The pre-WWII Nazi German Lebensborn homes supported the birth of “racially pure” children by housing unmarried pregnant women and placing these babies of proper bloodlines in Aryan families. They also provided care for pregnant wives of deployed German soldiers. Many women stayed on to birth more children of Nazi leaders for the purposes of increasing the Aryan population.

In 1938, Allina’s German home town is the scene of a massacre, her only family is slaughtered, and she is raped by a Nazi officer. In the hopes that Allina is now pregnant, the officer drops her off at Hockland Home, a Lebensborn home, near Munich. Allina is relieved to discover she is not pregnant, so for now, she is put to work in the nurseries until available to attempt another pregnancy. She is dismayed by the extremely strict schedules of feeding, bathing, and sleeping, with all affection and interaction by caregivers forbidden. Shocking are the children confined to bed in complete silence. Without play, love, and affection, these children fail to develop physically or mentally. They become unadoptable and eventually disappear. When Allina meets the compassionate Gruppenführer Karl von Strassberg, they team up to discover the fate of these children and make plans to save them. A romantic relationship builds from there.

The novel is bookended by a present-day narrative as Allina tells her daughter, Katrine, her and Karl’s story, the father she never knew. Unnecessary present-day interjections interrupt the much more engaging Lebensborn storyline. This overused structure only serves to foreshadow the death or disappearance of Katrine’s father and allows us to learn of Allina’s end of life. Yet another little-known piece of Nazi history is revealed and the cruelty reigned over its own “valuable” Germans in this riveting novel. Read this for the shocking Lebensborn story.

Historical Novels Review, November 2024

Family secrets come to light as a young woman fights to save herself, and others, in a Nazi-run baby factory—a real-life Handmaid's Tale—during World War II. *.:｡.✿`°¤"¸.•*´¯)


This debut novel may have been 20 years in the making, but it paid off because it's an extraordinary story that touched all of my emotions.

It's a historical fiction based on true events, and it completely broke my heart. Adriana did a phenomenal job painting vivid scenes with her words as she revealed the WWII horrors of the 𝗟𝗲𝗯𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺. ( baby factories ). The goal was to create a race of superior pure blooded Arayans.

𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗼𝘄𝘀.

A tale of love, generational secrets, and survival you won't soon forget.

The history of this program was very well researched, and Adriana brought the stories to life through her incredible characterization. I can't wait to see what she writes next.

𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘀𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱 ; 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲 .

Thank you to netgally , Storm Martin's Press, and the author for this advanced copy. My review was voluntary.

Katrine finds a wooden box with a lid marked with a swastika in her mother's closet. She was only three years old when they came to America, and her mother never talked about Germany or her father.
 
Allina decides it's time to tell her daughter how she survived the mass murder committed by the Nazis in her village. And how she ended up in the Lebensborn house. Then she tells her daughter about her father, Hochland Home and the rehabilitation program.  Allina's story is heartbreaking. The Nazi program was to breed pure Aryan children, and what they did to the children of their own race is devastated. There were no barriers to their operation. Performing experiments on infants it's beyond the cruelty.
 
I knew about the Lebensborn Program, the aim of which was for German women to give birth to Aryan children of SS officers. However, I did not know about the experiments that were carried out on children born there. It's unthinkable that something like this would have happened in the not-so-distant past.
 
This is a debut novel, and I am impressed with how well researched this book is. The author incorporated lesser-known historical information while presenting a heartbreaking story of struggle and survival.
 
This book will generate a lot of discussion for book clubs.
 
Thank you @StMartinsPress for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC of this interesting novel.

Historical Fiction Fans - a new one for your radar! The Sunflower House takes us back to Germany while Hitler is the Chancellor sneaking us into a nazi run maternity house where the sole purpose was to create more children. It's a story of love in an unlikely situation and of hope and faith. Our story begins in a more present time, when our main character's daughter discovers a box hidden in her family house filled with secrets about a past she knows nothing about. Allina tells her story to her daughter of the night that changed her life forever, unlocking a world of secrets, faked identities, heroism, and faith. By telling her daughter the story of how she came to be and her own past in Germany, their relationship is forever changed. Like most books depicting this time, there are some hard pages to read including descriptions of rape and murder. It's heartbreaking knowing these events happened repeatedly to innocent people. This story was heavily researched and beautifully written. Once I got into it, I couldn't put it down. I loved Allina and her constant fight to help the children that lived in the Hochland House where she was forced to work as well as her own journey of survival. Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. Pub Day is just around the corner on Nov 12th.

