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The German Wife

par Kelly Rimmer

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2426109,984 (4.31)8
Fiction. Literature. Historical Fiction. HTML:"Skillfully researched and powerfully written, The German Wife will capture you from the first page." ??Madeline Martin, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Bookshop in London
The New York Times bestselling author of The Warsaw Orphan returns with a gripping novel inspired by the true story of Operation Paperclip: a controversial secret US intelligence program that employed former Nazis after WWII.
Berlin, 1930??When a wave of change sweeps a radical political party to power, Sofie von Meyer Rhodes's academic husband benefits from the ambitions of its newly elected chancellor. Although Sofie and Jürgen do not share the social views growing popular in Hitler's Germany, Jürgen's position with its burgeoning rocket program changes their diminishing fortunes for the better. But as Sofie watches helplessly, her beloved Berlin begins to transform, forcing her to consider what they must sacrifice morally for their young family's security, and what the price for their neutrality will be.
Twenty years later, Jürgen is one of the many German scientists offered pardons for their part in the war, and taken to America to work for its fledgling space program. For Sofie, this is the chance to exorcise the ghosts that have followed her across the ocean, and make a fresh start in her adopted country. But her neighbors aren't as welcoming or as understanding as she had hoped. When scandalous rumors about the Rhodes family's affiliation with Hitler's regime spreads, idle gossip turns to bitter rage, and the act of violence that results will tear apart Sofie's community and her family before the truth is finally revealed.
"An unforgettable novel that explores important questions highly relevant to the world today." ??Christine Wells, author of Sisters of the Resistance<
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Author Kelly Rimmer says that inspiration for her books often strikes when she least expects it. In the case of The German Wife, the idea for the story came to her in 2019 when she visited an exhibit about the history of the U.S. space program at the Parkes Observatory, the site of the radio telescope that assisted in the broadcasts from the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969. She noted a reference to the contributions of German scientists, beginning in 1950, to development of the rockets that powered the spacecraft. She was “immediately struck by how unlikely” it was that German and U.S. scientists worked side by side so soon after the end of World War II. Her research soon revealed Operation Paperclip. Under the terms of the program, more than 1,600 German scientists and engineers from a variety of disciplines (chemistry, physics, architecture, medicine, rocketry, etc.) were brought to America and employed by the federal government. The truth about their pasts was obliterated, their stories rewritten. “Many were complicit in war crimes. Others were complicit through their silence.” Nonetheless, they were granted a fresh start courtesy of the U.S. government.

Thus, The German Wife opens in 1950 with the first-person narrative of Sofie von Meyer Rhodes, a German aristocrat who has just arrived in Huntsville, Alabama, with her two youngest children, Gisela and Felix. They will join her husband, Jürgen, a scientist and former professor who has been living and working in America for five years. Their older son, Georg, would be twenty years old had he lived, and Laura, their older daughter, was lost to them when she remained loyal to the Nazi regime. At last, Sofie will attempt to forge a new life with her family alongside other Germans granted a second chance by the U.S. government. Sofie is aware that Jürgen came to America as a prisoner of war but does not know the details surrounding his freedom and job at Fort Bliss. And soon Sofie will learn that many of her new American neighbors are neither forgiving nor welcoming. Adapting to life in a new country with unfamiliar customs among resentful residents will prove difficult.

But, of course, Sofie is a survivor. In a dual narrative beginning in 1930, Sofie relates her experiences in Germany as the Nazis come to power and increasingly impose their will upon stunned citizens. Having only married Jürgen a year earlier, Sofie is expecting their first child. But the results of the recent election have proven shocking and frightening, especially for Sofie’s Jewish best friend, Mayim, and her family, who have lost everything as a result of inflation and the 1929 stock market crash. Neither woman realizes how much more will be lost when war breaks out. Mayim and her family will be forced into hiding. And in order to protect them, as well as her own family, it will be necessary for Sofie to at least appear to shun her. Moreover, Jürgen will be conscripted into joining the Nazi party, and utilizing his knowledge and skills in a morally repugnant mission . . . or face the consequences.

