The Girls of the Glimmer Factory is the first historical fiction I've read in a while (Thank you @bookmarked for the ARC) and I couldn't put it down. It's hard leaving characters in places like Theresienstadt (based on a real place) where our main character Hannah is taken after her Grandfather buys a "lakeside cottage in a spa town for Jews". Described as a "paradise settlement" and "Hitler's gift to the Jews", it was anything but. Its purpose was to make the world believe Jews were being treated nicely. Prisoners produced works of art, put on performances, operas, lectures, readings. All of this was in addition to their assigned "jobs" like working in a factory splitting mica into thin sheets which causes tiny cuts on their hands.

The Nazis plan to make a propaganda film at Theresienstadt to show the world what they want to show them, but Hannah and her friends have a plan. They can't stop the film but maybe they can show the truth after all.

The Girls of the Glimmer Factory is all about the characters. Watching Hannah as she changes from when she enters Theresienstadt to the end of the novel is interesting. She is always the same good person but her bravery and leadership develops along the way. Her friend Misa is a wonderful character who I liked right away. There are many others who all work together in different ways.

Chapters from Hannah's perspective alternate with Hilde, a childhood friend and true Nazi supporter. She isn't a sympathetic character, but her chapters are still interesting. She wants to make a name for herself in filmmaking. Their paths cross again when Hilde is assigned to the propaganda film. I can't say anymore without spoilers about what happens when they meet again.

Things get very interesting as the filming approaches. Time is not on the prisoners' side, but their fight and determination will never end.

This book will make you cry. It will make you stay up late reading. If you like historical fiction add this to your list!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…

~ I love learning about the Holocaust (so many different stories of bravery and depravity)
~ I would hope that I would be as brave as the characters that I read about
~ We should always read to learn, so as NOT TO REPEAT!!

This was a story told from two points of view. Hilde, a young woman who believes in the mission of the Reich. Hannah, a young jewish woman determined to wait out the war, safely. Their paths have crossed before and will do so again.

Hannah was set to relocate to Palestine with her family before getting sick. Her grandfather stays with her and they will meet the family when they get their travel papers. However, they are sent to Theresienstadt, a model ghetto where the Nazis plan to make a propaganda film to convince the world that the Jewish people are living well in the camps.

Hilde, wants to prove herself to the Reich and the Nazi cause and works in the Ministry of Enlightenment. She wants to help create the film that will prove Hitler’s plans for Jewish containment.

This is a must read story for anyone who thinks that fascism can’t happen. This is a story for all those who want to dig a little deeper into the atrocities of this time and the stories of resistance and survival.

This is not an easy read but such a necessary read. It is very well researched and very well written!! Jennifer Coburn is a favorite author of mine because she tells the story of such a difficult time, with such grace and compassion. (There are those who would erase this time in history! So, educate yourself with learning and reading about this time period!)

5 HUGE stars for me!

80 years after Auschwitz was liberated, when there are still far too many being held hostage by Hamas, this book seems more important than ever to read. An informative, heartbreaking, empowering and loving book about the horrors that Jewish people faced in Terezin, the Nazi's "Model camp/ghetto" during WWII. Told in two different points of view, that of Hannah, a young Jewish woman sent to live and work at Terezin. And her best friend from childhood, Hilde, a member of the Nazi party working on a propaganda film that will show the world just how wonderful Terezin is and how well they treat the Jews. An incredibly well written, researched and executed book. Filled with emotions, you can't help but feel them all throughout some of the scariest times. A message to the world, that not everything is what it seems, propaganda and the news can paint a picture much different than what things seem. Yet another story showing the absolute horrors experienced at the hands of the Nazis, but also the sheer strength, determination and grit that Jewish people showed during this time. A beautifully written story about an ugly time. An important part of history that everyone should learn about. Thank you Jennifer Coburn for writing such a magnificent book.

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

I really loved Jennifer’s first book and I was looking for to finishing this one but unfortunately I ran out of time on netgalley and didn’t get to finish would have been a 5 sense with the wonderful writing.

