“It’s not always the strongest trees that survive the storm. Sometimes it’s the trees that bend with the wind.”

This book follows two women, one an American and one a German. We get to follow both women in the 1930’s and then also in the 1950’s.
This was definitely a unique story and one of those that will make you stop and think about how you yourself would have acted and handled a certain situation. A story based off actual events and actual people, one I knew very little about.

I enjoyed this one but felt it moved really slow. Other than that, a great story from one of my favorite historical fiction authors!

Five years after German rocket scientist husband, Jürgen, was seized by the US government, he is finally reunited with his family, wife Sofie and children Gisela and Felix. The German Wife was inspired by the true story of Operation Paperclip, a secret US intelligence program that employed former Nazis after World War II.

Alternating between two sets of characters and two time periods, I was immediately drawn into this powerful story about a German family who was Nazi’s activities but felt powerless to stop them.

I very much wanted to condemn the Rhodes family for not doing more, but it was clear they felt hopeless while surrounded by propaganda and so many former close friends who wholeheartedly believed what they were being fed. After hiding their shame over the appalling Nazi activity, the Rhodes family is ready for a fresh start in the United States, but will they be accepted by the Americans living in the area? What about the other German families living near them on "Sauerkraut Hill?"

Meanwhile in the United States, Lizzie and brother Henry struggle to farm despite the Dust Bowl.

Two decades after the story began, the two sets of characters converge in a set of circumstances that end in a pivotal and violent moment. What lessons will they learn from their mistakes? Will they finally take a step back and really see each other's humanity?

The helplessness and despair emanating from both sets of characters left me feeling anguished, but despite that and the considerable length, I devoured it in just two days. Even though I've only read a few books by Kelly Rimmer, she is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors!

Location: Alabama (Huntsville), Texas (El Paso and Dallam County), and Germany (Berlin)

I received an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Kelly Rimmer brings her readers a very well researched book that draws you in from the first page,right through to the very end. This is a very unique historical fiction book for the WW2 time period that focuses on Operation Paperclip which is not widely used as a subject matter in books during this time period. The book is highly emotional, riveting as well as gut wrenching at times. I thoroughly enjoyed this book,and felt that I learned a bit more history of this period which really added to my enjoyment! I have to say that this book should be flagged as a do not miss book for 2022!
Many thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my review.

Another great historical fiction about WWII and the aftermath. This one touches on the U.S. rehoming Nazi scientists to support the space race and space technology development. This story revolves around two women, Sofie and Lizzie. It takes the readers from the 1930s to the 1950s and takes us from Nazi Germany, Oklahoma, and Alabama. I loved the dual stories incorporated in The German Wife. I thought that the two stories of Sofie and Lizzie and how they come together were well written. I even learned a few historical events that I didn’t know about before – Operation Paperclip and the dust storms during the depression in Oklahoma.

Rimmer is a very successful Australian author whose books include "The Warsaw Orphan", "Truths I Never Told You", "The Things I Cannot Say" and "Before I Let You Go". This new novel is an historical fiction set in Germany and the USA from 1930 to 1945 and then in Huntsville Alabama in 1950. Sophie is a German woman married to a professor who is forced to work on the Nazi rocket program. This allows them to live in relative physical comfort, but they mentally struggle with their role with the Nazis. In the USA Lizzie and her brother Henry lose both their parents and the family farm to the dust bowl and the resulting depression. At the end of the war Sophie's husband is arrested by the Americans but was brought to the USA as part of 'Operation Paperclip' to share his knowledge and develop rockets for the USA. In alternate chapters set in 1950 we watch Sophie and her family try to adapt to life in Huntsville, and Lizzie's hatred of them is not making it easier. This is a wonderful recommendation for fans of the genre.

