I enjoyed this true story about a brave countess who fought the Nazis and even sacrificed her own life to save her children. It was a rather harrowing and miserable tale because of her unhappy marriage, hatred of living in Germany and her involvement in the wars. However, I thought that much of the book was about the stories of other aristocrats and royalty, although I liked that.

I especially enjoyed reading about the romance between King Zog of Albania and Countess Muriel’s friend Geraldine.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

It never ceases to amaze me how intertwined the wealthy families of America and the European aristocracy were in the 19th and 20th centuries. And this book offers another detailed picture of their connectivity.

The Countess and the Nazis is primarily the story of Muriel White - the daughter of a respected aristocrat and a beautiful Gilded Age socialite who married a Prussian Count. It includes the background of her family through several generations both before and after her.

This was my first time hearing about her and her family, but many of the peripheral names associated with their lives are familiar. The book was sometimes redundant and sometimes jumped around to different points in time, but overall it was full of interesting information and quotes from primary sources.

I received an ARC of this book, but all opinions are my own.

A tad repetitive and meandering, this is the fascinating story of an American heiress who married a Silesian Count. It goes into great detail about the lives of her parents and many of the other family members before it gets into the heart of the story. Courageous and strong, even when her marriage broke down, she still assumed responsibility for the people within her sphere. When WWII broke out and she was trapped behind Nazi lines, she managed to get her children to America as well as saving a number of lives.

She did not suffer fools gladly and never hid her disdain for the Nazis. She attempted to thwart them any way she could but it meant her time was limited. In fact, when she saw the SS approaching her front door, she was determined to avoid capture. There is some uncertainty if she committed suicide or was murdered but the result was the same. She died from a fall from her castle battlements. It is an interesting story that I wish had been more of the focus of the book. It was, in spite of this shortcoming, an interesting read. Four purrs and two paws up.

So many lives that have been forgotten or ignored, and then are brought back into the public eye through some diligent research. This is a case in point, and I found the book an informative, compelling and deeply fascinating account of a remarkable woman, of whom I had never heard. Muriel White Seherr-Thomas was her name, an American heiress who married into the German aristocracy and got caught up in the turmoil of the rise of Nazism. Her fate was tragic indeed. If this had been a novel it would have surely stretched the reader’s credulity, but it’s a true story and a gripping one. Meticulously researched and accessibly written, in my opinion the book could have done with a bit of healthy editing. It jumps about quite a lot in time and place and sometimes loses focus. The structure is not as tight as it could have been, and sometimes the narrative veers away from Muriel altogether. All very interesting but so many characters to keep track of makes for some difficult reading at times. I was particularly interested in the fate of Queen Geraldine of Albania, who became Muriel’s friend – she deserves a book of her own (perhaps there is one?) rather than being a side note in Muriel’s story. However, those quibbles apart, I really enjoyed the book, with its many illustrations, and recommend it wholeheartedly.

Book Review: The Countess and the Nazis

The Countess and the Nazis is a fascinating and deeply informative book that sheds light on a lesser-known aspect of German history during the rise of Hitler. The story provides a compelling perspective on the complexities of life in Germany during this turbulent period, offering insights that are often overlooked in mainstream historical accounts.

One of the book’s greatest strengths is its depth of research, bringing to life the political and social atmosphere of the time. The historical context is rich and detailed, making it an enlightening read for anyone interested in World War II history. The Countess herself is a captivating figure—her story is both heartbreaking and inspiring, and I will remember her for a long time to come.

I truly enjoyed this book and appreciated how it expanded my understanding of this era. It’s a must-read for history enthusiasts who want to explore a different perspective on Germany’s past.

Muriel White Seherr-Thoss was an American-born woman who traded high society for a Prussian aristocratic title. As the wife of a count and daughter of a prominent diplomat, she moved seamlessly through Europe's royal courts—until the rise of Hitler forced her to choose resistance over privilege. Drawing from declassified CIA documents and unpublished memoirs, the book chronicles her brave efforts to protect her children from Nazi tyranny.

I had never heard of Murial White Seherr-Thoss before, and I was intrigued to learn more. The book details the influence her parents had on her life and the tragic outcome of her marriage as Europe changed around her. She used her connections to save what lives she could when she couldn’t save herself.

This was a difficult read, mostly because it seemed to jump around quite a bit. For a while, it told her story chronologically, but then would share information she found out later in her life. The author also had a tendency to dump a lot of information about the people around Murial. By the end, I still didn’t feel as though I knew who she had been as a person.

Overall, it was interesting, and I liked seeing how the world changed in a small part of Europe I hadn’t heard of before. Those interested in World War 2 history may enjoy this one.

Unfortunately, I felt like the book was falling apart at several parts. Whilst the topic itself could have been interesting, the info dump, the fact that the amount of members couldn't be followed was frustrating. The book also couldn't decide whether it's in chronological order or based on different topics. I wish I could say better things for this but this wasn't for me.

I really enjoyed reading the history of the White family. Strong women through the generations.

I appreciate the authors detail. As others have said, I did get a little lost first few chapters and needed to reread several times to get straight. This does get better more into the book and much easier to follow.

