Fascinatingly chilling! Cradles of the Reich by Jennifer Coburn immediately drew me in and kept me turning pages late into the night. Richly developed characters and an intriguing story line captured my interest. This is historical fiction that leaves one longing to learn more about the disturbing subject matter. Five stars for Cradles of the Reich.

Cradles of the Reich follows the lives of 3 women in Nazi Germany, whose paths cross at Heim Hochland, a Lebensborn Society maternity home where pregnant Aryan single moms give birth to babies that are put up for adoption and where young girls are groomed to produce "heirs for Hitler" through Nazi officers who come to the home for "parties".

I believe this is the first time I heard of the Lebensborn Society and its role for creating an Aryan nation. What they have done is very chilling and appalling and the author brought that out very well. Coburn has done her research on this aspect of Nazi Germany. I really liked the characters of Irma and Gundi but not so much Hilde, who I thought was a spoiled brat with an entitlement attitude. The book was very interesting and hard to put down, especially the last part of the book.

There were a lot of loose ends that weren't tied up by the end of the book, like what happened to Leo and Gundi's mother. I also thought that Hilde's story ended abruptly. I also felt that some of the physically intimate scenes were portrayed in more detail than what I would have liked.

All in all, I enjoyed the book.

Rating: 4 out of 5

This book was provided by NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark in exchange for a review.

The Nazis did many things a modern society might consider extreme or outright insane. Amongst them, their breeding program, Lebensborn. I am interested in that era, so I learned about it some time ago and let the knowledge sit around the mind palace unused.
The author of this book, though, did no such thing upon learning of the program and instead did her research and wrote a book about it. So, kudos on that.
Now, by itself, just going by the author’s other work, I’d never pick up a book of hers. She seems to specialize in women’s fiction, maternal fiction if that’s a thing, estrogen heavy kind of Lifetime TV crap.
But the subject interested me, so I checked it out. And sure enough, it ended up being exactly as expected: estrogen-heavy, women’s fiction, but a well-researched one with meticulous attention to detail and an interesting subject. A peculiar combination, but it worked…to an extent.
The author may not have the pure literary talent or emotional range to turn this into a Schindler’s List, but she does her level best, her fairly decent level best, to tell a tale of three intersecting narratives, three females (two young, one older) caught up in a hideous experiment at a terrible time in a country gone mad.
War dramas are a popular genre and this is the sort of book that’s sure to find its audience among the fans. Perfectly readable, somewhat engaging despite all those heavy Lifetime undertones, plot-wise the book is ok, but the historical fiction aspects of it elevate the entire production. The author even talks about it in her extensive afterword, all the research she did.
If you’ve never heard of Lebensborn, this is a good (fictional) primer on the subject. And surprisingly timely, since reproductive rights seem to be such a huge thing lately. Sadly.
If this book does nothing but serve as a fresh reminder that society that wishes to control and manipulate its women and their reproductive rights so viciously is doing something wrong.
But then again, if people learned lessons from books, the world would be a very different place. Thanks Netgalley.

Three women end up in the Lebensborn Society in Nazi Germany in connection to their obligations to the Third Reich. As they live together and with others dedicated to the cause of adding soldiers to Hitler’s cause, they encounter heartache, triumph, and the sobering reality that all is not as it seems in the war years. Author Jennifer Coburn’s dedication to the subject matter shines in a plot that ultimately plods toward the end in her book Cradles of the Reich.

In Berlin, Gundi Schiller is undergoing the greatest humiliation she has ever known: a full-fledged physical with two male doctors present. One of them is her family doctor, someone she’s known for years and trusts. In fact, Gundi came to him ready to share the knowledge that she was pregnant, although she didn’t want to name the father. Bad enough she got pregnant out of wedlock. If anyone found out her lover is a Jew, her life as well as his could be in danger.

