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pminkler's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
lalawoman416's review against another edition
5.0
Sigrid Schroeder is a good, German housewife doing the best she can to get through the war. Enter the illicit lover who is a Jew. Enter the young rebel living in her mist. But all is not as it seems and everyone has a secret. Heroes can be villains and villains can be heroes. Because life is complicated.
A beautifully written page turner of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances making questionable choices.
A beautifully written page turner of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances making questionable choices.
skynet666's review against another edition
4.0
I truly enjoyed this book - characters, setting, and story. I don't have anything negative to say, but that's probably because I had no expectations at all. I found myself picturing the story as it unfolded, which I rarely do. Who knows - maybe they'll make this into a movie. Wait - it doesn't have any vampires or supernatural components, so I doubt it.
madinorms's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
lambsears's review against another edition
4.0
An extraordinarily well written and well developed story of a good German wife living in wartime Berlin and how the war changes her. We watch as Sigrid's life changes through shades of grey and she begins to make decisions she would never have previously dreamed of. This story is an account of what one woman might have done, but will make you wonder about how you might have behaved under similar conditions. A great look at ordinary people in circumstances they are in no way prepared for. I expect this will end up as a movie at some stage.
nancy_pocono50's review against another edition
2.0
I really, really wanted to give this book a higher rating, but just could not. Interesting idea for a story. Appears a great deal of research was performed. It fell short. Too many editing and continuity bloopers. Not to give anything away, but the scene toward the end between Egon and Sigrid - really!!! The author apparently did not research the plausibility of such an incident.
prufrockcoat's review against another edition
4.0
This isn't a typical read for me--this is straight historical fiction, and a novel about Germany during World War II, which has been covered over and over again. Gillham, like many before him, asks his readers: what would you do? And why?
That last question is ultimately the more interesting one, I think. Sigrid Schroeder is a woman hiding anger in heart and Jews in an attic, who sleeps with men who are not her husband but is offended when she finds her young neighbor to have posed for a deck of salacious playing cards. Yes, she grapples with the distinction between a good war-time German and a good person. What it means to betray an extinguished marriage. But she also considers some terribly cruel actions for equally terribly understandable reasons.
In a book about Nazi Germany, it's easy to resort to stereotypes. But Gillham has done anything but--his people are well-considered and deeply convincing.
That last question is ultimately the more interesting one, I think. Sigrid Schroeder is a woman hiding anger in heart and Jews in an attic, who sleeps with men who are not her husband but is offended when she finds her young neighbor to have posed for a deck of salacious playing cards. Yes, she grapples with the distinction between a good war-time German and a good person. What it means to betray an extinguished marriage. But she also considers some terribly cruel actions for equally terribly understandable reasons.
In a book about Nazi Germany, it's easy to resort to stereotypes. But Gillham has done anything but--his people are well-considered and deeply convincing.
queenbethie's review against another edition
2.0
The idea of this book has great potential--life in Berlin during WWII when most of the men are gone. What do the women do, how they survive, how they help Jews and others being persecuted, etc. Sadly, though, it falls short. The characters did not draw me in and I found the sub-stories stumbling over themselves, lacking clarity and creating a hope for the end of the book. I'd pass on this one.
kateagoderstad's review against another edition
5.0
This book was absolutely fantastic! David Gillham does a wonderful job of bringing the reader into the story and the ravages of war. City Of Women is full of passion, suspense, and heartwrenching questions of morality as well as knowing the difference between right and wrong. Many people enjoy a book with a happy ending but my favorite thing about this book is that the ending, like the circumstances of so many people during World War II and the Holocaust, is one of heartwrenching reality. I highly recommend everyone read City Of Women.