I've always found myself morbidly intrigued by all things WWII and the Holocaust. This book scratched that itch and taught me about parts I didn't realize existed. The love of Ellina and Karl was magical, hopeful, and perfect. The characters may have been fiction, but the struggles and fear that experienced was probably a fraction of what really went on.
If I could read this book for the first time again, I would.

Adriana Allegri’s The Sunflower House tells the journey of Allina, a girl in small Badensburg, who finds herself at Hochland Home, a Lebensborn house, working as a nurse under the protection of an SS officer after tragedy ended her time at her home. Allina is struck by the harsh upbringing that Himmler has instituted under the guise of preparing a stronger German future with the children that are born at Hochland Home. Enter Karl, an SS officer who sees more and understands how she feels more than he can let on. When given the opportunity to work with a small group of toddlers whose results will be compared to the experiments that Himmler’s doctors and scientists perform on the other toddler, Allina and Karl jump at the chance to save the children from uncertain futures and possible death.

While the subject matter is difficult to grasp that these things happened during the war, you hold onto the image of these two characters trying to do some small part to save what lives they could. The characters richly jump off the pages and Allegri’s writing about Karl toward the end of the book puts you in his shoes. You feel what he’s feeling. You experience what is happening. You are there. What a marvelous debut novel! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy. Opinions expressed are my own. This book will be published on November 12, 2024.

#netgalley #arc #bookstagram #TheSunflowerHouse #AdrianaAllegri #StMartinsPress

This is a well-written, thoroughly researched, entertaining, fast paced, WWII historical fiction novel which is based on actual events. It vividly depicts the brutality and horrors of war and the Lebensborn and eugenics programs in Nazi Germany, and has a likable, strong and intelligent female protagonist, a kind and caring, brave male protagonist, romance, heartbreak, resilience, hope, healing and a satisfying conclusion. The author's notes contain interesting and enlightening information, and are truly appreciated. Many thanks to St. Martin's Press, NetGalley, and Ms. Allegri, from whom I received an advanced reader copy of this fabulous novel. This is my honest opinion.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was apprehensive about reading yet another Holocaust book, but this one was very different than those I've previously read. I'm very glad that I read it, and I learned a lot, particularly about the Aryan baby factories. There were disturbing events that took place at the beginning of the book, but I appreciated that once the story moved to the Hochland House, the atrocities that were taking place happened "off camera"- only alluded to, and not described in detail. The romantic parts of the book were a break from what was going on under the Nazi regime. This book reminded me of Ursula Hegi's book, Stones from the River, since both books showed that there were German people who didn't believe in the Nazi values, but were forced to participate. The book is very well-written, and I highly recommend it.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy of The Sunflower House for review.

The Sunflower House is written in dual timelines, with most of the story focused on late 1930s Germany. Allina, whose life has been comfortable, envisions a future with her first love, whom she hopes to marry one day. Having been raised by her aunt and uncle after losing her parents in an accident, Allina’s life is forever altered by the onset of war. She becomes increasingly disturbed as she witnesses the persecution of the Jewish community around her.

This debut novel by the author was an engaging read, filled with tense and unsettling scenes, especially in its early chapters.

The story also explores the deeply disturbing Lebensborn program, making this the second book I’ve read on the topic. The Sunflower House is an evocative and poignant tale that historical fiction lovers won’t want to miss—one of my most memorable reads of 2024, and I could easily envision it adapted into a film. After reading this, I’ll never look at sunflowers the same way again.