Instead, when Gundi arrives at the doctor’s office, she discovers another doctor there who examines her in the most invasive of ways. He declares her ready to live at Heim Hochland, the Lebensborn home in Bavaria where women considered the finest and purest examples of German blood go to bear the children who will become the next generation of the pure Aryan race. Despite her protests, Gundi learns soon enough that no one is asking her opinion. She will go; end of story.

In another part of the country, high school student Hilde Kramer wants to climb the ranks in the Reich. She’s ready to do anything to promote the cause and make sure the German race succeeds above all else. A short-term office job gives Hilde a start, but when she becomes the mistress of a high-ranking German officer she figures out right away that having his baby will bring her acclaim faster than anything else. Never mind that the officer doesn’t care much about what happens to her; Hilde knows once she has his baby, he’ll leave his wife and her own star will be on the rise.

Irma Binz comes to the Lebensborn home ready for a major change. The man she thought was the love of her life seems to have betrayed her; Irma doesn’t know for sure, because she didn’t stick around long enough to find out. All Irma wants to do now is take care of the young women coming to Heim Hochland and help them deliver healthy babies. After all, the sooner they drive out the Jews, the better. Everyone knows that stories floating around about Jews being tortured or killed are just fake news.

When the women arrive at the Lebensborn home, they will be forced to confront their fears and their prejudices. Gundi wants to continue helping the secret resistance against the Nazis but despairs over how to do it from the Bavarian countryside. Hilde discovers that being the mistress of a German official means spending a lot of time waiting for his mood to favor her. Irma learns the truth behind the rumors about the Jews and finds herself questioning whether everything she’s ever known is a lie.

Author Jennifer Coburn delves into historical fiction for the first time with mixed results. Her research into the Lebensborn program is one of the book’s strongest points. Coburn has gone out of her way to recreate for readers the extent to which the Lebensborn mothers were pampered in stark relief to the way Jews were being herded like cattle to concentration camps. Those unfamiliar with the existence of these homes will find these parts of the book an eye opener.

Less successful is the progression of the stories of the three protagonists. While Coburn does make some efforts to braid their plots together, at several points throughout the novel the women speak and live independently. Their interactions feel cursory at best.

The character arcs of all three don’t seem to get equal treatment. Irma changes the most but has the least to lose. Hilde’s “change” feels less genuine and more an adaptation to less-than-ideal circumstances. Gundi’s desperation rings true, but given that she already supports the resistance it doesn’t feel like she has much room to grow as a character.

Those who haven’t heard about the Lebensborn Society in Nazi Germany will definitely benefit from reading this novel. Others might want to look up nonfiction resources for information.

My thanks to Net Galley and Sourcebooks for this EXCELLENT arc to review.

This is the story of Irma, Gundi, and Hilde. 3 different women with 3 reasons that are in one of the many maternity homes in Germany during the war where Hitler wanted to breed the perfect German children. Excellent writing, story telling, and insight into Eugenics. Enjoyed reading this. I gained an insight into another horrible thing Hitler did. Highly recommend this.

Set during WWII, this book explores the lebensborn program of the Nazi's. When Gundi is found to be pregnant, the Nazi's take a special interest in her due to her perfect Aryan features. Against her will, they send her to an elite lebensborn home. After a failed engagement, Irma, a nurse, becomes an employee at the home. However, she is instructed not to become attached to the pregnant women or their babies. Hilde, a true believer, seduces a high ranking Nazi official. When she becomes pregnant, he ships her off to the home.

This book was ok. The characters, especially Hilde, seemed very stereotypical. The characters were a bit flat and one-dimensional and lacked personality. Irma's timeline seemed to the most interesting, a behind the scenes look, however it was given the least amount of attention. The book also needed an epilogue, things needed to be wrapped up. Overall, 3 out of 5 stars.

Many thanks to the author for extending the netgalley arc copy to me and for writing just a well researched book. I read this with my book club and was impressed by the writing and gaining this insight of the German side. There are so many things we had never known about the ugly war, so many stories, so many perspectives. All I can say is this is a must-read if you are into historical fiction.

