In Munich, 1943, Margarete Weiss is sent to a castle to look after pregnant women, waiting to give birth, and then hand their babies over for the Lebensborn program.

These women were thoroughly vetted to make sure that they were Aryan, and all members of their families were too.

Margarete does all she can to ensure that she has a trail of all the babies and the mother’s with the hope of reuniting them one day.

Fast forward to 2005, and Kristel works for a TV company, and she’s interviewing people about the Lebensborn babies. When Margarete sees the programme, she decides to talk to Kristel about what she knows.

This is a haunting story, and at times I found it quite emotional.

I knew a little about the Lebensborn babies, but not a lot. This is a book of fiction but based on fact, and I learned a lot from it.

A story of fear and bravery.

Incredibly story. Had to actually take a few breaks, but not because I didn't enjoy it. Rather because I got overwhelmed with emotions thinking back to the stories my grandmother told me about the war.

According to Wikipedia, Lebensborn was a secret, SS-initiated, state-registered association in Nazi Germany with the stated goal of increasing the number of children born who met the Nazi standards of "racially pure" and "healthy" Aryans, based on Nazi eugenics. I knew a bit about this program, but not all. The propaganda machine was strong in Germany, and they were able to get young girls to have babies with SS members, then give them up for adoption, but they also convinced pregnant unmarried women to also give up their children for adoption. Although these girls sometimes changed their minds, once they arrived at the Lebensborn Homes, it was a done deal. This was an emotional story, hearing about the various young women and what they went through. It was disturbing to hear about the children that weren't perfect, so were sent to a hospital instead, not even giving the mother's an opportunity to keep them. Margarete's story is one of hope, a woman who tried to do her best for the young women and a doctor who tried to make delivery the best for the mothers and their babies. There is some romance, a lot of evil characters, and in the end, hope and uplifting reunions. This book once again points out that not all Germans that appeared to be working with the Nazis supported what was happening and tried to do their part to help others. It also highlights how powerful the propaganda was that brainwashed so many young people. This is a well written book, that shared the story of another aspect of WW2, that I didn't know a lot about. An excellent read.

A reporter named Kristel is investigating the Lebonsborn programme which took place in Germany under the Nazi rule and involved young Aryan mothers being forced to give up their babies to increase the “master race”. She interviews Maguerite who was involved in the programme and may have some information which could reunite families many years later.

Wow, this book has everything! There are two timelines and three narratives, and I was fully invested in each one. There’s romance, parts that are tense and thrilling and other parts that are horrifying and heartbreaking.

A lot of the story was based at a castle in the countryside that had been converted to a maternity home/hospital and the contrast of the beautiful scenery and the awful sinister activities going on inside, made this an eerie setting.

The author sensitively details with the horrific subject matter, giving a voice to Germans who didn’t agree with the Nazi polices but were forced to go along with them, and creating a moving and interesting story which made me feel a whole range of emotions.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical fiction about the experiences of women in WWII. Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for this eARC.

Note: Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and author Ann Bennett for the advanced reader copy of this book. What follows is my unbiased review of the book.

Having been adopted during the "baby scoop era" here in the United States, The Orphan List was a revelation for me. It seems that much of the policy that forced the separation of young, unwed mothers from their babies during the post-war years had its roots in Nazi eugenics and the desire to save the babies of "the master race." The book focuses on the Lebensborn program, which sought to stop women from terminating their pregnancies if their racial background was Aryan, and give their babies to "proper" German families to raise. Even though this is a work of historical fiction, the parallels to the "baby scoop era" were shocking to me.

In 2005, Margarete Weiss was sitting in an Italian care home when she saw a broadcast from Germany about a young reporter who was researching the Lebensborn program. This brings back memories for Margarete, who was a nurse at one of those homes in Germany. She has one of her carers contact the station so she can finally tell her story. Kristel is the young reporter who has been working on the story. After visiting the town her estranged mother grew up in, she thinks it's possible that her mother came through the Lebensborn program. It's personal for her, but it's also a human-interest story from World War II that she would like to bring to light.

