband, Hans, has grown cold and secretive since starting his new job as a doctor at Dachau. When a tall, handsome Russian prisoner named Alexander is sent from the camp to work in their garden, lonely Annaliese finds herself drawn to him as they tend to the plants together. In snatched moments and broken whispers, Alexander tells her the truth about the shocking conditions at the camp. Horrified, Annaliese vows to do everything she can to save him.

But as they grow closer, their feelings for each other put them both in terrible danger. And when Annaliese falls pregnant, she has to make an impossible decision between protecting herself and saving the love of her life. Inspired by a true story, this is a heart-stopping, unforgettable tale of ordinary people fighting for survival in the darkest of times. Fans of Orphan Train, The Tattooist of Auschwitz, and My Name Is Eva will be utterly gripped by this beautiful, tragic World War II novel.

Audiences love Debbie Rix:

"Incredibly heart-wrenching.... It’s just mind-blowing.... I adored this book from start to finish.... If I could give it 10 stars, I would." (Confessions of a Bookaholic)

"I was so gripped.... A beautifully written story that captivated my mind and heart.... A perfect historical fiction novel that fans of this genre are going to love." (By the Letter Book Reviews)

©2022 Debbie Rix (P)2021 Bookouture, an imprint of Storyfire Ltd.

Ridiculous story

This book says it’s based on a true story. I have been unable to find any historical reference to the premise of this book. Yes, Dachau existed as well as doctors that did horrific things to innocent people during WW2. As for the rest of the story, completely predictable.

Shallow characters

I’m very disappointed with this story. The main character is a woman who is unable to self-regulate her emotions enough to avoid putting the lives of people she cares about in danger. The other women in the story are equally as incompetent or more so. In this story women are feeble minded and ruled by their emotions. Men are generally rational and cold.

Well….

Not nearly as good as The Italian Girls. The main character, Anna, is so naive and gullible. I nearly stopped, several times. Her belief that a man with Hans’s past was actually a good man disgusted me. Rix is a great story teller and obviously did a lot of research. My issue was the character. Just a very shallow woman.

WWII romance/drama-warning-spoilers

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I read a lot of WWII historical fiction and liked that this incorporated several points of view, including that of an SS officer. However, it did leave me wanting for something, perhaps more depth in the storyline. I wish the romance between Annaliese and Aleksander had been developed more. It was odd to me that he came back to her so easily and then left so easily again. This was the first book I’ve read by this author and I would read/listen to another. The narration was great.

Mediocre and unbelievable story

The story started out engaging enough, but became idiotic as it progressed due to the main character Anna's bizarre development into adolescence and frankly, extraordinary stupidity. I've listened to one other book by Rix, The Secret Letter, which was far better than this one. This story was loosely based on the true story of a camp doctor at Dachau , who did perform medical experiments on camp prisoners, and was used by the US govt after the war for his work on mescaline, so that much is true. However, I doubt very much that a woman married to an SS officer, no matter how "reluctant" he may have been in his duties, and how committed he was to having a child to save his job and reputation, would have engaged in a sexual liaison with a prisoner in her own home, fallen in love with the man whom she really had no deep knowledge of, and then continuously risked both his and her safety in insisting on hounding him. Bottom line: the story became silly due to Rix's poor character development of Anna and ridiculous plot developments. Oh well, I finished it, but will think seriously about listening to any of the author's additional books. Fiction is great, but a little reality goes a long way.

Terrific

I loved this book. It gave a true picture of what it was like to live under the Nazis. And the lasting effects on survivors. I didn’t want to stop reading. Couldn’t wait to learn what’s next. I recommend it.

Great story, don't DNF after the prologue

After the prologue, I almost DNF, but I made a deal with myself to give it at least 5 chapters. By the end of chapter 2, I was fully invested. The performance was wonderful, though the use of British accents rather than German and Russian was a little distracting.

Fast Read

This WW2 novel was easy to read and I finished it in a couple of days. I liked the story and the authors writing style. I felt that it could have been more suspenseful and the story line predictable. There were areas that could have been expanded. I felt for the heroine, who did not have an easy life. Loved the narrator! The book fit the bill for me, and I would give it a thumbs up!

A Must Read

An absolutely beautiful war story from the perspective of a Nazi officer's wife, I was sad when it ended. A must read!

a good story.... but

While I enjoyed the story itself for the most part, I couldn't help but think they wanted us to almost sympathize with this "unwilling Nazi". I understand being afraid of retribution or punishment for not complying, but I doubt there is much anyone could do to get me to commit the acts that Hans participated in. Sorry, but he doesn't get a pass from me. It really is a sad and depressing story if you really think about it. Anna, Hans (not that I care much about his happiness), and Alexander all pretty much end up lonely and sort of sad. it is a good story in that, sometimes, in fact most times, your actions do not just have an effect on you. There is a ripple effect to every decision, especially the big ones.

a book review for this book

amazing book .Best one I've listened to brilliant story and emotional. excellent would recommend to everyone

An enjoyable novel

Firstly the narration was really good The storyline was good a bit of naivety in the main character I struggle to imagine she was so oblivious to events that her life was attached to I appreciate it was a story and view point Overall good

great read

loved it from the beginning to the last page ....great story.....exciting fast paced...I didn't want it to end

Utterly compelling.

How interesting to consider the predicament of an unwilling SS officer during the war. The effect of liberation upon the prisoners and the families of both prisoners and officials. So terrifying.