Hannah was supposed to join her parents in emigrating to Palestine, but when she becomes ill, she and her Opa stay behind. One day, the pair find themselves in the Theresienstadt prison. The model ghetto allows prisoners to create art, and lucky women work in the glimmer factory, producing mica for the German Army. The prison also becomes the site of a propaganda film Hannah's childhood friend Hilde wants to produce. Before the filming begins, Hannah must decide if she'll join the resistance or remain submissive to the Nazi machine. In the meantime, Hilde is confronted by a sexist boss. How will the young women navigate their new realities?
This book is long, but I enjoyed it. Hannah and Hilde are likable characters.
I didn't realize a Nazi prison camp allowed concerts and other performances by prisoners. These performances gave prisoners a small level of normalcy and hope as they faced death.
I also enjoyed the historical aspect. The author's notes at the end of the book add extra information and bring the book to life even more.

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark for a free advanced reader copy of this book.

This book follows two women on different side of World War II. One a jew that experiences living in a concentration camp, and the other a serpent of the Reich who made her way into making propaganda. When they reconnect, life gets more complicated and dangerous for the both of them.

I generally think this was a good book. I thought the commentary on propaganda was really the highlight of the book for me. Even to the end, Hilde believes in the Nazi agenda.

Overall heartbreaking and thought provoking

The Girls of the Glimmer Factory is a gripping, meticulously researched historical novel that brings to life the stark realities of Theresienstadt—where Nazi propaganda masquerades as culture and comfort while the truth of suffering simmers beneath the surface. Through alternating perspectives, Hannah’s courage and quiet resistance shine as a testament to the human spirit, while Hilde’s moral unraveling offers a chilling view of ambition entangled with ideological blindness. Coburn’s immersive storytelling, rich detail, and emotionally complex characters make this both a haunting and unforgettable journey through one of history’s darkest chapters.

I’ve enjoyed Jennifer Coburn’s writing before—her debut novel pulled me right in—and this new release did the same. She has a real gift for weaving historical detail into an engaging story, and in this book I learned about a chapter of World War II history I hadn’t encountered before.

This novel tells the dual story of Hannah, a Jewish prisoner forced to participate in the Nazis’ propaganda project at Theresienstadt, and Hilde, a believer in Hitler’s cause working in the Reich Ministry of Propaganda. The contrast between these two characters—their worldviews, choices, and complicated shared past—creates an emotional tension that kept me turning the pages. The fact that Coburn based the book on the real Nazi propaganda film Hitler Gives a City to the Jews made it all the more chilling.

What I appreciated most was how Coburn showed the power of propaganda, resistance, and friendship without ever losing sight of the humanity of her characters. Hannah’s bravery and determination to reveal the truth are inspiring, while Hilde’s perspective—however difficult to read at times—adds depth and nuance to the narrative.

If you enjoyed Cradles of the Reich or are drawn to historical fiction like The Forest of Vanishing Stars or The German Wife, this one will definitely resonate. It’s poignant, suspenseful, and ultimately hopeful, shining a light on courage in the darkest of times.

I really wanted to get into historical fiction vibes this year but unfortunately it just isn’t for me. I enjoyed the storyline and the importance though! Thank you for the chance to read!

Loved this story of two very different young women's experiences during the Holocaust. As always, the fortitude and resilience of the women who survived the death camps just overwhelms me. Coburn tells their stories with grace and feeling. Highly recommended! Thank you for my copy!

This is a powerful story about deception, sabotage and survival that takes you on an incredibly emotional journey through the eyes of two women on opposite sides of the war. Two women, that before Hitler’s agenda, were childhood friends.

I love historical fiction where I learn something and this one did not disappoint. I have not read a book set in Theresiendadt and was amazed at how the Nazis sold this ghetto as a retirement camp to the Jews and as a safe place for those imprisoned to the Red Cross. While there is a lot of pain and trauma in this book, I also was inspired by how the Jews turned to art and music to give them hope. That element was so uplifting.

Hannah is the perfect realist in balance to her Opa’s optimism and positivity, but he also embodies that if we don’t have hope we don’t have anything. I really loved their interactions and would have liked more of it. They were such a special part of the story.