WOW what an incredible debut. Although saddened by many things within this book, I loved that Adriana Allegri wrote this extraordinary story straight from her heart during the twenty years it took to write. Her immaculate research into the lesser known “Lebensborn program” was brought about by the infamous Heinrich Himmler - - a known monster through his eugenics programs. These were in every sense of the word “baby factories” specific to producing aryan children to then be adopted into good German families. It was an assembly line of sorts, where the young Aryan girls housed in these homes were made to entertain German soldiers, in turn, reproducing these “pure” babies.. all for Hitlers new world. I can’t imagine the pain Adriana Allegri felt nor the horrors she uncovered during her research for this novel.

The story begins in New Jersey circa 2006 when Katrine is visiting her mother Allina, now 86. Allina immigrated from Germany keeping her previous life secret. She is now ready to tell her story. It all began during WWll in 1939 occupied Germany and follows 16-year-old Allina Strauss, a Mischling (half Jew - half German). With her family having perished by the Nazi regime, she’s forced into service as a nurse in a state-run baby factory. Not all children in these homes are treated fairly. Unfair treatment or death is most certain for all children not having the desired Aryan look. Allina meets Lt. Karl + although he’s a German soldier he is also against cruelty to these unwanted children. Together they fight for what they believe in until Karl is sent elsewhere. There are big twists revealing facts I don’t want to spoil, but let’s just say it’s heartbreaking, there were immense dangers, and the intensity for survival was incredible. Kudos to Adriana Allegri for providing me with excellent insight into the LP. Highly recommend. 5 stars — Pub. 11/12/24

I received an arc copy from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Adriana Allegri has created a masterpiece! Her powerful and meticulously researched debut, THE SUNFLOWER HOUSE, is a stunning 'winner out of the gate'.

Family secrets are unraveled as a young woman fights to save herself and others while in a Nazi-run baby factory, uncovering the horrors of the Lebensborn Program of Nazi Germany during WWII.

Something rare and beautiful can grow in the darkest shadows.

About...

Allina Strauss resides in a German village and works at her uncle's bookshop. However, darkness follows as Adolf Hitler controls. Her family hides a secret (her mother was Jewish, making her a Mischling).

After losing it all, she is forced into working as a nurse at a state-run baby factory, Hochland Home, giving her a front-row seat to the horrors of the Lebensborn Program.

Will Allina and Karl be forced to make a choice? Will they be able to keep their secrets, join forces and save the children?

1939: Alina's story (mother)
2006: Katrine (daughter)

It all starts when Katrina finds a box with a swastika among her mother's belongings, and Allina begins to tell her story to her daughter and the secrets of her life.

My Thoughts...

Wow! What a debut. THE SUNFLOWER HOUSE is Extraordinary!

Allegri pulls out all the stops in this compelling, meticulously researched, and brilliantly written tale of love, sacrifice, survival, redemption, generational secrets, and identity. Alina was a beloved wife and mother who lived an extraordinary life. A woman of strength, compassion, and grace.

It makes you want to discover more about your parents and grandparents.

Even though we have two timelines, Katrine (daughter in New Jersey) and Alina (mother's past in Germany), the author concentrates on Allina's story.

Despite the secrets that kept them apart for years, the truth eventually brought them back together. This is a story of a mother's love and sacrifice, of resilience in the face of adversity. A love story. Allina, a Hochland Home nurse, served under the ruthless eugenics program, despising it yet managed to save dozens of children from medical experiments and extermination.

The author beautifully balances the harsh realities of the Nazi regime with the warmth of love and hope in this essential work of historical fiction. Sunflower metaphors add a poignant touch to the narrative, making it an emotional journey of healing and love that readers will deeply connect with.

Prepare to be emotionally invested in Allina's journey. Her story is a moving and poignant exploration of love and loss. The memorable characters are so vividly portrayed that they will stay with you long after you finish the book.

THE SUNFLOWER HOUSE is a compelling read and an excellent choice for book clubs. The story's rich themes and complex characters provide ample material for stimulating discussions. The author even includes additional resources to enhance your reading experience.

Exquisitely written, THE SUNFLOWER HOUSE is remarkable and inspiring. My pick for debut of the year and is included on my Top Books of 2024. If this is a debut, I cannot wait to see what comes next. Adriana Allegri is an author to watch!