Thank you Sourcebooks for my #gifted copy of The Girls of The Glimmer Factory! #TheGirlsOfTheGlimmerFactory #JenniferCoburn #sourcebooks #bookmarked #sourcebookslandmark

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐉𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟐𝟖, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

𝟱★

The Girls of the Glimmer Factory was well-researched and highlights the dangers of propaganda. Based on the real story of Theresienstadt, which was a model ghetto that was used during WWII to try to conceal the horrors of the Holocaust, and to dispel myths of the mistreatment of Jewish prisoners. This book was so well-written and had me hooked from the very first page. I regret the fact that I’ve not yet read Crafles of the Reich, and will definitely be grabbing a copy to read ASAP by Coburn!

Hannah is a Jewish prisoner at Theresienstadt, a model ghetto where the Nazis make propaganda girls to convince the rest of the world that the Jewish people are living well in the camps. But Hannah is willing to do anything to disrupt the films and show the world the truth. Hilde is a Nazi sympathizer who is helping to create the documentaries that will help the world have new confidence in Hitler’s plan for Jewish containment. When the filming of Hitler Gives a City to the Jews faces production issues faces problems with resistances, she sees a familiar faces in Hannah from her childhood. Capitalizing on their past friendship, she hopes to get filming back on track and finally make a name for herself.

This was such a page-turner. I loved the dual POV format of this book, especially with the perspectives being that of a Jewish prisoner and a Nazi sympathizer. I really enjoyed learning about Theresienstadt and the role propaganda played during this time period. This was truly a fascinating and powerful reading about resistance and bravery. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves historical fiction.

Posted on Goodreads on January 27, 2025: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around January 27, 2025: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on January 28, 2025
**-will post on designated date

The Girls of the Glimmer Factory by Jennifer Coburn

As with all WWII historical fiction, readers can expect emotion, strength, and resiliency tucked in these pages. Many of my historical fiction reads have been WWII era, so I found the beginning of this one to be slow and repetitive.

However I appreciated the extensive research that went into this. And I appreciated the author’s note at the end. I also found the moral conflict angle the book presented to be interesting.

If you’re looking for a WWII-era historical fiction or an emotional read, check this out.

In 1941 Hannah and her family are planning to leave Czechoslovakia and go to Palestine. At the last minute Hannah becomes ill and she is left behind with her grandfather, Oskar. As the Nazis take more and more control Oskar "buys" a cottage in Theresienstadt ghetto. This was set up as propaganda to show how well the prisoners were treated. In reality it was slave labor and a stop before being sent to the camps.

Hilde was a childhood friend of Hannah's and a true believer of the Reich. As a widow of 20 years old she wants to make propaganda films. I found her to be manipulative and a schemer who lies to get whatever she wants.

Oskar drove me a little nuts. I couldn't tell if he was really that optimistic, ignorant or just delusional thinking things were okay. Even when a guard told him to turn back on the way to the ghetto he didn't. He should have been an endearing character but not for me.

Hannah had many friends and there was a small resistance group at work. At first she worked restoring old manuscripts but eventually volunteered for the glimmer factory thinking it would give her a layer of protection from being sent to a camp. Glimmer factory almost sounds like a happy place but it was still slave labor where the women shaved off mica.

This was a difficult story to read, the horror of that time in history never becomes easy. How people can survive for years on a crust of bread and thin soup and work from dawn to dusk shows their determination and resilience. The author did an amazing job of showing us another ghetto that I never knew existed and I would highly recommend this, especially to fans of historical fiction.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me with a digital copy.

Nothing that happened during WWII should be shocking, but this is another eye opening read about the control and propaganda the Nazi's created to try and once again prove what they were doing was a benefit to those they've imprisoned and how dare anyone believe otherwise. Lie after lie after lie is all that they did. This novel follows two opposing women who once had a friendship before the war changed things. Hannah and her grandfather get round up and are taken to Theresienstadt, where it has been promised that there are cabins by the lake, a focus on art and music and theatre. They will be able to worship and are being well fed and cared for. As we all know, it is far from any of what has been dreamed up. Hilde has always believed the Reich is doing all it can to better the lives of the German's. Look at all they are doing to better the race and how dare these people think otherwise. When it is found that there is a documentary to be filled at Theresienstadt to show the world how wonderful this place is for the Jew's she knows she must have a hand in this. Film is her dream! But when she gets to the camp, she realizes things are not as they appear and when she finds someone from her past, she starts to wonder if maybe things are not as they seem. Another amazing WWII novel and I loved all of the historical things in the Author's Note at the end. I enjoy that this author always has a challenging character to help show the naivety some had. Thank you to the author for the complementary novel and to Suzy Approved Tours for the tour invite. This review is of my own opinion and accord.

