The German Midwife

My #1 favourite book of 2019. From the opening pages, I was swept into an entirely real, horrific world, filled with stunning, yet subtly included – as they would be, if they were seen from the character’s viewpoint – details. We have all read wartime novels that have moved us, taken us to terrible places in our hearts and minds, but this book … It was more. Holocaust and Gestapo stories woven together by unexpected, expert inside knowledge, fibres of the deeply personal life of the midwife, tales of love and grief that won’t leave me. I was convinced, my heart breaking, my mind hungry for more. “The German Midwife” (alternative title A Woman at War) was Ms Robotham’s debut novel, but it is clear she is as passionate and skilled as an author as she ever was as a midwife. And in that, I wonder if she has an equal. Every sentence, every word was beautifully crafted. I am not often moved to write to an author, but I shall be writing to her tonight. Thank you for this incredible journey, Ms Robotham. I look forward to experiencing your next journey.

One of so many favourite lines: “I raised the cup to my lips, thinking of Dieter, and I let the tears fall over the rim, the brine adding to the bitterness of the beans.”

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