Sad but insightful read about WWII.
It’s amazing that an Austrian penniless art student spent only a few years in jail after a violent uprising and later became chancellor of Germany. Goebbel propaganda leader, also came from a poor, challenged background.
Two women, best friends but very much opposite in this story show how different groups of people viewed Hitler coming to power.
I’m afraid we are seeing the same pattern right now, here in America.

The German Mother by @debbierix might be my top read of the year. This amazing story of friendship and a mother’s love will leave you speechless. This is a must read that will stay with you and leave you wanting more. The courage of these amazing women will inspire all.


Minki and Leila are the best of friends. They are graduating school and both embark on a journey to become journalists . Minki is a beautiful German woman who is a little on the wild side. Leila is more refined and is Jewish. Their lives go in vastly different directions but they remain in contact through the years. Once Hitler is in office everything changes. Marriages and friendships are created and destroyed. A child is taken from her home by Nazis and may never return. Each mother is pushed to her limits in this heart gripping story. In the end will each one make the right choice?

This is the fourth book of Debbie Rix’s that I’ve enjoyed and notice that in each of them, she’s able to bring a new perspective to the historical fiction she writes. In this, her seventh novel, she explores a mother’s worst nightmare - a missing child. As if that weren’t catastrophic enough, it happens during WW2 and because of something unpreventable. In case you were wondering, it’s not because of her religion!

The atmosphere of loneliness and loss of identity enveloped me instantly and I was attached to the character. Knowing how this child fit into the following story kept me interested when the reading became an emotional challenge. It was the perfect introduction to this particular story.

Set in Munich, the birthplace of Hitler’s fascism, The German Wife gives readers get a front-row seat to his trial through the eyes of Leila and her journalism colleagues. The struggles of the Munich Post give structure to this story and parallel the fight for truth and justice. The interplay between two journalists with opposing views highlights the role of propaganda on both sides of the conflict. I was soon Googling ‘Jella Lepman and Ursula Von Kardoff to discover their role in influencing Germany’s relationships with other countries.

This fantastic novel shows us that our life can change in an instant, that our character is shaped by those we spend time with or those we want/need to impress, and that sometimes, doing something for the greater good is utterly and completely WRONG.

Rix honours all those in Germany during the war who were coerced into giving up their children for the ‘greater good of society.’ This book should be considered essential reading for all wartime historical fiction lovers.

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

This a compelling book, both in scope and emotional impact. It begins in Munich in 1920, introducing the reader to the two main characters while they are attending the university. Minki and Leila are like many best friends, polar opposites yet devoted to one another. Both are budding journalists but only Leila is also Jewish.

Munich was the political birthplace of Hitler's fascism so this is the perfect setting for a story focused on press censorship. Minki forms a relationship with Joseph Goebbels prior to him joining forces with Hitler and he has a strong presence throughout the book. By effectively shutting down the press and thus controlling the messaging, the government was able to hide its atrocities from the beginning. (It is chilling to hear politicians use the term "enemy of the people" again.)

Through Leila, we experience the insidious impact of Naziism on German Jews as she struggles to keep her family safe. Using Minki's family, we are exposed to the horror of the Nazi program to exterminate their own citizens with mental or physical disabilities, including children like her young daughter with epilepsy. They were labeled "useless eaters." The story continues through December 1945, touching on the beginning of de-Naziification by the Americans.

This was often a difficult book to read and I found myself having to take breaks to avoid being overwhelmed. I felt so many emotions...rage, fear, exhaustion, frustration, and even joy. It is that powerful. The parallels between the beginnings of Hitler's fascism and what we are witnessing now were more than uncomfortable, with even the same terminology being used. I was deeply impressed by the extent of research required to write a novel like this and it was a privilege to read it. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in WW II historical fiction. The release date is July 31, 2023.

I'm grateful to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read the ARC. The review is my own.

As I turned the last page of "The German Mother" by Debbie Rix, tears were streaming down my face. This heart-wrenching novel tells the story of a mother's undying love for her daughter during one of the most horrific times in history - World War II.

The protagonist of the novel is a mother named Eva who is living in Germany with her husband and three children when the war begins. Eva's world is turned upside down when her beloved daughter Clara begins to have seizures, and she becomes convinced that the Nazi party will come to take her away.

Eva's husband, who is high up in the Nazi party, urges her to tell the truth and follow the rules, but Eva knows that her daughter's life is in danger. When the Nazis come to take Clara away, Eva is devastated. She is determined to find her daughter, no matter the cost.

Throughout the novel, we see Eva's desperation and determination as she searches for Clara. Her love for her daughter is palpable, and as a reader, you can feel her pain and anguish as she navigates the dangerous world of Nazi Germany.

One of the things I appreciated most about "The German Mother" is that it is based on true stories. While the novel itself is a work of fiction, it is clear that Rix did extensive research and drew inspiration from real-life accounts of mothers fighting for the survival of their children during the war.

The novel also highlights the moral dilemma faced by those living in Nazi Germany. Eva's husband is torn between his loyalty to the Nazi party and his love for his family, and this conflict is a recurring theme throughout the novel. It raises important questions about the role of individuals in a society that is unjust and oppressive.

Overall, "The German Mother" is a beautiful, tragic, and ultimately hopeful novel about the power of a mother's love. It is a testament to the strength and resilience of women during a time when they faced unimaginable challenges. I would highly recommend this novel to fans of historical fiction, especially those who enjoyed "Orphan Train," "The Tattooist of Auschwitz," and "My Name is Eva."

A fascinating, heartwarming, and sad book about the lives of two women during the twenties and thirties in Germany and their fight for survival and their children as Hitler rose to power.

Historical fiction at its best. Wow sensational what a book, heartwrenching, story of life in Germany in the early days of Nazi rule. The horrors of one human being (so called) against his fellow man is more than a horror story.

Fantastic read, just could not put the book down. I even missed the Glastonbury concert as I was so taken with the book.

!st time I read Debbie Rix, but definitely not the last. I just downloaded another couple of the books.

Inspired by true stories, this is a heart-wrenching and unputdownable novel about mothers fighting for the survival of their children in the depths of World War Two. This book is a show stopper - one I would give to my friends. I would buy multiple copies of this book for people! Moving and heartbreaking in places I was glued to my kindle reading this one!