The Girl from Munich

The girl from Munich

Set in war time Germany, this is an interesting story. I found it hard initially to warm to a lead character who thought so highly of Hitler and the Nazi's. However her outlook is modified as events change her knowledge of the leaders in these terrible times. Ultimately she is a resilient and I came to appreciate her tenacity and loyalty to those closest to her.

The period after the war and the ongoing hardships experienced by survivors was especially interesting and the authors knowledge based on family history is clear.

The writing seemed slightly awkward to start with but ultimately I enjoyed the writing and the story. I plan to read the sequel when it comes out sometime down the track.

Quite an engaging read though at times the actions of characters seemed a little contrived. Nevertheless, the text gives a good insight to the era and will likely engage teen readers.

Lotte works for Erich as his secretary and both work for the Luftwaffe in Germany during World War 2. Lotte is engaged to Heinrich and they are preparing for their wedding. But the chaos of war especially when Germany begins to lose means that families are split apart with men serving their country and women and children travelling to safer towns to escape the bombings. It appears that Erich's wife and children have died and there is no word from Heinrich on the eastern front. Erich and Lotte must forge a life for themselves.

What was interesting about this book was the point of view: an ordinary German girl who believed like thousands of others that the Fuhrer was doing the best for Germany. As readers, we are shown how ordinary Germans lived through the war rather than those who were persecuted - a viewpoint that is rarely shown. However, the writing is uneven with the romance between Lotte and Erich bordering on a Mills and Boon book. Phrases were overused such as 'making my blood boil' and the 'fire' of passion between the lovers. What saves it is the narrative which is very compelling. Based on the author's grandmother's own life, this debut novel provides readers with insights into how the German people felt such shame at the atrocities committed by the Nazis in their name.

The Girl From Munich is set in Germany during WW11 and post war. It shows the lives of the ordinary people as they too coped with the war that their "beloved" Fuhrer had led them into. Lotte was one young woman who believed in the cause and wanted to help where she could and escape the confines surrounding her from her mother and others. She is a keen photographer, however that has all to fall by the wayside as war sets limits on film. She is expected to marry Heinrich, a young doctor and life long friend. Although Lotte notices some things just don't sit right with her, even though she does have love for him.

We follow Lotte through the last three years of the war, and in doing so see Germany coping with bombs being dropped on them, losing loved ones to the battlefield and not being able to find loved ones in other areas. Lotte like many believes what she has been indoctrinated with, until finally she realises what others might be saying could be true. So often we see the war from the eyes of the allied forces, so I really liked being given the chance to empathise with those also caught up in war on the other side. It also highlighted for me the unswerving and unthinking loyalty that some give to a leader, blinkered - and it is happening today, which is the sad thing, many have not learned from our past.

This is a coming of age story for Lotte, a valuing of herself and a learning to trust her own heart and instincts. I liked her courage, fortitude and ability to keep going. Her relationship with Heinrich comes into question when she finds herself attracted to Erich, and it is this relationship that helps Lotte blossom into the person she becomes.

This is a debut novel written by Tania Blanchard, she is an Australian with an Italian father and a German mother. She was fascinated by the stories her German grandmother told her, and for me that gives this book a ring of truth, an inheritance that she shares in a work of fiction. I am pleased to see she intends writing a book to continue this story in the new chosen land, and I for one will be looking out for it.

As it happens I saw on a current events TV programme a piece interviewing an Austrian Willi Huber who came to New Zealand to see Mt Cook, in the Sth Island. He was an SS soldier at 17 and was a gunner on a tank until in hand to hand combat he received a bayonet wound. He is 94 now and was instrumental in setting up the ski slope at Mount Hutt. What struck me was the similarities in the history in this book and his story. It added to the realism of the book for me, plus I was hooked into his amazing story.

I have read several books set during the second World War but never from a German civilian perspective. Once again, I had my mind and eyes opened by this telling on what it was like for the people living in these war torn countries and the struggles they went through.

Lotte has dreams of pursuing a career in photography and marrying her sweet fiance Heinrich. He is a doctor and can offer her a secure future where she will want for nothing. Unfortunately he gets called up as a medic to serve his country in one of the army hospitals. It is 1943 in Germany and their country is at war.

