A Woman of War by Mandy Robotham – Book Review

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Title: A Woman of War (you can Buy on Amazon here)

Author: Mandy Robotham

Genre: Historical Drama, Thriller, Romance

Pages: 370

Format: E-Book

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5 Stars)

About: Germany, 1944. Taken from the camps to serve the Führer himself, Anke Hoff is assigned as midwife to one of Hitler’s inner circle. If she refuses, her family will die.

Torn between her duty as a caregiver and her hatred for the Nazi regime, Anke is swept into a life unlike anything she’s ever known – and she discovers that many of those at the Berghof are just as trapped as she is. And soon, she’s falling for a man who will make her world more complicated still…

Before long, the couple is faced with an impossible choice – and the consequences could be deadly. Can their forbidden love survive the horrors of war? And, more importantly, will they?

Review: So I haven’t done a book review for a long time, but I really wanted to share about this book.

This is the latest book from my work’s bookclub and I’m so glad that it got picked. As soon as I finished it, I messaged one of my friends and was just like wow what a book!

This is a completely gripping and moving account of a German midwife, who is given the unenviable task of delivering the baby of the Führer. This brilliant book is an alternative history, but the most harrowing accounts of life for women in Ravensbrük are tragically real.

If I’m honest, the start is brutal (well the whole book could be considered as brutal as well). It’s descriptive and totally heartbreaking, but I was hooked and didn’t want to put it down.

This book is filled with details and intricacies of “childbirth” and this is a recurrent feature throughout the book, that might not be everyone’s cup of tea but please don’t let it put you off from giving this book a read.

This is an extraordinary and imaginative story, one where we look to see what would happen if Hitler and Eva Braun had a child together. It was so believable and so well written, it was almost like reading non-fiction.

I really am impressed by the story that the author managed to create. She brilliantly highlights the pain and suffering that would have occurred during that time, but then to compare them to the simple luxuries Anke experiences when she first arrives at the Berghof – things like a bed with a real mattress and a night under clean sheets was just brilliant. It was simple, about things we take for granted, but it worked.

The pace of this story never falters. Even in moments when things seem a lot quieter, there is still something going on in the back of your head. I was sat reading every page taking everything in, just thinking, what was going to happen next. There was a constant danger in every page.

I must also mention that there was a touching love story in the book as well. I won’t give too much away about this relationship though, but I loved it.

Having said that though, I was more moved by the relationships between the women. The strength and courage that some of the women had, I was just so touched by it all.

Take Anke for example – Anke is a compassionate and courageous central character, forced to battle brutal moral dilemmas as well as a world of controlling men. She fights constantly for the dignity and peace of the women and babies under her care.

This book is not only a compelling thriller, it is a wonderful celebration of sisterhood.

I honestly cannot recommend this book enough! So please if you haven’t already done so, consider buying this book (you can Buy on Amazon here). You won’t regret it!