“Hell is simply the place where hope is lost.” ~ Kelly Rimmer, The German Wife




This gripping novel was inspired by the true story of Operation Paperclip: a controversial secret US intelligence program that employed former Nazis after WWII.

Berlin, 1930—Although Sofie von Meyer Rhodes and her husband Jürgen do not share the social views growing popular in Hitler’s Germany, his position with its burgeoning rocket program changes their diminishing fortunes for the better.

Twenty years later, as part of Operation Paperclip, Jürgen is one of the many German scientists offered pardons for their part in the war and taken to America to work for its fledgling space program. Sofie looks forward to making a fresh start in Alabama. But her neighbors aren’t as welcoming as she'd hoped. She and her family face social isolation, hostility, and violence, climaxing in a shocking event.

This dual timeline/narrative really works in this novel. It’s rare to find a book in which I am invested in all the characters, a mark of great writing. Rimmer had my emotions tied in knots as I contemplated the turmoil Sofie felt as she watched her beloved Berlin transform into something unrecognizable and was forced to consider what she and her husband must sacrifice morally for their young family’s security. Opposing the Nazi regime had severe consequences. I found it especially disturbing that the Nazis brainwashed impressionable children against the Jews. When the family moved to Alabama, Sofie was thrust into a foreign environment in which she is a complete outsider, loathed by most of those around her.

Rimmer’s research was impressive. Operation Paperclip was an immense undertaking that brought 1,600 German scientists and engineers—specialists in rocketry, chemistry, physics, architecture, and medicine—to the United States to design and built rockets. Jürgen’s career loosely follows that of the historical figure Wernher von Braun. Another storyline was inspired by the life of Gerda Weissmann Klein, a concentration camp survivor liberated after a death march wearing the ski boots her father insisted would help her survive.

The German Wife is my favorite Kelly Rimmer book. 4.5 stars rounded up to five.

KELLY RIMMER, YOU HAVE DONE IT AGAIN! This story was captivating, heart-wrenching, and so addictive. Rimmer’s research that she puts into her historical fiction novels allows the time period and characters to be so vividly portrayed. The alternating points of view captured my attention from the beginning and never let go. This one will be on my mind for a while!

I was so excited to receive an ARC of this book! The Things We Cannot Say was my favorite book from 2019!

I really enjoyed this story (it was incredibly thought-provoking) and loved the characters. I highly recommend Kelly Rimmer and look forward to her next book!

Thank you, Graydon House and NetGalley, for an ARC!

Easily one of the best historical fiction novels I’ve ever read. This really opened my eyes to events/people/places I had never even heard of. Super well researched. I also love how it starts with alternating past & present POVs between Lizzie & Sofie but as the story progresses it becomes more & more present.

The author’s notes at the end is also worth reading - I love that even the author herself questions whether the characters deserve a HEA.

Kelly Rimmer is one of my favorite authors and this new one did not disappoint. This WWII novel focused more on the aftermath of the war. It was very well written, and I really enjoyed it.

THE GERMAN WIFE begins in Huntsville Alabama. It is 1950 and Sofie von Meyers Rhodes has come from Germany to join her husband Jürgen. Jürgen is a rocket scientist working for the United States’ space program. Like other German scientists Jürgen has been offered a pardon for any potential war crimes he may be accused of.
Lizzie Davis and her brother Henry grew up on a farm in Texas during the depression. Lizzie having a strong nature manages to survive numerous setbacks. Lizzie meets Cal Miller. A bit older Cal is smitten with Lizzie. Though Cal knows Lizzie doesn’t feel the same way about him they do marry and live a contented life together.
The arrival of the German scientists and their families cause discord amongst the townspeople. Even though Cal is a part of the space program and is Jürgen’s boss Lizzie and Henry a veteran of the war do not like the Germans being in their town.
The story goes back and forth between Sofie’s and Lizzie’s past and their lives in 1950 Huntsville.
I liked THE GERMAN WIFE. I found it interesting the way two main characters could bring about a certain amount of empathy despite being on opposite sides. I think this would make an excellent book club pick.
Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced digital edition of this book.

The German Wife is an excellent book that presents various moral dilemmas. For example, how far does one go to combat a morally corrupt dictator? Do you put your family at risk or leave your home--the only country you have ever known? How does one bring up children in this environment? The German Wife also tells us about Operation Paperclip. This book would be an excellent book club selection. One of the best books I have ever read.

As a WWII historical fiction junkie, this book ranks right up there with The Nightingale, The Alice Network, Beneath a Scarlet Sky, etc. An interesting reverse of perspective told from a family forced into the Nazi party against their moral compass. Makes one wonder, would I save my own family at the cost of so many others? Would highly recommend.

✨✨ The German Wife by Kelly Rimmer ✨✨

Thank you Kelly Rimmer (@kelrimmerwrites) and Harlequin Trade Publishing (@htpbooks) for the e-arc of The German Wife (out now!), and my friends for the hard copy of the novel.

