Cradles of the Reich by Jennifer Coburn If you only have time to read one book this Fall, let it be this one! It is about the little known history of the Lebensborn Society. The writing is exquisite! Perfect for book clubs!

A solid 4 star read that fans of WWII historical fans would enjoy. Told through three different female perspectives, this story centers on the Lesbensborn Society maternity homes. It was here that “racially” pure babies were delivered and, if born out of wedlock, were adopted into more “suitable” homes. Certainly a haunting historical topic, but I enjoyed reading about these three women and their different experiences and roles within the ward.

This is such an unusual story that I hadn’t heard a lot about. As a unique historical fiction read, it delves into the real-life history of the German Lebensborn Society program during WWII, a Nazi sanctioned breeding program to propagate an Aryan race. This tells the tale of 3 women and how their lives intersect at Heim Hochland. Was a fascinating read! I would have liked to have a bit more closure at the end to learn more about what happens to the characters, but overall, would definitely recommend! Thanks to the author, publisher, & NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ebook.

CRADLES OF THE REICH by Jennifer Coburn is a chilling and heart-wrenching work of historical fiction that sheds light on a dark and disturbing breeding program run by the Nazis to create what Hitler called a “master race”. Based on true historical events, it tells the story of the Lebensborn Society maternity homes where “racially-desirable” pregnant women were well-cared for in return for giving up their babies to well-placed German families. In addition, these homes housed young women that were forced to have sexual liaisons with SS officers. At one such breeding home in Bavaria, Heim Hochland, three women’s lives become unexpectedly intertwined in ways that will change them all forever. Gundi is a beautiful Aryan university student from Berlin who is secretly a member of the Jewish resistance. When she becomes pregnant, she is sent to Heim Hochland. Eighteen-year-old Hilde is a true believer in the Nazi cause who would give anything to become pregnant with a high-ranking Nazi official’s baby. Irma is a forty-four-year-old nurse who winds up at Heim Hochland to escape from devastating losses in her life. The story is told from the three women’s points of view which was very enlightening about the true experiences at the Lebensborn Society homes. The author has obviously done extensive and meticulous research revealing the shocking and unthinkable practices taking place during this time. CRADLES OF THE REICH is a powerful and thought-provoking book that I won’t soon forget. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an early copy.

This review will be posted on October 10, 2022 to: https://instagram.com/amandas.bookshelf

Three very different women cross paths in a Nazi breeding home in the early days of World War II. Like the author, I learned of the Lebensborn Society from the streaming series, The Man in the High Castle. But, this was remarkable. It's clear Coburn did her research and this historical fiction is ripe with details of this horrific Nazi program. (Do read with care.) The hardest character for me to get a handle on was Hilde, a true Nazi believer. While Coburn did a good job of making her fully fleshed and human, she was still an abominable character. The only thing I wished the novel included was an epilogue. I wanted to know more about what happened to Hilde, Gundi, and Irma after the novel ended. Without it, the ending felt slightly abrupt to me. #CradlesOfTheReich Rating: 🙂 / liked it
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This book is scheduled for publication on October 11, 2022. Thank you @bookmarked for providing me this digital ARC via @NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Three women are part of a program to use women to breed perfect Aryan children for the Nazi party. Their lives intersect in powerful and unexpected ways, shedding light on a little-known aspect of the Nazi regime.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for providing a copy of this unique book to read and review.

I read a lot of historical fiction and yes, there’s a big WW2 trend, but I was intrigued by the point of view of German women. It was a different take and included a setting and premise that I was unaware of.

It took some time for me to start to feel connected to the characters, but once it picks up, it captivated me.

Coburn is an American author of a travel memoir and six contemporary novels. Upon learning about the very real existence of the Nazi breeding program 'Lebensborn', she was inspired to learn more about it and write her first historical fiction novel. Lebensborn were created by the Nazis 'with the stated goal of increasing the number of children born who met the Nazi standards of "racially pure" and "healthy" Aryans, based on Nazi eugenics'. Racially pure pregnant young woman sent to these homes to be cared for, with the best of everything, until their babies were born. There were also unpregnant women at the home who 'entertained' high ranking officers in the hopes of further babies, that would then be adopted out to appropriate families. The author has created three fictional woman, from different circumstance, who each end up at one of such home. This is a great recommendation for historical fiction fans who want to learn about yet another aspect of life under the Nazis. I enjoyed it.