Two women from very different backgrounds come face to face and head to head in this fascinating historical novel that illuminates little explored episodes of both 1930s Texas and post WWII Huntsville. Lizzie's family owns a farm, a failing farm, in West Texas. The dust storms take everything from them, forcing Lizzie and her brother Henry into El Paso where they struggle to built a life in the depths of the Depression. At the same time, Sofie is living in Berlin with her husband Jurgen and their children, a Berlin which becomes unrecognizable to her as the Nazis come to power. Jurgen, a rocketeer, is pulled into the military program and Sofie's life and that of her best friend Mayim is turned upside down. This moves between Sofie and Lizzie and their pasts and their presents in Huntsville where Jurgen has been relocated by the US military and Lizzie's husband Cal runs the facility where he leads the research team. Dark shadows have followed both of them to Alabama, however, and both of them bear the burden of their pasts. Either woman's story would have been a terrific novel but combining them works well. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. No spoilers but know that this is filled with tragedy and despair but also with determination and ultimately hope. Perfect for fans of historical fiction- it's a great read.

I could not put down this tragic tale of Sophie and Lizzie that takes place before, during and after WWll. I enjoyed how the story was told from Sophies and Lizzies perspectives. I liked both of these women and understood partly how they each felt about what and how they handled the years leading up to and during WWll. This was depressing in some parts because the descriptions of what happened during the war were hard to read. I received a copy of this book from Harlequin for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

Undoubtedly Kelly Rimmer’s most thought-provoking novel yet, The German Wife is a must-read! Rimmer is known for well-researched writing that grips your heart; this book is no exception.

The German Wife is written in a dual timeline format telling the stories of Lizzie, who survived the Dust Bowl and goes on to marry an American rocket scientist, and Sofie, German wife of rocket engineer. Their paths cross during Operation Paperclip, a secret US program that employed former Nazis after WW2 in the Space Race.

This book reminds us that there is always more to the story, that things are much more complicated than they seem, and sometimes there is no right answer. Be sure to read the Author’s Note at the end as I loved Rimmer’s parting thoughts on her latest novel.

Thank you SO SO SO much to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an advanced ebook. I was absolutely THRILLED and totally surprised to received a copy!

This is a unique WWII historical fiction novel, following two women from 1930 to 1950, one an American from Texas and the other from Germany whose paths cross in an unlikely way in Alabama. What I loved about this story is that both women suffered different hardships that shaped them into the women they were. I loved the insights into Germans who disagreed with their government, and yet felt they couldn’t do anything but go along. I read the novel quickly due to the author’s propulsive writing. I highly recommend it. Thanks to #NetGalley and #GraydonHouse for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

This fascinating dual-timeline book is based on the true story of Operation Paperclip: a controversial secret US intelligence program that employed former Nazis after WWII. In Berlin, Germany, 1930, Sofie von Meyer Rhodes' husband Jurgen is offered a high-level position in Germany's burgeoning rocket program. Sofie & Jurgen completely disagree with Hitler’s radical views, and joining his ranks is unthinkable, but it soon becomes clear that if Jürgen does not accept the job, their income will be taken away. Then their children. And then their lives. Fast-forward to Huntsville, Alabama, 1950, Jürgen is one of many German scientists pardoned and granted a position in America’s space program. Sofie is relieved to leave the horrors she has witnessed and endured behind, although she is apprehensive about moving to a place where people like her are unwelcome. Their arrival causes idle gossip, which turns to bitter rage, and then violence that results in tearing apart a family and leaves the community wondering—is it an act of vengeance or justice?
This book was so good. This was one of those books that stays with you, long after you read the last page.... a book that you want to tell others about, that you can't stop talking about. The book is told in alternating parts between the two timelines, and told in the viewpoints of both Sofie, and of Lizzie Miller, who is the wife of Jurgen's boss in Alabama. I had never heard of Operation Paperclip before this, so it definitely sent me on a fact-finding mission to find out more. This book would be perfect for a book club, as there are a lot of controversial talking points. This is perfect for anyone who enjoys historical fiction. I highly recommend this one!