Lotte has already lost one brother to this horrendous battle being led by Hitler and the thought of losing Heinrich terrifies her. Her dreams of being a photographer are soon squashed by her parents when she is employed in an office position at the regional command headquarters. Lotte will be assisting Oberinspektor Erich Drescher in a personal assistant/administration role, helping him cope with his workload.

Over the months Lotte develops a bit of a crush on Erich which leaves her feeling ashamed of herself. She is engaged to another man but feeling this strange pull towards Erich. Heinrich’s communication with Lotte dimishes over time and it gets to a point when nobody even knows if he is still alive. Erich goes through a similar experience with his own family and eventually Erich and Lotte find comfort in each others arms.

The people of Germany hear murmurings of the Americans slowly moving towards their country and having the upper hand in this horrendous war but Hitler has completely brainwashed them into thinking he is still in control. Many lives are lost unnecessarily on the frontline and all those innocent jewish people are being carted away on trains every day. There are air raids at night killing people, destroying homes and it made me sad to think of all of the beautiful history that was destroyed by this war, although the loss of human life could never compare.

‘I dreamed of life going back to normal but a little voice in my head wondered how life could ever be normal again without the ones we loved and with the trauma this war had left with the living.’

Seventh of May 1945 the war is over. Like a lot of displaced people, Lotte is determined to find her family so she can begin to rebuild her life. Erich plans on doing the same, once Lotte is safely back with her parents. The bond between them has only strengthened, they have been through so much together. Heinrich is still in her heart but the connection Erich is even moreso.

This war has changed Lotte, the things she thought she always wanted, the life she envisioned, the things she deemed important to her now are no longer important. The war may be over but the struggle to survive is just beginning. Will she be spending her future with Heinrich or Erich?

I got completely swept up in this story of love, duty and survival. I learnt a lot and was also left feeling really sad for what so many people went through. The civilians of Germany were victims too, brain washed and loyal to the end to their horrid leader. Despite all the sadness surrounding this book, it was a fantastic, enjoyable read for me.

Charlotte von Klein lived in relative luxury with her Mutti and Vati in Munchen, Germany in 1943. The war was all around them with Lotte’s eldest brother having already been killed which had devastated the family. They hoped desperately that Willi would return to them unscathed. Lotte was engaged to her childhood sweetheart Heinrich, and she knew his training to become a doctor would take him far. But when Heinrich was sent to the Front, Lotte was beside herself…

When Lotte’s father managed to get her a secretarial position with his good friend Erich Drescher, her nerves soon disappeared. She was good at her job and loved working alongside Erich and the office girls. But Germany was losing the war and chaos was surrounding them. Lotte was desperate to join her mother – Erich accompanied her as they fled across the countryside, trying to keep away from the soldiers; both German and Allied.

But the future didn’t look good for Lotte in a Germany that was crumbling around them. The loss of friends and family; the homes which had been destroyed by bombs – would they ever have a peaceful life again? Lotte struggled with the knowledge of what had really happened – it had been ingrained in her since childhood. Was everything she had known and believed in a lie? Would she ever know a new life; a life away from heartache and fear?

The Girl from Munich by Aussie author Tania Blanchard is an exceptional historical fiction novel set in the dying years of World War II. I don’t recall having read a book before from the perspective of a German in the war years and it was well done. Beautifully written with compassion and caring, it just goes to show it doesn’t matter what side of the fence you’re on, the normal, everyday people are still human beings with the same emotions as us all. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read and review.

Book blurb...

Germany, 1943. The choices she makes will change her life forever.
Growing up in Hitler’s Germany, Charlotte von Klein has big dreams for the future. Her mind is full of plans for a sumptuous wedding to her childhood sweetheart Heinrich while working for the Luftwaffe, proudly giving her all for the Fatherland.
But in 1943, the tide of the war is turning against Germany, and Lotte’s life of privilege and comfort begins to collapsing around her. As Hitler’s Reich abandons Germany and the country falls to the Allied forces, Lotte is forced to flee from the unfolding chaos to the country with the darkly attractive Erich Drescher, her Luftwaffe superior.
Amid the danger, pain and heartbreak of a country turning on itself, Lotte must forge a new life for herself. But as the country struggles to find its future, shadows of the past come rushing back and Lotte finds herself questioning everything she has fought for - love, duty and freedom.