Kelly Rimmer’s new novel released earlier this year is a gem of a kind. Her thorough research on the Operation Paperclip, the problematic program when America recruited former Nazi men to help with the space program is at the heart of the novel. Told in alternative narratives and timelines, it is the story of two women - German immigrant Sophie, and American Lizzie Miller and her brother, Henry. Rimmer’s novel gives us the perspective of the ordinary Germans who had to severe their Jewish relationships in order to show loyalty to the Reich. In order to escape poverty, Sophie’s husband Juergen accepts a position within the rocket program during the war to support their family. As this time, we witness Sophie having to disavow her friendship with her Jewish best friend, Mayim’s family and her children being indoctrinated into the Nazi movement enveloping Germany. At this time, we see host even in the face of extreme bigotry and fanaticism, human beings are morally grey. Sophie’s aunt, Adele, dies an untimely death as she continues to support Jewish families.

After Sophie’s family migrates to the US, they face reluctance and rejection from the American communities as many accuse them of participating with Nazis though not recognizing that they have complicated positionalities. Sophie meets Lizzie Miller, Juergen’s boss’s wife who also experienced the Great Depression and has a brother, Henry, who continues to suffer from PTSD after being deployed to Europe during the war and having freed the concentration camp, Buchenwald. There are moments when one feels angry, overwhelmed, and emotional listening and reading the novel. Rimmer also makes us think about how war (and Genocides) lead us to think about our own ethics - our choices. Did Sophie have a choice in the situation? What happened to ordinary Germans who were anti-Nazis? In the 1950s, how were war veterans treated? This is a book — no matter what your favorite genre — that you should read, and is very relevant to the current world we live in.

QQOTD ⁉️: I love reading about human beings who are gray (morally, emotionally, psychologically). Can you give suggestions of more books perhaps where you encountered gray characters?

#KellyRimmer #TheGermanWife #NetGalley #bookstagram #instabook #book-photography #bookporn #igbooks #ilovereading #bookhaul #bookhoarder #bookaddiction #bookstoread #whattoread #fortheloveofbooks #bookblogging #bookpics #weekendreads #bookrecs

Enlightening to read a WWII novel with German characters that don’t believe in Nazi propaganda. This is a great novel to get the reader to reflect on moral decisions in life. It also an opportunity to examine how we treat immigrants to our country without knowing/appreciating what their history is.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC to read and review.

This novel is inspired by the true story of Operation Paperclip, a secret US intelligence program that employed former Nazis after World War II. The novel alternates between two sets of characters and two time periods, the 1930s and the 1950s. I was immediately drawn into this powerful account of a German family who was appalled by the activities of the Nazis but felt powerless to stop them. They do not know how to stop the Nazis while living in Germany as they fear for their life. Germany is a dangerous place to live regardless of who you are. In the US, during both the Depression and the Dust Bowl era of the 1930s, Lizzie, her brother Henry and their parents struggled to farm their land despite the severe drought in Texas. They were determined to hold onto their property, but unfortunately nature had other ideas. The novel alternates between the two sets of characters and two time periods, the 1930s and the 1950s. After two decades, all these characters will experience sa set of circumstances that will end in one violent moment. Will they learn from their mistakes?

The author has written a novel that is thought provoking. It made me wonder what I would do under the circumstances if I have lived during that time.

Most vociferous readers have favorite authors whose books they’ll read without question. For me, Australian writer Kelly Rimmer is on that list. With varied interests, Rimmer’s books have touched on adoption, drug abuse during pregnancy, and other women’s fiction subjects; her latest books have been in historical fiction. Always meticulously researched, Rimmer’s new release, The German Wife, may be her most encompassing yet. And it raises moral questions the author admits she wasn’t sure how to answer.

Click on the link below for the complete review.

I am a big fan of Kelly Rimmer. Kelly writes beautiful story that have me devouring her books in no time. The German Wife was amazing. The story was so compelling and the characters were truly my favorite part of this book. I felt like I knew them and I felt for them. The German Wife is a beautiful must read!

This was a novel that was beautifully written. It is well-researched with vivid characters a compelling story line and rich dialogue. I absolutely loved the stories of both Lizzie and Sofie. Rimmer explores the moral dilemma that faced many Germans during the war. What is the right choice given difficult circumstances? How would we decide what is most important in that moment? Rimmer shows the reader that not everything is black and white and makes one ask the questions: Who deserves a second chance? How do we protect the lives and minds of our children? How do we help our friends?
This is a thought provoking and very moving novel. I highly recommend it.

3 stars

I have loved every book I have read from Kelly Rimmer this book kind of left me wanting more. The writing itself was fantastic; she pulls you right into the story by making you care about the characters and what they are going through.