Also commencing in 1930 is another first-person narrative. Lizzie and her brother, Henry, live in Dallam County, Texas, but times are hard. The rain has not come, but brutal dust storms have. Eventually, Lizzie and Henry also make their way to Huntsville. Lizzie describes her journey, including how she meets and marries her husband, Calvin Miller, who has transferred from El Paso and serves as the general manager of the rocket program. He refers to his coworkers as “our Germans,” a term that makes Lizzie want “to scream.” Henry served in Europe during World War II, but never speaks about it. Lizzie notes that he returned from the war -- at a time well before Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was a recognized and treated condition -- “a broken man. And now my brother did not need to be living in a town lousy with Germans.” Henry sees the influx of German citizens as a threat and, although he seems to be doing well, Lizzie worries about him. For good reason, it turns out.

The male German and American scientists have been working together for some time and have developed collegial relationships. Oblivious to history, the children immediately begin playing together. But as the German and American wives are introduced to each other for the first time, tensions are high. Many of the American women are only in attendance at the gathering because their husbands have demanded their presence, and they are stubbornly standoffish instead of welcoming, further bewildering the German wives who do not yet speak English. Lizzie is one of the most outspoken, her outrage on full display. “These people should probably be on trial at Nuremberg, not sipping champagne in Huntsville. . . . We don’t have to welcome them. We can take a stand. I mean, for God’s sakes, someone has to.” Lizzie expresses what so many Americans felt after the war: German citizens who stood by as atrocities were committed and “did nothing” were as guilty as the members of the Nazi party who ordered and carried out unthinkable deeds. But Sofie protests, arguing it is unfair to assume that all Germans knew what was happening or were members of the Nazi party. What she does not verbalize is that she and Jürgen did, in fact, know what was happening . . . but were helpless to stop it.

The German Wife is a riveting, often heartbreaking and infuriating modern morality play. Through her compelling and fully developed characters, Rimmer explores the complexities of war, particularly the most heinous conflict in history. She uses the four narratives to illustrate her characters’ experiences and reactions to events, many of which are beyond their control. In Germany, Sofie and Jürgen are horrified by the abuse of power and crimes being committed, and seek ways to evade being swept up into the Nazi party. But Jürgen possesses unique skills, and the party leaders are intent upon using his talents in ways that are repulsive and abhorrent to him and Sofie. They are determined to keep their family safe, and soon learn the cost of resistance. As violence escalates, Jews are rounded up and sent to concentration camps, and the government takes control of the press, spewing propaganda, it becomes evident that "the Nazi party had gone too far. But no one said it. No one could say it. We had so long been afraid of the consequences of dissent that even as the nation descended into madness, any moral call to rise up against the chaos went unheeded." Out of options, Jürgen tries to shield Sofie from the truth, but it haunts him. He knows the ways in which Hitler plans to use the rockets being developed. He also knows about the camps, the gas, and the certain fate of those who attempt to resist. "Those men buid rockets according to my instructions," he confesses to Sofie. "When the story of the war is written, the pages will be full of men saying 'I was only following orders' and the world will know that is fiction. Every single time I opted not to take a stand, I was taking a stand -- for the wrong side." Their story is absorbing, terrifying, and deeply moving.

Lizzie’s early life is beset by hardships and tragedy, and Rimmer describes how she ultimately resolves to forge a life that is solid and dependable, if not founded upon love and passion. She cares for and protects Henry who, as Rimmer demonstrates, is indisputably a victim of war. Her bitterness is credible and understandable, as is Calvin’s patient longing to soften her heart. As the narratives advance and readers attain knowledge about the characters’ histories and emotions, Rimmer accelerates the story’s pace and heightens the dramatic tension that results in a shocking and violent event. In the aftermath, her characters must come to terms with their pasts in order to face the future. Will they be able to finally see each other as human beings, rather than "Germans" and "Americans" on opposite sides of a war that has already ended?

Through the lives of her characters, Rimmer deftly examines PTSD and survivor’s guilt, the life-altering and lasting impacts of war, prejudice and bigotry, whether healing is possible, and, if so, how it can come about. The German Wife is a unique work of historical fiction in that Rimmer presents the troubling story of a German family who strive to escape being caught up in the evil and corrupt agenda of a madman and his followers. Rimmer challenges readers to ponder, along with Sofie and Jürgen, whether, in light of all they endure, they did enough. “Is there a point where we are morally obliged to take a stand, whatever the cost?” Rimmer asks.

