His plan seems impossible, and Margarete is terrified they might be found out, not to mention worried about what Wilhelm might want in return. But as the Nazis start rounding up Jews in Paris and the Résistance steps up its activities, putting everyone who opposes the regime in peril, she realizes staying hidden in plain sight may be her only chance of survival… I was personally vested in this story for two reasons: a close relative of mine was adopted out in 1949 at two years of age; and another close relative was physically abused by nuns in a Catholic school. This memoir helps the reader to gain greater insight into what they went through.

I felt incredibly angry reading this book. As a health care professional I can’t countenance this sort of treatment of anyone, but especially pregnant women, who were alone and scared. They were so vulnerable and alone and without hope. This was the worst aspect of this place. It was all tears and toil and no help or hope and then the final amputation between mother and child, and the mothers never ever knowing where their beloved children went.” It sounded amazing and intriguing and the plot was a fascinating idea. I'm just not sure if I liked how it was executed. The story follows Margarete a young Jewish woman in WW2 who takes the identity of her employer's dead Nazi daughter to avoid prosecution and her relationship/connection with the son of the same family who is also an SS member.

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Ich habe schon viele Bücher gelesen, die in dieser Zeit spielen, aber wenige davon haben mich so wenig überzeugt wie dieses hier. Dabei klang der Klappentext durchaus spannend. Aber spannend war Margaretes Geschichte dann leider nicht, sondern sehr vorhersehbar. Trotz des ernsten Hintergrunds war die Geschichte viel zu seicht und oberflächlich und die Mitwirkenden entweder schwarz oder weiß. She speaks of Archbishop John Charles McQuaid who permitted the nuns a kind of moral dispensation so they could falsify the details of birth certificates for children being adopted in the US who would thus be rendered untraceable for ever by their birth mothers. Compare Miss Sadie’s gift of money to build the nursing home with Edith Mallory’s promise of donations to the children’s hospital. What is each looking for in return for her gift? There are so many things I want to say about the characters in this story, but I am really not sure where to even begin! I have always said that I love stories and characters that can garner a reaction out of me whether it is awe, hate, love, horror, etc. This story certainly did that and I found myself at times wanting to bang my head on my table because Wilhelm was really trying my patience! I absolutely hated him, but yet didn’t. He may not have been sadistic and cruel, but he was still a Nazi and held a lot of the views that Nazi’s held about anyone Jewish. I know this is a hot topic kind of trope of a romance with a Nazi and someone who is Jewish, but both Margarete and Wilhelm really made this story come to life and I think portrayed a love/hate type of relationship with sprinkles of reality.

A friend in uni has just finished reading this book and asked if I would like to borrow it, given that we are student midwives I thought it would be a good human interest story to read. It was done in an afternoon, and by the evening I was in disbelief. You’ve often said how important a rural upbringing was for you. How has it influenced your writing? nebudem prezrádzať, ale viem s istotou napísať, že som nič podobné nečítala. Príbeh sa čítal sám a celý čas som bola v napätí, či sa Margarete zachráni, čo sa s ňou stane. Bude jej dopriata sloboda? Láska? Prežije niečo z toho? Pocíti úľavu? Veľa otázok mi vírilo v hlave počas čítania a postupne som dostala na všetko odpoveď. Záver ma prekvapil, nečakala som to… prekvapil, ale zároveň aj upokojil… In the tradition of James Herriot, Bailey White, and Garrison Keillor, author Jan Karon brilliantly captures the foibles and delights of a hilarious cast of characters.

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The only positive I could take from this book was that these women had June looking after them, by all accounts a kind and caring person. She details some of their stories here and I often think of those women now and what happened to them as the years went on. In addition to the fantastic tension created surrounding the identity switch, the plot is well-paced and the characters well fleshed out. Although the ending might not have been what my heart was aching for, it was representative of the times, and I was pacified with the knowledge that a sequel is in the works. I still have in me a great love for the agrarian — for what this country was, for what we still are. People say, “Oh well, I guess there’s no such thing as Mitford.” Well, the good news is there are Mitfords all over the country, and there are still great stretches of open land and pastures and meadows and fields. It’s not all bad news. There’s so much left of this country that is reasonable and moral and strong. And that’s the part I relate to.

A still-birth was no tragedy, and breast-feeding was enforced so that mothers had to accept babies other than their own at the breast.Wilhelm has his goal of getting his inheritance at the forefront of his mind and as news of Annegret begins to emerge he delves that little bit deeper and discovers the truth behind what Margarete has done. To be honest I found this aspect of the story became implausible and quite far fetched at times. What German officer would do what Wilhelm did given their stance on Jews and the war in general? Would his plan really work? To mention specific details as to what unfolds would give away the main points of the story and this is where things did become a bit confusing but it didn’t always sit right with me that Wilhelm would be so accommodating. He was also placing himself in the firing line given the consequences if what was going on had been discovered. It didn’t bare thinking about if Reiner figured out what was going on but I suppose Wilhelm had his own clear long term goal in mind and was determined to achieve it but I guess he didn’t take into account his human emotions taking over at times. Margarete wiederum blieb für mich einfach nur blass und unscheinbar. Selbst in Paris, als sie ein bisschen aus ihrer Reserve kam, fand ich keinen Zugang zu ihr. Ich hatte noch nicht einmal ein Bild von ihr vor meinem inneren Auge.