I recently finished reading "The Women in the Castle" by Jessica Shattuck, and I was deeply moved by this poignant and powerful story. Set in post-WWII Germany, the novel centers around three women—Marianne, Benita, and Ania—each dealing with the aftermath of the war in their own ways. Marianne is a strong-willed widow of a resistance leader, determined to keep a promise to protect the families of her husband's fellow conspirators. She finds and shelters Benita and Ania, who are also war widows.

The character development is superb, making you feel the weight of their past and the secrets they carry. The setting in a crumbling Bavarian castle adds a haunting atmosphere that perfectly complements the story's themes of loss, survival, and redemption. What struck me the most was how Shattuck weaves historical facts with the personal struggles of the characters, creating a narrative that's both educational and deeply emotional.

I appreciated how the book didn't shy away from the complexities of the women's situations, exploring moral grey areas and the difficult choices they had to make. It's a heavy read, but it also offers moments of hope and resilience. If you enjoy historical fiction with strong, well-rounded characters and a gripping plot, I highly recommend "The Women in the Castle."

.
.

I am in charge of our Senior School library and now during this time of lockdown, I am looking for a diverse array of new books to furnish their shelves with and inspire our young people to read a wider and more diverse range of books as they move through the senior school. It is hard sometimes to find books that will grab the attention of young people as their time is short and we are competing against technology and online entertainments.
This was a thought-provoking and well-written read that will appeal to readers across the board. It had a really strong voice and a compelling narrative that I think would capture their attention and draw them in. It kept me engrossed and I think that it's so important that the books that we purchase for both our young people and our staff are appealing to as broad a range of readers as possible - as well as providing them with something a little 'different' that they might not have come across in school libraries before.
This was a really enjoyable read and I will definitely be purchasing a copy for school so that our young people can enjoy it for themselves. A satisfying and well-crafted read that I keep thinking about long after closing its final page - and that definitely makes it a must-buy for me!

When her husband was killed following on failed assassination attempt on Hitler, Marianne vows to find and help the widows and children of the other conspirators. Eventually, she finds and few of them and brings them to her home, a rundown castle where it is a struggle to keep people fed and warm. Through the women you see the struggle that the country went through after WWII. At the same time there is hope as the women form a family of sorts. As with any family there are secrets as well.

I was anxious to read this book as it was a era and country I was not overly familiar with. Unfortunately, it was not what I expected. While good in its way I was left hoping for something else.

Overall, I enjoyed this piece of historical fiction. I did have to refer back often as the chapters cover both pre and post war in different places so it was a little harder to follow than I’d have liked and a little slow in places. But the events described and the characters were interesting. As a reader I experienced shock, disappointment and sadness at what happened to the three women, Marianne, Ania and Benita and some of the choices they made. I thought it ended as well as could be expected given the tragedy in their lives. Would I read more from this author? Yes, definitely. With thanks to Netgalley and publisher for providing a digital copy in exchange for an honest review. Loved the book cover too!

Poignant story of three women who inhabited a German castle during the dark days of World War II. The early section of the book is matter of fact and straightforward about the brutality of their circumstances. The entire book manages to be strongly anti-Nazi and bitingly critical of the Germans who were in denial about Hitler's evil and yet compassionate about the horrible cost of the war and the experiences of the average German citizen.

The book jumps around a bit in time, but the narrative flows smoothly from before, during and after, and decades after the war. The ending manages to braid the different stories together without being predictable or suspiciously neat.

Marianne, a German aristocrat, is the main character. She is strong to the point of moral arrogance at times, but also loyal and fearless. She has promised a childhood friend to look after his wife Benita if anything happens to him. Benita is full of joy and light but also a bit childlike and shallow at times. The third resident of the castle is Ania, who appears with her two children and a past that she will not disclose.

All three women, and their husbands and children, are victims of the war. The aftermath of their experiences is still troubled and complex fifty years later. But the bond among the three, and the author's philosophical reflections of war, are touching and painful.

This is a masterfully told tale with richly characterized people. Highly recommended. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in return for my honest opinion.

Thank you to Netgalley, the Publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in return for my honest opinion.

I loved this book. I loved how it was told and how the characters were written. You instantly felt for them and the book transported me to a time I cannot imagine. Marianne was such a strong character and embodied the strength by necessity of that time, facing Hitler as a part of the resistance, behind the scenes. I loved the stories of each of the women and this book shows that sometimes good people do bad things, whether they intend to or not. Great book!

This book is set just after world war two. Marianne returns to the castle where her aunt lived. She is on a mission to return children separated from their parents to their relatives.

I found this book fairly slow and did struggle to get into the story. If you like historical fiction you would enjoy this book.