Rimmer poses similar questions about Operation Paperclip. Her characters reference the Space Race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. As the two nations fought for superiority in spaceflight and to be the first to send an astronaut to the moon, that competition provided the impetus for the U.S. to overlook war crimes committed – often involuntarily – by German scientists in order to utilize their talents. America won the Space Race. But did the ends justify the means? Rimmer makes clear that Operation Paperclip was fraught from its conception and nothing about it “was simple – not the politics, the mechanics, or even the ethics.”

For fans of World War-era historical fiction, The German Wife is a must-read volume. Rimmer’s expertly crafted and thoroughly researched story is touching, complex, thought-provoking, and thoroughly engrossing, as well as remarkably contemporary and timely, given the current state of American politics.

Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book. ( )
  JHSColloquium | Nov 16, 2022 |
This is a heart-breaking story of two families on opposite sides during WWII. It is a story of two women fighting to protect their families in some of the worst of times. Sometimes the choices made have devastating consequences.

Lizzie Miller survives the Dust Bowl and marries Calvin, an engineer that takes her to the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. Her brother Henry liberated one of the concentration camps and suffers from “combat fatigue.” He lives with Calvin and Lizzie.

Sofie and Jürgen von Meyer Rhodes have been relocated from Germany to as part of Operation Paper Clip. This operation was a secret United States intelligence program to bring the most valuable German scientists, engineers, and technicians from former Nazi Germany to the U.S. between the years of 1945 to 1959. Many of these personnel were former members, and some were former leaders, of the Nazi Party. As you can imagine, many Americans in the Huntsville area were not happy about this as they thoroughly distrusted the Germans.

An unfortunate comment made at a community gathering sets Sophie and Lizzie on a path of collision. Both women are faced with moral dilemmas. Does the reader agree with their choices? Did they really have a choice?

Told through a dual timeline and alternating perspectives between Lizzie and Sofie, I was kept in suspense as the tension built, dreading the conclusion that was sure to come.

The secondary characters of Sophie’s best friend Mayim and Sofie’s Aunt Adele and Lizzie’s brother are at the center of the heartbreak that the war causes for both families.

It is obvious that Rimmer did extensive research for this book. There is the potential for controversy regarding the von Meyer Rhodes couple. But I thought they were portrayed in a realistic manner. This is an emotional and complex story that will leave you wondering what you would have done in their place. ( )
  BettyTaylor56 | Jul 25, 2022 |
There's so much WWII-era historical fiction that the plots and stories can feel repetitive, and then there are novels like this one. This is the story of two women, Sofie, the German wife of a scientist who worked on the V2 rockets, and Lizzie, a farm girl who becomes the wife of an American aeronautics specialist. The two women encounter each other after WWII, when their husbands work together in the American space program. A lot of the novel is spent on wrestling with the position of Sofie and her husband in Nazi Germany, their complicity in the Holocaust, and their ability and inability to effect change in their country. And afterwards, do Sofie and her family "deserve" a happy ending, a quiet life in an American town? Lizzie, who does not care for Sofie, provides a vocal voice for much of the book by answering these questions to the contrary. The author herself expresses in the note following that she's not certain the historical accurate ending she provide is just. Still, the struggle with these hard questions set this book apart from the many other books in this genre. ( )
  wagner.sarah35 | Jul 14, 2022 |
1933 - we meet Lizzie and Henry in the United States and Sofia and Jurgen in Germany.

Lizzie and Henry are children and work on their family’s almost bankrupt farm. Their farm failed, Lizzie married, and Henry was sent to fight in the war. Lizzie really didn’t want to get married, and Henry ended up with PTSD from the war.

Jugren and Sofia are well off until Jurgen is forced out of his job at the university because he wouldn’t comply with the German thinking and as a result had to work for the Germans on the rocket program or be without work and/or in jail.

Jurgen didn’t want to be part of it because he knew the rocket program wasn’t really going to be for rockets but for explosives, but Jurgen had no choice.