Many horrors are revealed as Margarete tells the story of how she came to be involved in the Lebensborn program. Not only was the Lebensborn Home a place for unwed mothers to have their babies, but it also sought to deliver Aryan babies for the Fuhrer to help populate Germany with the "right" kind of children. Young girls would be indoctrinated before being recruited as volunteers to get pregnant by SS members and then sign the babies over to the State. Those babies would then be given to "proper" German families to raise as well.

Hedda is a young woman at the start of the war. She lives with her parents and sister and attends university. A young man named Sebastian catches her eye. He is kind, walking her home every night from the trolley, and her family likes him. When her family is killed in an air raid, Hedda goes to live with her aunt and uncle, who are anything but loving. Sebastian manages to get to see her. Once he is off fighting with the Wehrmacht, Hedda learns she is pregnant. Sebastian's answer to the problem is to send her to the Lebensborn program. Hedda does not want to give up her child, but she has no choice once she has entered the program.

The story tells how Margarete risks her own life and that of her family to try to help the girls she meets. Cautiously, she questions them about giving away their babies, but most are so indoctrinated that she gets nowhere. There are a few like Hedda, and Margarete, and a sympathetic doctor try to help them. Margarete begins keeping a journal of the mothers and babies who pass through the Lebensborn home she works at, hoping that it might be possible to reunite them.

The story here is told so well. Young Margarete is sympathetic. She is caught up in the horrors of the war, but cannot do much for fear her family will be targeted. Still, she risks her life to try to preserve some record of what is happening. For the rest of her life, though, she suffers from guilt feeling that she did not do enough. How she came to be in Italy and her life there is told a bit, and it seems she carried a lot on her shoulders. Hedda is a tragic character as her life is revealed throughout the story. I also liked Kristel, as a modern German citizen in 2005 who is still feeling the fallout of Nazi policies. All of them were compelling without being cliched.

Reading it from the perspective of an adoptee, I was horrified. Just as young women in the United States in the post-war years would be convinced that surrendering their child to adoption was the best thing for all concerned, these young German girls are indoctrinated to believe they are doing their duty to the Fuhrer and Germany. If they reconsider, they are treated as mentally ill and the child is removed regardless. I liked reading about how the separation from the mother who gave birth to them induced trauma in the babies, as this is something adoptees struggle with that few people want to talk about. German parents were instructed at the time not to cuddle their babies or stop their crying as it would make the child "weak." We now know how important contact and comfort are to a newborn; the exact opposite of what the Germans preached.

I gave this book five stars. It's definitely one of my top books this year. The story it tells is a sad one that has not been talked about much in the context of the many Nazi atrocities committed during the War. Our American politics still seems to want to push the same agenda now as our politicians talk about outlawing abortion to produce a "domestic supply of infants." That doesn't sound much different from the Lebensborn Program. Haven't we learned anything?

Such a great read! Highly recommend this one.

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

In this complicated historical fiction novel, Ann Bennett brings the Nazi Lebensborn program to life. Following nurse Margarete Weiss as she is forced to take an oath of loyalty and assigned to a Lebensborn home in a castle in the German countryside, readers discover the dark side of the Lebensborn program and the heartbreak it causes many young women. Alternating between multiple perspectives and years through POV switches and flashbacks/flashforwards, Bennett brings Margarete’s story to life. Highlighting the dangers involved with resisting the Nazis from the inside and the troubles of remembering these events, readers learn Margarete’s story with Kristel in 2005 through vibrant detail and complicated events. The characters are the best part of the novel, with complex and dynamic personalities and important relationships, and Bennett centers these characters and their relationships in this novel. Many of the characters are morally complex and often intentionally unlikable, and this contributes to the atmosphere and moral questions surrounding Nazi Germany and many of those who participated (willingly or unwillingly) in their various institutions and programs. A challenging, complicated, yet heartbreaking novel, Bennett’s latest book is a fantastic piece of World War II historical fiction with incredible characters and powerful descriptions.

