I know there is an abundance of WWII books in the marketplace right now, but I promise you this is a book unlike any other. It is so well researched that it is hard to believe it is fiction.
The Munich Girl tells the story of Anna Dahlberg, a university professor who after remembering a young girl’s portrait from her childhood, sets out to discover its origin. Little does she know this journey will turn the life as she knows it upside down. As she does her research, she unravels a background of her mother that has been hidden her whole life. And the encounters with historical figures are eye opening as well.
I truly enjoyed reading about Eva Braun, a woman in history I knew nothing about. And from what Phyllis has written in this book, a woman rarely written about. As Hitler’s mistress (and very short time as his wife), she puts a happier and innocent face on such a trying era of our past.
The duplicate storylines between the past and present keep this story flowing and would be recommended for fans of Orphan Train, The Mapmaker’s Children, and What She Left Behind. And for those who read and enjoyed The Nightingale, I think you’ll also love this women-focused account of the past.
As of this posting date, the Kindle edition of The Munich Girl is only $2.99. An incredible price for this one of a kind historical fiction novel.
About the author:
As she writes fiction and nonfiction, Phyllis Edgerly Ring watches for the noblest possibilities in the human heart. She’s always curious to discover how history, culture, relationships, spirituality, and the natural world influence us and point the way for the human family on our shared journey.
Her newest novel, The Munich Girl: A Novel of the Legacies That Outlast War, traces a pathway of love and secrets in WWII Germany when protagonist Anna Dahlberg discovers that her mother shared a secret friendship with Hitler’s mistress, Eva Braun. Her journey to discover the truth about this, and her own life, will challenge most every belief she has about right and wrong.
The author has worked as writer, editor, nurse, tour guide, program director at a Baha’i conference center, taught English to kindergartners in China, and served as instructor for the Long Ridge Writer’s Group. She has written for such publications as Christian Science Monitor, Ms., Writer’s Digest, and Yankee, and also published several nonfiction books about creating balance between the spiritual and material aspects of life. More information can be found at her blog, Leaf of the Tree.
Thanks to the author for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
I’m not sure the author’s purpose is to put a “happier” face on the trials of Nazi Germany. I think she’s trying to show how willfully blind people chose to be during an era when there were real atrocities happening. I’m not sure Eva Braun is characterized as “innocent”, but, again, blindly committed to a personal relationship that she purposefully cocooned herself in, so as not to be “aware” of what was going on in the world at large. I think it’s what humans do when we don’t want to “know,” what we fear to know. But a good review, overall.