My thoughts…

The best part about a good book is the emotional connection a reader forms with the characters. The Girl from Munich pressed all the right buttons for me in this regard. I found Charlotte’s journey through such woeful times (and authentically told) so heartbreaking. I also fell in love with Erich many times over.
Well done to Tania Blanchard, yet another wonderful debut Australian author.
If, like me, you are captured by wartime stories, especially those set in the unfolding chaos of 1940s Germany, and enjoy books that force you to keep reading into the early hours, this is a novel for you.

My Thoughts

‘It was as if a tiny crack in the very ordered, planned world of mine had appeared, allowing me to look at life around me, at the life I might want to take for myself.’

I thoroughly enjoyed ‘The Girl from Munich’ by Aussie author Tania Blanchard set in the final years of World War II. It was refreshing to read a book from the perspective of a young German girl during this period and I found it to be excellent historical fiction, especially considering it is her debut. Inspired by tales from her German grandmother, it most definitely rings true and I am thrilled to see that she intends to continue the story with a new novel set in the 1950s.

‘The war had opened doors to exciting possibilities never available to a girl like me before but my mother made sure I walked the rigid path of tradition.’

I confess to being completely swept up in this tale of duty, love, survival and new beginnings. However, it is learning about German civilians during the war, that I found the most compelling. You cannot help but feel for these people who were also victims to Nazi brainwashing - ordinary people who truly believed that the Fuhrer was doing the very best for their country. This tale provides real insights into how many Germans felt during the war and at their shame in the end when the terrible atrocities were brought to their attention. It is a most compelling narrative.

‘All the reports over the wireless, at the cinema and in the local newspapers stated emphatically that Germany was winning the war. Slowly to be sure, but winning all the same, and I had no reason to doubt those reports.’

This is a coming of age story for Charlotte and the writing has you invested in many of the characters with whom you will make an emotional connections. You will be inspired by Lotte’s strength, courage and fortitude throughout; appreciative of Erich’s dedication and compassion; understand Lotte’s ‘Vati’ (father) love, unsure of Heinrich motives - just to name a few. It may for some at times, be a little too wrapped up in the romance, but it ticked all the right boxes for me at this time.

If you enjoy a good wartime story, especially one with a most unique perspective, then I highly recommend ‘The Girl from Munich’. It is easy to read with a good mix of fiction and nonfiction that will have you swept away as the tide turns against Germany and the impact it had upon its people.

How could he have let these things happen? How could Germany have stooped so low? After all I had seen and heard, I had to accept that Hitler wasn’t the perfect man I had believed him to be. Germany was no better off. It was destroyed, its citizens left destitute, scarred and bereft.


This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release

I loved this story. I had never read a war time novel from the German perspective before so this was interesting. The characters and their lives stayed with me long after I finished this novel which always tells me that I was really invested in it. Highly recommended.

- Despite the subject matter, I felt kind of a sense of peace reading this - it felt a bit removed from the action, as if the story is being told by the protagonist reminiscing many years after it all happened rather than being in the thick of it.

- After reading a few WW2 books already this year it was interesting to get a story from another perspective - this time a young woman who believed 100% in supporting the war effort and who had really no idea what was actually going on. It was interesting to read about what it was like (I have no idea how accurate it is) after the war.

- It was completely heartbreaking to see the characters go through all of the trials of war and occupation and rations and losing friends and family, and trials/detention after the war, and malnutrition and illness and EVERYTHING and then to have to leave the country they loved enough to go to war for.

- I have read that the author is working on a sequel, set in 1950's Australia, which I'm super excited about. The writing felt thoughtful and sympathetic, and I'm looking forward to experiencing the post-war immigrant experience through her grandmother's eyes.

I gave this four stars.

What a fascinating story Tania Blanchard has written! I have always been interested in the events leading up to the second world war but my knowledge of the war from a civilian perspective has been scant. What I found particularly intriguing was that this story is told from the perspective of a young German woman.
I liked and admired Lotte and Erich, the heroes of this story. They came up against one issue after another and prevailed. I liked both the plot and the pacing. This was a story that held my interest from the outset. My one criticism is that in my opinion there was no need for an epilogue. I understand why it is there but for me the story concluded at the end of the last chapter.
This is a debut novel for Tania Blanchard and overall she has handled the story well. If this is a hint of what’s to come then I look forward to her next story.