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Review: "The Munich Girl" by Phyllis Edgerly Ring


From Goodreads:  Anna Dahlberg grew up eating dinner under her father’s war-trophy portrait of Eva Braun. Fifty years after the war, she discovers what he never did—that her mother and Hitler’s mistress were friends. The secret surfaces with a mysterious monogrammed handkerchief, and a man, Hannes Ritter, whose Third Reich family history is entwined with Anna’s. Plunged into the world of the “ordinary” Munich girl who was her mother’s confidante—and a tyrant’s lover—Anna finds her every belief about right and wrong challenged. With Hannes’s help, she retraces the path of two women who met as teenagers, shared a friendship that spanned the years that Eva Braun was Hitler’s mistress, yet never knew that the men they loved had opposing ambitions. Eva’s story reveals that she never joined the Nazi party, had Jewish friends, and was credited at the Nuremberg Trials with saving 35,000 Allied lives. As Anna's journey leads back through the treacherous years in wartime Germany, it uncovers long-buried secrets and unknown reaches of her heart to reveal the enduring power of love in the legacies that always outlast war.

 My Thoughts:  The Munich Girl provides a riveting look at the life of Eva Braun.  In addition to exploring Eva Braun, the book tells the story of Anna as struggles through life-changing events and eventually finds out who she really is.

I don't think I have ever thought much of Eva Braun beyond the fact that she was Hitler's mistress and finally his wife.  I feel like this book provides an unbiased look at her life in addition to humanizing her.  I actually felt sorry for the Eva Braun portrayed in this book; sometimes love makes you do the wacky and it seemed like that was the case in this story.

 Another thing I enjoyed about this book was seeing the German side of things during World War II.  It's rare to find a book that showcases what the average German person was dealing with during the war.  I liked that the author didn't vilify the German people and even portrayed German characters who did not support Hitler or the war.

I really liked the Anna character but my favorite was Hannes.  I absolutely adored him!  He was so incredibly kind to and patient with Anna.  I loved the way that he encouraged her to find herself in quite a few different ways.  Also, his family was wonderful; they were just filled with so much love and joy.

Overall, this is such a lovely book.  It far exceeded my expectations and I'm so glad I read it. 4 stars.

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
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