Recs...

THE SUNFLOWER HOUSE is for fans of Kristin Hannah, Hazel Gaynor, Lynda Cohen Loigman, Patti Callahan Henry, Pam Jeoff, Heather Morris, and Meagan Church.

Interview...

Stay tuned for my upcoming #AuthorElevatorSeries Q&A with Adriana and behind the scenes of THE SUNFLOWER HOUSE and this new voice in fiction. (pub day Nov 12).

Thank you...

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for a digital advanced review copy via NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ALC (upcoming #MacAudio2024). I cannot wait to listen, narrated by the talented cast of stars and favorites— Barrie Kreinik, Dallin Bradford, and Saskia Maarleveld. I also pre-ordered the hardcover copy for my home library.

Get this gem on your TBR list, and thank me later.

blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars ++
Pub Date: Nov 12, 2024
Nov Newsletter
Nov 2024 Must-Read Books
Nov Featured #AuthorElevatorSeries QA

This ARC was sent to me as a galley. I liked the cover and since I have never read anything by this author before, I decided to accept it.
I was pleasantly surprised. I don't like knowing much about the book before I start reading and I never would have thought it was historical fiction and such a heavy subject.

The Sunflower House is so much more than a love story between two people in the wrong time. It covers compassion, a sense of what is right even when everything else is wrong, how secrets can also be kept for love and protection, friendship, loyalty...and more. I truly enjoyed it and will definitely be recommending it.

thanks for this ARC! it was my pleasure to read it.

I finished this book a few months ago and I haven’t been able to bring myself to write a review, afraid I won’t do this story justice.

This is a phenomenal debut by Adriana Allegri. This book touched on a whole gamut of emotions and has continued to stay with me.

I had read about the Lebensborn program in other novels. Allina’s being unaware of her Jewish blood added an aspect of suspense to this novel, especially once she got to Heim Hochland. Her having to be constantly on guard and aware makes her suspect the worst in people, rightfully so. It is her key to survival.

Then Allina meets Karl and things may not be exactly what they seem. They have no reason to trust each other and every reason to be suspicious.

What follows is one of the most well-crafted stories of things not being all they appear to be, in the best of ways. I was so wrapped up in Karl and Allina’s stories and amazed at what they were able to accomplish. Their sacrifices left me teary-eyed and reminded me of the good in people is the worst of circumstances.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the copy of this book. All views are my honest opinion.

When the Englewood Hospital calls Katrine to pick up her mother after an accident, little did she know that her life as well as her relationship with her mother would change. Katrine has a difficult relationship with her mother, Allina, but Katrine soon discovers that her mother has a past. This is the beginning of The Sunflower House by Adriana Allegri. As a young girl in Nazi Germany, Allina is what is called a Mischling, a person with some Jewish blood. One day the Nazis come into her village, and she loses everyone near and dear to her. She is sent to Hochland House. There she works to help the pregnant women who will give birth for the glory of the Fatherland. She also meets Gruppenfuhrer Karl von Strassberg. As Allina and Karl get to know each other, they discover that they are both appalled with Hochland House and especially, the impaired children on the third floor, who are part of Himmler’s eugenics program. Working together and at great danger to themselves, they attempt to help as many of the children as possible. A sad, but in its own way, uplifting story. I would recommend this book.

When Allina finds a wooden box hidden under her eldery mother's closet floor, her mother decides to tells her about her life in Nazi, Germany where she was a nurse in a Lebensborn home (aka Nazi baby factory). The children are treated horribly and Allina, along with a man she falls in love with, are determined to find a way to help them. This was a time in history I didn't have much knowledge of and a time period that was very tragic and heartbreaking. This was a very well researched, expertly written, page turner of a book that is definitely a must read!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book.

