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There are currently 42 member reviews
for Daughter of the Reich
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Sharalynne P. (Valparaiso, IN)
Daughter of the Reich
Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think the characters were very well developed as was the story line, Although it was fiction, I thought it was totally believable. I will be recommending this book to my book club.
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Joan P. (Owego, NY)
Daughter of the Third Reich
I found this to be a very interesting glimpse into growing up as the Third Reich came to power in Germany. We see this through the eyes of Herta, a young German girl, who is excited and entranced by Hitler and his plans for her country. Her father, a newspaper editor, profits from his connection to the SS. Her brother dreams of the day he can join the army and learn to fly. Herta soon finds that there are consequences to this new order that affect her friends and neighbors. The characters are well developed. They are human and some you learn to love and admire and some you find hard to like. Parts of the plot were predictable at times and I thought the diary entrees were unnecessary and slowed the movement of the story. All in all, this is a good read especially in today's world where we are so politically divided and confused.
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Susan L. (Midlothian, VA)
Impossible love
This is the story of Betty Heinrich, daughter of the SS officer, that lives with her parents and brother. This book describes Nazi Germany and vivid characters meticulously well. She meets and falls in love with Walter, a Jewish boy, and they plan for a future when they can live without anti-semitism. This story is based on the author's family history. It is a page turner.
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Freya H. (Towanda, PA)
Daughter of the Reich
If you are unfamiliar with 1930's Germany, and the rise of Adolph Hitler, this book provides well-researched background, whilst also weaving into the story characters who are pro-Nazi, and those who become increasingly disenchanted with Hitler and his henchmen. As noted by another reviewer, the book has similarities between the early 1930's and today. An alarming thought! A worthwhile read and suitable for Book Group discussions in my opinion.
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Julia E. (Atlanta, GA)
Well-researched debut novel
Daughter of German Jews who escaped to Britain in the early 1930's, Louise Fein's debut novel features the first-person thoughts and experiences of a German girl whose ambitious father is a rising star in Nazi circles. When she falls in love with a childhood playmate, an Aryan-looking German Jew, her life becomes tumultuous. The rapid-paced novel is a well-researched, worthwhile read, though the writing is pedestrian and the characters lack depth and nuance. A possible pick for a women's book club, and others interested in the social history of the 1930's German Nazi regime
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Gail K. (Saratoga Springs, NY)
Daughter of the Reich
Hetty Heinrich, the title character of this novel, has a father who is rapidly rising in the Nazi Party in the late 1930s, a mother who fully supports her husband and a brother who is dedicated to the Hitler Youth movement. Hetty herself is on a path to becoming the quintessential Nazi young woman. Then she crosses paths with a childhood friend of her brother's, a blond, blue-eyed Jewish boy. Slowly her eyes are opened to the truth of Naziism, and the story rapidly unfolds. This very readable novel is a change from the usual perspective on the Nazis, told by an at-first sympathetic German insider, rather than an anti-Nazi outsider. I would recommend this book to historical fiction buffs who might like a slightly different perspective on the rise of Adolf Hitler. This is a timely read.
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Suzanne G. (Tucson, AZ)
A historical journey
There is no doubt this book was duly researched. The plot was unlike other "Daughter of" books popular now. I was glad to realize that.
I felt there was too much belaboring all dialogues. Sometimes on-and-on explanations do get tiring and I found myself skipping parts of long paragraphs. This was so when Hetty began writing in her diary. The ending was interesting. But after much detail in the previous story it seemed hurried. Many early readers enjoyed the book and I believe bookclubs will be eager to read and discuss Daughter of the Reich.
