Wednesday, June 21, 2017

The Women in the Castle

The Women in the Castle
By Jessica Shattuck
William Morrow, 2016. 353 pgs. Historical Fiction

Set toward the end of WWII, this novel tells the story of Marianne von Lingenfels, the widow of a German resister who was murdered after the failed assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler. She made a promise to try to protect other widows of resisters and she plans to keep it. Soon she has gathered Benita and Ania and their children to a crumbling Bavarian castle. These three women must navigate a world full of uncertainty and danger. They ban together and make a home for their children, but eventually their secrets pull them apart.

I enjoyed this historical fiction novel that looked at the difficulties faced by German women and children during and after WWII. It was a unique perspective that I haven't really read before. I also liked that the author examined the guilt that German citizens experienced over what their leaders and fellow-citizens did during the war. This book gave me a lot to think about and there would be a lot of good topics to talk about in a book club.

AL

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