The Novelist from Berlin is loosely based on the life of Irmgard Keun, a female novelist who defied all the rules during Berlin's volcanic post-WWI years, who was exiled for her ideas, flees Germany for the Netherlands, fighting for her art, her life, and her child, eventually returning to rebuild her life during the Cold War. Following WW1, women were still second class citizens. Niki Rittenhaus is an independent woman, but still needs an association with a man to get anywhere. She marries Rickard Länger, a movie producer for Berlin’s Passport Pictures, and they seem happy. As the Nazis rise to power, Rickard buckles under pressure and begins to make propaganda movies. Nicki is horrified and turns away from acting and begins to write. Her books are considered degenerate and are banned. Her publisher sues the Nazis, but loses the case and he along with his authors are fined and in many cases jailed. Nicki plans to flee the country, when her and Rickard's daughter, Laura, is snatched from her by the SS and taken to Rickard. If she wants to leave, she will leave alone. The is the story is her life in exile, her work with the resistance and her fight to reconnect with her daughter once she returns to Germany after the end of the war.

Although a large portion of this story is set during WW2, it stretches over a longer period of time leading up to and after the war. The Novelist From Berlin is a well-researched story sharing things that the authors would have gone through during this time. It incorporates the stock market crash, the night of the long knives, fleeing to Amsterdam, the allies bombing Berlin, waiting for the Russians to invade and the consequences of that, Germany being divided up, the building of the Berlin Wall, and the resulting life of living in a communist/military area. The search for Laura was heartbreaking, and something that I haven't read a lot about. Germany was a mess after the war, and it was the people who suffered, even those who didn't support the Nazis. I found this an interesting story and I felt such empathy for what Nicki went through. There were many characters that were affected by the war throughout this book, that also played important roles, Nicki was the main character who carried the book. Although many found it slow, I thought the pace was perfect for the story. If you enjoy historical fiction based on strong and brave women, especially those based on real people, then this just might be the book for you. The audiobook was narrated by Deborah Balm and I enjoyed her performance. She made the story come alive for me and added to my enjoyment.

V.S. Alexander was inspired by the true story of Irmgard Keun to write about a female author living in Germany during the rise of the Nazi party. The heavily fictionalized account of Marie Rittenhaus is an eye-opening and well-researched look into the experiences of normal German citizens, who didn't agree with the ideals of Adolf Hitler. I struggled with the beginning of the novel, particularly because I found the character of Marie to be very off-putting. However, I was fascinated by the depiction of life in Berlin from the mid-1940s through the 1960s, as I'd never really considered the experience of the German citizens in that period.

I listened to the audiobook, which was very well narrated by Deborah Balm, who did a great job of imbuing her voice with emotion without slipping into melodrama.

I listened to the audiobook version on this story by VS Alexander and narrated by Deborah Balm.The narration was excellent and kept my interest throughout.

This story explores the events leading up to World War II and its aftermath from the perspective of a young German woman. It explores what young women went through during that time, including all the heartbreak and frustration that goes along with war. The protagonist married a filmmaker who did as he was asked by the communist party including making propaganda films, even though he did not agree politically with Hitler or the actions of those under him. She ultimately leaves him because she does not understand how her husband can agree to work for such horrible people. Once the allies take control, her husband is essentially put to death for all that he did when Hitler was in power.

This story rang true to me because over the years we've made friends with residents of Germany and they are still paying the price for Hitler's terror that plagued Europe for so many years. Case in point, the grandfather was a mechanic who fixed vehicles for the Nazis and he was denied any type of retirment or "social security" because of his former employer, even though he made no decisions whatsoever and only fixed motor vehicles.

This type of story is very popular right now and I definitely recommend it!

Title: The Novelist from Berlin
Author: V.S. Alexander
Narrated by: Deborah Balm
Publisher: HighBridge Audio
Length: Approximately 12 hours and 1 minute
Source: Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @kensingtonbooks @netgalley for the review copy of The Novelist from Berlin.

Who is your favorite author? Do you ever read about their life?

Marie (Niki) Rittenhaus is a young woman in 1920’s Germany. She considers herself a “new German woman” who lives a free lifestyle moving from man to man as she tries to break into a career in film. She meets the head of a film studio, stars in his films, and falls in love. But as the Nazis take over Germany, her husband falls into step with them in order to continue with business as usual. She lives through tumultuous times and must decide what is the most important thing to her? Can she save her own life? What about the people she loves?

