catreader18's review
4.0
The things that happened around WWII shock me even today. This is the story of a German breeding program meant to make pure and perfect Germans. For the most part the girls happily participated feeling it was their duty.
What I enjoyed about the book was that it was told by three different women, each with their own POV. My favorite character was Gundi because of her spirit. She was sent to the home when she was already pregnant and has a secret to hide. She is a brave and strong woman and I enjoyed reading about her.
What I enjoyed about the book was that it was told by three different women, each with their own POV. My favorite character was Gundi because of her spirit. She was sent to the home when she was already pregnant and has a secret to hide. She is a brave and strong woman and I enjoyed reading about her.
jpwebbs's review
4.0
This book....I'm emotionally destroyed!
If you enjoyed The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, then you will enjoy this one, as well. Coburn's research is phenomenal and her writing...I felt every single emotion while reading. I had no idea that government-sanctioned brothels were a real thing during WW2, but in the Author's Note, Coburn explains how she got the inspiration for the novel based on true events. If you're Jewish, I will say, it's a tough read. I am Jewish, and there were times when I felt physically ill thinking about this reality.
I have to applaud Coburn again on her writing. She wove the stories of three very different women together so beautifully and presented Hitler's Germany with such detail.
Hilde is a true Hitler girl, she believes in the Reich. A baby will save her or so she thinks.
Gundi is the perfect German girl, but she loves a Jew. All she can do is pray that her baby has blonde hair, pale skin, and blue eyes.
Irma feels conviction, but would rather blend in and hide. That's until she has to make a choice and pick a side.
This story is beautiful, painful, and important. Never forget. Never forget.
Cradles of the Reich releases on October 11, 2022!
Thank you Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for my eArc in exchange for an honest review.
will be posted on www.jourdanawebber.com/blog on 9/1/2022
If you enjoyed The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, then you will enjoy this one, as well. Coburn's research is phenomenal and her writing...I felt every single emotion while reading. I had no idea that government-sanctioned brothels were a real thing during WW2, but in the Author's Note, Coburn explains how she got the inspiration for the novel based on true events. If you're Jewish, I will say, it's a tough read. I am Jewish, and there were times when I felt physically ill thinking about this reality.
I have to applaud Coburn again on her writing. She wove the stories of three very different women together so beautifully and presented Hitler's Germany with such detail.
Hilde is a true Hitler girl, she believes in the Reich. A baby will save her or so she thinks.
Gundi is the perfect German girl, but she loves a Jew. All she can do is pray that her baby has blonde hair, pale skin, and blue eyes.
Irma feels conviction, but would rather blend in and hide. That's until she has to make a choice and pick a side.
This story is beautiful, painful, and important. Never forget. Never forget.
Cradles of the Reich releases on October 11, 2022!
Thank you Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for my eArc in exchange for an honest review.
will be posted on www.jourdanawebber.com/blog on 9/1/2022
heidirgorecki's review
5.0
4.5 stars rounded up. A really interesting and informative look at the Lebensborn Society - and yet another layer of how infiltrating, ingenious, and horrendous the Nazis were. If you want to indoctrinate a society, start with children who are innocent and don’t know any better but to believe you. I’m always a bit flabbergasted at their evil brilliance whenever I read again at how to well they did this with typical, unsuspecting German families.
I enjoyed the 3 perspective approach with the main characters of Gundi, Irma and Hilde. It provided a really intriguing story and a good look at both how each aspect of the culture - against, indifferent, for - dealt with something that came across as innocent and helpful but underneath was disgusting and depraved.
The only thing I wish was different was that more was fleshed out at the end and the story continued a bit. I was a little disappointed at the lack of closure but enjoyed it nonetheless.
Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. Opinions are mine alone.
I enjoyed the 3 perspective approach with the main characters of Gundi, Irma and Hilde. It provided a really intriguing story and a good look at both how each aspect of the culture - against, indifferent, for - dealt with something that came across as innocent and helpful but underneath was disgusting and depraved.
The only thing I wish was different was that more was fleshed out at the end and the story continued a bit. I was a little disappointed at the lack of closure but enjoyed it nonetheless.
Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. Opinions are mine alone.
soobooksalot's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
So many unexpected perspectives make up Cradle Of The Reich.
Thank you to author Jennifer Colburn for putting this on my radar!
Cradles Of The Reich is told from three women's experiences with Himmler's Lebensborn Society in Nazi Germany.
The fictional characters of Gundi, Sister Irma and Hilde, tell the story of Lebensborn, with the goal of encouraging the births of children who met the Nazi standards of "racially pure" Aryans, based on eugenics - light skin, blonde hair, blue eyes, no physical anomalies.
Having relations with a Jew was a crime, to create a Mischling, or Untermensch.
"If you were a true Nazi, you wouldn't call it murder. You'd call it cleansing, purifying, euthanizing, liquidating, but never murder."
It's a piece of history that sounds too fantastical to be real, but Cradles Of The Reich brings it to life.
The experiences of the women were surprising in their differences - loyalty versus survival. Colburn obviously did her research to paint such scenes of the time.
This is a story that will stay with you, and if you're like me, prompt further reading. Don't miss the Author's Note at the end.
Recommended!
Thank you to author Jennifer Colburn for putting this on my radar!
Cradles Of The Reich is told from three women's experiences with Himmler's Lebensborn Society in Nazi Germany.
The fictional characters of Gundi, Sister Irma and Hilde, tell the story of Lebensborn, with the goal of encouraging the births of children who met the Nazi standards of "racially pure" Aryans, based on eugenics - light skin, blonde hair, blue eyes, no physical anomalies.
Having relations with a Jew was a crime, to create a Mischling, or Untermensch.
"If you were a true Nazi, you wouldn't call it murder. You'd call it cleansing, purifying, euthanizing, liquidating, but never murder."
It's a piece of history that sounds too fantastical to be real, but Cradles Of The Reich brings it to life.
The experiences of the women were surprising in their differences - loyalty versus survival. Colburn obviously did her research to paint such scenes of the time.
This is a story that will stay with you, and if you're like me, prompt further reading. Don't miss the Author's Note at the end.
Recommended!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Hate crime, Murder, Racial slurs, Sexual content, War, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
itisbrittany's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
micasreads's review against another edition
4.0
Heim Hochland is the Nazi maternity home in Bavaria and the home of the Lebensborn project - the Nazi program for creating the master race. This is the story of a nurse, Irma, who believes she is bringing new lives into the world but quickly learns there is more to her job than that. There are also two young mothers, Hilde, a Nazi mistress who realized how unimportant she is to the Reich, and Gundi, a young German girl carrying a Jewish baby. Each woman must deal with being a German woman during World War II and decide how best to live their lives.
This was a book I was intrigued by the moment I saw the cover. The Nazi breeding program is not something I have seen covered in many historical fiction novels. Coburn did a wonderful job researching the project and portraying it in her setting. The characters were well-fleshed out with wonderful backstories. The only thing I found lacking was not having a clear idea of how Hilde ended up when she was abandoned. Her ending is alluded to but never set in stone. With that being said, this was a fantastic read and I hope there is more to come from Jennifer Coburn.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage and Antisemitism