I have a great interest in this time in history and enjoy reading fiction novels of this time. I was really looking forward to reading this book and it did not disappoint. It was well written and had plenty of twists and turns to keep you interested. I liked how the story moved from past to present, it was a very enjoyable read.

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read and review this book, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

A Woman of War or The German Midwife by Mandy Robotham published by Avon is outstanding Historical Fiction. Mandy Robotham is new author to me and now a new favorite. If you love WWII historical fiction this a book and author you will enjoy. I found her depiction of Nazi Germany horrifying accurate. It is obvious to the reader that Mandy Robotham is a caring medical professional and midwife herself from the medical, pregnancy and birthing details in this book. The characters as portrayed and their relationships make this book seem like a true story. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Avon through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. My thanks to the author, the publisher and netgalley for the privilege to read, review and enjoy this book.

An ARC was provided to me free by the publisher for my review, via NetGalley. The premise seemed interesting to me, and I was brought to tears a few times by the heartbreak of it all. But I think overall I just didn’t connect enough with the character - especially once she fell for a Nazi. I did get to be more, I guess, approving of her relationship as more was revealed about his character. I think there was an interesting focus on how people out of fear for personal safety in all parts of the war made morally questionable choices - Dieter, Anke, The Kapo, etc but I think that sort of tries to equate them, and they weren’t really the same. The actual midwifery in a historical setting was the most fascinating part to me, and I would definitely pick up a different book about a midwife from this author in the future.

Nicely done historical fiction. Anke, a midwife, finds herself on the edge of knife, when she's pulled from Ravensbruck to care for Eva Braun. Robotham has done her best to humanize various Nazis and this occasionally made my skin crawl. Some of this is unrealistic but at the same time I found myself carried along by the story. It's well written and Anke is a sympathetic character you will root for. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

A very interesting book even though it was fiction you could believe it may have happened. A midwife taken from a camp and sent to Hitlers hideaway to help with his mistress through her pregnancy and to give birth. She was promised her family would be looked after if she did what was asked of her. Though she found going there repulsive she made friends, had good food and fell in love.


The pregnancy and birth went well, but then everything fell apart. I enjoyed reading this book and realised the research that went into this book being a midwife. Well written and well researched, thanks for the opportunity letting me read this book.

I particularly liked the detail and descriptions of giving birth and of how hard it was for Anke. I found the chapters in italic confusing and had to go back to the beginning of the book to establish a timeline, which made it a bit clearer. But a good story overall

This is a heartbreaking read. Anke's story shows the horrors of war and the bravery of those who stood by their beliefs and went against the Reich. This story has obviously been very well researched and is beautifully written. The monstrous events that took place in the concentration camps are heartbreaking. The heartlessness of German Officers shows how cruel humanity can be. This book will stay with me a long time.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I found this to be an engrossing read. There was never a dull moment and there was always an underlying tension throughout which kept me hooked. The subject matter is also really interesting and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

A Woman of War is a heartbreaking “what if”story. Anke is a German midwife who is in a Nazi work camp during World War Two. She is pulled from the camp and taken to Berghof to care for a pregnant Eva Braun, Hitler’s mistress. Anke struggles with doing the right thing...caring for Eva and her unborn child or helping the resistance. Mandy Robotham’s debut novel is well written and a great read for historical fiction fans!

A Woman at War, the first book by author Mandy Robotham, is set in WWII Germany and is centered around the experience of midwife, Anke Hoff. Anke helps deliver babies in a concentration camp and is eventually assigned, with the promise of her family's safety, to aid in the care of Eva Braun, Hitler's paramour, up to and through her delivery. Along the way, Anke meets members of the SS as well as Germans who do not support the Nazi regime. The story is told through Anke's voice and goes back and forth between her experiences in the camp and her present situation in 1944, living at Berghof, Hitler's home in Bavaria.

While I found the storyline interesting and thought Anke’s struggles were well developed. The book explores her experience of feeling a prisoner inside and outside the camp, her moral and ethical struggles regarding her work, and her fight to do the right thing as her situation became more gray. However, the book moved slowly at times, especially in the middle. I was most engaged in the chapters that focused on life for pregnant women in the camps and in the half of the book in general.

I enjoy historical fiction and am always on the lookout for WWII history in particular. The comparison between A Woman at War and The Tattooist of Auschwitz initially grabbed my attention. However, I didn't feel the characters in A Woman at War were nearly as well developed, nor did they hold my attention to the same degree. Having said that, the book did leave an impression. Anke's experiences with her fellow countrymen challenged her and highlighted the complexities of individuals and groups which is something I think we often struggle with today. It wasn't my favorite WWII historical fiction, but it made me think and wonder what I might have done, and for me, that is time well spent.

Many thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read the ARC.

This is a very well written and compelling work of fiction set in Germany during World War II. Anke Hoff is a midwife who is interned in a work camp from where she is removed to assist pregnant Eva Braun at the birth of her baby to Adolf Hitler.
The writing is so true to life it could almost be real.
Highly recommend!

Another favourite read this year!
This was such an interesting read! Once I started I could not put it down. A fabulous and sometimes heart wrenching read of life in the Nazi camp's for midwife's and their patients.

