The Angel of Vienna by Kate Hewitt is an excellent example of World War II drama with all its atrocities and yet keeping the reader out of a concentration camp. It was a unique story, told from an interesting perspective, with surprises throughout. Hannah was a nurse. Her education had been paid for by her half-brother, Georg, as had her posting in a maternity hospital. Hannah was naive and believed in the good of people and in their innate honesty. She loved her job and she loved these babies, ignoring the realities of what their lives would be. All of a sudden she was called to Berlin by her brother where she was introduced to his son, Willi, and informed that Georg had terminated her employment and wanted her to accompany Willi to a hospital where they were using more modern techniques and therapies. Willi had cerebral palsy. Hannah was resentful of the fact that Georg was making these decisions for her but really could see no way out. Georg had arranged for a car to take the two of them to their new situation where they met Willi at the door and accompanied Hannah to the head nurse’s office. She was not allowed to go with Willi but was shown to her new quarters and instructed to report for duty the next day. What she discovered about the hospital shocked and saddened her, but she worked and found some satisfaction until she found a way to see Willi. What she saw infuriated her. They had made a drugged-out zombie out of an energetic and interesting little boy. What would happen next came as a surprise, the first of many.

I gave up reading Holocaust books a while ago. I have read many and it was just too much. I selected this book because Kate Hewitt always writes a good historical fiction. I was not wrong. This book focuses on a facet of Naziism normally not seen in popular literature, yet another glaring example of everything that was wrong with this regime. Hewitt wrote well-rounded and interesting characters, typical for her to let us get to know them intimately. The story told was beyond sad, again typical of the regime. I cannot recommend this book more highly. It will make you sad, and angry, and thankful, and remorseful.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of The Angel of Vienna by Bookoutre, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #bookoutre #katehewitt #theangelofvienna

OMG.... What a heartbreakingly powerful story The Angel of Vienna is. I cried and I got really angry reading this. I have read many WWII novels and none have shocked me as much as this one.

historical-novel, historical-places-events, historical-research, historical-setting, history-and-culture, real-horror, Austria, na$i-mentality, family-dynamics, friendship, murder, multigenerational, resistance-efforts, children-in-peril, triggers****

Based on some historical facts, the story brings to life the efforts of the dedicated few to save as many as possible from the heartless many.
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Bookouture via NetGalley.

The Angel of Vienna is an extremely emotional story set against the backdrop of WWII. Hannah is a nurse that takes a position at the Am Steinhof psychiatric hospital. She believes the hospital is a safe place for children with disabilities but soon figures out that things may not be what they seem. The Nazi’s were all about the pure race with no imperfections. What do you do with something that’s not perfect? Why you get rid of it.

Kate Hewitt will have you invested in the characters and the story from the very start. A fantastic, but I warn you, an emotional, story of another person’s heroics during the war.

Thank you to #netgalley and #bookouture for allowing me to read the eARC of this book. All opinions expressed above are my own.

The Angel of Vienna is the new book from Kate Hewitt which takes the reader on a dark and horrifying journey to Vienna where a psychiatric hospital is not all it seems. This story was a slow burner for me and although it never fully developed into something with a rip-roaring pace and it didn’t have that edge of your seat feeling of rushing towards a dramatic climax it was a satisfying and certainly eye-opening read. The author focuses on an aspect of World War Two that I had never read about before and to be honest I was reading this book and couldn’t quite fathom at the untold horrors inflicted on such young and innocent children. I’ve read lots of stories about the horrors of the prison camps but shining a light on what such vile and evil people did all under the guise of helping children was a cruelty I had never known of before. After reading this book, I feel well educated on the topic and Kate Hewitt has certainly given a voice to those who were unnecessarily and brutally silenced during the war years and all because they were just that little bit different and had no way of defending themselves. But the Angel of Vienna, as named in the title, does her best to save whom she can but it is a dangerous and dark road that she is venturing down.

The book has a tense opening as an angry and apprehensive crowd stand outside a courthouse in August of 1946 as the accused in the Am Steinhof trials are about to hear their verdict. A woman stands gripping a child’s hand keen to hear what will happen. Deep in her heart she will never let those helpless children be forgotten. Then the first chapter takes us back to 1940 to Steinhoing in Germany where Hannah Stern works in a heim hochland or maternity home. Her official duty is as a paediatric nurse but she often steps in as a midwife. Many maternity homes were set up at this time under the Lebensborn programme where women gave birth to blond, blue eyed babies to help the Fatherland. Many in turn were then given up for adoption to SS families. Physical perfection is the ideal and those that don’t meet that criteria. Well it doesn’t bare thinking about what happens to them but you can hazard a guess as to the outcome. Hannah seems uneasy and unhappy in her job. You can sense that she is not comfortable with the programme and she feels isolated and lonely at the home.

