The Ambassador's Daughter

By: Pam Jenoff

Narrated by: Joanna Daniel

Length: 11 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

Paris, 1919: The world's leaders have gathered to rebuild from the ashes of the Great War. But for one woman, the City of Light harbors dark secrets and dangerous liaisons, for which many could pay dearly.

Brought to the peace conference by her father, a German diplomat, Margot Rosenthal initially resents being trapped in the congested French capital, where she is still looked upon as the enemy. But as she contemplates returning to Berlin and a life with Stefan, the wounded fiancé she hardly knows anymore, she decides that being in Paris is not so bad after all.

Bored and torn between duty and the desire to be free, Margot strikes up unlikely alliances: with Krysia, an accomplished musician with radical acquaintances and a secret to protect; and with Georg, the handsome, damaged naval officer who gives Margot a job - and also a reason to question everything she thought she knew about where her true loyalties should lie.

Against the backdrop of one of the most significant events of the century, a delicate web of lies obscures the line between the casualties of war and of the heart, making trust a luxury that no one can afford.

©2013 Pam Jenoff (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Disappointed

I was looking forward to this book and love historical fiction but can’t remember a “heroine” who was less heroic in any story. Margot is selfish to the core, deceptive, and ultimately betrays everyone who cares for her to serve her own self interest - including pushing to death the fiancé she cheated on - who was wounded in battle and loved her to the end. I don’t understand how this book appeals to anyone.

Book 0

I started off by reading The Kommandant's Girl which I loved and then I moved on to The Diplomat's Wife which was also very good. As I wasn't ready for the series to end I saw that there was also a "book 0" in the series and purchased that. I have to say that since I read these books in succession I knew the facts of the characters already. My biggest pet peeve in series' like this is not sticking to the facts presented in the other books regarding the characters and their backgrounds. There were many instances that were not "factually" true regarding the characters and unfortunately it made the book less engaging versus the others. While I enjoyed the book enough, I do not think that it really goes well in the series due to this and would not recommend it as a vital part of the story.

Sorry but Margo was a pathetic character

She didn’t quite achieve a coming of age performance. I found Margo selfish and pathetic. She lied and betrayed without boundaries.

good read!

loved the narration and the twists and turns in the book! ! ! ! !

Interesting read of historical fiction this period

Interesting Historical Fiction - WW1 Peace Conference as a Backdrop; Eternal Triange; Espionage and Woman's Empowerment as themes.

Of most interest is how the author demonstrated the prevailing "undercurrents" of the times through the characters/situations - hopeful Allied diplomats; at first resigned - then disillusioned German Delegation representatives - need for Espionage from all sides - with the rise of disillusionment in Germany - the rise of Nationalism and Militarism to "protect Germany from Anarchy ad the Communists".

Eternal Triangle plot.

Woman's empowerment plot.

An interesting read about this particular time period.

Carl Gallozzi
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Great storyline and narrator

The narrator really helped make this story come alive! I really enjoyed listening to her tell the tale of an era rarely talked about. The story takes place right after the first World War. The storyline is well written and I had a hard time turning it off. I can't wait to listen to the next book in the series.

Meh

Predictable story line. The main character was annoying. She blathered on and on and on.

This one was 3 1/2 stars. Excellent narration.

I didn't love this story as much as the other Pam Jenoff books I've read, but I still liked it. The narration was so good it made me really enjoy the story.

Boring

Not her best for sure. Absolutely NO excitement until the VERY end and only about a minute worth.

Book 0 in the series

Interesting that this book is listed as Book 0 in 'The Kommondant's Girl' series. All of the previous books by the author have been set in World War II while this one is set in Paris and Berlin in 1919. Why the change in the timeline?

This book starts off with the protagonist and her father living in Paris where the father is working on the German side of the treaty ending World War I. They had lived in England during the war as the father was somehow able to avoid the war. It was an interesting time, the European allies were mad at Germany and wanted to stick it to them, the Americans wanted a peace that allowed Germany a change to recover while the Communists were about. The protagonist is a Jewish German, 20 years old, trying tfind her way in the world. When the European countries have their way in the treaty the wheels are set in motion for World War II by dictating terms that would never allow Germany to get backs on its feet. Father and daughter are caught up in this and after the disastrous treaty end up moving back to Berlin. It's a true coming of age story where the girl decides to stand on her own two feet.

One thing about this story different from the others Jenoff books I've listened to is the Jewish issue. The seeds of the issue that became disastrous in WWII are here but the Jewish issue is never at the forefront of the book as it is in the others. But the author leaves the story such that other books could be written with the issue coming out as time moves forward toward to the war.

I've wondered in listening to Jenoff's books where she came up with the ideas for her books? In doing some background work, it turns out Jenoff grew up in New Jersey, went to undergrad at George Washington Univ. in Washington DC, and got a Masters at Cambridge in the UK. She then became a Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Army working at the Pentagon then switched to the State Department and was posted to Krakow, Poland. In Poland, among other things, she worked on restoring Auschwitz and other camps built during the war. Through this process she met many Poles that had survived the war and told her their stories of the war. It is these memories that are at the core of her plots and characters. She left the State Department, went to Penn Law School and started working at a law firm. While practicing law she started writing from 5-7 every morning and eventually left law to write fulltime and have a family..