The German Heiress
• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (April 7, 2020)
Synopsis
“Meticulously researched and plotted like a noir thriller, The German Heiress tells a different story of WWII— of characters grappling with their own guilt and driven by the question of what they could have done to change the past.” —Jessica Shattuck, New York Times bestselling author of The Women in the Castle
For readers of The Alice Network and The Lost Girls of Paris, an immersive, heart-pounding debut about a German heiress on the run in post-World War II Germany.
Clara Falkenberg, once Germany’s most eligible and lauded heiress, earned the nickname “the Iron Fräulein” during World War II for her role operating her family’s ironworks empire. It’s been nearly two years since the war ended and she’s left with nothing but a false identification card and a series of burning questions about her family’s past. With nowhere else to run to, she decides to return home and take refuge with her dear friend, Elisa.
Narrowly escaping a near-disastrous interrogation by a British officer who’s hell-bent on arresting her for war crimes, she arrives home to discover the city in ruins, and Elisa missing. As Clara begins tracking down Elisa, she encounters Jakob, a charismatic young man working on the black market, who, for his own reasons, is also searching for Elisa. Clara and Jakob soon discover how they might help each other—if only they can stay ahead of the officer determined to make Clara answer for her actions during the war.
Propulsive, meticulously researched, and action-fueled, The German Heiress is a mesmerizing page-turner that questions the meaning of justice and morality, deftly shining the spotlight on the often-overlooked perspective of Germans who were caught in the crossfire of the Nazi regime and had nowhere to turn.
Review
Clara Falkenberg ran her family’s ironworks during World War II. She was able to escape after the war, but now almost two years later she returns to her home in search of her friend Eliza. On the run from British officers, she meets Jakob, who is also looking for Eliza for his own reasons.
The German Heiress was an interesting book. It takes place in Germany after World War II. I haven’t read a book told from this perspective by someone who supported the German side of the War. The author did a great job of making the characters very likable while not shying away from the horrors of war.
Both Clara and Jakob were extremely likable. The story is wonderful. I loved following Clara as she put the pieces together of what happened to Eliza. It was so interesting seeing what Germany was like two years after the war, and even more so someone who the allies were searching for. This story was about people and surviving. I appreciated that the author didn’t try to make these characters perfect. They were all flawed, and just trying to get by.
The ending was not my favorite, and I felt given the realism in the rest of the story that it was a little too happily ever after. I did really enjoy this book and certainly will be recommending it.
Pingback: Anika Scott, author of The German Heiress, on tour April 2020 | TLC Book Tours
I’m glad you enjoyed this one, thank you for being on the tour! Sara @ TLC Book Tours