The German Wife by Kelly Rimmer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really liked All The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer and when I was selected to read and review her latest novel, I was so excited!

Rimmer has such a great way of making the past come to life through her characters. Going back between past and present of American born Lizzie and German born Sophie. We learn about how each woman was molded by the world around them and the freedoms and choices (or lack there of) that they had to face. The two women are brought together when Sofie's rocket scientist husband is forced to come to America to work on our rocket program, with Lizzie's husband as his boss, or face the Nuremberg trials back home in Germany. He chose the latter.

I absolutely loved Sofie's character. Strong and devoted and terribly conflicted as many were during the rise of Hitler--trying to keep their family safe while being sickened by the extreme racism against the Jewish community.

Lizzie's character confused me. Other than to provide a counter to Sophie's life, I didn't love her character. Even though I can understand her doing the things she did (justifying her ww2 vet brother stalking and assaulting Sofie and her family) and having a bad taste in her mouth for Germans, I honestly didn't see much character growth after the climax of the story.

I was so hoping these two women would become friends or something, but Lizzie's biased eyes of the historical times stopped that from happening.

Even with that said, I devoured this book in a weekend and have The Warsaw Orphan on my @libby.app to read next.

This book is coming to store shelves THIS Tuesday! So if you are a fan of historical fiction, you'll want to snag this one for your next read.

Thank you @netgalley and @graydonhousebooks for this free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really good Historical Fiction that was really thought about and well written. The characters were eye catching and I enjoyed following them through the different time lines.

Thank you to the publisher, Harlequin Trade Publishing, Harper Collins Canada and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When Sofie von Meyer Rhodes’ husband Jurgen, a scientist, is offered a senior position in a rocket program run by the Nazi party, it initially seems to be the answer to their financial troubles. They soon realize the true motives behind the program, and though they strongly oppose the Nazi ideology, it is made very clear that Jurgen has no choice but to continue with his work or the entire family will be at risk. Fast forward towards the end of the war, when Jurgen and many other German scientists are taken to America and granted a pardon in exchange for working for their fledgeling space program. Sofie arrives with her children to join him in Alabama, hoping to leave the horrors of recent years behind for a fresh start, but the local community is less than welcoming of the German families. When rumors of what the Rhodes family was involved in during the war begin to spread, they are placed under intense scrutiny and the hostility turns into outright hatred.

Ever since I read The Warsaw Orphan last year, I’ve been waiting for Kelly Rimmer’s next book, and this was certainly a gripping and thought-provoking read. Operation Paperclip was something I was familiar with from reading about WWII and its aftermath, so it was interesting to read a book that not only featured it, but was largely narrated from the perspective of a German family directly involved in it all. I’ve only come across this type of WWII narrative once before, with Daughter of the Reich a couple of years ago, so I was quite excited for this one.

The story was narrated over two timelines, one during the war and one after, but it was also from the perspective of two women in vastly different circumstances. Sofie Rhodes and her family are placed in the terrible position of having to choose between the safety of their young family and going along with the demands of the Nazis and their policies even though they are fiercely against it. This arc was marvellously written and as a reader, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for them as they were forced to go against their own morals and play the role of an ideal family in Nazi Germany, even if it meant having to turn away and cut ties to people closest to them. While they may not be directly involved in any of the atrocities, they didn’t do anything to stop it either and the guilt haunts them long after the war.

The other arc follows Lizzie, whose husband is Jurgen’s boss at the rocket program. She is the sister of a WWII veteran and her brother came back from the war a different person. Having already lost her parents during the Dust Bowl, she considers all Germans criminals and hates the idea of having them in the neighborhood. Personally, I didn’t like her arc much. While I do see her angle that the German scientist got away with war crimes just because their skills were needed, her view that all Germans must be Nazis was quite extreme. She came off as very self righteous with her hatred for the new families, having no idea what they may have gone through, but judging all of them without ever having experienced anything like it. Lizzie’s chapters started off as an interesting look at the war from another angle, but eventually turned into the most irritating parts of the book for me. Her feelings were justified, but she refused to see things from another perspective along with being willfully blind to her brother’s condition and actions, and just reading the same thing chapter after chapter was annoying.