This is a book that captivated me from the start. It is a harrowing tale of three women who find themselves in a Lebensborn maternity home in Hitler's Third Reich. Jennifer Coburn has created three complex, flawed, but strong characters to represent all of the women caught up in the little known, but frightening world of the Lebensborn maternity homes of Nazi Germany, a part of Hitler's plan to create a master race. It is a well-researched account of the various ways in which these homes became part of Hitler's plan and the atrocities perpetrated against the women in these homes. The book highlights the strength of the women, as they come together to support one another. It is fantastic, well written and important book that sheds light on a little know part of Nazi history that must never be repeated. Thank you for the advanced copy of the book to the author, publisher and Netgalley for my honest review. And the author's notes are a must read at the end.

In this.book we meet 3 different women. And their Outlook on war. Hilde is a Hitler girl thru ans thru , she is the one that would walk over dead bodies , as Long as she gets what she wants. Not a likeable person.
Gundi is the perfect german according to Hitler rules, she falls for the wrong guy,and have to take the consequences . A very likeable character. Irma is an older nurse, who lost much during ww1. . But she carrier on. And risks much for the girls. A very likeable Main character.
I would say I know a little about ww2, the concentration camps, but I knew little about the lebensborn home. Yes I have heard about it. But it is still a dismal part of our history. Children were taken from their mum And family, Just to be sold as cattle to the "right "germans. I highly recommend this.book.
Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion

The atrocities of the "work camps" such as Auschwitz are part of mankind's history. Many other activities of the Nazi party are continuing to be uncovered. The German birth rates post-WWI and pre-WWII were declining. Hitler believed that the purity of the Aryan race needed to be protected. He created maternity hospitals, located in opulent homes seized by the Reich. Three German women cross paths at the Heim Hochland estate maternity hospital. Irma is a woman who believes that her nursing experience in WWI matured her far more than any other woman. She flees Frankfurt after her engagement sours to accept a job in nursing at Heim Hochland. Gundi is a young German woman helping the Edelweiss pirates (a Jewish resistance group). She is pregnant and her pure Aryan bloodlines are exactly what the Reich is looking for. The baby's father is of good Aryan stock too, isn't he? Gundi will be sent to Heim Hochland by Dr. Ebner, a doctor that identifies girls with good bloodlines. Hilde is a young girl in Munich who decides that she is destined for more. She believes that by becoming pregnant she will be helping the Reich and that her married Nazi lover will leave his wife for her. When Hildi reveals her pregnancy, she is also sent to Heim Hochland. The ornate home impresses the young, pregnant girls. As Gundi, Irma, and Hilde acclimate to their surroundings, will they be happy to help Hitler? What happens to their babies once they are born?

It is astonishing to see how this eugenics program was allowed to flourish. Each of the three main characters must come to terms with their true feelings regarding this program and their participation in it. Jennifer Coburn paints a vivid picture of the conditions at each person's residence and Heim Hochland. Her attention to detail elevates this story giving a unique insight into each character. I never knew these maternity hospitals existed. How much of the activities in WWII have yet to be uncovered? Some of the circumstances in this story are uncomfortable, but this book is well worth reading.

Cradles of the Reich is about three women, two of whom are expectant mothers, who are brought together at Heim Hochland, a premier home for the Lebensborn program. I have a huge interest in WWII and so I knew about this program, but this novel brought up parts of the program I wasn’t aware of.

I loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone interested in WWII fiction. I think I read so much about WWII, both fiction and non-fiction, in an attempt to understand; understand the anti-semitism (which certainly didn’t start in Germany, but was definitely taken to lethal extremes), understand the cult of personality surrounding Hitler, understand how an entire country could support such an evil regime. Everything I read provides a small glimpse of understanding, but I realize I will never completely understand how Nazi Germany happened.

This book introduces us to three different women: Gundi, a young woman pregnant from her Jewish boyfriend; Hilde, a young woman searching for approval by trying to make herself useful to the Reich; and Irma, a nurse who lost her husband and child in WWI and is now trying to find love and make her way as an aging spinster.

