This was wonderful. I think I really appreciated that this was told from the perspective of highly educated women, which was not terribly common at the time represented. I also never really appreciated how the Nazi regime looked down on women... you hear about them hating Jews, Poles, and Gypsies, but you don't really realize that some of the first people they subdued were the women of their own heritage. It was a fascinating read.

I was given this book through NetGalley. My opinions here are my own. I love this author and this book is fantastic. Our copy here has gone out several time and patrons love it.

Mildred, Greta, and Sara were run of the mill students in Germany who were later joined by Martha Dodd, a U.S. ambassador's daughter. These ordinary women engaged in extraordinary tactics in Resistance Women.

Jennifer Chiaverini's most recent book Resistance Women might not be a book you would think about reading for Memorial Day, but it is completely fitting as it shares the story of four women who are involved in the Resistance movement in the heart of Germany. In fact one of the main characters, Mildred Harnack, is a native of Wisconsin and her birthday is celebrated in that state as a holiday.

Resistance Women is a historically based novel. Chiaverini has definitely done her research to bring the actual stories of Mildred, Greta, and Martha to life. She does indicate in the Author's Note that the story of Sarah is a conglomeration of multiple individuals rather than an actual person as she needed a fourth woman to tell the story. Using a rotating narrator, the stories of these four women and their families unfolds during Hitler's rise to power and World War II. The women met through doctoral studies both in America and in Germany. Their studies and teaching allowed them to interact and become involved in the resistance movement which is today known as The Red Orchestra. Through their involvement in this movement, they interacted with numerous well-known individuals from this time period. I was most excited to discover Mildred Harnack's husband was a cousin of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Resistance Women is not a fast or easy read. Reading about the hardships these individuals endured is heartbreaking. Yet I could not put the book down as I wanted to find out what would happen to these women and their families. Their determined goal, regardless of the cost, was to defeat Hitler.

I love all of Jennifer Chiaverini’s book, and this is no exception! I love the women in this story, and that it’s based on true events. Wonderful!!

Author Jennifer Chiaverini has written a number of historical fiction books that really make readers feel a sense of immersion and wonder. RESISTANCE WOMEN moves slowly through well-worn years and while the facts of these women’s lives are interesting, the overall tale is heartbreakingly familiar. The author also connects Germany’s experience with fascism in the 20th Century to global fascism today and that makes this tale even more uncomfortable. There is very little fiction in this story and it’s a tough novel to read. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Resistance Women tells the story of four women in pre-WWII Germany, fighting the rise of fascism and Hitler. This fictionalized version of real life heroes Mildred Fish Harnack, Greta Kuckoff, and Martha Dodd were real women who used their connections in academia, government and the art world to aid the German Resistance and try to keep Hitler from gaining power and later tried to topple his regime. Mildred Fish was and American, who married and moved to Germany with her husband, German economist Arvid Harnack, while trying to pursue her doctoral degree in American Literature; Greta Kuckoff, a German citizen returned from studying at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to find her beloved homeland falling under the spell of the Nazis; Martha Dodd was the daughter of the newly appointed American Ambassador to Germany. A third women, Sara Weitz, though fictional, represents the many German Jews who fought in the resistance while they could. This is a riveting story of strong, brave women, who had the chance to flee the turmoil surrounding them, but chose to stay and fight in any way they could. They, along with their husbands, students and friends worked with an underground espionage network, later named the” Rote Kapelle” by the Nazis.

Although there are many novels set during this time period, this one seems to stand apart and rise above. The story is well-researched, but the history does not overshadow the lives and deeds of these heroic women. Chiaverini does an excellent job of portraying the feel of Germany in the 1930s and tries to guide the reader towards an understanding of how so many could turn away from decency, and embrace the ideologies of fascism and Nazism. Many may wonder, if faced with the world in which the heroines find themselves, would they too stay and fight, risking their own lives and the lives of their friends and families, in order to defeat the evil that confronts them.

I highly recommend this book to fans of historical fiction, the history of WWII and readers of women’s fiction.

This book followed the lives and family of four women living in Nazi Berlin. Mildred, an American, is married to economist Arvid. Sara, is a Jewish woman, her brother Natan a journalist. Greta is a German woman who once studied in the States. Martha, is the daughter of U.S. ambassador to Germany.