The German Wife was a fast-paced and well written book and so much research must have gone into this. I thought the ending was nicely done, and the author’s note after is one not to be missed. She raises some very interesting questions about accountability and what other options Sofie and Jurgen might have taken that should be reflected upon after reading this book. I would highly recommend this book, not only for fans of the genre, but for all readers!

This book is told in dual timeline and multiple POV. The different timelines cover some of the hardest times from the dust bowl to WWII to segregation in the early 1950's. I was very interested in these timelines and have not seen them in the same book before. It reminded me that all the times could have happened in one persons lifetime and it would have been a very hard life. Kelly writes about the emotion the characters have and how they did not always have control over their lives. Once I started the book I had a very hard time putting it down. I could picture to scenes happening in my mind and when that happens, I know the author wrote a great book. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.

Told in a dual timeline and with two female protagonists, this book was well-researched and was based on an actual U.S. Intelligence program that brought former Nazis to the U.S. to work in the American rocket system. Jurgen Rhodes was forced to work for the Nazis or lose his income and possibly his children. After the war, he was whisked away to the U.S. and held at Fort Bliss until he was transferred to Huntsville, AL to work on rockets. Sofie, his wife, was separated from him for five years, anxiously remaining in Germany and without knowledge of where her husband had been taken. Then, the day came when she heard that he was settled in Alabama and and purchased a home for her and the children there. Accompanied by two of their children, Sofie makes the journey to America. The emotions in this book fairly jumped off the page as I sympathized with Sofie facing an unknown future. Their neighborhood consists of other German families, so at first Sofie feels welcomed and is eager to build a new and hopeful future in the U.S. Her dreams are dashed, however, when gossip begins and spreads quickly about Jurgen’s role in Nazi Germany. Spurred on by the other female protagonist, Lizzie, the gossip seems to take on a life of its own and destroys Sofie’s quest for peace and happiness. This story is one that was at times hard to read because of the hatred that rolled from Lizzie’s heart to Sofie. Lizzie is a bitter woman who dearly loves her brother Henry. Henry is a former soldier suffering from PTSD and Lizzie blames all Nazis for his condition. In her attempt to wreak vengeance, she targets Sofie and her family. I enjoyed the book, especially learning about this rocket program that I knew nothing about previously. I was a bit confused at first by the dual timeline and by the fast that the book is supposed to be about Sofie, but it is actually about the effects of the war on two different women, one of them being the American Lizzie. In looking for safety in the U.S., Sofie encounters some of the worst prejudice possible and has to safeguard herself and her children from the increasing violence and threats against them. Even those in their German neighborhood turn against them. I found the details disturbingly realistic and heartbreaking. There is a great deal of tension and conflict in the book as Sofie is forced to deal with the stunningly realistic actions of what basically becomes a mob against her and her family. With the themes of family, right versus wrong and making choices for one’s future, this book is a compelling look at a time and events in history that deserve a second look and apologies for undeserved prejudices. It brought home to me that often we attack what we truly have not taken the time to understand. I enjoyed learning about Sofie, but I wanted to reach into the pages and implore Lizzie to be more accepting and less judgmental. After all, the same thing that Lizzie was accusing Sofie of simply because she was German was what Lizzie was doing in “free” America. Appearances are deceptive in this book and it was this that drew me to the novel and kept me reading, hopeful for a happy future for Sofie but despairing when all seems stacked against her. Fans of historical fiction will enjoy this realistic portrayal of what it was like to be the wife who suffers the repercussions of her husband’s career.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

Having moved to Huntsville about 18 years ago, and learning about Huntsville’s part in reaching the moon, I was excited to have the opportunity to receive an ARC of this book from Harlequin Trade Publishing through NetGalley.
Unfortunately the book is at best average for me. Honestly I just started skimming the pages because the storyline, characters and dialogue did not capture my attention.
With that said, I am a big Kelly Rimmer fan and have loved some of her other historical fiction novels.

