In 1939 Anke Hoff is working as a midwife in the maternity section of a Berlin hospital when a Nazi directive is presented to all maternity staff that any babies born with a disability or with a deformity be reported to the authorities. As a dedicated midwife Anke does not support this directive, her belief is that regardless of any hiccup of nature every baby born is loved. This sets the scene for the reader to know Anke, a young German woman caught up in a time of great turmoil, distrust and evil and for which in 1942 she finds herself in a maternity section of a concentration camp, a political prisoner due to her father's and brother's non-support of the war. The conditions are deplorable and the unbelievable cruelty suffered by the women who in the main have become pregnant due to being raped, or the few who have arrived at the camp pregnant from their previous lives is distressing to read. Non Jewish women are allowed to try and care for their babies until in most cases they die due to the very circumstances they are born into. Jewish mothers have their babies removed at birth with immediate death the general outcome. Unexpectedly Anke is ordered to the Commandant's office where she receives compliments on her excellent midwifery skills but with the veiled threat of harm to her family unless she complies with the order he has received. She is informed that she is needed elsewhere for a very important and confidential role. She has no belongings to collect, her dress is threadbare, holes in worn shoes and is malnutriced. Anke is taken in a chauffeur driven car to her new destination. From here on the reader along with Anke is transported to a very different world, a world of luxury and excesses on top of a mountain retreat where she is informed that she has only one patient to care for. Shocked at her change of circumstances Anke now realises that she and her imprisoned family are in a more perilous predicament. The author has created a thought provoking story wrapped around the caring and responsibilities of midwifery with her central character of Anke Hoff. However, possible events portrayed in this book make cause for serious contemplation of a future world with a perfect storm of evil.

This book is wonderful, really well written and thoughtful. I feel I learned something all the while being engaged in the character's lives and the story. Recommended!

Wow! I can't say enough about this book. It pulled you in and kept your interest for the entire time. It truly walked through Anke and her time in the concentration camps as well as when she was tasked to move to Berghoff. Well told story, which unfortunately so many went through during World War II. The author did a great job and I truly enjoyed the book.

This book had me hooked from the very first chapter. I almost felt like I had been transported back in time to when it took place. It is extremely well written and made me think about whether or not it could actually have happened. I really hope the author writes a sequel to fill in what happened after.

Anke Hoff begins the story as a political prisoner in a German concentration camp. A midwife, Anke delivers the babies of pregnant inmates, only to have the guards murder the babies at first light. It is a brutal and demoralizing existence, but she does her best for the mother's under her care. One day, she is taken from the camps and told that she will now serve as midwife to Eva Braun.

This was a well written and engaging book. The characters were interesting and dynamic. There were some good twists and unexpected moments that kept me reading long into the night. Overall, well worth picking up.

I liked this alternative history novel. It is very much like to question to a pro-life person of "if you were carrying Hitler in your womb and you knew what he would do, would you abort him?" This is a story of a midwife who chooses that her personal and professional ethics are more important than her feelings towards the parents of the child.

I would hope that I could be that ethical. If you like historical fiction give this one a try.

The German Midwife falls in the World War II-era historical fiction. What I enjoyed about this book compared to other books I've read of this genre is that it is told from a completely different perspective. Anke is a German midwife who's job at the camp is to deliver any woman's baby regardless of status and beliefs. Anke is them put into a situation where she must care for a woman that goes completely against her moral regard. This book gives an insight into survival mode. While what she is doing is causing a complete and utter divide of her moral conscience.... she is in a mode to try and survive through this horrendous experience.

The first few chapters of the book tugs on your heart strings after hearing woman's stories and watching as they only get a short time with their baby before it is taken from them. This book tells a story really giving you a view into a mothers determination to care for their child.


A copy of this book was provided to me thanks to Netgalley and Avon. Thank you for the opportunity to read such an amazing book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it is incredibly thought provoking and emotive. A book so well written it makes you question the 'what if's' - quick note: if you are looking for a book ENTIRELY factual then this perhaps isn't for you. Based on accounts - this fictionalised story takes one of the most significant events in history and plants seeds of what could have been. Very well written by Mandy Robotham, so good in fact I forgot it wasn't a (fully) true story.

The book looks at the complex set of relationships Anke establishes, cherishes and aims to protect; whether through her job as a midwife, as a daughter, sister, friend or lover. I liked the romance element to the book, I think it was a lifeline for Anke but didn't distract from the other themes.

