In the summer of 1944, twenty-year-old Marlene is thrilled to visit her older cousin, Eva Braun—Adolf Hitler’s mistress—at the Führer’s Bavarian mountain retreat. There, Marlene finds herself in a strange paradise, a world of opulence and imminent danger, of freedom and surveillance.
The two women sneak off and skinny-dip in a nearby lake, watch films in the Führer’s private cinema, and flirt with the SS officers at the dinner table—one of whom will become Marlene’s first lover.
But soon a clandestine mission of mercy forces Marlene to question her allegiance to both her cousin and her country—and to face the chilling reality that exists outside her sheltered world.
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"A fascinating observation from Eva's cousin Gertrude Weisker as told to the author. So mesmerizing that I could not put the book down. " — Isolabella (4 out of 5 stars)
"A fascinating observation from Eva's cousin Gertrude Weisker as told to the author. So mesmerizing that I could not put the book down. "
“An intimate portrait of two women at the center of history and how innocence itself can be a crime against humanity. My book of the year.”
“The book makes a compelling investigation into the mundanity of evil. Hitler is pathologized, but never diminished, as Marlene and Eva and all the rest tiptoe around him, careful not to upset him…Knauss cleverly counters Marlene’s postadolescent musings with the mythically terrible world she inhabits…These juxtapositions indict Marlene for her very innocence, and make Eva’s Cousin a powerful document of witness.”
“Based on interviews with Braun’s real cousin, the novel is a sympathetic portrait of an innocent girl who, while she seems ensconced in the heart of the Nazi empire, is actually a resistance force of one.”
“Elegantly told, Knauss’ thought-provoking novel explores Marlene’s conflicted thoughts about her cousin, the war, and the SS officer who becomes her lover. Both passively complicit and helpless, Marlene is nonetheless a character who commands the reader’s sympathy and interest.”
" Our tenth pick. Darcie, Kirsten, Marti, Susanne and I met at my house with all three babies in August of '07. "
" interesting view of the end of nazi germany "
" Based on the real life cousin of Eva Braun. Amazing. "
" This story was amazing. Eva Braun's cousin, Gertrude Weisker, shared her story with the author after 50 years of silence. "
" Sibylle Knauss "
" Our 10th pick. Susanne suggested it. Darcie, Kirsten, Marti, Susanne and Mary met at Mary's house with J, Isaac and Maddox in August of '07. "
" The first 100 pages were OK, but the rest of the book wandered. I lost interest. The book pales next to the movie "Downfall," which covers the same events in history and some of the same characters. "
" I have been fascinated by the thought process of would you recognize evil if you saw it and what would you do. This book is based on conversations with Eva Braun's cousin and details the last fall and winter before the end of the war. "
" This book was a little hard to stay focused on yet it was very interesting to hear someones story who was so close to Hitlers lover. "
" A fascinating observation from Eva's cousin Gertrude Weisker as told to the author. So mesmerizing that I could not put the book down. "
" Took a long time to read. Not sure if it was the translation or my interest. Interesting, if scary, look at WWII from the other side. The survivors from both sides must have really had a lot to deal with. Would recommend. "
Sibylle Knauss is the author of eight novels. She is professor of dramaturgy and scriptwriting at the Baden-Württemberg Academy of Film. She lives near Stuttgart in Germany.
Kim Edwards-Fukei was born in Berlin and grew up in Berlin, London, and Toronto. She holds a degree in Japanese and linguistics from the University of London.
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