Hilde was so unlikeable, but she was a Nazi that bought into Hitler’s propaganda. What can I expect? I think she has a moment of realization and compassion at the end of the book, and this is another element I would have liked a little more of.

I was a bit disappointed that we didn't learn exactly why there was a "Glimmer Factory" until the end. Overall, I thought it would play a bigger part of the story.

This book is extremely well-researched so don’t skip the author’s notes.

Thank you @jennifercoburnbooks @bookmarked @netgalley for this ARC available now!

This book examines the propaganda machine of the Germans during WWII.
Because Hannah was sick, she couldn't escape Prague with her family. Her grandfather stays behind with her, and they plan to leave. But, they are taken to Theresienstadt, a place where the Jews are allowed to have music and arts. This is all so the Germans can make a propaganda film to show the treatment of Jews is not at all bad. Hannah's childhood friend, Hilde, believes in the cause and is working for the government. She wants to make the film and offers Hannah an opportunity. Hannah is wise to the propaganda, and is working for the Resistance, doing what she can to stop the German onslaught. The Glimmer Factory is where they worked with mica scraps used in German planes, and other items.

I previously read “Cradles of the Reich” by this author & loved it so I was excited for this one! Jennifer Coburn is quickly becoming a must read author for me. Her writing keeps you hooked for sure.

I struggled to get into this book but once I did get into it, it was a good historical fiction read!

I loved the author’s previous book, Cradles of the Reich, so I was excited to receive a copy of this one. Though not a direct sequel, I was surprised—and intrigued—to see that Hilde’s story continues in Girls of the Glimmer Factory.

As with the first book, the writing and the historical research are excellent. I found myself despising Hilde all over again, which speaks to how effectively the author brings her to life. In contrast, I was completely drawn to Hannah’s character—she was the heart of the story for me.

This is another compelling, immersive read from the author, and fans of Cradles of the Reich won’t be disappointed.

Hannah didn't flee Austria with the rest of her family when she had a chance. Instead she stayed to care for her ill grandfather and then she was unable to escape. Ending up in Theresienstadt, the 'model' concentration camp. Hannah feels fortunate to get a place in the 'glimmer factory,' where mica was processed for use in building German aircraft. All of the camp's inmates are aware that many are being moved from Theresienstadt to the death camps further east. When the camp is prepared for filming a propaganda 'documentary,' Hannah's old friend Hilde shows up.

Hilde is working with the Nazis as a filmmaker to illustrate to the world that the German 'camps' are not the horrible places rumor has them to be. Hannah is determined to show the world the truth about the concentration camp by sabotaging the film. Hilde is ardently determined to show that the Nazis are saviors and Hitler's policies will benefit the world.

Hannah and her fellow resistance workers in the camp do their best to make the movie difficult to film and to give it meaning unintended by the Nazis.

Anyone fascinated with the horrors of WWII will want to read this book.

Once again historical fiction has taught me something about WWII I'd never heard of before much less learned in school. The Girls Of The Glimmer Factory is an unflinching look behind the scenes of the Nazi propaganda machine from both sides of the camera - how they wanted the world to think they were treating the Jewish people, and anyone else they deemed undesirable, and how they were actually treating them at a hellish place called Theresienstadt. I held my breath for Hannah until the last page, raged at Hilda throughout, and couldn't stop thinking about how these horrifying events are still so maddeningly relevant in today's present society. This book will stay with me for a long time.

What a gut punch! It’s been a while since I’ve read a historical fiction novel centered around World War II, but I’m so glad this is the one I chose to pick up. Despite being raised Jewish and learning quite a bit about the Holocaust, I had never heard of Theresienstadt ghetto and knew nothing of the propaganda films made there. It was truly fascinating and horrifying to read about. I loved Hannah and her people so much. She just felt so normal and real to me. Hilde was a well written character, but of course, I was happy when her fate was revealed.

Epilogues are not something I always find necessary, but I was so happy to see how everyone’s lives ended up, whether they went on to live a long time or were killed in the camps. This was an emotional and sobering book, but one I would heartily recommend!

This is a fantastically written well researched historical fiction novel. My favorite historical fiction revolves around the Holocaust, and this one was so fantastic and heartbreaking. Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the eARC.