The Girls of the Glimmer Factory is a must-read historical fiction novel that shines a light on Theresienstadt, a Jewish prison camp located outside of Prague during WWII. The Nazis tried and were successful at ‘billing’ this as a spa-like community where one could see the water, read books, attend lectures, listen to music and attend concerts. They not only sold this pack of lies to unwitting Jews but to the public at large. Life at Theresienstadt was hard labor, filth, illness and starvation. The story tells of two childhood best friends who became separated because Hannah was a Jew. The German friends name was Hilde. Her family was loyal to the Reich. The girls had no idea why they couldn’t play any more. Hilde’s mother slammed the door in Hannah’s face one day when she came to play with Hilde.

The Girls of the Glimmer Factory is the second book I have read by Jennifer Coburn. The Girls of the Glimmer Factory started off a little slow for me but the pace picked up. The bulk of the story is told by Hannah. After sometime at Theresienstadt (which was said to be a model work camp where the Jews were treated well) Hilde arrives in order to make a film for the Nazi’s to show that the Jews aren’t treated so terribly. Hannah and Hilde end up meeting again at Theresienstadt.

Jennifer Coburn's extensive research is present throughout the story with its immense detail and wonderfully created characters. Ms. Coburn poignantly demonstrates the bonds of love and friendship as well as greed and man’s inhumanity to man. Most successfully, Ms. Coburn depicts the resilience of the human spirit which is woven throughout the story line.
I had never heard of Theresienstadt. I learned so much from this novel, and it is one that will stay with me for a long time. Well done. I am anxious to see what Ms. Coburn has in store for us next.

When you are done reading you must read the authors note where she states what was real and which parts were altered for the story. It is always interesting to see what facts the author has included in her story.

I would like to thank Ms. Coburn, Sourcebooks Landmark, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“Where there is music, it cannot be so terrible.”

I read Jennifer Coburn’s debut, Cradles of the Reich, and was fortunate enough to hear her surreal at the Tucson Festival of Books, so when I saw this on NetGalley, I immediately requested it. I did not realize this would have one of the same characters from the first book, because it is not listed as a sequel. It can certainly be read as a stand alone, although I would highly recommend reading both!

Coburn again brings an incredible amount of research to The Girls of the Glimmer Factory, highlighting a little-known event during WWII which was used as propaganda by the Nazis.

This is a chunky novel at just under 500 pages, but it reads much quicker than that because I was so invested in the story. I will continue to pick up what Coburn writes!

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25

What you’ll find:
- Dual POVs
- Juxtaposition of those inside a concentration camp with a clueless German girl wanting to work for the Reich
- Themes of hope and resilience

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark for a digital copy through NetGalley.

Coburn’s second book is not less compelling and disquieting as her first one was.
After I finished this book I had to let it all soak in, the enormity of the story plus all the work and research Corburn did to produce another stunning novel.
I had no sympathy for Hilde and thought she deserved exactly the crop she produced with the seeds she planted.
Hannah’s character undergoes many transformations and had the tenacity to hang on.
My favorite characters were Oskar and Radek. I loved Oskar because he tried to be cheerful and have an optimistic countenance even in the face of denial.
Radek was a protector and I loved his parting words to Hannah, soulful and sorrowful though they were.
This novel is one that will stay with me for a long time.

Hannah is a Jewish slave laborer in the Terezin ghetto, while Hilde is a Nazi propaganda filmmaker. Before Kristallnacht, Hannah and Hilde were childhood friends in Munich. Their paths cross again when the Nazi regime creates a propaganda film.