Muriel's strength shows through and through. From her marriage to Manni to helping people escape Nazi grips. She put everyone else first and herself lost, leaving a legacy of love behind.

2/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

"The Countess and the Nazis" has a close up view of the life of an American heiress who married into European royalty right before the World Wars. Unfortunately, that life did not work out well for Muriel White (Seherr-Thoss). I appreciate the author shedding light on someone who has been forgotten over time. Muriel was definitely not perfect, but she did choose to fight back against the Nazis and she did save some lives during World War II.
The order of the book was very confusing. The chapters of the book were trying to be both topical and chronological and it didn't quite succeed in either. The book would focus on a death and then flip over to a new topic and bring up the person who died during the time they were alive in regard to that topic. I had a really hard time trying to figure out when events where happening and which events were happening at the same time.
Also, a large amount of time was spent on Geraldine, the Queen of Albania. While she is really interesting and I would love a separate book written about her, this part of the book really took away from Muriel's story and left me a little more confused.
All together, I am glad that Muriel is getting a long overdue spotlight on her life. I just wish that the spotlight was more clear and steady.

*Thank you The Globe Pequot Publishing Group, Inc. And NetGalley for this free ARC!

I was asked to review by NetGalley

I am very interested in this period of history and have read a lot around this.

Muriel helped the resistance, with money and her connections in society. Well reserched and written - i enjoyed the authors style of writing and the fact the author brought into the story other people and their stories.

Muriel was a real person and this makes the story even richer.

Recommended read

The true story of an American woman who married into Prussian aristocracy in the early twentieth century & became a lifeline for those fleeing the Nazis. Muriel White Seherr-Thoss used her connections to send her sons away to prevent them being conscripted into the German army, & also to help Jewish families escape, all this whilst being prevented from leaving herself. When the Gestapo finally came for her, Muriel made the ultimate sacrifice to protect others.

An interesting & informative book, it was a little difficult at first to keep straight who was who as there were just so many people mentioned. Although this is supposed to be about Muriel in the main, it actually encompasses the wider families & at times Muriel seemed to be almost a peripheral figure. It really worked though as a study of the aristocratic & political world before the Second World War & the author has obviously carried out a lot of painstaking research. 3.5 stars (rounded down)

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Globe Pequot Publishing Group Inc/Lyons Press, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Having read a lot of books about the Holocaust, I found myself intrigued by the premise of this book and was looking forward to reading Muriel's story. I enjoyed learning about Muriel's life and how she helped the resistance using her wealth and her connections with the elites at the time. This book was well researched and informative, with various formats of information/interviews etc. I did struggle at times when the story starts going off into different directions with other people's stories/lives and it was hard to remember who was who and what had happened to who etc, I felt this pulled a lot of my focus away from the Muriel's story. That being said I would definitely recommend reading this book

Amenably written, although sometimes too prone to dumping information that overwhelm the reader, and the titular Countess isn't quite as interesting by herself as expected. It's a biography more valuable for the insights into the time and circumstances of a privileged upper-class family that weren't willing to go along with Nazism than for Countess Muriel herself.

A true story that grabbed my attention right away. A biography that gave me a different look at the Nazis. Fascinating.

An excellent, well-researched book about the life of Countess Muriel White Seherr-Thoss. Though her death during WWII is very sad, it is a very uplifting story of a woman who selflessly helped not just her own family, but so many others. I not only enjoyed reading about her parents and siblings, but her legacy through her children, grandchildren, and even great grandchildren. A definite recommended read,

I enjoyed a lot of aspects of this book, I enjoyed a more intimate look at families and war, not to mention the important actions of women like Muriel. I also enjoyed the use of diverse forms of sources, such as interviews with descendants and letters.

I did however find the pacing very inconsistent, and I thought that the writing veers away from need to know and into not necessary to know. That led me to feeling like a large book became about other people in muriels surroundings and less about her story. Besides that I thought there was a lot of focus on other not as important facts.

I did however enjoy the book and I finished it.

Thank you to the author and publisher for giving me access to this book.

(This review will also appear on storygraph)

The Countess and the Nazis by Richard Jay Hutto was a very thoughtful, well researched and impactful story. Admittedly at times I did get overwhelmed by all of the different family members and keeping track of who was who, but ultimately, I appreciated learning about all of them as I found each one fascinating in their own right. It was also a testament to how much time and research was put into this book by the author. It is important to note that I was reading this book electronically. There was a family tree at the very beginning of the book. Should I have been reading a print version, I would have referred back to it more frequently as It is a great resource for the reader and helps provide easy clarification.

I selected this book because of the title and was very eager to learn about the story of Muriel. What I found was so much more. I liked that the author did not try to paint the picture of a “perfect” Muriel, but instead portrayed her as flawed and relatable. We see her grow throughout the book as she develops her convictions. This is a story not just about her life and death, but about character, strength perseverance, family and how the actions of one person can affect the lives of so many.

Now that I have been satisfied with reading her story, I would very much like to go back and reread the book, taking the time to focus on some of the other characters and historical events that took place. As this was a story I was not familiar with, I was intrigued by all of the ties between the elite families, politicians, etc of the times as well as all of the different places in which the book takes place or references.

This book is well written, educational, insightful and worth both the read and a reread!