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The German Wife

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The German Wife

By: Kelly Rimmer
Narrated by: Ann Marie Gideon, Nancy Peterson
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About this listen

Inspired by real events, the New York Times bestselling author of The Warsaw Orphan returns with an unpauseable novel of a community torn apart when a former Nazi family moves into town to work on NASA's space programme.

Berlin, 1934. Sofie Rhodes is the aristocratic wife of a scientist whose post-WWI fortunes change for the better when her husband, Jurgen, is recruited for Hitler's new rocket project. But too late they realise the Nazis' plans to weaponise Jurgen's technology as they begin to wage war against the rest of Europe.

Alabama, 1949 Jurgen is one of hundreds of Nazi scientists offered pardons and taken to the US to work for the CIA's fledgling space programme. Sofie, now the mother of four, misses Germany terribly and struggles to fit in among the other NASA wives.

When news about the Rhodes family's affiliation with the Nazi party spreads, idle gossip turns to bitter rage, and the act of violence that results will tear apart a community and a family before the truth is finally revealed—but is it murder, revenge or justice?

©2022 Kelly Rimmer (P)2022 Hachette Australia Pty Ltd 20th Century Historical Fiction Fiction Marriage

Critic Reviews

"Once again, Kelly Rimmer has turned my emotions upside down. With every book of hers I read, I become a more thoughtful and empathetic person, but The German Wife is, without a doubt, the jewel in her crown." (Sally Hepworth)

"A fast-paced, emotional and utterly riveting tale of love, loss and the choices we make to protect our families—a must-read." (Kristin Harmel)

"[E]xceptional.... The German Wife is an impressive and addictive read that will grip you until its last dramatic page." (Canberra Weekly)
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This story clung to me until I finished it over a 24 hour period.
The characters and their attributes are so well drawn and natural and the story is a rare glimpse into the lives and backgrounds of refugees at the end of WW2.
I'm putting all of the authors other books on my wish list. Bravo.

Engaging

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The German wife is a very good book, very difficult to put down, especially during the second half. I especially love the character Sophie, bringing up children and battling with a horrible regime would have been so difficult.
The narration was also very good..

A really enjoyable book

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An Absolute inspiring story of survival through unimaginable times. For having lived through a most privileged generation makes me ponder…….what choices would we perhaps have made to protect our loved ones and be judged on ???? Great book

Heartfelt, sad but uplifting

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A lovely story, and tremendous character development. Very engaging, almost too engaging if you want to get some sleep.

Top story and masterfully narrated

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A wonderful heartfelt story.
It’s not often you find a story focused on the moral compass of a German during the Nazi era.

I never thought myself how deep the propaganda flowed into the community’s and the aftermath that followed. The German wife is a fantastic novel especially in its approach to many different views on the same horrific time.

A thought provoking story.

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Beautifully written and told. I enjoyed the going back before the war and then afterwards!

Excellent

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an unusual look from the German side.. such an accurate description of the absence of choice from those Germans who did not toe the party line..

the 2 narrators did an incredible job on this one

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Very interesting perspective on ww11. Good to hear two different life stories from 2 different worlds.

Excellent

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Beautifully written, heartbreaking story by Kelly Rimmer!! She is my best author whose novels are so captivating!! Highly recommend this book!!

Amazing!!

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My lovely Mum recommended I read this.
I was a little reluctant to read another book about living through Nazi Germany in WW2 - but this story is so much more than this.

I had no idea about the impact of the extensive droughts in the southern US in the 1930s....
and had not thought about how the proganda of Nazism would be insidious in the minds of children who were taught loyalty to their country before family.

The narrator is very talented - I was never uncertain about which character was speaking. Her capacity with accents is wonderful!

I'm going to look up other books by this excellent Australian author.

Highly recommend.

The story and the narration are outstanding!

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