This riveting war story introduces us to beautiful Kate Zweig, the English widow of a German surgeon, and Claus Murphy, an exiled American with German roots?two lovers with complicated loyalties.
In 1918, Kate and her husband, Horst, are taken for spies by Russian soldiers and forced to flee their field hospital on the eastern front, barely escaping with their lives. Years later, in London during the Nazis' V-1 reign of terror, Claus spends his days making propaganda films and his nights as a British spy, worn down by the war and his own many secrets. When Claus meets the intriguing Kate, he finds himself powerfully drawn to her?even after evidence surfaces that she might not be exactly who she seems. As the war hurtles to a violent end, Claus must decide where his own loyalties lie, whether he can make a difference in the war?and what might be gained by taking a leap of faith with Kate.
Echoing Pat Barker's spare power and the sweep of Sebastian Faulks's historical sagas, The German Woman takes us inside the world wars that defined the twentieth century and the hidden histories of two unforgettable characters whose love story will haunt listeners' hearts and minds.

WWII atrocities are dramatized through the relationship between the English widow of a German surgeon and an exiled American with German roots. The lovers' terror, loyalties, and entanglements take place amid the appalling history that is woven into their daily lives. Anne Flosnik's crisp enunciation serves as a striking counterpoint to vivid descriptions of Nazi concentration camps and wartime battlefields. Her portrayals of Kate, the widow, and other characters are so realistic that they could be mistaken for the work of a full cast. Michael Page's bravery as Charles, the American, is audible through his stoic narration of the brutality he witnesses while spying for the British. The struggle for survival and the tension between collaboration and loyalty are the themes of this novel, which is reminiscent of the work of Graham Greene. A.W. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

 

PAUL GRINER is the author of the acclaimed novel Collectors and the story collection Follow Me, a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Pick. He was inspired to write The German Woman by the true story of a team of filmmakers who were tried for treason just after we entered World War I for making a film critical of our British allies, and by an E.M. Foster quote: If I had to choose between my country and my friend, I hope to god I'd have the guts to choose my friend.

The German Woman by Paul Griner
Continue Browsing		View Wish List