Hannah was a complex character duty bound by her half brother. He secured her training and a job when she needed it most but she doesn’t agree with what she is involved in with regard to the maternity home. She doesn’t come straight out and outline her beliefs in regard to Hitler, the war and the persecution of so many people for to do so would mean instant death. Yet you can read between the lines and tell that she detests everything that Hitler stands for and the unnecessary and barbaric cruelty inflicted on so many. When a request for her arrives to leave the home and travel to Berlin to meet with her half brother Georg, who is involved with military intelligence, Hannah’s life changes dramatically. She knows she can never really say no to Georg considering if he hadn’t helped her she would more or less have been on the streets the reasons for which she gives us brief glimpses into the further the book progresses.

Hannah is wary of Georg and his family situation and is surprised when he requests that she travel to a children’s hospital where his son Willi is to be treated for his cerebral palsy. Georg has arranged for Hannah to have a position as a paediatric nurse where she can also keep an eye on Willi. His time there is to be indefinite. Willi as a character was so beautifully crafted. Yes, he was not perfect but beneath his vulnerability and his disability was a charming young boy who loved his father dearly. Hannah believes him to be very clever as he can read a book but she soon learns this is not the case. Hannah is not involved in the decision making that affects her life and you would love to see her break free from the shackles that bind her but this seemed next to impossible. I felt she had no other option only to go where she was sent and try and make the best of the situation, she found herself in.

Am Spielgrund is the children’s clinic in Vienna that Hannah soon realises is not all that Georg had made it out to be. Did Georg willingly send Willi there knowing what went on or did he have faith in Dr. Jekelius, the medical director, that he could transform Willi and make him into the young German his father so desperately wanted? I felt the book took on a real dark and sinister tone when Hannah arrived at the asylum and was separated from Willi and sent to work in a different section. A certain façade was presented to the outside world about all the good done at the hospital. How they took in children into the reform school and treated those with disabilities and helped better their lives but this was far from the case. Here Kate Hewitt spared no detail in her descriptions of the wards and the children who were existing in desperately sad circumstances all because of a disability they had no control over. It was a sad and harrowing read and you really feel Hannah’s anguish as the wool was very very slowly pulled from her eyes. She was brought to Vienna thinking she would assist Willi but what transpired couldn’t have been further from the truth.

The children in Hannah’s care through no fault of her own are starved, neglected, abused and treated with such indifference by staff who were nothing more than cruel sadists and as for Dr. Jekelius, doctor is not the word that would spring to mind to describe him. He was the complete opposite to a healer and carer. Hannah does her best to visit Willi and a beautiful connection is established between the pair even though Willi is a vastly different boy from the one who first entered the hospital and for all the wrong reasons. Hannah had always yearned for a deep connection that lets you open to hurt and heartbreak and she had never expected Willi to be the one to crack open that part of her heart.

The book as I have mentioned moves along at a very slow pace but on reflection I suppose it only serves to heighten the tension and unease that oozes from every page. There is an air of innocence from Hannah when she first arrives and it takes her quite some time to really sit up and take notice of what is really going on even though Margarethe, a former nun and now nurse tries in her own subtle way to be alert and aware and you will learn lots. It’s a traumatic incident that has Hannah daring to be more vocal and trying to do her best to save some children from an inevitable fate but in doing so she is putting her own life on the line. It’s another example of ordinary people doing extraordinary things in the most desperate of circumstances. I applaud Kate Hewitt for writing about a such a terrible and tragic subject that I am sure not many readers of historical fiction know about. What impressed me even more is that the book could have panned out in a certain way but instead I thought the author took two daring risks that paid off and elevated the book to a higher level. The safe route would have been very easy to take but instead being that little bit more daring paid off. The Angel of Vienna, is an interesting, thought provoking and haunting read and I would certainly recommend it.

I've always had a strange fascination with World War II historical fiction. While it's a disturbing time in history, the courage ordinary citizens displayed to save others fascinates me. In "The Angel of Vienna," Kate Hewitt pens an emotional account of nurses that sacrificed their lives to save children.

