Reviewed by Emma Crowley
Berlin, 1939. Edith Falkenstein once lived a fairytale life. Falling in love with Julius introduced her to a world she had only dreamed of. She wore the finest silk dresses to host parties in their historic mansion home.
But those days are a distant memory. Under Nazi rule, her Jewish husband Julius has been stripped of everything. Now the couple share a cramped apartment with other destitute families, and the priceless jewels that once adorned Edith’s neck have been sold to buy food on the black market.
Julius was lucky to escape being imprisoned once, and Edith knows he won’t be so fortunate a second time. The echo of boots marching across the city is a constant reminder of the danger they face. She begs Julius to flee the country, while they still can.
But as war rages across Europe, the journey will be fraught with peril. All Julius has ever wanted is to keep Edith safe. He knows there is only one way to truly protect the woman who stole his heart all those years ago—even if it means breaking hers.
Time is running out and Edith must decide: let Julius go or follow her heart and her husband into the danger that lies ahead…
Many thanks to Bookouture via NetGalley for my copy of The Berlin Wife’s Choice to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
The Berlin Wife’s Choice picks up more or less where The Berlin Wife left off. It follows two women Edith and Helga and their families in the years leading up to World War Two and the years that follow the outbreak of war. This can be read as a standalone if you have not read book one in this series German Wives series by Marion Kummerow. It’s easy to discern what has previously happened in the story which brings us to the point where we once again meet the characters who are feeling the effects of Hitler’s uncontested rise to power. Don’t be expecting endless events or twists and turns as the plot moves at slow pace throughout as it’s very character driven but you will be rewarded for your patience as events really ramp up towards the end.
The chapters move back and forth between Edith and Helga’s viewpoints and again, as with the first book, the contrast between their families and their social standings was deftly explored and developed. Edith always stands by her beliefs and her loyalty and devotion to her husband Julius is never in question and the same can be said for Helga in relation to her husband Heinrich. Edith is estranged from her family because they never wished for her to remain with Julius upon discovering he came from a Jewish family, rather they hoped she would divorce him and return to the family fold and be on their side in terms of their support for Hitler and his policies. Her brother Joseph has a high position within the SS and the few chapters told from his viewpoint are at times quite chilling as he is in direct opposition to his sister and sees no harm in what he is engaging in. He is devoted to Hitler’s cause and it’s quite frightening how sucked in he is by everything.
Edith deserves much admiration because she stands by Julius’ side through thick and thin never forgetting her marriage vows. She too feels the stranglehold of the Nazi’s twisting and strengthening. She has to become accustomed to herself and Julius’ downfall in society and going from mixing in high circles to being alienated and forced to use the dreaded ration cards. But I admired how she dealt with everything with such good grace and I thought she was a lot more street wise than Julius. I think she could see the bigger picture that was coming down the line and wanted to prepare for it but Julius stuck his head in the sand almost believing himself to be bulletproof and unassailable. I sense there is a lot more to come from Edith in the next book and we have merely scratched the surface in terms of what she is capable of doing and achieving. She has taken on the role of leader and provider in the relationship and has done so with self respect and dignity.
Julius forms a central part to this story and it was brilliant to see a male character given such a prominent role in what one would term a book with women at its forefront. We see his slow descent from his role of power as a commanding businessman who owns his own bank into someone a former shadow of himself. A man who can’t believe that despite his renouncing his Jewish heritage from a young age and practicing Protestantism, the laws, harassment and humiliation actually apply to him. The roles are reversed between himself and Edith and he detests this despite deeply loving her. He had always felt as many at the time did that a husband should protect their wife and provide for them but now the opposite is occurring and I don’t think his ego could cope with this. I think Julius felt that given he had such an important role in German society and mixed in the circles of the higher powers that he was in fact invincible and untouchable. He got quite the shock when he found this not to be the case.
I thought Julius was quite cocky in his beliefs that himself and Edith would escape the war untouched and unscathed. Instead he went from a powerful business man to a nobody, ostracised from society wishing he had heeded Edith’s urging a long time ago and emigrated when they could. Instead they are sharing their Berlin apartment with two Jewish families which leads him to be even more resentful. Saying all this makes Julius sound like an awful ungrateful character and one whom I didn’t like at all but that’s not true. It’s just Marion Kummerow explores so well how all people in society were affected by Hitler and his laws and that no one no matter how weak or fragile a link to Judaism would be spared. The role reversal between himself and Edith was well explained and detailed and it showed how the German Wives of the title really stepped up when needed the most showing courage, grit and determination and how they could adapt and survive through the harshest of times.
Edith’s situation was a lot more comfortable than that of Helga’s but her fall was far steeper but yet the two and their families are alike in many ways. The friendship the pair formed in school may have shifted and time and society separated them but deep down they are there for each other. This is shown when Edith takes in Helga’s family when laws are introduced forbidding Jews to live in certain areas and buildings. Helga also does a role reversal with her husband Heinrich. She is the one who can go out to work to try and provide for her family even if the pay is pitiful. She is not Jewish but being married to a Jew means all the laws apply to her and her children David and Amelie. I felt Helga was being worn down by all the new laws that were enacted and that her family’s situation grew ever more desperate with every turn of the page.
Helga was a character who had strength and resilience and even if Heinrich did believe that she would be better off without him she never listened to him and remained steadfast by his side hoping that soon Hitler and his party would be quashed. Helga and Heinrich were much more realistic as to what was happening as opposed to Julius. It was as if they were really on the ground and front and centre as to what was going on whereas Julius wanted to remain in his gilded cage for as long as possible. If I had to choose between Edith and Helga I think I would prefer Helga but only by a slight margin and that’s because her family background and social position meant she was much more down to earth and pragmatic about things. She fights the injustices against her family and will do everything in her power to make sure they make it through the war unscathed but whether that will happen remains to be seen.
The Berlin Wife’s Choice is a mixture of fact and fiction detailing the gradually worsening conditions, restrictions, discrimination and humiliation that befall the Jewish population of Germany as well as gypsies, dissidents critics, homosexuals and asocials. Basically,anyone whom Hitler deemed not ideal to contribute to the perfect Aryan race that he was creating. Given the majority of the story takes place prior to the official declaration of war I read through this with an impending sense of doom and dread because with each turn of the page I expected the worse to befall the characters. We all know what happened to the Jewish population at the time and because I have become invested in the characters and the fact they weren’t aware of what was around the corner only makes for a read packed full of tension. They unwillingly accept each new law and regulation throw at them thinking things couldn’t get any worse but I fear for Edith and Helga the worst is just around the corner.
The ending left the reader with a cliff-hanger with a precipice of sorts where things could go either way but I have a strong sense of what will occur and I do so hope it doesn’t but I will have to wait until next year to discover what happens when The Berlin Wife’s Resistance is published. Helga and Edith have so much more of their story to share and I for one will very interested to see what further developments await them.
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