The concept is good, perhaps it is because the market is saturated with so many WWII novels at this time.

Omg this book was so well written . It broke my heart, i know it is fiction, but we also know that the lebensborn program was real. So it coupd have happened. The young girls, brainwashed and used as Machines for the third reich. It broke my heart. I really loved the Main characters, for their resilience, hope , love and strength. A must read book. Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion

A heartbreaking story that draws you in from the first pages with great characters and a dual timeline storyline that works really well in both times. The historical aspect was also very interesting although again heartbreaking to think about. Definitely a book that will stay with you long after you have finished reading it

The Orphan List is an interesting and sometimes heartbreaking account of a horrible eugenics program in Nazi Germany during World War II. The story is told in two timelines - going between present day and the war. You hear from three points of view and it definitely had me interested in seeing how the three stories would eventually intersect.

The story though interesting initially started slow for me. However, it did eventually get to a point where I didn't put the book down until it was finished. This is the first book in a series and though this book is a standalone there is still lots left for the author to explore in a sequel.

One of the reasons I love historical fiction is that I love learning about new things. I had never heard of the Lebensborn program and was saddened by what I learned first from reading this story and then by doing some additional research. The author did a good job portraying the horrors of this issue.

Overall, The Orphan List is a well-done historical fiction novel about an awful Nazi program in Germany during WWII. If you are a fan of historical fiction you should definitely add this one to your list.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Oh my, what an astonishing story. I've read a few books about the Lebensborn programme, so the idea of it wasn't new to me. But that doesn't make it any less heartbreaking to read about.

I don't know how much of this story is true or if any of the characters were real people. Obviously Lebensborn was a real programme, young girls really were picked to have babies for the Fatherland. But I'm not sure if there really were nurses and doctors working against the Nazi machine to prevent it.
I suspect the characters are totally fictional, but I like to think that someone with Margarete's bravery really did exist. The book also shows how ordinary people were made to do awful things by the Nazi regime, how far would we go to protect our families? I hope we never have to find out.

I'm a massive fan of this genre of fiction, and have read more books than I care to think set around this time. There's always an element of romance that can, at times, detract from the heartbreaking story at the heart of it. But this is one of the best I have read. Ann had managed to weave a fantastic story that I just could not stop reading. I'm desperate for part 2.

This is a dual timeline story set during WWII in Germany and 2005 in Italy. Marguerite Weiss is in a care home in Italy when she sees a German program about the Lebensborn program, during WWII Germany. She reaches out to Kristel who has been investigating the program to educate others about it. She has a book she’s been keeping with information about the program since WWII.


The author did a great job of telling a compelling story, as well as teaching us about a painful part of Germany’s past. I learned more about the Lebensborn program after reading this book. It also reiterates the brainwashing that occurred with the youth that was raised with this ideology. It was also a good reminder that not all Germans supported what was happening, but it was dangerous to speak out for them. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author/


Thanks to @bookouture, @netgalley, and the author of this ARC

I ate the pages up as I eagerly read about Margarethe’s story.
I knew Kristel’s past would be intertwined somehow in the story as well.
I’ve long known about the repugnant Lebensborn program since the 1990s and more historical fiction seems to be catching on about it.
Bennett treats the entire subject with much compassion but it made my skin crawl to read about the breeding coupling and the brainwashed participants.

Just when I think I've hit all the depravity that was part of WW2, I read another book and learn more. This book had me hooked from beginning to end, and I was at times hopeful, horrified, sad, happy and amazed. The true strength that was shown in this book was incredible. You find yourself cheering for the characters and that they will be successful. A must read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the privilege to read this ARC in return for my honest review. My opinions are my own.