The children sent to Am Steinhof, we're deemed unworthy and subject to experimentation. When Hannah first joined the staff as a caregiver to her half-brother's child, she didn't realize the house of horrors it employed. When a nurse recruits Hannah's help to rescue the children, she discovers the truth behind Pavilion 15. Can she go back to being blissfully unaware or will she join the fight?

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the early edition of #TheAngelofVienna. It wasn't an easy story to read but an important chapter in history to never forget. The novel is filled with frightening scenes especially the experiments. That being said, the bravery displayed made it one of the most powerful books I've read this year.

I just finished the Angel of Vienna by Kate Hewitt and here are my thoughts.

Hannah is a nurse working during the most horrific time of war. Out of nowhere her half brother, an important man to the third reich, requests she come to see him at his home. Having had little to do with her brother, she is mystified as to what he could possibly want.
She finds out he wants her to take his son, Willi, to a psychiatric hospital for children who aren’t perfect by Hitlers standards. While working there she understands the true nature of the hospital and the horrifying things that happen there. After Willi “dies”, Hannah joins her friend in rescuing the children who are sentenced to die every month. Putting her own life at risk to save a few children that can’t save themselves, puts Hannah in a most dangerous position. One even her brother's rank can’t save her from.
This book tugged on every heart string I have. The tale was woven with such gentle and delicate care that I could smell death coming from the page.
I really felt the hopelessness coming from Georg, Hannah’s brother, he was really between a rock and a hard place. He loved his son no matter what but to protect him, he had to send him to a place not fit for rats. I couldn’t imagine the anguish. I also really enjoyed watching his and Hannah’s relationship unfold and the complexities they had to endure because of their Father’s indiscretion with Hannah’s mother.
Hannah was a saint. She literally took on an impossible task and rose to the occasion. I hope that I would have been as courageous as Hannah during those kinds of trials. I couldn’t imagine the horrors. The character development was top notch and the setting of the book was written so well I could feel myself in the walls of that hospital.
This was a refreshing twist on a world war II novel. I loved every single minute and held my kindle close when it was over.
5 stars! If historical fiction is your jam and you love a good WW2 novel then add this one to your list. You won’t be sorry! Just make sure you grab some kleenex
Thank you netgalley and bookouture for my ARC in exchange for my honest review

I always loved historical fiction and The Angel of Vienna sounded so good. This book did not disappoint at all
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It is an unmissable and heartbreaking story—based on devastating real events—about tragedy, hope and courage in the face of impossible odds. It is a dark and disturbing story that needs to be told and retold
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There are so many things to say about this book and I can't even begin to describe it. It is such a complex and emotional story that left me in tears. I felt instantly connected with the characters in a way I did not expect
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We all heard stories about the cruelty of the Nazis and sometimes we just can't understand any of it. I often find myself thinking "this can't be true" #this is unbelievable" but unfortunately these things happened and people suffered massively and I think it is so important for us to be reminded of how things "worked" so we can make this world a better place so we can learn compassion, kindness, friendship, love, strength and how to fight evil
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I could literally go on and on about the incredible Angel of Vienna by Kate Hewitt but I will stop and just encourage you to read it. Just make sure you got a box of tissues at hand so you can make it through. I just couldn't put it down
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Vienna 1940: The war rages on across Europe and has taken its toll on so many people. Hannah Stern is a nurse at a psychiatric hospital in Vienna. She believes working there will keep her safe and out of danger. Her estranged brother had helped her get the job in exchange that she will take his son Willi with her to keep him safe. Hannah believes that the hospital is a safe place for people to get some much needed rest and healing. But Hannah soon discovers that the hospital is not what it appears to be. Many children are being taken away and moved somewhere else. Hannah must risk everything to help those that need her the most.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the courageous people that would risk everything to survive and help everyone they possibly can in the process. Though this was a tough story to read, it was well worth it. World Wars are always a dark time in history but there are so many stories that need to be told and remembered. Stories of bravery, courage and compassion. Author Kate Hewitt does an amazing job of telling those stories. This heartbreaking story is one that grabs you emotionally and connects you with the characters in a way you never expected. This heart wrenching and thought provoking story is one that is a must read for every historical fiction fan. I absolutely loved it and I highly recommend it.

Thank you Kate Hewitt for such a wonderfully written story. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it.

