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Title:
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Nazi Officer's Wife, The |
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Authors:
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Beer, Edith Hahn |
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Genre:
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Non Fiction |
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Pages:
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305 |
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Year:
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2001 |
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Language:
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English |
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Description:
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Born to a middle-class non-observant Jewish Family, Edith Hahn was a promising law student until the German Anschluss annexed Austria. Taking on a Christian friend's identity and documents, she eventually married a Nazi officer. Outwardly, she lived as a Hausfrau, but after the Russians conquered and burned her neighbourhood, she retrieved her identity papers and diploma, and from an illegal fugitive was eventually transformed into a feared judge.
Comments from Groups:We admired her bravery and stoicism. Great to read the 'other' side. Would recommend. Tepirita 001Everyone found it a fascinating story of courage & determination. Quite different from other war stories. Good discussion. Amberley 002The group found the book very enlightening. So much went on during and after the war which is unknown. The story was that of a `very ordinary person` who adapted her personality to meet a grim situation-that saved her life. Christchurch 248Every member found it a rewarding read, and very thought provoking. Encouraged them to read more books with similar themes. Auckland 060Unusually, everyone enjoyed this book and found it more interesting and easier to read than we expected, though several people were reluctant to start reading because of pre-conceptions about the subject matter. A good discussion resulted from the questions on abstract ideas about the nature of heroism. Christchurch 068
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Categories:
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Non fiction, Biography, War theme, Culture/Ethnic/Racial, Germany |
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By: WHANG 022
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2025-06-25 12:21:43 |
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We liked this account of survival of a Jewish woman during Nazi Germany. It wasn't what we expected but we found it highly readable. |
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By: QUEEN 003
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2025-05-14 10:16:39 |
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Initially we thought - not another Holocaust story, but once we started reading Edith Hahn's story, the reader feels they are right there. She tells the story "warts and all", which she'd never spoken of since the war. The reason she revealed the story was to give us an idea of the conditions the Jews were subjected to, not just in war time, but years before. |
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By: RICH 005
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2022-12-15 13:47:34 |
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This is a fascinating book which all of our group found they couldn't put down. The title is slightly misleading as Edith's husband was not an officer until well into their marriage, but we understood it was to grab the reader's attention. Reading this memoir gave us an insight into how horrific the history of this time was and the lengths a human being will go to to survive. |
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By: WAIHEK 001
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2021-03-22 15:03:07 |
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A good read from a different perspective of the people who 'colluded' with the Nazi regime, and what the Jewish people were forced to do to stay alive. Very sobering! |
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By: NELS 075
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2021-03-22 15:00:44 |
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Absolutely fabulous read, and amazing that it came to be told. |
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By: ASHB 027
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2020-04-07 13:16:30 |
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The general consensus was that we enjoyed (perhaps not the right word) the book as it was a different take on the Holocaust. Jewish Edith survived being in a work camp, in a work factory and then posing as a German hausfrau married to a Nazi in order to survive the Holocaust. We admired her burial of herself and becoming what she termed a u-boat - she was a Jew submerged in Nazi-Germany. The fact her marriage did not survive the war and the re-emergence of her true self was unsurprising. A compulsive read but dragged at times early on. |
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By: PAIHIA 001
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2019-07-09 13:46:12 |
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Just when you think you've read every kind of story about WW2, here's another unique and gripping story. We all loved it, found it easy to read, were fascinated by and applaud the bravery of Edith. |
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By: AUCK 277
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2018-11-14 14:32:08 |
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The group members all got a great deal from reading this book. We were fascinated with the concept of the "Nazi Officer's Wife" adopting so many personas - and being capable of maintaining them. |
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By: MOTUE 001
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2018-11-14 14:28:13 |
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Everyone of our group thoroughly enjoyed this book. We were impressed with the honesty of Edith and her determination to stay alive, sometimes inspired by other people, and even by works of art e.g. The Wave by Fritz Klimsch. The goodness of people in unexpected places kept her going and she had an instinct for whom to trust. ( However, none of us could understand what she saw in Pepi!). |
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By: WANG 013
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2018-11-14 14:24:27 |
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Everyone loved this one - an interesting perspective. |
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By: WHITIAN 001
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2018-11-14 14:23:52 |
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Book enjoyed by most of the group. |
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By: INVER 003
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2018-11-14 14:21:24 |
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All members enjoyed this book and gave it a high score. It gave an amazing insight into one woman's survival story; her ability to suppress her personality to go un-noticed in Nazi Germany. and the bravery of those who supported her and others. We highly recommend this book. |
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By: NELS 022
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2018-11-09 13:02:39 |
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Highly recommended by all our group - we marvelled at how someone could maintain a double identity. Even those who don't particularly like non-fiction, loved this gripping read. |
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