During WWII the Germans initiated a propaganda campaign to show that they treated the Jews humanely. Theresienstadt was a ghetto that they used as a model example of their Jewish communities. In reality, this ghetto was horrible and dangerous, despite the Germans sprucing it up and dressing up the inhabitants to film them looking well cared for and healthy. Hannah is living in the ghetto and along with the other Jews. She and other reidents know what’s expected of them but that doesn’t prevent some of them from wanting to show the world the real conditions. Hannah puts herself at risk by working with the resistance and trying to sabotage the Germans.

Hilde is a local girl with aspirations of becoming a famous filmmaker. She will do whatever it takes to convince the man responsible for creating films of the ghetto, to use her ideas and let her assist with the filming. Fully invested in the Nazi ethos, she is determined to create a stunning piece of propaganda that supports Hitler’s version of the truth. But Hilde is shocked when she finds her childhood friend Hannah among the ghetto residents. Always needing approval, Hilde reaches out to the girl who was once her good friend, but her ignorance of reality is truly stunning.

Despite Theresienstadt’s purported image as a comfortable Jewish settlement, the Jews are starving and there are regular deportations to death camps. Some put themselves at additional risk by participating in acts of resistance. Make no mistake, this ghetto was a real labor camp and the attempt to paint it as humane and benevolent was totally false.

Hannah’s situation is more tragic than Hilde’s. But, as much as Hilde is deplorable, she’s also pathetic. Coburn captures the fear and desperation of both women as they try to survive the Nazi regime.

If you read Jennifer Coburn’s Cradles of the Reich then you definitely need to pick up The Girls of the Glimmer Factory.

One of the girls from Cradles of the Reich, Hilde, is one of the main characters in this book that takes place after that one ended. Hilde is still loyal to the Reich and is trying to get another job after returning to Berlin following the death of her husband. She secured a job working on a propaganda film and encounters a childhood friend in the Jews Ghetto of Theresienstadt.

Hannah was supposed to be with her family traveling to Palestine but contracted smallpox and was not able to leave so her grandfather stayed behind with her. Eventually, they are transported to Theresienstadt believing it would be a safe a prosperous place for Jews but quickly learned that was not the case.

This book tells two sides to a difficult time in history. One is a story of survival from the atrocities inflicted on the Jewish people at the hands of the Nazi. The other is a story from the other side of the coin of an individual living their life following along with the expectations of their country.



Thank you publishers and netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

The Girls of the Glimmer Factory is a powerful and haunting story that brought Theresienstadt vividly to life. I was moved by the way it honored the resilience of those who resisted through art and truth, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it long after I finished.

The Nazis were all about propaganda and how things looked. When they had to prepare for inspections for the Red Cross or other agencies, they would hide the sick and elderly and show the Jews in camp Theresienstadt praying and enjoying themselves. Many of the resistance are trying to make the world see the truth.

Hannah plans to disrupt the Nazis plans regardless of the danger to her. This book was just as incredible as the authors other works. She shows a side of WWII many haven't written about yet. The Glimmer Factory is told in alternating POVs. This book is well researched, and I really enjoyed reading about another ghetto I didn't know existed.

The Girls of the Glimmer Factory is WWII historical fiction, and like Jennifer Coburn's first, in a perspective than is different than what I've read before, so I appreciate it. This is set at Theresienstadt, which was a Jewish ghetto in Germany that was dedicated to the arts for the purpose of German propaganda, to show the world, including the Red Cross and the League of Nations, that the Jews were being treated well, even while being starved, imprisoned, worked to death and then sent to Auschwitz and other concentration camps. This book follows Hannah, a young Jewish woman whose family moved from Germany to Czechoslovakia to avoid the Nazis, only to get sent to the camp with her grandfather, while other family members escaped to Palestine. Hannah finds friendship, love and family in the camp, and reluctantly is pulled into resistance activities. Hilda is a Nazi who was friends with Hannah as children. Hilda is working on a film to show the world the camp, and reconnects with Hannah. Their reunion wasn't very satisfying, but the rest of the book was well done and I am glad to have learned more about this aspect of the Holocaust.