One of the strengths of Cradles of the Reich is the characterization of these three women. Through Gundi, the perfect Aryan specimen, we see a young woman who is trying to make Germany a better place by becoming an ally with the Jews. Through Hilde, we see a somewhat drab girl trying a create her future and we watch how she feels sorry for the Jews and what they’re going through, yet also accepts the Nazi propaganda that they deserve what’s happening to them. Through Irma, we see a middle-aged woman who has seen her own disappointments in life and is just trying to keep her head down and survive in the world. I feel we see the biggest growth and change in Irma and I enjoyed watching this character grow and change throughout the book.

Hilde was probably the most difficult character for me. She excused so much of the violence, accepted so many lies, and worked so hard to be accepted among the powerful in the Nazi party, not realizing how badly she was being used.

This book grabbed me from the start and I didn’t want to put it down. I actually set aside my book club read in order to finish this book. When I reached the end, I didn’t want to let it go and without adding spoilers, I’d like to know how the story ends. A sequel would be excellent but I don’t know if the author has plans for this. I’d like to see these characters after the war and see if anyone is reunited.

Excellent book that I highly recommend.

Jennifer Coburn tells the story of three young women in 1939 Germany, Irma, Hilde, and Gundi. The story is fiction, but the circumstances the three find themselves in are part of Germany's history. Ms Coburn manages to bring history to life for the reader. I want to thank NetGalley and Sourcebooks for an early copy to review.

A difficult book to read because of the subject matter.
Adolph Hitler and his henchmen, in their quest to achieve a pure Aryan nation, will stop at nothing to accomplish their goals. Even it means stealing children and giving them to “pure Germans” to raise. Even if means having Nazi officers impregnate young girls. Even if it means eliminating any child who is not deemed perfect…
This book was a chilling read, about a little-known Nazi plan to “stock up” their Aryan nation with children who perfectly (and only perfectly) met the designated standards… by any means necessary.
*I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.*

This book was told by three different characters, Gundi is pregnant she was wanted by the Germans as she was pretty and thought she was carrying a German child..Then there was Irma a nurse,Hilda believed in the cause.in the maternity homes children were being bred for a superior race for the German future. Gundi I connected to more than the other two characters. The book was an okay read for me.my rating is 3.5. Was disappointed as wanted to enjoy it more than I did.

I would like to thank netgalley, and sourcebooks Landmark,and the author Jennifer Coburn for an early copy of this book.This book will be reviewed on goodreads and Amazon uk.

3.5 STARS

What an intriguing cover and title! I wanted to know more......

I did enjoy the book quite a bit, but had some issues. I thought it would be more suspenseful and affecting. The three women's perspectives are told in alternating chapters and each has a story to tell. They all are experiencing a crisis in their life and end up at the Lebensborn Society maternity home -Heim Hochland in in Belgium.

The purpose of the home was to provide "racially pure" German women a private place to give birth and decide if they were going to marry the father or have a vetted German family adopt the child.

I was shocked to learn about the existance of these "breeding homes" based on Nazi eugenics and the extra "benefits" for the SS men. I did google the name of the home and saw some actual photos and learned that is was a renovated castle. Both fascinating and unthinkable that this took place.

The ending was abrupt and I was left wondering about the fate of some of the women. Overall, an interesting take on a dark time in history.

I have fallen into this whole of reading about World War II and I find it immensely interesting whether fiction or non fiction. The Cradles of the Reich does not disappoint .

This story journeys through several Womens lives, one women newly discovered pregnant by her Jewish boyfriend, another who becomes pregnant by a high ranking married officer who believes heavily in what Hitler is doing and another who is a nurse whom was desperate to get away because she thought her fiancé was cheating on her.

Their stories then inter mingle at what is basically a baby camp for the Reich. They choose the most pure looking women both genetically based on race and religion and visually.

What these women don’t know id the second their baby is born they are no longer their own but are being adopted out to high ranking families within the Reich.

