Overview

In war they made impossible choices. Now can they live with them? The Third Reich has crumbled. The Russians are coming. Marianne von Lingenfels - widow of a resister murdered by the Nazi regime - finds refuge in the crumbling Bavarian castle where she once played host to German high society. There she fulfils her promise to find and protect the wives and children of her husband's brave conspirators, rescuing her dearest friend's widow, Benita, from sexual slavery to the Russian army, and Ania from a work camp for political prisoners. As Marianne assembles this makeshift family she is certain their shared pain will bind them together. But as Benita begins a clandestine relationship and Ania struggles to conceal her role in the Nazi regime, Marianne learns that her clear-cut, highly principled world view has no place in these new, frightening and emotionally charged days. All three women must grapple with the realities they now face, and the consequences of decisions each made in the darkest of times... Deeply moving and compelling, The Women of the Castle is a heart-wrenching and hopeful novel of secrets and survival, a reckoning, and the astonishing power of forgiveness.

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9781785763625

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Reviews

'In the wake of the second world war, the widow of a resistor to the Nazi regime offers her home to fellow resistance widows- only to find they may be hiding the truth about their part in the regime'. * The Bookseller * very moving and a compelling read. An excellent book and I thoroughly recommend it. This isn't just a story about war, whatever side you were on, but is about human beings and their power of forgiveness. * Nudge Books * This is an astonishingly powerful story...so well written and an important and absorbing story set around one of the most horrific times in history. Highly recommended. * Books and Me * Shattuck creates three dynamic and complex characters. Completely engrossing, with unforgettable characters, The Women in the Castle is a must read. * Historical Novel Society * This is an astonishingly powerful story that follows 3 women - Benita, Marianne and Ania - and how their lives are affected before, during and after the 2nd World War in Germany. All of the women face their own personal battles and the author captures brilliantly the position that they are put in, as those around them disappear and new ways of life are forced upon them. * Books and Me * This book is an astounding piece of work. This book is so thought provoking, insightful, brutal and brilliantly told. I'm fascinated with this era having studied it in depth, but this is the first real text that I've read from the point of the surviving Germans. I urge you to read this astonishing work by Shattuck. * Bookaholics Refuge * You might think that all the WWII stories have been told by now, yet this novel feels fresh and revelatory. I found it both melancholy and hopeful, with strong characters and a haunting atmosphere * Bookish Beck * I liked how the author managed to surprise me as the story progressed with twists to the story that I had not anticipated * Bookaholic Swede *

'In the wake of the second world war, the widow of a resistor to the Nazi regime offers her home to fellow resistance widows- only to find they may be hiding the truth about their part in the regime'. * The Bookseller * very moving and a compelling read. An excellent book and I thoroughly recommend it. This isn't just a story about war, whatever side you were on, but is about human beings and their power of forgiveness. * Nudge Books * This is an astonishingly powerful story...so well written and an important and absorbing story set around one of the most horrific times in history. Highly recommended. * Books and Me * Shattuck creates three dynamic and complex characters. Completely engrossing, with unforgettable characters, The Women in the Castle is a must read. * Historical Novel Society * This is an astonishingly powerful story that follows 3 women - Benita, Marianne and Ania - and how their lives are affected before, during and after the 2nd World War in Germany. All of the women face their own personal battles and the author captures brilliantly the position that they are put in, as those around them disappear and new ways of life are forced upon them. * Books and Me * This book is an astounding piece of work. This book is so thought provoking, insightful, brutal and brilliantly told. I'm fascinated with this era having studied it in depth, but this is the first real text that I've read from the point of the surviving Germans. I urge you to read this astonishing work by Shattuck. * Bookaholics Refuge * You might think that all the WWII stories have been told by now, yet this novel feels fresh and revelatory. I found it both melancholy and hopeful, with strong characters and a haunting atmosphere * Bookish Beck *

'In the wake of the second world war, the widow of a resistor to the Nazi regime offers her home to fellow resistance widows- only to find they may be hiding the truth about their part in the regime'. * The Bookseller * very moving and a compelling read. An excellent book and I thoroughly recommend it. This isn't just a story about war, whatever side you were on, but is about human beings and their power of forgiveness. * Nudge Books * This is an astonishingly powerful story...so well written and an important and absorbing story set around one of the most horrific times in history. Highly recommended. * Books and Me * Shattuck creates three dynamic and complex characters. Completely engrossing, with unforgettable characters, The Women in the Castle is a must read. * Historical Novel Society * This is an astonishingly powerful story that follows 3 women - Benita, Marianne and Ania - and how their lives are affected before, during and after the 2nd World War in Germany. All of the women face their own personal battles and the author captures brilliantly the position that they are put in, as those around them disappear and new ways of life are forced upon them. * Books and Me * This book is an astounding piece of work. This book is so thought provoking, insightful, brutal and brilliantly told. I'm fascinated with this era having studied it in depth, but this is the first real text that I've read from the point of the surviving Germans. I urge you to read this astonishing work by Shattuck. * Bookaholics Refuge * You might think that all the WWII stories have been told by now, yet this novel feels fresh and revelatory. I found it both melancholy and hopeful, with strong characters and a haunting atmosphere * Bookish Beck * I liked how the author managed to surprise me as the story progressed with twists to the story that I had not anticipated * Bookaholic Swede * Combining piercing social insight and vivid historical atmosphere, The Women in the Castle is a dramatic yet nuanced portrait of war and its repercussions that explores what it means to survive, love, and, ultimately, to forgive in the wake of unimaginable hardship * Urban Book Reviews * Amazing story of perseverance, the horror of war, love, hate, betrayal, and friendship * Chatty Natty *

Author Information

Jessica Shattuck lives with her husband and three children in Massachusetts. The novel is based on seven years of research and writing and delving into Jessica's own family history.

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