The Women in the Castle: A Novel

“’All right,’ Connie said, turning his intense gaze upon her. ‘Then you will see to it that they are all right. You are appointed the commander of wives and children.’ Marianne met his gaze. The commander of wives and children. She knew he did not mean to belittle her, but it smarted like a slap.”

In 1938, Marianne von Lingenfels prepares for the annual harvest party hosted by the aging Countess, the aunt of her husband. It is on this night that Constantine “Connie” Fledermann, issues the above directive, which Marianne eventually will feel compelled to honor. After her husband and Connie are both executed, along with other members of the resistance present at that party, for their roles in the attempted assassination of Adolf Hilter, she begins the arduous task of seeking out the women and children left behind.

The Women in the Castle is about three very different women and their children and the secrets they hold close. It is, even more so, the story of native Germans and their desire for the better life that Hitler and his propaganda promised them and their total lack of knowledge about the atrocities going on around them.

Though the section set in the 1990s seems a bit tacked on and unnecessary, that is the only less-than-positive comment I could make about this novel. It is a wonderful, new take on WWII historical fiction, and I can’t wait to share it with my friends!