1950 - we meet the characters again in the United States.

Lizzie and her husband’s home is in Huntsville, Alabama, and Henry lives with them. Both are not fond of the Germans who are here. The entire town has a difficult time accepting the Germans and their families.

Jurgen has been here for five years working on Operation Paperclip without his family. When his family arrives, the town is to welcome his family and the other German families, but it is a difficult get together - especially for Lizzie and Sofia.

Sofia tried to explain what they really went through and that they didn’t agree but had to. Lizzie and others didn’t want to hear it.

Ms. Rimmer did an amazing job of research. I had never heard of Operation Paperclip/Rocket Program.

THE GERMAN WIFE is simply marvelous...well researched and has a terrific story line.

You will feel all the emotions each character is feeling in both time periods through Ms. Rimmer’s marvelous writing style and learn the difficult times for those who lived in Germany and resisted or spoke out and learn about the Americans who lived here during the depression and through the dust bowl.

Historical fiction fans will not want to miss THE GERMAN WIFE, but be aware readers will also learn of more horrors during WWII and the lingering effects it had on American servicemen. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review. ( )
  SilversReviews | Jul 1, 2022 |
Jurgen and Sophie have barely survived the war intact. Jurgen was captured by the Americans and sent to America with a pardon to help with the space program. Sophie is finally able to join him after two years. But, her arrival is not as easy as she had hoped. She clashes with one of Jurgen’s bosses wives and it taints her whole homecoming.

This is told by two different narrators, Lizzie and Sofie. Lizzie was raised during the dust bowl and the depression in the USA. She is currently married to a scientist at the Huntsville Space program. She and Sofie do not hit it off at all! Lizzie does not want the Germans anywhere near her or her family.

Sofie is a sweet German woman who struggled to survive the war. Because her husband, Jurgen, was a German rocket scientist, they struggled against everything they believed in. The threat by the Nazis to their lives and their family’s lives were constant. They had to conform to the Nazi beliefs to stay alive.

There is a lot of conflict between these two characters and to be honest…they both just want to protect their families and live their lives in peace. But, Lizzie’s brother changes all of that. And you must read this to find out the struggles these two women face and why!

On a side note…I learned something in this book. I had no idea the United States brought over some of the scientists which were German POWs. AND…they used them to help build the rocket program, especially in Huntsville, AL. I have spent lots of time at the space center there. Heck, one of my children went to space camp there. I had no idea about this history. I love a book which teaches me something.

Ok! Y’all run…don’t walk…RUN and get this book!

Need a fantastic historical fiction…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review. ( )
  fredreeca | Jun 27, 2022 |
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Fiction. Literature. Historical Fiction. HTML:"Skillfully researched and powerfully written, The German Wife will capture you from the first page." ??Madeline Martin, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Bookshop in London
The New York Times bestselling author of The Warsaw Orphan returns with a gripping novel inspired by the true story of Operation Paperclip: a controversial secret US intelligence program that employed former Nazis after WWII.
Berlin, 1930??When a wave of change sweeps a radical political party to power, Sofie von Meyer Rhodes's academic husband benefits from the ambitions of its newly elected chancellor. Although Sofie and Jürgen do not share the social views growing popular in Hitler's Germany, Jürgen's position with its burgeoning rocket program changes their diminishing fortunes for the better. But as Sofie watches helplessly, her beloved Berlin begins to transform, forcing her to consider what they must sacrifice morally for their young family's security, and what the price for their neutrality will be.
Twenty years later, Jürgen is one of the many German scientists offered pardons for their part in the war, and taken to America to work for its fledgling space program. For Sofie, this is the chance to exorcise the ghosts that have followed her across the ocean, and make a fresh start in her adopted country. But her neighbors aren't as welcoming or as understanding as she had hoped. When scandalous rumors about the Rhodes family's affiliation with Hitler's regime spreads, idle gossip turns to bitter rage, and the act of violence that results will tear apart Sofie's community and her family before the truth is finally revealed.
"An unforgettable novel that explores important questions highly relevant to the world today." ??Christine Wells, author of Sisters of the Resistance

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