This book is both compelling and profoundly horrifying. It is well-researched, and its poignancy was heightened for me after visiting the Terezin ghetto in the summer of 2024. Reading this book provides valuable insight into the Glimmer Factory and the Terezin ghetto.

I highly recommend this book. Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark Paperbacks and NetGalley for providing an early read in exchange for an honest review. This is another well-written, well-researched work that shares the important history of World War II and the horrors of the Holocaust. 5 Stars.

✨️The Girls of the Glimmer Factory by Jennifer Coburn is an emotional and inspiring novel based on the real story of Theresienstadt during World War II. It’s a powerful reminder that what we see or hear through media isn’t always the truth. The story follows two women. Hannah, a German Jew, is sent to Theresienstadt, a ghetto deceptively presented as a "model community" to the world. On the other hand, there’s Hilde, a German woman who believes in the Nazi cause and is eager to climb the ranks of the Reich. She seizes the chance to work on a propaganda film showcasing the ghetto.

The book is so well-researched and really highlights the incredible talent that existed within Theresienstadt. The world lost forever so many teachers, musicians, artists, and so much more. The fakeness the Nazis portrayed never fails to evoke anger and heartbreak in me, no matter how many books I read about the Holocaust. This one left me reflecting on humanity again.

The contrast between Hannah and Hilde is written so well. One woman is determined to expose the truth, and the other is focused on advancing herself no matter the cost. Propaganda may make some people comfortable, but at whose expense?✨️

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for this book.

I'm blown away by the amount of research and authentic detail Jennifer Coburn infuses into her novels, and The Girls of the Glimmer Factory is another prime example. Even if you think you've read everything you could possibly learn about World War 2 and the Holocaust, Coburn finds a unique angle to the topic, along with intriguing characters you really become invested in. I'd never given a thought to the production of Nazi propaganda videos, but I was instantly pulled into Hannah's story, and how it intertwined with that of her childhood friend Hilde. The book was perhaps a little long, and it is definitely hard to read about antisemitism in the context of our modern moment. But ultimately the narrative was so strong and compelling that I was hooked.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the complimentary eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Jennifer Coburn did it again with a very well-researched historical fiction book. It was a gripping read about Theresienstadt, one of the camps during WWII that created propaganda films. The films were shared with the public that the Jews were thriving in the camps. I wasn’t familiar with Theresienstadt so it was educational read for me. I liked how there were two different POVs. I did found it to be slow at the beginning, but I knew it would be worth it to continue. I’m glad that I did because it is a compelling book. It was tough at times to read because the propaganda on social media has been fueling the antisemitism that we are facing today.. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Just as Hannah is set to evacuate to Palestine with her family, she comes down smallpox, leaving her too sick to travel. Her grandfather stays behind with her, and the rest of her family goes ahead. Then, before they can join them, Hannah & her grandfather are sent to Theresienstadt, a model ghetto where the Nazis plan to make a propaganda film to convince the world that the Jewish people are living well in the camps. Hannah joins a group of other young resistance members who are determined to disrupt the filming, and derail the deportations to the death camps in the east. Hannah's childhood friend Hilde however, has chosen a different path. She joined the Reich and is working to produce the films. She truly believes in the Nazi cause and hopes that the documentary they are producing will renew confidence in Hitler's plans for Jewish containment, as well as help to make a name for herself as a filmmaker.

What a timely book this was. Just reading about the lengths the Nazis went through to dupe the Red Cross as well as others that they were treating Jewish people so wonderfully, all while starving them and making them live and work in deplorable conditions disgusted me. Then don't even get me started on the lies they told about Auschwitz & the other death camps. I don't understand how anyone can read about the things that went on back then, and still to this day find them ok, or even worse, want to emulate them. This book will break your heart, but it is beautifully written, well researched, and it is something I think everyone should read.

Hannah is a young German-Jewish woman living with her family in Prague at the time of the Nazi occupation. Her parents have 4 visas to immigrate to Palestine, but then Hannah comes down with smallpox and her grandmother takes her place, leaving her and her grandfather. They are then interned in Theresienstadt. At the same time, Hilde, a German young woman finds out her husband has been killed in battle. Relocating to Berlin, she's determined to get a job with the Reich and ends up working for the Ministry of Propaganda in the film division.