As you can imagine with the theme of the book, it has moments of heartbreak, sadness and pain I doubt anyone could truly imagine. It describes various stories of childbirth in great detail - something I have no experience of, so I was intrigued and luckily not squeamish. I admire the work of midwives now and especially then, in those circumstances and with far less in terms of equipment, medicines etc.
In all honesty I was hooked, I didn't want to put it down. Not my usual genre, but I liked it immensely and feel like I have learned a great deal. I think the author dealt with a very emotive topic with great sensitivity.

A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Avon in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

This is one of those books that deserves more than 5 stars. This is a very well written story of Anke, a German midwife who was sent to a work camp during World War II because she did not follow the rules at her hospital regarding the Jewish women who gave birth. She started at the work camp as a seamstress making uniforms for the SS. She delivered a baby while at work and they transferred her to an area where she could work as a midwife which is what she loved to do. One day, she is called in and told she will be leaving to attend to Eva Braun, Adolph Hitler's mistress, who is pregnant. Anke goes to the mountains to attend Eva Braun and from there a lot of very interesting things happen. There was a lot of pregnancy/birth/midwifery details in this story that were very accurate and realistic. This is the first book for this author and she did a fantastic job. I very highly recommend this wonderful World War II story. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this great book in exchange for an honest review.

Imprisoned in a German concentration camp, Anke tries to give dignity and care to the mothers-to-be confined with her. She is singled out and sent outside the camp to care for a young woman carrying a child, Eva Braun, consort to Adolf Hitler. Amidst intrigue and plotting, Anke cares for Eva, encouraging her, and tries to avoid the calculating machinations of Goebbels and other Nazi officials. Well written and poignant. Recommended reading.

Occasionally, I read something so poignant and so profound that it speaks to my soul. Mandy Robotham’s debut novel, The German Midwife, is such a story. Set in Germany during the final years of World War II, this first-person narrative tells the tale of a midwife named Anke Hoff.

As far as Anke is concerned, she has the best job ever: She regularly witnesses miracles as she welcomes new life into the world.

Anke also understands how alike all mothers are. Anke sees every mother wear that same small smile when she first cradles her child in her arms, and each mother would do anything to protect her newborn.

Anke treats all women and their babies with care and compassion. Because of this, she is labeled a political dissident, arrested by the Gestapo, stuffed into a crowded train car, and shipped off to a labor camp.

While incarcerated, Anke uses her medical training to care for the camo’s mothers and their newborns, regardless of whether they are Aryan or Jew.

Soon, Anke’s abilities attract the attention of her captors, who offer her a way out. The catch: She must secretly serve as the midwife to a sometimes revered, sometimes reviled, infamous fraulein.

Torn between her political beliefs and her oath as a midwife, Anke soon sees that not everything is either black or white, good or evil. More often, life and the people living it are shades of gray, a blend of pros and cons, and that the only pure goodness in this world can be found in a baby’s face.

The German Midwife is an exceptionally well-written, thought-provoking novel. It made me question my preconceived notions and challenged me to really consider all aspects of a situation before making a judgment. Because of these reasons and many more, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys World War II history, romance novels, or women’s literature. Trust me: You will not be disappointed.

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I received a complimentary copy of this book from Avon Books UK through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I love WWII historical fiction and I love finding a new and different perspective on the subject. The German Midwife was just that. A new, fresh take on Europe in WWII. It was an emotional read and I could feel the loss of life through the pages. I thought the ending was a little abrupt but I appreciated the epilogue. I think the author did a good job of weaving the fiction and nonfiction together in the book.

This was the most gut-wrenching, tear jerking novel I've read in such a long time. Anke was an amazing woman and I felt for her at every turn. I recommend this to anyone who wants to read a book that breaks your heart and holds your attention until the very end!

3.5 stars for The German Midwife by Mandy Robotham. This historical fiction book is based on what if Hitler’s mistress Eva Braun became pregnant with his child. The main character Anka, a German midwife, is brought from Ravensbruck, a German concentration camp, to care for and deliver Hitler’s baby. Though I did really enjoy this read and found it very emotionally draining to get through, I also found parts to be slow moving and repetitive. The German Midwife would be an excellent book club read, the moral dilemma of assisting in the birth of Hitler’s child should lead to excellent discussions. All and all I would recommend this book and look forward to reading future books by Mandy Robotham. Thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was absolutely brilliant and if you told me it was true, I wouldn't even hesitate to believe it! It is so refreshing to read WW2 historical fiction from a German character's perspective, to see the little acts of rebellion which can add up to a bigger rebellion.