After losing her husband in a failed attempt to assassinate Hitler, Marianne Von Lingenfels is determined to find and protect other women and children who have also lost their husbands/fathers due to their resistance to the regime. I was really keen to read this as I love this type of historical novel however I feel it lacked depth and I lost interest in the characters.

The story went along at a fairly steady pace. I think it may have started off a little slow but it definitely picked up afterward. I liked that the story focused on their lives and experiences while leaving WWII more in the background. It was certainly an important setting and driving force for all of them, but it was less about the violence and horrors, and more about the decisions one makes.

I highly recommend this book if you like historical fiction, it’s a fantastic read so definitely check it out the next time you’re at the bookstore!

I've wanted to read this book ever since I heard about it and the waiting has been well worth it. I loved reading every page of it.

I enjoyed this post-war novel as it is a genre I have not come across before. So many books focus on the events leading up to and during WW2 but this perspective of the lives remaining after the end of the war, and the time it took Germans/Germany to recover from it is another aspect of the war that is less well explored.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this book

4.5*
Expertly written historical fiction, I was enthralled from the first page. I'm fascinated by anything set during this time period and thought the story was particularly strong when it was told using non-linear narrative - I personally really engage with books that are written this way and I think that it served this particular story really well. Highly recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this title.

This is a story of three women in post World War II Germany who live together for a few years in a castle. Marianne von Lingenfels is the widow of a resistor and she rescues two women whose husbands were friends of his in the resistance against Hitler. The story spans years and tells how each woman fared in Hitler's Germany and afterwards. Each woman hides secrets that we later learn. I found the story fascinating especially since one of the women at one point ran youth camps with her husband. We get to see the story of the ordinary Germans who were drawn in by his promises and who thought that what they were doing was good and right, until they realized what was really going on. The story is quite interesting and I highly recommend it.

When Marianne Von Lingenfel makes a promise to her dear friend Connie she doesn’t for a second believe that she will need to follow through on that in the years to come, and that her actions will be her for the rest of her life.

Marianne is the wife of a prolific member of the German resistance, determined to do the right thing for Germany and bring down Hitler and his men. Restoring peace to the country and securing a better future for all.

The resistance plot to assassinate Hitler is a failure, and all collaborators murdered in the most horrific ways.

Their families are left behind to pick up the pieces, their lives changed forever in a way that none of them could ever have imagined.

The women of the castle is a beautifully written novel, that covers some horrific historical events with dignity, but does not shy away from the brutality and horror of Hitlers' regime.

I loved that this novel focused on the German resistance during the Second World War, it documents Hitler's rise and fall in a way that we rarely see.

How very ordinary German people were sucked into his charismatic speeches and others were not...

This is a beautifully written story of the connected lives of 3 women in the aftermath of WW2 in Germany. The individual stories of the women are revealed telling us of heartache, struggle and pain enduring during the war. A story of how war changes people, good and bad, and the actions ordinary people are forced to make to survive. It is very interesting reading about post-war Germany. A great read. I really enjoyed this book. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity. #thewomeninthecastle #netgalley

I wanted to like this book so much. I really did. I love historical fiction, especially when set during/after WWII. And, The Women in the Castle sounded so good - three widows uniting to lean on one another and move forward following the horrors and losses they recently endured in WWII. Can you imagine the secrets? The drama? The history of it all?! OMG! I was so excited to pick up this book and dive right in. Except, the more I read, the less I enjoyed what I was reading. I just couldn't connect with the characters, which meant that I couldn't engage with their stories. I found that I didn't care enough to find out what happened to them. I feel like this is a book that sounds better than it actually reads. I had to DNF it - my first in 2018!

Thank you for the chance to review this book, however, unfortunately, I was unable to read and review this title before it was archived.

Review: The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck
Took me a while to get into this story, but once I did, I found it interesting. But I didn't love it.

There were too many different story lines and points of views for me to ever feel any kind of a strong connection to the characters. These were women who had suffered during the war and endured horrible situations, and yet I didn't feel the full impact of what they'd been through. There were a few story lines that I wish had been more fully developed. I felt like there was a lot hinted at beneath the surface of their stories. I wanted to know more.

What I did like about the book though is that it focused on an aspect that I've not read much about - the women in Germany, after the war. Their husbands had died because they tried to stop Hitler. They're trying to rebuild their lives, with the men gone.

Overall, I liked this book, especially toward the end, but it didn't leave a strong impression on me.

I received a copy of this via Netgalley.

This novel is set in Germany before, during, and mostly after World War II, with the post-war part set in part a crumbling castle in Germany where 3 widows of German war resisters are living together with their children. I have read a lot of WWII fiction, so it's always interesting to read a book with a unique take on it, which this book definitely was.