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There are currently 42 member reviews
for Daughter of the Reich
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Mary Lou F. (Naples, FL)
Who to believe
This book shows how people can rationalize what they are told even though in their own mind, they know some of the "facts" are distorted. Author does really well mixing the facts with the fiction of the story. One of those books you don't want to put down until you finish.
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Miriam B. (Lakewood Ranch, FL)
Daughter of the Reich- outstanding
I loved Daughter of the Reich by Louise Fein. The story of Hetty, the daughter of a German SS officer who falls in love with Walter, a Jew is so human and so engaging. It is a coming-of-age story where Hetty comes to understand how Hitler and other Germans in command could indoctrinate a whole nation to hate Jews and others. The fact that this story is based in the author's history makes it all the more meaningful. In this book Kristallnacht and the Kindertransport come to light for the reader. The plot moves quickly and there are some really satisfying plot twists. The ending was amazing and I could not recommend this book more highly. This book would be great for book clubs- I will be suggesting it to several. Well done.
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Marcia H. (Sarasota, FL)
Daughter of the Reich by Louise Fein
I found Daughter of the Reich by Louise Fein "a beautifully written and emotionally wrenching journey " as it said on the back of the book. Though I found the brainwashing of Hetty and her blind worship of Hitler disturbing, her character's growth and her growing love for Walter had me rooting for her against the growing evil she faces. The ending had me tearful and was wonderful. It was one of the books you close and say "what a wonderful story". I highly recommend it!
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Sherilyn R. (St George, UT)
Daughter of the Reich
Daughter of the Reich is the well-written, well-researched story of Hetty, the daughter of a high-ranking Nazi and Walter her Jewish friend from childhood who saves her from drowning. As teenagers they become lovers and their resulting dilemma sets the stage for the novel. This is the story of how Hetty through her relationship with Walter moves from a highly indoctrinated follower of Hitler to a realization that everything she has been taught and believed is wrong.
The author was adept at portraying the emotions and feelings of a young girl confused and perplexed by the world unfolding around her.
This is an intense emotional book told from a rather different perspective than other WWII fiction. I would highly recommend for all historical fiction readers. And, I'm recommending this one as a book club read.
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Peggy A. (Fairfax, VA)
Daughter of the Reich
This page turning book is about a young German girl coming of age in the years leading up to WWII .
Hetty is the daughter of one of Hitler's high ranking officers. She is torn between her father's activities and what she hears and sees happening to the Jewish people in their town. "What is the truth? Who can she trust?" she asks herself. "What will happen to her Jewish friend Walter who saved her from drowning when they were children".
Although many books have been written on this subject; it was still quite emotional to me.
This novel was inspired by the author's family history. I would recommend these stories continue to be told so it not happen again. I especially recommend that our young people continue to hear and read how the world turned upside down during 1930s and 1940s.
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Joanne V. (Towanda, PA)
1930's Germany and the rise of Hitler
This was a well researched and interesting fictional novel of 1930's Germany and the rise of Hitler. I am also reading the first in a series of non-fiction books on the Third Reich by Richard Evans. I thought the writer did an excellent job in describing the various events, characters and how Hitler managed to exploit the working class Germans - not dissimilar from what is happening now. Her character development is excellent! This is a good book and well worth the time spent - a good choice for a book club and would likely generate a lively discussion.
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Carol S. (Mt. Juliet, TN)
Daughter of the Reich
In her first novel, inspired by events in her own family history, Louise Fein gives the reader a riveting glimpse into the life of a young German girl, Hetty Heinrich. When we meet Hetty, she is living in Leipzig, Germany in the years before Hitler's invasion of Poland and the beginning of World War II. Hetty and her older brother, Karl, are the children of a German newspaper editor and high-ranking Nazi official in Leipzig. The Heinrichs are obedient Germans who aspire to do their part for the new Thousand-Year Reich.
As Hetty interacts with the world around her, she feels confused because she cannot reconcile what she sees every day with her once safe and innocent beliefs. She now lives in a beautiful home she learns is stolen from original Jewish owners. One of her brother's closest friends, Walter, also her friend, is a German Jew and is no longer welcome in the Heinrich home. She sees cruelty but is reassured by those she trusts that all is well. She feels suffocated by society rules for good German women and begins to rebel. We are sympathetic to Hetty's plight, but know the course of action she adopts, still clinging to her truth, will probably end badly for her and those she loves. Yet we respect her for her bold vision and her willingness to fight for what she believes is right.
Daughter of the Reich is a well-researched and beautifully written novel, a "coming of age" story, with twists and turns that keep the reader in suspense until the last page. Fein's notes, answered questions and sources are an important part of her book, not to be ignored by the discerning reader who wants to truly understand life for those who lived in Germany in this era.