The Orphan List is the first in a new series from Ann Bennett which shines a light on the Lebensborn programme run by the Germans during World War Two. I had vaguely heard of this subject matter prior to reading this book but I didn’t know specific details so this proved to be an enlightening read. But Anne has provided the reader with a fascinating account into a terrible, shameful and inhumane policy inflicted upon so many women. I’m always blown away that so many years later there are still so many facets to World War Two that can be written about and as a reader I am continuously learning about new aspects of the war. The story is told from three points of view and moved back and forth between the past and the present. This method of telling the story worked very well and the movement between the timelines was smooth and effortless. The book opens with a very brief prologue where Hedda is travelling to Fussen in Bavaria to meet Sebastien. She has found herself in a situation and hopes that he will care for her. But little does she know what is around the corner and her trust might very well be misplaced.

The story then moves to Trento in Italy. It’s 2005 and Margarete is 90 and has spent several years in a care home. She promised herself that she would never go back to Germany where she was born and to all intents and purposes her carers believe that she is Italian. Margarete harbours many memories and secrets and now that she is old and feeble and her health is failing she wants to tell her story but she fears that she will die alone and unfulfilled. When she sees a news report from Germany by journalist Kristel her interest is piqued and the past comes rushing back to meet her. Now is the time she knows that she must share the burden which has weighed on her for so long. Contact is made with Kristel and soon she arrives at the care home where Margarete is ready and willing to share her haunting, traumatic and heart-breaking story.

Kristel has a vested interest in researching more about the Lebensborn programme. It is personal to her and the reasons for this become clearer the further we delve into the story. I had my suspicions right from the start regarding this aspect of the story and I was quite smug that I had worked things out so early on. I thought this is too predictable. I know where things are going to go regarding Kristel but I was delighted to be proven wrong and to be honest I should have known I was getting my timelines wrong. Kristel is an interesting enough character but not one who I was always eager to get back to in order to learn more about her. I felt she served her purpose well as the conduit to connect the past and the present but beyond that it as Margarete that I was deeply invested in as I keen to know more about what she did during the war. The romance aspect to Kristel’s storyline I could have done without. It just seemed too implausible and occurred far too quickly but feeling this way didn’t attract from my overall enjoyment and understanding of the story for it played only a very minor role.

Hedda is the third woman which the book focuses on. We get brief chapters every now and again from her viewpoint in the present day. She slowly reveals her story and how it connects to the overall picture. She is still suffering from her experiences during the war. Living alone in an apartment block in Munich she is miserable and depressed and the scars of the past are very much evident. She is but one example of the Lebensborn programme and how this systematic programme of eugenics destroyed so many people’s lives and tore women from their children. Hedda too sees Kristel’s report but has she the inner strength to share her story and if she does so will it allow for healing, forgiveness and acceptance or has too much water passed under the bridge?

Margarete is the stand out character from the book. She is the glue that holds all the pieces together. She holds true to her morals and convictions in the face of such a deplorable programme and she did this all to keep her family safe as they did not align with the Nazi’s way of thinking. Margarete works at a children’s hospital in Berlin as a nursery nurse. She is talented and dedicated to her job. So much so that she catches the eye of Nazi officials and before she knows it and with no other choice given her family’s stance on the Nazi’s rise to power and their actions she finds herself sent to Bavaria to work in a programme created by Himmler. She will work under a Doctor Finkel and time and time again her integrity will be tested but I loved how she always remained true to herself and what she believed in and what she knew to be right and just. At all times Margarete retained her humanity and did everything in a fair manner. She knew if a day of reckoning came then she could clearly face her conscience. I felt sorry for her that she was forced to leave the security of her job and the comfort of her family and be put in a situation where she didn’t agree with what was going on. Knowing that time and time again she was engaging in something that was wrongful, underhand and unforgivable I questioned how could she engage with it and live with herself but she had her family at the heart and centre of everything that she did and that deserved nothing but admiration.