I really liked the time period that this book covered – from the 1920’s through the 1960’s. The book not only covered the Nazi rule, but also the takeover of East Berlin and East Germany by communist rule. The book had great moments of suspense and great characters. I really liked Niki. She was an independent and strong woman. She had great love and loss in her life. I wanted to keep reading to see where life would take her, her family and friends.

I also liked how this book followed Niki’s life as an author. Her books were daring when they were first published, but also the books that ended up on the Nazi’s fires. Nikki tried to write again later, but she lost her zest for writing a happy story. The topic of censorship was fascinating and relevant with the book banning that has been occurring in modern times.

I thought it fascinating that Niki’s story was loosely based on the life of Irmgard Keun, a writer who “was forced into exile because her novels defied the accepted norms of the National Socialists as they rose to power.” The Author’s note details what is known about Keun’s fascinating real-life story. There are also great discussion questions for a book club to use at the end of the book.

I listened to The Novelist from Berlin on audiobook. Deborah Balm was a great narrator, and it was a great book to listen to keep me awake and riveted on long drives for work in October. I loved the way she pronounced “Laura.” Laura was Niki’s daughter.

This book was published on September 26, 2023.

The Novelist from Berlin by VS Alexander is a historical fiction novel. It is about an novelist who lived through the war in Germany and also through all the pain that came with the Berlin Wall. I couldn't get into this one as I could with other books by the author. It didn't hold me as well. However, if you enjoy historical fiction, then you should definitely give it a try.

This was not my cup of tea. I loved the voice of the narrator but couldn't get into the story. I will be looking for other books read by this reader in the future.

The Novelist from Berlin is about Niki Rittenhaus. Niki was a women who used men to feel alive and is an actress. She meets Rickard Länger when she auditionsfor a minor role in a piece he is producing. They start a relationship of convenience and end up getting married. Niki yearns to write and Rickard encourages her to write even allows her to use her typewriter. The first novel she produces is really good but they agree it is best to use a pseudonym. The Berlin Woman is a hit. Niki finds out she is pregant and produces a second novel.
When Hilter comes to power, her novels are part of the book burning and she can longer sit back and ignore Rickard use of the Nazi. He say it is for their protection but protection or not Niki is not okay with it. She flees at first with their daughter but Rickard uses his Nazi connections to take their daughter back. Niki spends most of her adult life not knowing if her daughter is alive or okay. Once the war is over, she will do everything she can to get back to her now grown daughter and protect her.
This was an emotional listen and I felted Niki's story to my core. The way The Novelist from Berlin is written will pull at your heart strings.

The story begins in Berlin on Black Tuesday, the day the stock market crashed in 1929. Marie Rittenhaus does not like what is going on in Germany is engaged and then married to Rickard Langer, a movie producer for Passport Pictures. Rickard is a man who easily caves in and succumbs to the Nazi power by producing Nazi propaganda when they requested it. Marie, a writer who goes by the name of Niki, writes two novels, both of which condemn the Nazi’s in their own way. Marie then becomes a hunted woman and must flee to Amsterdam after her books are burned at a Pro-Nazi rally and when her husband refuses to give up her child, she must leave her too. While in Amsterdam, Marie joins the Dutch resistance. This story was based upon the life of Irmgard Keun, a female novelist who used her novels as her own resistance post WWI.

To me, this story spanned too much time. It followed her life from 1929 until months after the Berlin Wall was built in the 60’s. Some parts were in depth while other parts were brushed by. I expected this book to be a lot more emotional than it was. I love that this story was based upon Keun. It also shows what happens when people blindly follow and when books are censored. The characters were well developed, and the story line was easy to follow. At times, I found the story to drag on, but overall, it was a good historical fiction story with a strong woman main character.

The Novelist from Berlin
By: V.S Alexander
Narrated By: Deborah Balm
Review Score: 4 Stars

Boogie’s Bulletpoints
-The prologue hooks you immediately.

-It was so interesting to see Niki’s success as a novelist, and how it worked against her later on.

-You can really feel the tension in the story, and the hardships Niki goes through.

-Alexander really makes you feel like you are in Berlin during all of these events.

-No spoilers, but there are some really great plot twists that keep you hooked the entire story.

——

The Novelist from Berlin was kindly provided as an ARC by Netgalley and HighBridge Audio. Thank you for allowing me to read this wonderful book!

Release Date 9/26/23

The Novelist from Berlin takes you into the life of Niki, a woman who marries a man who makes movies. He then gets involved in the Nazis, making propaganda for them, even though he does not agree with the message. Niki then goes on to leave her husband, but at a huge cost. The story begins before World War 2, and takes you through the war and into the Cold War, where Berlin is once again trapped in the middle of a a changing world.