First, I want to thank Jennifer Coburn for reaching out and sending me an advanced digital copy of her newest novel Cradles Of The Reich.

I’ve been looking for a good historical fiction to sink my teeth into for a while, and this certainly fit the bill. It always makes me shudder when I think of what non Aryan people when through at the hand of the Nazi regime, and Cradles of the Reich was no exception to that!

The three women who’s POVs we get through have wildly different thoughts on these German “breeding houses” and what went on within them made me sick.

This was a slow paced read although the ending felt very abrupt and I wish there was an epilogue to see where the women were in their lives following the War.

Once again, thank you to Jennifer Coburn for the opportunity to read this early, Cradles of the Reich comes out on October 11!

Cradles of the Reich is a WWII historical fiction novel that is based on an aspect of Hitler's regime with which I was not familiar, the Lebensborn Society. Jennifer Coburn has written a thoroughly researched, multi-faceted view of the Nazi Aryan breeding program that focuses on three women who have through various avenues found themselves at Heim Hochland, a home for young women who would bear children 'for Hitler'.

The different backgrounds and motivations of the three main characters added a unique layer of interest in the story. Gundi, a young resistance movement member, is pregnant with a child by her Jewish lover. Irma, a more mature nurse, has just broken off with her fiance and accepts a job at Heim Hochland. Hilde, a high school student is happy to be bearing a child for the married Nazi officer with whom she has become involved. Of the three, Hilde was least sympathetic, in my opinion, though much of what irritated me was her immaturity and selfishness.

I felt like the three women's stories were left a bit incomplete, and would very much like to know how things turned out for them over the course of the next few years.

If you like WWII fiction, particularly books that cover a little known aspect of the time period, Cradles of the Reich will be an interesting read. Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the advanced copy of Cradles of the Reich. The opinions in this review are my own.

Years ago, I watched a program on the History Channel about Lebensborn, which I had never heard before. I took notes and incorporated the information into my college lectures.
When I saw Coburn’s book, over a year ago, I knew I had to read it. Based on the perfect breeding program conceptualized by Himmler, Cradles of the Reich explores three women’s experiences in a maternity home. Told from three perspectives it really enhances the reader’s journey into a frightening program. Coburn also touches on the heinous crimes of Nazi soldiers kidnapping “Aryan” children in occupied territories, another little known aspect.
I’ve read a few other books, non-fiction, about Lebensborn, but this is the first fictional account I have found. I commend the author for bringing this little known historical fact to the forefront and I hope it sparks interest in readers to learn more. It is well written, well researched, and a definitely a worthwhile read.

This book was horrifyingly sad. It's not for a pleasure read. Of all the characters, I started off liking Gundi from the start, her journey was hard but she had a slight hope in the end of the novel. At first I did like Hilde but over the course of the book I disliked her. But I am glad that she also had an 'out' but it's what she deserved. As for Irma, she grew on me and I liked her character growth. It would be a good movie, disgusting, but good. Rated R for many things.

This was a thoroughlyy enjoyable WWII story that shed light on the Lebensborn Society network of maternity homes in Nazi Germany. The setting and main characters are all interesting and well-developed. The contrast between the motivations of each character is particularly well-executed, making it an absorbing read.

I did find the climax fell a bit flat, and I think the events near the end of the book could have been explored in more detail for added tension and interest, but I still enjoyed the story a great deal.

Thank you to the author, Sourcebooks Landmark, and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was fascinating and I read it so quickly. I was very much unaware of the programs the Nazis used to secure babies for Nazi families. This is an aspect of WWII that I haven’t seen in other books.

I thought this was so well written too. I found myself wanting to keep reading in order to find out what would happen. There is romance and loss in this book, and also hope and human kindness.