So what exactly was the Lebensborn programme? It was a system where unmarried mothers were encouraged to keep their babies in order to increase the stock of Ayran children in the Fatherland. Women were sent to the castle in Bavaria (there were other homes dotted around Germany at the time also) where their ancestry and that of the father of their child were checked. If the requirements were met women would remain at the home until they had their babies upon which they would relinquish all parental rights and the babies were then in turn adopted by members of the SS or well to do Germans who were unable to have their own children. It was evident that the author had done lots of research into this topic and it was a real eye opener for me. I don’t know how the women could do what they did but then you have to take a step back and be subjective and look at the overall situation that they were in.

Another aspect of the programme involving women and men being accommodated at the home for a short time was actually stomach churning. The women seemed to be brainwashed into certain actions and it showed how under the Nazi’s thumb they were. Margarete knows she can’t stand by and do nothing and it was interesting to delve deeper into story to learn and understand the remarkable actions that she under took. She knew she one woman alone couldn’t stop the onslaught of such a forceful and powerful programme but through the actions that are described and the courage she possess she does her small bit that will one day go on to hopefully have positive consequences.

There is a romance aspect to the story for Margarete and I felt it worked much better than that of Kristel’s. It felt genuine and that Margarete deserved happiness and through working with this person she was doing her utmost best and could stand over every action no matter what danger it placed her in. There is one major question that went unanswered at the end of the book and yes I was frustrated because of this but it only means I am desperate for book two in the hopes that it will continue on even though some aspects have been already been resolved. There is also one other character where I felt oh we don’t know specifics about them so maybe there could be more to come about them in the future. The Orphan List was an informative, heart-breaking, well plotted and well developed book which shows that resistance no matter how big or small will always make a difference.

This was on emotional book. I’ve read a few books about the Lebensborn program in the last couple of years. Most have been from the perspective of the women who were forced to have their babies there, or from the present tense of people looking for information. This book has a bit of all of it, but the part I enjoyed the most was Maragarete’s perspective. Reading from a nurse’s perspective, especially one who didn’t support the Nazi ideations, was a great POV. I can only imagine how many women were in Margarete’s shoes in Germany. The things the Nazis expected them to do, and the trauma that so many young women were forced to endure ‘in the name of the Reich’ is always hard to read.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC (Advance Reader Copy) of The Orphan List by Ann Bennett. Wow, what a book! I had never heard of the Ledensborn program before reading this book. It broke my heart. What a difficult subject for the author to research and write about. It was very well written. I have never read this author before, but I will look for more of her books. I realize it was historical fiction, but I learned a lot. An excellent read! A 5 star rating from me.

I love reading historical fiction that teaches me something new, and this book accomplished just that. Going into the book, I'd never heard of the Lebensborn program in Nazi Germany during WWII. It was interesting to read the book and then do my own research and read more about it. This book definitely brought out all of the emotions, and it was a powerful read.

Munich, 1943, the war rages on across Europe and children continue to be taken from their mother’s. Margarete Weiss works in a home for mother’s. She thinks her purpose is to create a safe place for young German mothers to have their babies. But soon she realizes why she is actually there. The Nazi secret party is taking newborn babies from their young German mother’s as soon as they are born. She must put a stop to it and is willing to risk her own life to keep the babies with their mothers. Italy 2005, Magarete is 90 years old and is being interviewed by a reporter named Kristel. Margarete shares the information with Kristel she has kept hidden for so many years. But information always comes at a cost.

The Orphan List, written by author Ann Bennett is an emotional and heartbreaking story of the things that happened during the war that no one wants to talk about. This well written and phenomenal story of events of some of the darkest times in our history. Bennett is outstanding in researching the facts of history and putting them into words that people can understand. This emotional story had me reaching for the tissues as the tears ran down my face. I couldn’t bring myself to read this book in one sitting because of the emotional impact. I had to take a break to catch my breath. This phenomenal story was well written and I was inspired by the characters. I highly recommend this book.