Allina has a great life in her small German village with her Aunt, Uncle, and fiance! But things are not as idyllic as they seem. When the SS storms her village, killing many of the citizens, Allina barely escapes with her life and is brought to Hochland Home to work. There she is faced with the horrors of the Himmler's Lebensborn Program. As she tries to survive and not let her true feelings show, she catches the attention of a high ranking SS Officer, Karl. Both have secrets to hide, but will they be able to learn to trust each other? And will they be able to stay safe?
This is an enjoyable historical fiction book that covers some parts of the Nazi eugenics programs that is rarely discussed. I first learned about these houses when I read Cradles of the Reich, by Jennifer Coburn, two years ago.
I found this one a bit difficult to get into, but as the story progressed I was anxious to find out what would happen! I appreciated the perspective of an average German citizen who had secrets to hide, trying to work through the horrors and fears of life under Nazi rule. It is not always a perspective we see much in WWII historical fiction. We know from the beginning that Allina has a child who she doesn't share her past with, as her daughter discovers a box with a swastika and asks her to explain. The theme of secrets and trusting others, and even the freedom of letting those secrets go runs throughout the story.
If you are a fan of intrigue, love, historical fiction, or just a really good story, I would recommend this one to you! It is set to be published 12 Nov, so add it to your TBR and check it out then!
Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the free advanced copy!
#NetGalley #TheSunfloweHouse

This is a fantastic read that kept me turning pages until I was finished. The story begins in 2006 in Ramsey, NJ when Katrine has to help her elderly mother, Allina, who had fallen and was treated in the hospital. While at her mother's house in her bedroom, she came across a loose floor board and upon prying it up, she found a wooden box with a swastika on it which contained letters and articles. She confronts her mother who agrees to tell her about the secrets that she had been keeping all of these years. The story then goes to the summer of 1938 in Badensburg, Germany where Allina is being raised by her aunt Claudia and uncle Dieter. Her uncle is working with the resistance and helping to save Jewish people. One night, her aunt and uncle are murdered and Allina is taken by the SS, assaulted and taken to the state-run baby factory called Hochland Home where she is forced to work as a nurse. There, she meets SS officer Karl who she eventually forms a friendship with and together they work together to try to save the children. I wish I could give this book more than 5 stars because it deserves it.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this very interesting book.

WWII historical fiction centered on a young Jewish woman who is forced to work in a Nazi Lebensborn home while keeping her identity a secret. It was interesting (and chilling) to learn about the Lebensborn program. It was an interesting book, but kind of typical of the genre: atrocities, acts of nobility and sacrifice, romance in the midst of the horror, etc. Recommended for fans of WWII historical fiction.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book.

This is an interesting take on WWII historical fiction. I had no idea that these baby making factories existed! The writing is excellent and the plot kept me interested. If you like WWII, you’ll enjoy this book!

The Sunflower House by Adriana Allegri is a story that took the author several decades to write. It is her debut novel. The story begins in the present day. Katrine rushes to her mother after she takes a fall off a ladder. She makes a very disturbing discovery under the floor boards in her mother’s closet. Katrine’s mother, Allina, asks her daughter for the opportunity to explain. The overriding question is will Katrine come to terms with what she wil learn.

The author writes this story in a dual time line. One is present day and the other just prior to and during World War II. Allina becomes a witness and a victim of Himmler’s eugenics program that ‘creates’ perfect Aryan children.

Allina and Officer Karl von Strassberg make plans to help the children who are rejected by the eugenics program. Allina and Karl were resisters who were trying to destroy Hitler’s Germany. Alina and Karl’s story gives the reader hope that there were Germans who didn’t agree with Hitler’s new Germany. Despite Karl’s ‘day’ job which ultimately makes his life a living hell, the author does an excellent job of making Allina and Karl sympathetic characters. The work the two did to save Jewish children from the Nazi War machine is inspiring.

Ms. Allegri clearly has done her research. Her writing is seamless and transportive. She brings the reader into the horrific moments of Hitler’s master race. Her characters are so well thought out and very memorable. The settings are so vivid that you can picture yourself at Houghlan House and the Sunflower House.

I highly recommend this debut novel. Ms. Allegri has a gift and I look forward to seeing what she has in store for us next.

I would like to thank Ms. Allegri, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.