The Sunflower House

A Novel

De: Adriana Allegri

Narrado por: Barrie Kreinik, Dallin Bradford, Saskia Maarleveld

This program features multicast narration.

Family secrets come to light as a young woman fights to save herself, and others, in a Nazi-run baby factory—a real-life Handmaid's Tale—during World War II.

In a sleepy German village, Allina Strauss’s life seems idyllic: she works at her uncle’s bookshop, makes strudel with her aunt, and spends weekends with her friends and fiancé. But it's 1939, Adolf Hitler is Chancellor, and Allina’s family hides a terrifying secret—her birth mother was Jewish, making her a Mischling.

One fateful night after losing everyone she loves, Allina is forced into service as a nurse at a state-run baby factory called Hochland Home. There, she becomes both witness and participant to the horrors of Heinrich Himmler’s ruthless eugenics program.

The Sunflower House is a meticulously researched debut historical novel from Adriana Allegri that uncovers the notorious Lebensborn Program of Nazi Germany. Women of “pure” blood stayed in Lebensborn homes for the sole purpose of perpetuating the Aryan population, giving birth to thousands of babies who were adopted out to “good” Nazi families. Allina must keep her Jewish identity a secret in order to survive, but when she discovers the neglect occurring within the home, she’s determined not only to save herself, but also the children in her care.

A tale of one woman’s determination to resist and survive, The Sunflower House is also a love story. When Allina meets Karl, a high-ranking SS officer with secrets of his own, the two must decide how much they are willing to share with each other—and how much they can stand to risk as they join forces to save as many children as they can. The threads of this poignant and heartrending novel weave a tale of loss and love, friendship and betrayal, and the secrets we bury in order to save ourselves.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press

©2024 Adriana Allegri (P)2024 Macmillan Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"The Sunflower House is an unforgettable story of love and sacrifice. Written with heartfelt compassion for people facing choices no one should be made to make, this novel draws you in and leaves you a better person for knowing this story. Allegri is an author to watch, and this is an exceptional debut."—Heather Morris, #1 New York Times and international bestselling author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz

"[A] stirring debut . . . Allegri keenly depicts her characters’ moral calculations, and she convincingly portrays the horrors of the Lebensborn program. This will stay with readers."—Publishers Weely

“Adriana Allegri’s impressive debut is a riveting, heartrending story of love, sacrifice, and redemption set amid the horrors of the notorious Nazi Lebensborn Program. Immersive and full of compelling characters, The Sunflower House is a moving tribute to the power of ordinary people to resist and to overcome.”—Jennifer Chiaverini, New York Times bestselling author of Resistance Women

Heartbreaking Beautiful

This book is a must read. I cannot stop crying. It is a bittersweet love story set during time of turmoil in Germany during the second world war. The narration is beautiful. The book has stayed with me for a long time; I am unable to stop thinking about it.

Heartbreakingly good!

I like historical fiction. WWII books break my heart! I just cannot think how someone could be so evil to do all the things that the Nazis did.

Great book!

This is a great book about events that happened back then. Especially the holocaust. There were parts that dragged you in. It was also very sincere with empathy. Great book!

A beautiful love story in the midst of tragedy

A beautiful and haunting story. I learned of another terrible aspect of the Nazi regime within a story of good and decent people doing their best to go against them. Another reminder that regular people did truly terrible things and others did amazing and wonderful things. All while everyone was hiding and pretending to be something else.

Interesting book

It was well written book and the topic was surprising and interesting. The narrator was very good.

Oh My Heart

This book is just heart wrenching!!! It is so worth reading as it has you feeling all of the emotions for that time period!!!

Great read

Fantastic story about history that I never knew about. I highly recommend this quick read!

The story! The characters! The emotion! The narration! All of it!

Adriana Allegri delivered a refreshing new story for us WW2 historical heroine lovers! She made the characters feel authentic, raw and believable. Saskia Maarleveld is my favorite narrator and did not disappoint!

Stunning

This is a beautiful and inspiring story of sacrifice and love. My heart was with Allina and Karl the whole time.

Heartbreak

The story is so heartbreaking. The narrators did a fantastic job though. I hope a lot of people in this country read this book and learn something. The things that happened were atrocious. So sad. How anyone could treat children so cold and then use some for testing. It’s just horrid.
This is a part of history that I’ve only read a small amount of. It needs to be shared.