This was an extremely slow moving book. It wasn't until 70% of the way through the book that their resistance activities were mentioned other than a vague reference. Even then, Google told me more about their activities than this book did. Although four women were featured, some of them got lost, as they drifted in and out of the story. Overall, a bust.

have been fascinated by women in the resistance during WWII after reading the Nighingale and have read several current historical fiction books on the topic. When NetGalley offered this book as an ARC, I jumped at the chance to read it. After Wisconsin graduate student Mildred Fish marries brilliant German economist Arvid Harnack, she accompanies him to his German homeland, where a promising future awaits. In the thriving intellectual culture of 1930s Berlin, they a new life filled with love, friendships, and rewarding work—but the rise of a malevolent new political faction changes their fate. As Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party wield violence and lies to seize power, Mildred, Arvid, and their friends resolve to resist. Mildred gathers intelligence for her American contacts, including Martha Dodd, the daughter of the US ambassador. Her German friends, aspiring author Greta Kuckoff and literature student Sara Weitz, risk their lives to collect information from journalists, military officers, and officials within the highest levels of the Nazi regime. For years, Mildred’s network stealthily fights to bring down the Third Reich from within. But when Nazi radio operatives detect an errant Russian signal, the Harnack resistance cell is exposed, with fatal consequences. Resistance Women is an enthralling, unforgettable story of ordinary people determined to resist the rise of evil, sacrificing their own lives and liberty to fight injustice and defend the oppressed. Martha, Greta, and Mildred were actual people; and, according to the author, Sara was a composite of Jewish people working within the resistance. The author is a very gifted writer, and her research is obvious in the detail of the events she describes. I highly recommend.

Meet the women:
• Mildred, an American, is married to Arvid Harnack, a German. She is teaching in Berlin, working on her Doctorate, vowing to stay in Germany with her husband.
• Greta Kuckoff, recently returned to Berlin from Wisconsin. She is a writer, with not many options. Her lover is Adam, who is married, but insists he will soon be free.
• Sara Weitz is a Jew and a student of Mildred's. Her parents have been able to flee to Switzerland, while Sara remains in Germany with her brother Natan.

Into this mix of determined and devoted women comes Martha Dodd, daughter of the American Ambassador, who has remarkable contacts and is able to help in ways no one else can.

Following the lives of these women as they view with incredulity and then with horror the changes that are taking place in their country, until they see no choice but to form a resistance cell, hoping to forward classified information to England, to America, and finally to Russia.

This novel is based on facts, and its characters were mostly real people. It is long - the EARC is 603 pages, but the read is absolutely worth your time. This is Berlin during WWII with little mention of the holocaust, only focusing on the lives of Berliners as they live with food shortages, lack of heat, constant fear and laws that become more and more restrictive.

I read this EARC courtesy of HarperCollins, pub date 04/24/19.

Based on lives of women who resisted the Nazi movement, this is a very detailed account of the era. This is a well researched novel with an added note from the author to include details about the women in later life. I found the book rather slow at times with lots of information to comprehend. Readers who enjoy learning more about the resistance will certainly learn from this book.

Too much for one book, I just couldn't get into it. It will be probably still be popular with fans of Jennifer Chiaverini. I was overwhelmed by the time frame and characters.

This book was received as an ARC from HarperCollins Publishers-William Morrow in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I was so shaken up by this book because it was so intense. Reading about these women and their determination to form a resistance to take down Nazi Germany once and for all. But like all protest organizations there is a lot of risk involved and one simple mistake could expose you costing your life and everything you've lived for. The actions taken by the resistance and the women are so courageous and inspiring to many. We are always on the search for new and exciting historical fiction novels and I know our community will invest their time into reading this book. Also, the research done throughout the book was very impressive and educational especially if it's been a while since you have discussed Hitler and Nazi Germany.

We will consider adding this title to our Historical Fiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

A look at rarely touched upon look at Communist/Social resistance in Germany as Hitler is rising to power. A novel of three woman in different situations with very different backgrounds trying to understand and fight was is happening in their beloved country. Highly recommend to readers of Chiaverini, but also WWII historical fiction.