A Woman of War by Mandy Robotham wowed me. As a midwife myself, I could relate to the main character so well. As a reader, my heart cringed at the thought of anyone being put through the life that Jews and their allies were forced into. Mandy really evokes deep emotions with her tale. The story isn't just about the life that Anke the main character lived. It also talks about her conflict in doing what is good and right and sticking to her beliefs. Life isn't all black and white when Anke finds herself in a position where she can indirectly influence the war. But what is right? What choice will she make? And what will the choice cost?

I would highly recommend the book to other fans of historical fiction and will look forward to Mandy Robotham's future books.

Great read. It marries both fact and fiction beautifully together. It is certainly interesting
Many thanks to both NetGalley and Avon Book Uk for my eARC of this book. This is in exchange for my honest unbiased review of this book

A fascinating premise this one. What would have happened if Eva Braun had had Hitler's baby? I really like novels which mix fact and fiction and this was particularly interesting. It's such a heartbreaking novel too when you think about the concentration camp set aside for women and children. There's a lot of talk and description about midwifery too which would have been ten times harder back then without the medicine and drugs we have today. Saying that. if you can't even watch One Born Every Minute you might find this squeamish at certain parts.

It was a gripping story throughout and lots of scene setting. I shamefully admit I knew hardly anything about the Ravensbruck camp and how I feel I've learned a great deal and would love to know more. I googled the places after reading as I normally do for The BookTrail but I lingered and looked a little more with this book. How do we not learn about Ravensbruck in school?

A gripping read and I was shocked at many parts. There are flashbacks to the main character's earlier life and lots on the risks of childbirth and the business of midwifery was interesting. The romance side of things wasn't my main interest and I did worry for what would happen to a certain character but I imagined worse in some ways!

Lovely writing and easy to read despite the subject matter. Beautifully researched.

I have a great interest in this time in history and enjoy reading fiction novels of this time. I was really looking forward to reading this book and it did not disappoint. It was well written and had plenty of twists and turns to keep you interested. I liked how the story moved from past to present, it was a very enjoyable read.

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read and review this book, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

A Woman of War or The German Midwife by Mandy Robotham published by Avon is outstanding Historical Fiction. Mandy Robotham is new author to me and now a new favorite. If you love WWII historical fiction this a book and author you will enjoy. I found her depiction of Nazi Germany horrifying accurate. It is obvious to the reader that Mandy Robotham is a caring medical professional and midwife herself from the medical, pregnancy and birthing details in this book. The characters as portrayed and their relationships make this book seem like a true story. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Avon through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. My thanks to the author, the publisher and netgalley for the privilege to read, review and enjoy this book.

An ARC was provided to me free by the publisher for my review, via NetGalley. The premise seemed interesting to me, and I was brought to tears a few times by the heartbreak of it all. But I think overall I just didn’t connect enough with the character - especially once she fell for a Nazi. I did get to be more, I guess, approving of her relationship as more was revealed about his character. I think there was an interesting focus on how people out of fear for personal safety in all parts of the war made morally questionable choices - Dieter, Anke, The Kapo, etc but I think that sort of tries to equate them, and they weren’t really the same. The actual midwifery in a historical setting was the most fascinating part to me, and I would definitely pick up a different book about a midwife from this author in the future.

Nicely done historical fiction. Anke, a midwife, finds herself on the edge of knife, when she's pulled from Ravensbruck to care for Eva Braun. Robotham has done her best to humanize various Nazis and this occasionally made my skin crawl. Some of this is unrealistic but at the same time I found myself carried along by the story. It's well written and Anke is a sympathetic character you will root for. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

A very interesting book even though it was fiction you could believe it may have happened. A midwife taken from a camp and sent to Hitlers hideaway to help with his mistress through her pregnancy and to give birth. She was promised her family would be looked after if she did what was asked of her. Though she found going there repulsive she made friends, had good food and fell in love.


The pregnancy and birth went well, but then everything fell apart. I enjoyed reading this book and realised the research that went into this book being a midwife. Well written and well researched, thanks for the opportunity letting me read this book.

This is my first time reading the author. I’m trying to branch out and read a bit more historical fiction so this book intrigued me. I loved the concept of the novel. Imagine if you were Hitler’s midwife? I was not disappointed. This is a great read, a crazy, slightly twisted ride from start to finish. Anke is a great character. From the start she’s thrust into a terrifying situation with personal, moral and ethical conflict. She hates the Nazi’s and I really felt her disgust of them and everything they stand for. She aches for the family she’s been taken from. She wants to do the right thing but is in a situation where the ethically right thing may be the completely wrong one. This is a book that humanises Nazi’s to an extent. It would be easy to dismiss Hitler and the Nazi’s as inhuman monsters but it their humanity and complex nature that makes them and others like them so utterly terrifying. I’m glad I read this.

I particularly liked the detail and descriptions of giving birth and of how hard it was for Anke. I found the chapters in italic confusing and had to go back to the beginning of the book to establish a timeline, which made it a bit clearer. But a good story overall

This is a heartbreaking read. Anke's story shows the horrors of war and the bravery of those who stood by their beliefs and went against the Reich. This story has obviously been very well researched and is beautifully written. The monstrous events that took place in the concentration camps are heartbreaking. The heartlessness of German Officers shows how cruel humanity can be. This book will stay with me a long time.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I found this to be an engrossing read. There was never a dull moment and there was always an underlying tension throughout which kept me hooked. The subject matter is also really interesting and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

A Woman of War is a heartbreaking “what if”story. Anke is a German midwife who is in a Nazi work camp during World War Two. She is pulled from the camp and taken to Berghof to care for a pregnant Eva Braun, Hitler’s mistress. Anke struggles with doing the right thing...caring for Eva and her unborn child or helping the resistance. Mandy Robotham’s debut novel is well written and a great read for historical fiction fans!

A Woman at War, the first book by author Mandy Robotham, is set in WWII Germany and is centered around the experience of midwife, Anke Hoff. Anke helps deliver babies in a concentration camp and is eventually assigned, with the promise of her family's safety, to aid in the care of Eva Braun, Hitler's paramour, up to and through her delivery. Along the way, