The Berlin Girl

It was amazing to read the story the world trying to appease a bully and their attempt failing totally. All the warnings were there in the world did nothing till it was too late for so many. Wonderful characters and many edges your seat moments. Oh and then a realistic love story. Wonderful read.

I’ll give this three stars for a couple of reasons. First, it needs a good editor. There are so many mixed up words and missing words, it’s very distracting. At some parts I had to reread the sentence a few times as I wasn’t sure if I was understanding it.

The first 70% was a tad boring. I found my mind wandering. It was a bit repetitious. It was only near the end that it got exciting, but it was pretty farfetched. Scenarios weren’t well conceived and delivered.

Georgie’s fraternizing with the Nazi officer was a bit of a stretch. He was obviously using her, and she was obviously trying to use him as a source to secretly get Gestapo information. She was much to naive to pull off fooling him, and she didn’t.

There were several parts of the book that didn’t come together for me or were left at loose ends. Max’s and Georgie’s relationship was tenuous at best, and suddenly he’s *SPOILER ALERT* asking her to marry him in the back of a turnip truck while zooming away from danger. And she did really realize she “might” love him and says yes. Nothing like agreeing under great duress.

I’ve enjoyed Mandy’s other books other books, this was my least favorite.

Early in the story, the heroine is drinking martinis with an extra shot. Few pages later she thinking she’s never been much of a drinker, never had the need for it. Followed by description of heavy drinking, without apparent ill effects. Heavy drinking continues as part of her character.

August 1938 she’s watching Hitler’s young maidens practice hula-hooping. What? Wham-O introduced the first Hula-Hoops in 1958 so whatever the maidens were doing would not have the reporter thinking that phrase.

I won’t detail all such glitches.

This is a novel set mostly in Berlin before England declared war. There is brief, intermittent passages about a lesser known concentration camp, but it never is adequately developed to provide readers with expanded knowledge. It doesn’t seem to have the focused research typical of true historical novels.

The approach of chronicalling the activities of a foreign correspondent was refreshing, and helped the acceptance of this powerful story. Well done. Characters were well developed. I appreciated the “where they are now” round up at the end.

The Berlin Girl was one of the best books I have read. Mandy Robotham writes in such a way that you feel you are in the story, not just reading a story. Set in pre-war Germany you learn how Hitlers grip on the country strengthens and how foreign journalists carefully report the changes. I was engaged from start to finish.

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