This story centers on Sofie a German Wife and Lizzie an American wife. Seeing what Sofie and her family and friends went through in Germany at the beginning of the war was just rough being kicked out of homes because of the Nazi's expanding their reign and being forced into situations they didn't want to be in.

Lizzie watched her brother go off to war and come back a different person and had a tainted view of the German people that were brought to the US to help NASA with the space race because she blamed them for what happened to her brother.

For the majority of the story, I really didn't like Lizzie she just rubbed me the wrong way and made me really uncomfortable. Her attitude disgusted me and drew a lot of parallels to the way people treated anyone with brown skin after 9/11 happened. I also wish that there was more of a plot or some resolution within this story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Graydon House for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a stunning book! I’m always ecstatic to read a Kelly Rimmer and this one blew me away. I loved the multiple viewpoints and the character development. This was intricately pieced together and so incredibly well written. The book covers an array of dark subjects but it feels like the right amount of dark- its not overpowering or gloomy. There is a nice contrast between the dark and light, and I can’t imagine how hard that must have been to strike that balance for the author. I loved every second of this book. Highly recommend!

This is a heart-breaking story of two families on opposite sides during WWII. It is a story of two women fighting to protect their families in some of the worst of times. Sometimes the choices made have devastating consequences.

Lizzie Miller survives the Dust Bowl and marries Calvin, an engineer that takes her to the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. Her brother Henry liberated one of the concentration camps and suffers from “combat fatigue.” He lives with Calvin and Lizzie.

Sofie and Jürgen von Meyer Rhodes have been relocated from Germany to as part of Operation Paper Clip. This operation was a secret United States intelligence program to bring the most valuable German scientists, engineers, and technicians from former Nazi Germany to the U.S. between the years of 1945 to 1959. Many of these personnel were former members, and some were former leaders, of the Nazi Party. As you can imagine, many Americans in the Huntsville area were not happy about this as they thoroughly distrusted the Germans.

An unfortunate comment made at a community gathering sets Sophie and Lizzie on a path of collision. Both women are faced with moral dilemmas. Does the reader agree with their choices? Did they really have a choice?

Told through a dual timeline and alternating perspectives between Lizzie and Sofie, I was kept in suspense as the tension built, dreading the conclusion that was sure to come.

The secondary characters of Sophie’s best friend Mayim and Sofie’s Aunt Adele and Lizzie’s brother are at the center of the heartbreak that the war causes for both families.

It is obvious that Rimmer did extensive research for this book. There is the potential for controversy regarding the von Meyer Rhodes couple. But I thought they were portrayed in a realistic manner. This is an emotional and complex story that will leave you wondering what you would have done in their place.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy of The German Wife. I usually adore author Kelly Rimmer's writing but I struggled with this one. There were two characters, Sofie and Lizzie going through their timelines mainly in the 1930s and 50s. At times I felt the timelines were disjointed and difficult to keep track of either character and which exact timeline they were in. Keeping track made me less interested in the characters and story. I might try an audiobook version of the book and see if I enjoy it more because I would like to appreciate this one more.

🚀 BOOK / REVIEW 🚀

@kelrimmerwrites literally has my heart. #thegermanwife was BEYOND amazing and my first time reading a book that focused mostly on operation paperclip, which was a controversial secret US intelligence program that employed former Nazis after the war. This one was a bit difficult to follow on audiobook and if you're not fully invested or listening for a long time, you may be a bit confused.

That being said, this story was AMAZING. I really loved Sophie's character ... she was so strong and very inspiring. I preferred these chapters over Lizzie's overall. This book was impeccably researched and so well written. There are many raw, real and difficult moments woven into this book. This book is yet another reason I adore #historicalfiction - we still have so much to learn! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

<b>Note</b> I received an advanced copy of this book from Harlequin Trade Publishing via NetGalley.

Berlin, 1930—When a wave of change sweeps a radical political party to power, Sofie von Meyer Rhodes’s academic husband benefits from the ambitions of its newly elected chancellor. Although Sofie and Jürgen do not share the social views growing popular in Hitler’s Germany, Jürgen’s position with its burgeoning rocket program changes their diminishing fortunes for the better. But as Sofie watches helplessly, her beloved Berlin begins to transform, forcing her to consider what they must sacrifice morally for their young family’s security, and what the price for their neutrality will be.

Twenty years later, Jürgen is one of the many German scientists offered pardons for their part in the war, and taken to America to work for its fledgling space program. For Sofie, this is the chance to exorcise the ghosts that have followed her across the ocean, and make a fresh start in her adopted country. But her neighbors aren’t as welcoming or as understanding as she had hoped. When scandalous rumors about the Rhodes family’s affiliation with Hitler’s regime spreads, idle gossip turns to bitter rage, and the act of violence that results will tear apart Sofie’s community and her family before the truth is finally revealed.

This was an interesting concepts into the lives of two separate worlds and the misunderstandings and prejudices that people take with them depending on their experiences. The characters trying to overcome the strife of the time and injustices that were done.