I loved how immersive this story was. You really feel the tension, the fear of the Nazis, and the desperation of Niki as she makes difficult decisions. The ending was amazing too, and really wrapped up a great story.

This is historical fiction, and it’s about World War 2, but it isnt JUST about World War 2, as so many novels are. That difference really makes it stand out. I definitely suggest you check this book out!

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What a beautiful story! Alexander immediately pulls the reader/listener into the story and never lets go. It isn’t a thriller, but the story of a life as it evolves and yet remains the same.

Maria/Niki is an amazingly strong character who knew her own mind and held the course despite the struggles of living through the rise of Hitler and through WWII and beyond.

This book was so well written I found myself stopping to look up characters to learn if they were real. It felt very much like a biography, if not an autobiography, in an engaging and entertaining fashion.

By no means is this story sunshine and lollypops. It deals with some very dark subject matter and depicts some of the evil that was allowed to run rampant on the streets of Berlin and beyond.

Very well written telling of a soul who would not cave in to pressure, not even to save herself, this book inspires the goodness we are all capable of, but frequently fall so short of.

Niki, a woman of many names over her life, finds herself out of her mother's home and trying to make a name for herself. After acting doesn't exactly pan out, she decides to become an author. What she did get from trying to be an actor is a husband and family, and what she got from being a novelist was ire of the Nazis. When her husband makes decision having to do with the Reich that she doesn't agree with, Niki's life turns upside down and she must try to make a life for herself. Does that mean she will never see her daughter again? Will she ever find love again? Will she mend the relationship with her mother and will her friends survive this horrible war?

This story had enough plot to pull me through it easily. I enjoyed Niki's voice and a perspective of a woman trying to make her way through life in WWII German and while not being a Nazi Party supporter. The relationships in Niki's life varied from the unwavering best friend to the brusque mother and I enjoyed following her as she navigated those. While I enjoyed the story, I can't necessarily say I enjoyed the writing style. There was little nuance to the story and everything was put very plainly. While this type of writing is sought out by many readers (often their complaint is there's too much "flowery language"), it's not my particular favorite. I would have liked more details of life and environment and just description in general. This was a 3.5 rounded up to a 4-star for me.

4⭐ (narration) The narrator for this book did a great job telling the story. I listen to A LOT of audiobooks, and this narrator was good. I felt like the narrator gave the story the right feel, and I never felt taken out of the story by the narration.

4.5⭐ (story) This book, inspired by a true story about the rise of the Nazis and their censorship of everything that doesn't fit their ideas, is frightening in the context of today's world. The Novelist from Berlin is a stark reminder of the horrors that can befall us if we don't learn from our mistakes, what happens when people with unspeakable ideas get their hands on power and slowly take the power from the people, and what happens when people are afraid to stand up against the government when said government is wrong.

Niki Rittenhaus is married to Rickard Länger, a movie producer in post WW1 Germany. During the 1920s and 1930s, Niki watches in horror as the power of the Nazis grow, even as her husband begins producing propaganda films for the Nazis, and worse still, he starts to believe in their message.

This story follows Niki through the beginnings of the Nazi regime and their rise to power and her flight to a safe place, when her book is blacklisted and her life is in danger. She flees to the Netherlands, joins the Resistance, and eventually returns to Berlin to fight for her daughter's and her own freedom.

This book, as dark as the subject is, is well-written, engrossing, and inspiring, in the way only people who resist and fight the worst of humanity can be. The darkness in humanity is on full display here, but the bright light of hope and the desire for a safe and better world shines brighter, for those who want to see it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Based on a true story, this novel imagines the life of writer Nikki Rittenhaus in 1920s Germany, when women women had little to no standing. She’s married, but it’s a marriage of convenience and now her husband is helping make propaganda movies for the Nazis. Disgusted, Nikki begins to write, her first book is a great success even though it’s published under a pseudonym, she knows that she won’t be able to remain silent and anonymous for long, even when her daughter is kidnapped, her books are banned, and her life is threatened. A remarkable story about a remarkable woman that, sadly, history seems to have forgotten.

*3.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me access to the audiobook arc.

I really enjoyed the way the characters were written and the stories plot. I personally love a historical fiction novel with a strong female main character. The hardships that she must face to live through the wars tragedies was well written.

There are some problems that I had with the audiobook. I’m not sure if it’s the same problems in the novel itself. But there were times where the conversations between characters were unrealistic. As well as, there were also parts that were slow paced.

I would recommend this novel to anyone that loves the historical fiction genre.