The twists and turns in this book are so good and it gives a totally different perspective of the war and what was going on.

When i read at the end that this place was real it was mine boggling to say the least.

I definitely recommend this book!

This book is very interesting because it touches on something I've never heard of namely the nazi breeding programs. I've read many books about WW2 and sometimes they all start to feel the same. But not this one. The story of Gundi was by far the most interesting. I really liked her character. I only felt that the ending was a bit abrupt, I would have liked to know more about where the women ended up after the war.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

This is not ‘just another World War Two book.’

⭐ It’s a mini history lesson on a devious and traumatic top-secret Nazi policy.

⭐ It shows us that we have the ability within us to change the course of another’s life by forging connections that have the potential to carry another through dark moments.

⭐ It encourages us to dig deep and find the catalyst to enable us to act with heroism when we least feel like a hero.

⭐ It answers why civilized, ordinary people became seduced by a fanatic.

⭐ It warns us that a Hitler-style leader can be elected and subtly sow seeds of hatred for another race, group or religion.

Coburn transported me back in time and explored the experiences of those women who gave birth for Hitler and revealed why and how young German women became such willing participants. I knew that the Third Reich members were obsessive about race and racial purity and that it lead to two horrific policies; the Holocaust and Lebensborn. While I’ve educated myself more about the monstrous Holocaust, I’ve not made much of an effort to learn more about the mirror-opposite program and the lengths the Nazis went to increase the numbers of racially desirable. I knew that there was a breeding program, but was not prepared for what author Jennifer Coburn had extensively researched and presented!

In highlighting this barbaric program, Coburn crafted three women representative of each facet of the German population. Gundi Schiller’s response to Germany at war was to join the resistance. On the other end of the spectrum is Hilde Kramer, a highschool student who saw the prestige and eagerly supported Hitler’s movement. Somewhere in the middle was Nurse Irma Binz who decided to put her head down and go about her own business. When Coburn has them meet at Heim Hochland, the maternity home near Munich, readers get an opportunity to see how each woman reacts to her ‘duty.’ The beauty of this for me is a learning experience, especially crafted by an author who has spent dauntless hours delving into the written accounts of others who represented the same section of the German population as her characters. By exploring these girls’ personal relationships, with each other and with the Nazi officers, I gain insight into areas of history I’d never have had the opportunity to know about nor understand.

Coburn effectively placed me in a front-row seat as the policies of the state-supported program called Lebensborn unfolded, helped me see the relevance and importance of studying this event in history, and gave me a deeper and more lasting understanding of what really happened.

You need to pick up this eye-opening account and see for yourself why this isn’t just another historical fiction book.

I can’t wait to see what the author has planned for her next historical fiction novel featuring Nazi propaganda.

I was gifted this advance copy by Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this beautiful book. The author’s writing in this book was so wonderful and made you feel and experience all kinds of emotions as you read. This book was so beautiful and raw and heartbreaking all at the same time.

I love how much research the author went into in this book to tell us about an untold, dark part of history with the Lebensborn Society maternity homes that very much existed during WWII that I personally knew nothing about. These homes were in place to produce “racially fit” babies that were taken from their mothers and raised as part of new Germany.

We see three women’s differing views and experiences during this part of history and the things they went through and had to overcome. I would be curious to see a future snapshot or epilogue after the book ends, but I really enjoyed this book and it was completely fascinating and left me with a feeling of hope in the darkness! I would definitely recommend this book to historical fiction fans.

I don't read historical fiction to often but this book caught my eye. My father was a survivor of the Holocaust and I certainly heard about many of the atrocities carried out by the Nazi's. Evidently it wasn't enough to try to wipe out the entire Jewish race but they also had a program, which consisted of a large maternity wards in the country, with the focus on breeding pure Aryan children who would be adopted by select German families. The novel is based on three women with very different perspectives in the maternity home. Clearly Jennifer Coburn has researched this quite thoroughly. It is a very interesting and informative read.