Firstly, if you are disabled, tread lightly with this book. There is the requisite mass murder of disabled people (it’s a story about Aktion T4, after all) but there are lots of little things that build up too, like the liberal use of casual pejoratives (especially regarding intellectually/developmentally disabled people) and a general air of discomfort from the characters about those “with disabilities.” I appreciate there is a level of historical accuracy the author may have been going for, but was still difficult to read. So just be aware that, even before you get to the whole eugenics deal, the protagonist’s character development is “uncomfortable about the existence of disabled people” to “sees other characters are also disgusted by disabled people and recognises that might be a bit shitty” to “turns out disabled kids are *people* huh?” And then there’s a lot of stuff motivated by pity. Again, nothing unexpected given the circumstances of this story, but it’s still A LOT.

(in the context of all that, the title gives me pause. Even today, those who work with or care for disabled people are often positioned as ‘angels’ - because they do the *unthinkably herculean task* of dealing with the *burden* of disabled people. The explanation given in the text for ‘angel’ is the image of shielding innocents under her wings, guarding their lives, which is lovely in isolation but ignores the particular historical and modern associations for the disability community. While the people who risked their lives to subvert the Nazi regime were unquestionably heroes, that particular language has an ongoing implication for the way society views disability as burdensome and disposable, and views those who care for them as saintly. The act of resisting fascists on pain of death is ‘above and beyond’; the act of caring about disabled people people is not.)

Other than all that, I think it’s a good book, and potentially a good primer for people who haven’t engaged much with the Nazi’s attempts to eradicate disabled people - much of the story is about the complicity and tacit agreement of so many people, and the fact that even those who helped were often still disgusted by disability or thought it shouldn’t rank highly on their priorities.

The prose is pacey without losing depth, and the story unfolds with gripping inevitability - I finished the book in three days. I didn’t find many of the characters relatable (see above, I struggled with everyone’s pity and disgust) but I also don’t think I need to relate to appreciate a book. It’s difficult for me to give an overall impression, because - as you can probably tell - I’ve got conflicting feelings. But I read it quickly, and I would recommend it based on the quality of the writing and the importance of the story.

Hannah Stern had found her half brother when he was in his forties and she her twenties. Georg was a Major in the Abwehr who funded Hannah’s training to become a nurse. When Georg summoned her to return to Berlin, she wasn’t sure what he would want. But he introduced Hannah to his nine-year-old son, Willi, who had cerebral palsy and he wanted Hannah to accompany Willi to the psychiatric hospital in Vienna, Am Steinhof, where he would receive treatment. But the shock Hannah received on their arrival would worsen as the dark secrets of vanishing children flowed through the hospital, with cruel nurses and evil doctors on their daily rounds.

Hannah visited Willi daily as she worked in pavilion three and Willi was in five. The children were hungry, scared and not cared for, and when Hannah learned from her friend and fellow nurse, Margarethe, that some of them were rescuing children before they were killed, Hannah wanted to help. The danger was heightened by the constant vigilance of the nurses, matron and doctor, but Hannah did her best. The war years were harsh, the regime brutal – they prayed the war would be over soon…

The Angel of Vienna by Kate Hewitt is a heartbreaking story, based on truth, of tragedy and devastation, but also of courage and friendship. I cannot fathom that the Germans were doing this evil thing. Yet I shouldn’t be shocked, knowing what they did to the Jews and gypsies. The poor, innocent children and how they suffered. Unconscionable! Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

What an emotional story. Kate Hewitt has written such a vivid account of the horrors of the Nazi regime. Hannah is an interesting character - I could sympathise entirely with her need to keep her head down and not rock the boat. It was fascinating to see her grow as a character as she started to learn more about the horrors unfolding and her relationship with Margarethe was a bright spot in a bleak place. A harrowing and heartbreaking read at times, there is also such hope in the characters who risk their own lives to save some of the children. A must for historical fiction fans.

3.5 stars, rounding up. So, I didn’t love this story. I’ll caveat that by pointing out that because I read a lot of historical fiction set in WWII, I expect a lot from new titles in this category.

The book is well written. The details are interesting, and I learned things about child asylums and “treatments” that I didn’t know already. My favorite moment of the story is when Hannah questions what she thinks she knows about Willi and his abilities once she sees him as a patient for the first time. And she never really “finds out” what his true capabilities are. I think that was a brilliantly done little nuance, giving the reader a glimpse into what those working with atypical children may anguish over. Of course, the point is that it doesn’t really matter, especially in this context of life or death.