What if Hitler fathered a child during World War 2?
Anke Hoff was put in the most impossible situation. Take care of one of HItler's inner circle or suffer the consequences.....
The story went seamlessly back and forth between her current position as midwife for the Fuhrer to time spent at Ravensbruck and her childhood. What a strong and courageous woman Anke was to time and time again help other women through the birth of a baby only to have it taken away moments after. I cannot even begin to imagine the suffering those women would have went through!
I very much enjoyed the characters Anke came to know along the way and felt those relationships really enhanced Anke's journey.
I have all the love for this first novel by Robotham and hope it will not be her last!

A profound novel from start to finish. A heart wrenching look inside the horrors of a concentration camp, through the eyes of a prisoner/ midwife. This is a great read that holds your attention to the very last page.
4 Stars
I received this ARC from Avon Books through Netgalley for a honest review.

This book was provided from Netgalley, Avon and Mandy Robotham in exchange for an honest review.

Anke Hoff, a German midwife, seen as betraying her country as she helps Jewish woman through birth, is taken to a camp as punishment.
After working hard, Anke has earned trust to roam ‘freely’ around camp to help any women who may be pregnant.
After a while Anke is requested, to be a midwife to a woman who is part of Hitler’s inner circle.
Anke is torn between her duty as a midwife and her hatred for regime that she is now apart of.
It is this time in her life that Anke meets unlikely allies, a forbidden love with an SS Officer, faced with loss and tragedy.

This story felt so real to me, every emotion Anke felt, it felt all real to me. The story is beautiful, sad and tragic all at the same time and you really feel all that emotion while reading this book.
If you love historical fiction, especially set during WWII then I would highly recommend this book!

Thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review
A FULL-THROTTLE TRUMPET-TOOTING EXTRAVAGANZA.
I couldn't put this book down it's graphic it's hard at times to read but a very true account of a horrific situation I can't praise this book enough

Thank you net galley for the advance read copy of this novel. This was a fantastic read and I couldn't out it down! A historical fiction about a midwife during WWII in and out of the camps and delivering Hitler's baby. The existence of Hitler's child was a nice fabricated element of this novel. This was an emotional novel that didn't spare the details of births in the camps, or the survival instinct of any mother. The range of love and loss in the book was great for Anke, the main character and solider Dieter. I highly recommend this book to any historical fiction fan. Well done!

This book set during World War two is a what if Eva braun had given birth to Hitlers child... I really enjoyed it, really good page turner and detailed sometimes harrowing descriptions of what happened in those times. Very well written and can't recommend enough.

I always have a weak spot for WWII historical fiction... As soon as I recognized the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp entrance I was able to see with my own eyes a few months back on the cover, I just new I had to read A Woman Of War. Although I admit I was a bit disappointed to not see that particular camp featured, there is no doubt that the author has a very interesting premise here. The plot of A Woman Of War is a proper fictional one and more a what if? story than one based on true events. It also shows some pro-Nazi characters in a very positive light; something you don't see often in historical fiction, but also something I'm not sure how I feel about. The writing style flows and makes it quite easy to read this story rapidly despite the sometimes heavy topics and more graphic scenes. It shows that the author is a midwife herself, as there are detailed descriptions about women in labor and birth itself. The main character Anke is a midwife and her role is key in A Woman Of War. It brings forth a very interesting ethical and moral question: either Anke helping one of Hitler's inner circle's women during her pregnancy and betraying her own beliefs, or her refusing and being responsible for the death of her family. Seeing pro-Nazi characters in a positive light makes me feel uncomfortable and I could have done without the romance, but overall it was quite an interesting read. Anke's flashbacks of her life before working as a midwife and during her time as a prisoner in Ravensbrück were a good balance to the more 'fictional' present narrative. Fans of the genre will no doubtly find A Woman Of War an interesting read.

There is no doubt that A Woman Of War offers quite an original take on a what if? situation that could have changed everything. I'm not sure what to make of the way the pro-Nazi characters are portrayed, but it is definitely quite unique no matter how you feel about it. The writing was solid and I especially enjoyed Anke's flashbacks even though the parts set in Ravensbrück were quite brutal. All in all an interesting although a bit unorthodox WWII historical fiction read.

Anke is a trained midwife in Germany during the 2nd World War and because of her job she helps all women. Of course this goes against the Third Reich regime, especially when she helps Jewish women. The result being she's sent to a political camp where she sees awful treatments of new born babies.
This fictional story deals with Eva Braun and other high ranking officials in the Nazi party.
I enjoyed this book, the writing style is great for a debut novel. But however I do not believe it should be compared to The Tattooist of Auschwitz as that was a true story and an unforgettable read.

A woman at war by Mandy Robotham is her debut novel and what a great one it is. Set in Germany in 1944 Anker Hoff is a Midwife in a concentration camp, dealing with helping the women prisoners giving birth to their babies and the problems what occur afterwards. When she is called to Hitler’s inner circle to become the Midwife of Eva Braun, that is pregnant with the Fuhrer’s child. She has no choice but to agree, so she can keep her family safe. They are also prisoners in camps scattered over Germany.
When I read the blurb and it was comparing it to the Tattooist of Auschwitz. I had to read this. I understand that this is pure fiction and the Tattooist of Auschwitz is true life. But this didn’t deter me. I really enjoyed The Woman at war. I think it’s a brilliant first novel. The Author has really done her homework with the research. It has great characters and the novel is realistic and shows of the other atrocities and the suffering that happened in Germany in world war 2. The story made me feel I was actually there. I highly recommend.
Thank you NetGalley and Avon books for ARC of this book.