Kelly Rimmer does it again! Her historical fiction is easily some of the best I've read.

Premise: The German Girl is inspired by the true story of Operation Paperclip: a controversial US intelligence program that employed former Nazis in the US following WWII. This story focuses on two women, Sofie and Lizzie, and alternates between during and after WWII. Sofie, a German, moves to US to be with her husband Jurgen, who is part of Operation Paperclip. In flashbacks, you read of their time in Germany and the struggles they faced as Germans who did not agree with Hitler's ideologies. Lizzie is an American who grew up during the Great Depression. Her family's farm was absolutely destroyed, and she and her brother are just trying to get by. In the present, Lizzie is married to a wealthy man who works alongside Germans in Operation Paperclip, which both she and her war veteran brother find problematic. When Lizzie and Sofie's paths cross, there is immediate friction. However, as the story unfolds, it turns out that the two women might not be so different after all...

Thoughts: An absolute must-read for historical fiction fans. Yes, there are a ton of WWII books out there, but this one offers a different perspective. I had never heard of Operation Paperclip and found the whole concept fascinating. I also think that stories of Germans who grappled with pressures from the Nazi regime are important to read, as I am sure that Sofie and Jurgen's story is representative of many others'.

4.5 stars

I am a newbie to Kelly Rimmer, but I so often see people gush about All the Things We Cannot Say, and since I haven’t gotten around to reading that one yet, I thought trying her newest would be the next best thing.

I very quickly became immersed in the story, and her writing reminded me of a happy cross between Kristin Hannah and Kate Quinn. This story is a dual POV, beginning in 1935- we have Sofie in Germany as the Nazi party is gaining momentum, and Lizzie who is living in Texas in the middle of the Dust Bowl and Great Depression. Interestingly, we move back and forth between 1950 in each story, so there are many layers to the stories. Not confusing, more like captivating. The book draws parallels between so many hard topics: racism, anti-semitism, hate, forgiveness. It explored the choices people make, and where is the proverbial line in the sand that you refuse to cross.

I really enjoyed this one. I will be recommending it to all my historical fiction book friends.

One note about the cover: I almost didn't pick up the book based on the look of the book- the cover and title. It is not very appealing and looks very cliche- like way too many other WW2 historical fiction books. It was only because of the author, and a recommendation from a friend that I have it a chance (I'm so glad I did because it was a great book). For one thing, "The German Wife" doesn't reflect the dual POV story! I wish there was more variety in the appearance of historical fiction books. I think it would appeal to more readers.

Kelly Rimmer has done it again.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I just finished The German Wife and am a puddle of tears. One of my favorite books of all-time is The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly and this one might have just tied it. The amount of research and thought that went into this story is incredible. I was constantly asking myself "what would I do in this situation?!" It caused me some anxiety, but it really made me think.

The German Wife is told from the perspectives of two women, Lizzie (American) and Sofie (the German wife). Throughout the novel, both are forced to make heartbreaking decisions regarding the safety of their families. It showed how the Nazi reign slowly took over the country and brainwashed the youth, how the Germans who didn't agree felt they had to pretend and blend in to survive. It forces you to ask the age-old questions, if staying silent is just as terrible as committing the crimes themselves, and if those involved deserved redemption and happiness down the road.

After I finished I immediately googled Operation Paperclip. I had no idea that this part of history existed. This story is loosely based off of German scientist Werhner von Braun. Kelly did her homework and wrote an extraordinary novel. If you are an historical fiction buff like me, then you will devour this one. It comes out next week (June 28th) and it is a must-read!!! 👏❤💔

This one would be incredible for a bookclub!

I have hyped Kelly Rimmer so heavily that the waiting list for this title is a mile long! I cannot wait for my patrons to read this one!