Book review: Cradles of the Reich

To be honest, I’ve been wary to read some WWII historical fiction books… there has been SO MANY of them out there now. However, the synopsis caught my eyes, I never heard of the breeding homes. I knew this would be a unique read.

Synopsis:

At Heim Hochland, a Nazi breeding home in Bavaria, three women's fates are irrevocably intertwined. Gundi is a pregnant university student from Berlin. An Aryan beauty, she's secretly a member of a resistance group. Hilde, only eighteen, is a true believer in the cause and is thrilled to carry a Nazi official's child. And Irma, a 44-year-old nurse, is desperate to build a new life for herself after personal devastation. All three have everything to lose.

Based on untold historical events, this novel brings us intimately inside the Lebensborn Society maternity homes that actually existed in several countries during World War II, where thousands of "racially fit" babies were bred and taken from their mothers to be raised as part of the new Germany. But it proves that in a dark period of history, the connections women forge can carry us through, even driving us to heroism we didn't know we had within us.

Review:

I’m amazed that I continue to learn about new things from WWII/Holocaust. I had no idea about the Lebensborn societies. This was a very intriguing historical fiction read, I was glued from the beginning to the end. Each woman was so different from each other, but yet was living among each other in the same place. It was tough to put down this book! I enjoyed the author’s note explaining some facts behind the writing of this book. I would recommend this read!

Cradles of the Reich will be released on October 11th.

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.