Where this story fell short for me was character development. It’s a relatively short book, and I think with more time to delve into relationships, this could have been remedied for me. I just didn’t feel very connected to Hannah or Margarethe, and I think the stark change in the manner of Hannah’s half brother Georg is a little odd. The end was a touch abrupt, but there was a mini twist/revelation that I really liked.

Overall a nice, short read detailing an aspect of WWII that is relatively obscure! Thank you to Kate Hewitt, Bookouture, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

What a heartbreaking sad story. I knew of the Nazis policy that severely mentally and physically disabled people were considered a burden to society and there was a selection process for euthanasia but this book really drove home the absolute horror of this program.
Hannah is a nurse and is sent to work in a children’s psychiatric hospital in Vienna by her half brother, a high ranking German official, to look out for and try to care for his son Willi, who has cerebral palsy. Hannah initially believes the hospital will be providing treatment and help for the many disabled and sick children. Over time though despite wanting to believe that there is good within the hospital she soon realises what is actually going on.
This is a harrowing story but tells a history of horror that should never be forgotten.

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Angel of Vienna’ written by Kate Hewitt in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Hannah Stern is a nurse at Heim Hochland in Vienna when she’s contacted by her half-brother Georg Strasser who asks her to accompany his son Willi to Am Steinhof Hospital, a psychiatric hospital in Berlin, where he’ll get the treatment necessary for his ailment. Hannah soon learns that horrific things are happening to the children and as she becomes friends with another nurse, Margarethe, learns that there are people actively trying to save the children’s lives.

‘The Angel Of Vienna’ is based on true life events that happened in occupied Vienna in the 1940s as two courageous nurses attempt to save the lives of as many children as they can. The story is harrowing as it describes the treatment of the children and the steps Hannah and Margarethe go to as they take the children away from pavilion 15. I’ve been enthralled by this beautifully written story with its powerful descriptions of the wickedness carried out by those who should have been caring for the sick and disabled children, and congratulate Ms Hewitt on the research she’s undertaken enabling her to write this wonderfully touching story. I have no hesitation in recommending it.

I really enjoy reading books by this author. She has a way of writing that takes her readers right along with her in the story.



This story was no different as we travel to World War II and the atrocities that are committed at the hands of the Germans. This story centers around a difficult subject--the "outcasts" of society according to Hitler. These young children are housed at this hospital for "treatments". Young nurse Hannah is sent by her half-brother who is a high level person in the army. She is sent to safeguard her nephew who has some different abilities.



Even though, it is such a difficult subject, the author steers away from going in depth to the torture and awfulness that takes place and instead focuses on the people who go out of their ways to make a difference in the lives of these kids.



Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. The opinions are my own.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

This is a story set in the WW2 period.

Hannah is a nurse who is sent to work in a psychiatric hospital in Vienna, so that she can look after Will, her nephew.

Whilst she begins to settle into her job, she finds that there’s some bad things happening to the children that are admitted there.

Getting to know another nurse, Margarethe, she discovers that there’s others who are trying to save as many children as they can.

She decides to also do as much as she can to help with saving children too.

I found this book unputdownable. Another fabulous story by Kate.

I recommend this book.

I felt the urge to have a stiff drink after reading The Angel of Vienna. It’s a dark and disturbing story, but one that needs to be told and retold. Hewitt highlights the heinous practice Of the Nazis to eradicate those they deemed unfit to live, along several categories. The ruthlessness, cruelness, and heartlessness is apparent in many of the characters. To counter that, are two main characters, Hannah and Margarethe who risk it all to save the few that they can.
From birth to death, the Nazi machine controlled millions of lives.
Let this historical fictitious book be a warning: don’t be complacent.

This was an interesting read. It's about a nurse who works at a home for disabled children during WWII. Hannah was the main character, and I found her fairly naive. I tried to like her but there was always something about her that made me think she was a little whiny.

I found it funny that the book was called The Angel Of Vienna, when really it was not the main character, but the other nurse that she befriends.

Anyways, overall I liked it. It was different than most WWII books that I have read.

Thank you NetGalley for my advance copy.

Oh, my goodness. This book was absolutely riveting. Although the reality of Nazi atrocities is so difficult to contemplate, Hewitt did so with compassion for those caught in the vortex that spiraled the innocent, the sympathetic, and the rescuers throughout a “few-wins” situation in WW2. Her characters were authentic, brave, and passionate about their cause. Her portrayal of the situation faced by German and Austrian citizens during the war helps readers see the horror of that time period through new eyes. Historical fiction at its finest!