The Berlin Wife

German Wives, Book 1

De: Marion Kummerow

Narrado por: Sarah Borges

Germany, 1930s: Edith holds the letter in a trembling hand, her eyes fixed on the eagle carrying the terrifying symbol in its claws. The summons from the Gestapo is everything she has dreaded for months. She tells herself she has nothing to fear. She has done nothing wrong....

In this heartbreaking story based on real events, it will be up to one woman to fight for her love in a world that wants to destroy it.

When beautiful, shy Edith married her elegant banker husband, Julius, she believed that their union would be forever. In spite of her humble background, they have loved each other since the minute they met at a dance. As she learns how to behave in the high-society world Julius has opened to her, she is determined to enjoy every moment.

But the Nazi party is growing in power, and her marriage comes under increasing strain. Julius is of Jewish origin—and even some of Edith’s closest family believe their relationship is an abomination, demanding she divorce him.

Julius refuses to see the risk, insisting his powerful friends will protect him. But Edith finds herself scared that her husband may be declared her enemy. And if that happens, how will she protect him?

Soon, she finds herself plunged into a world of revolution and danger where everything she knows can be changed at the stroke of a pen—or the strike of a fist. As the peril grows, can she find the fire in her heart to fight for what is right, at the cost of her own safety?

A totally devastating, powerful, and ultimately uplifting story, perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, My Name Is Eva, and Sold on a Monday.

©2023 Marion Kummerow (P)2023 Bookouture, an imprint of Storyfire Ltd.

Awful narrator

The narrator fell in and out of accents and character so often it was painful to listen to. Story was OK, not great. Not this author’s best work.

Falls flat

**spoiler below**



Characters fell flat. Author uses the miscarriage to build one of the main character's main identity and she has little substance outside of that. The whole book felt flat and redundant and I really struggled to finish it.

Wonderfully written, immersive, and heartwrenching!

The Berlin Wife by Marion Kummerrow is a deep, personal look into what it was like to live in Germany pre-WWII, starting in the 1920's.

We meet two non-Jewish wives with Jewish husbands- Edith Farkenstein, the wife of well-to-do banker, Julius, and Helga Goldman, who with her accountant husband, Heinrich, struggles financially due to prejudice, along with their two children.

The reader is taken into this turbulent and frightful time and place, and gets to be a personal witness to tension crackling as the two families suffer and break apart, first from just insults and bullying (especially with Helga's young son David) to worse and worse treatment, leading to what the reader knows will end in heartbreak and terror.

This novel ends in a cliffhanger for a sequel. I want to hope for a happier ending--and while it is possible, it's not for certain.

A memorable, immersive read!