The author wrote about three different women and the life experiences and perspectives of these women were each different. It is clear she took so much care in how she approached each character. The author’s note does a great job of explaining how she approached each character, so make sure you read that part of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book is a heart wrenching look into a dark time in world history. It shows the harsh reality of the Lebensborn Society maternity homes. These were real homes that were set up to breed "racially fit" babies during World War II. I was not aware that these places existed. This story brings together three women, Gundi, Hilde and Irma. Irma is a 44-year-old nurse that has endured heartbreak and wants to start a new life. Hilde is an 18-year-old true believer and is desperate to help the cause in any way possible. Gundi is a university student that is secretly part of a resistance group. She is the perfect beauty that finds herself pregnant and sent to one of the maternity homes. Each woman has her own hopes and dreams for the future and her own trials to get through. Even though these women are fictional, this is based on historical events. That fact is chilling and heart breaking.

Just when I think I’ve heard about all of the depravity that was the Third Reich, another incredible historical fiction book comes along to teach me more. But even more that that, Coburn’s novel demonstrates the amazing resilience and strength that is womanhood ❤️

The year is 1939. Kristallnacht has taken place and Jews are being threatened across Germany; hauled off to work camps.

The three women who’s first hand accounts tell the story:

🤰Gundi, a university student from Berlin who is the epitome of the beauty standard of the third reich, is pregnant. She discovers her mother has agreed to send her to Hein Hochland, a Nazi breeding home in Bavaria, to have her baby. Fear takes hold at this possibility as they may discover the father is not of the Aryan race.

👱‍♀️Hilde, a true devotee of the Third Reich, is all too happy to be carrying the child of a Nazi official. Coburn does an amazing job in the difficult task of showing how the mind of this brainwashed girl works and why she has her misguided allegiance. Not an easy thing to do I’m sure, as Coburn’s own family are Jewish descendants of Germany.

👩‍⚕️Irma, a nurse who served in the German Army during WWI, who is fleeing heartache and takes a position at Hein Hochland to help the pregnant women at the home. Her journey was the most interesting to me. As her eyes are opened to the reality of what the agenda of the home truly is, she can no longer ignore what is truly happening around her at the hands of Hitler and his men. The transformation of her character is inspiring!

It’s a beautiful tale of one of the ugliest times in human history and the women who rose above it.

I read this book at the request of BookBrowse.com, in order to lead an online discussion group.

There were a lot of good things going on with this book. The historical fiction aspect was excellent - very well-researched, and a subject about which there hasn't been much written. I actually found it was pretty horrific in places, and I did wonder if some of the more shocking scenes were truly necessary.

I liked the book, but I didn't love it. Part of the problem I had with it was that so much of the book was told from one character's viewpoint, and she (Hilde) was the least convincing of the three heroines. I got tired of her narcissistic musings and actions. I realized she was young and self-centered, but I thought the character was pretty one-sided.

My other issue was kind of the reverse side of the coin - there wasn't enough information about Irma and Gundi. I liked these characters and wanted to know more about them. In particular, I felt their stories ended too soon, I wanted more of a resolution for them.

Told in three different stories Cradles in the Reich is a well written historical fiction. There was an obvious amount of research done for this book that was highlighted throughout the story. We follow Irma, Hilde and Gundi as they navigate their time at the ward and survive.
I loved the different perspectives of the novel and how well Jennifer Coburn educates the readers.
I did wish that the main characters had a little more of a backstory otherwise the overall story was well developed. I would recommend this book to people that like Hitler-era books as I think it has a particular audience. I felt it ended a little abrupt for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me with this arc in exchange for my honest review

I have to say, I have read a lot of books from the World War 11 era, but I've never heard of this (Lebensborn Breeding Program) Women of certain looks were deceived into having their babies here and then they were taken from them to be raised to populate a, new Germany, the writer Jennifer Coburn did an amazing job with this story, I didn't want it to end, Gundi was my favorite character, My heart ached for all those women that really endured that horrific time by the Nazi. Thank you for allowing me to be one of the first to read this wonderful book, I received this from Net galley to read and review.

3.5 stars rounded up

Many fans of WWII historical fiction will be unaware of Hitler’s lebensborn society wherein young German women are chosen due to their looks and breeding to bear the children of Nazi officers in order to increase the population of the master race. The three main characters portray three totally different points of view: the German nurse, Irma who begins to question the program; the chosen Aryan Gundi who harbors a secret about her baby’s father; and Hilde, looking to improve her circumstances and lead an easy life. I was surprised at the rather abrupt ending, left feeling that there were many loose ends.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.