The novel moves back and forth between Hannah's life in the ghetto and Hilde's ambition to work on the Nazi's film about Theresienstadt. At about the halfway point, we learn how the two are connected.

This is an incredibly well researched book. The author's notes at the end detail everything she did and everyone she spoke with to learn about life in Theresienstadt. I wanted to read this book because I hadn't read anything yet about this ghetto, which housed some of the most noted artists, musicians, and intellectuals in Europe who created a series of cultural events in the ghetto that helped people cope with the deprivation they were experiencing.

I'm rating this book a 4 because I felt that the author's need to balance chapters between Hilde and Hannah took away from the impact of the story. I would have introduced Hilde later, right before she ended up working on the film.

Thanks to the publisher for an ARC via NetGalley.

A beautifully written heartbreaker that follows Hilde, who has bought into the Nazi party and Hannah a Jewish teen who has been sent to Theresienstadt with her beloved grandfather. Make no mistake, the loathsome Hilde is not ideological- she is only interested in herself and she's determined to become a film maker. Hannah, on the other hand is doing everything possible to keep herself, her grandfather and her fellow prisoners alive even at risk to herself. The constrast between the two women could not be greater especially when they come face to face. No spoilers. It's Hannah whose resilience and determination that makes this so hard to read in spots. Coburn has created some images that are unforgettable in some instances for their horror as well as in other cases for their sweetness. Do not miss the afterword material. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I thought about skipping this (WWII novel overload) but I'm so glad I didn't- it's a cautionary tale and an important read. Highly recommend.

THE GIRLS OF THE GLIMMER FACTORY by Jennifer Coburn is a well-researched and gripping story set in Theresienstadt, a model ghetto in German-occupied Czechoslovakia during World War II. It housed Czech, Austrian and German Jews and was a waystation to the Nazi extermination camps. Theresienstadt was also used by the Germans for propaganda films to convince the world that the Jewish people were living well in the camps. Nothing could be further from the truth. Hannah Kaufman and her grandfather wind up in this settlement after being transported from Prague. They are forced to participate in a propaganda film, but Hannah and other people of the resistance, plot to secretly expose the horrible conditions and deportations to the death camps from the settlement. Hannah is shocked to see her childhood friend, Hilde on the filmmaking crew. Hilde is a firm believer in the Nazi cause and hopes her work for the Reich Ministry of Enlightenment and Propaganda will aid the Nazi plans to contain the Jews. Two childhood friends end up on opposite sides of the Nazi regime and the story is told from both their points of view. This is a haunting and heart-wrenching story that shows the courage, resilience and the will to survive of Jewish people imprisoned by the Nazis. Don’t miss the informative Author’s Note at the end. I highly recommend this excellent work of historical fiction and thank the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an early copy.

wow wow wow. this was an emotional and heartbreaking read. like most books tend to be of this time. it really got to me. and i was all in and couldnt stop thinking about it throughout. even afterwards ive gone on to read more about the camp and what similar things our real life humans had to go through at this time. and also the propaganda videos they dare to try and put out there. and sadly how many people fell for this misinformation seems highly appropriate even to what we are struggling with in todays society and that on its own is highly worrying.
i cant imagine how anyone could cope with the life people were thrust in to. everyone had their struggles at that time. but then there are the people that really really were handed so much pain and suffering. and for nothing. its so horrific and i still get upset about it today and the injustice of it all. and again worryingly so about some of the parallels between what is currently going on for pockets of our own society and how power is become once again a little scary.
the bravery of people of this time. i cant fathom being in one of those camps. the worry i have about it now does me in!
this book really shines a bright light on both the survivors and warriors of that time and those that inflicted that pain and suffering on to them. and i always felt like i was both reading a story but being informed in perfect balance.
i did get emotional at points too.
this book focus on the story via Hannah a resistance fighter and Hilde whos told to film a propaganda video of the camp to lie to all those on the outside.
having learnt more about these videos i never seas to be shocked about what happened at this time and the sly awful behavior of those causing such harm.
another fave to add to this genre. its one of the best ive read.