It made me realise that the stories that we hear about our own countrymen working against Hitler can also be similar to many German people who were doing all that they could to rebel whilst still remaining alive - more risky as they would be labelled as a traitor if anyone discovered what they were doing.


It was well-written, emotional and always had me wondering how it would play out and what would happen with 'that baby'. I think the ending added to the realism and made it more believable and even had you wanting the best for 'Frauelin' despite knowing her real-life ending.

I'd 100% recommend this book to anyone! I could also see it being a brilliant film!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon/Harper Collins Publishers Ltd. for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was looking forward to reading this book and it met every one of my expectations and totally surpassed them. This book is still in my head and I don't think I will ever forget it. Mandy Robotham created characters that absolutely came to life on the pages. This was a book that I absolutely did not want to put down because I needed to know what would happen to Anke.

In 1944 Germany, Anke Hoff is a prisoner in a camp. When they find out that she is a trained midwife they set her to work delivering babies of the camps pregnant women. An absolute struggle to keep the mothers alive and heartbreaking when she finds out what happens to the babies.

When the high command notices her dedication to these women they offer her a deal. They will protect her family who are also in prison camps if she travels to the Berghof, up in the hills of Bavaria. When she arrives there she finds the pregnant mistress of Adolf Hitler. She has been chosen to deliver the baby of Eva Braun.

Anke loathes the the Third Reich and everyone involved in it but she must do everything she can in order to secure protections for the family she adores. There are those who would want this baby dead at all costs and she must decide whether to protect the innocent baby as she has sworn to protect all innocents as a midwife or does she go against all she believes in order to protect the world from this child?

I would like to give Ms. Robotham a perfect 10 for this book. The writing, the characters, the information on midwifery grabbed at you from page one and did not let you go even long after you turned the last page.

I wish to thank Avon and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

First I was not sure about the story but the more I read the more I was convinced that this was a real page turner. A great book about surviving war, love and the devoted work of a midwive.

I highly recommend reading it

Many thanks to Avon Books UK & #NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was extremely pleased to receive a copy of this book to read and review and am happy to report that I really enjoyed reading it. The cover art grabbed my attention as did the subject matter. I am a retired public health nurse and taught prenatal classes for approximately twenty years so this book was right down my alley.

If the reader is looking for a story that is strictly factual then perhaps this story is not for them, but if you have ever heard a piece of news or studied a time period in history only to wonder "What if...." then you will surely enjoy this book. The author was inspired by a real and desperate time in history - the second world war and the genocide which was waged against the Jewish people. Her main character is a German midwife who is NOT Jewish but whose beliefs about how all labouring women and newborn babies should be treated lands her in Ravensbruck Concentratin Camp.

The story of women giving birth only to have their newborns taken from them to be put to death was horrifying to read and yet it did happen. There are graphic descriptions of women giving birth which have beauty in spite of the horrific location. Clearly the author did her research on the time period and her own experience as a midwife made the descriptions come to life.

Things do not end in the concentration camp though. Anke Hoff (the midwife) finds herself transferred from the camp to a completely different location where she is expected to be the private midwife to a very important German woman. The life of her family is held over her to make sure that she will co-operate. In spite of such a strong incentive she still finds herself questioning her innermost beliefs about what is right and what she will or will not do in terms of the birth of this important baby. There are twists and turns in this novel and even a little romance (although it is not the main thrust of the book). The ending came as a real surprise to me. For a debut novel this was extremely well done!

From the first pages of the book I was enthralled and had real trouble putting the book down in spite of the fact that I had a houseful of company to feed and entertain. This is a book that I won't soon forget. I highly recommend it especially if you are interested in novels set in World War 2 Germany.

I'm not sure if I've ever read another book about German citizens who didn't support Hitler. It is a new POV to me. I had to put this one down for a few hours after reading about the first newborn drowned in a water barrel because it brought so many horrible images into my mind, but then I really thought about the people who lived through this situation who didn't have that luxury. I picked it up again and it was a great read. I would love to read more from this author.

The German Midwife tells the story of Anke, a midwife who is given the hefty task of delivering Adolf Hitler’s child. I don’t like to recap books in my reviews for fear that I’ll give too much away. I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It’s the type of book that makes you want to keep reading it. The subject matter is disturbing at times because, although it’s a fictional story, it’s based off of some factual events. If you’re interested in WWII literature, I recommend this story. Thank you Mandy Robotham, Avon Books UK & NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.