Sign in with Facebook
Jessica's Reviews > The Nazi Officer's Wife: How One Jewish Woman Survived the Holocaust
The Nazi Officer's Wife: How One Jewish Woman Survived the Holocaust
by
by
** spoiler alert **
I was thrilled and horrified by this book. I've read several accounts of Nazi-occupied Germany, of the camps that were the eventual end of thousands of innocent men, women and children, and of the occasional survivor, who was able - using luck, brains and skill - to forge a new life for themselves with a false identity, but this is the first I've read that was told in such a direct voice.
Edith was one of the more lucky ones. She was fortunate enough to find a way to escape both her ghetto and the labor camp that she was forced into, and was able to procure a false identity, sneak her way into Munich, and start a new life.
That would have been harrowing enough, but as if living under an assumed identity in a hostile country isn't enough, she meets and is swept into a romantic relationship with a Nazi Officer. He pursues her relentlessly, convinced he wants to marry her, and she, in her distress, admits her identity and secret to him. He calls her names, but doesn't turn her in (astonishingly good luck for her, as she was essentially handing her death papers to him and begging him to sign them), and agrees to keep her secret during their marriage.
So now, poor Edith is living a lie, married to a man who makes a living eliminating her people, and is trapped by questions of other Nazi officers, wanting to know about her parents and her family. She even opts for natural childbirth - no drugs to help ease her pain - because she's sure that she'll say something telling to the nurses while in the grip of the drugs.
What's more amazing, though, is that Ms. Beer managed to save documents and photographs that, if confiscated, would have meant her life. Even after her children were born, knowing the danger, she still kept these items hidden, hoping for a time when it wouldn't be necessary to lie about herself or hide her documents.
This was written with amazing directness, and the reader could feel Ms. Beer's fear, uncertainty, disgust and eventual relief from start to finish.
Edith was one of the more lucky ones. She was fortunate enough to find a way to escape both her ghetto and the labor camp that she was forced into, and was able to procure a false identity, sneak her way into Munich, and start a new life.
That would have been harrowing enough, but as if living under an assumed identity in a hostile country isn't enough, she meets and is swept into a romantic relationship with a Nazi Officer. He pursues her relentlessly, convinced he wants to marry her, and she, in her distress, admits her identity and secret to him. He calls her names, but doesn't turn her in (astonishingly good luck for her, as she was essentially handing her death papers to him and begging him to sign them), and agrees to keep her secret during their marriage.
So now, poor Edith is living a lie, married to a man who makes a living eliminating her people, and is trapped by questions of other Nazi officers, wanting to know about her parents and her family. She even opts for natural childbirth - no drugs to help ease her pain - because she's sure that she'll say something telling to the nurses while in the grip of the drugs.
What's more amazing, though, is that Ms. Beer managed to save documents and photographs that, if confiscated, would have meant her life. Even after her children were born, knowing the danger, she still kept these items hidden, hoping for a time when it wouldn't be necessary to lie about herself or hide her documents.
This was written with amazing directness, and the reader could feel Ms. Beer's fear, uncertainty, disgust and eventual relief from start to finish.
Sign into Goodreads to see if any of your friends have read
The Nazi Officer's Wife.
Sign In »
Reading Progress
Finished Reading
November 9, 2008
– Shelved
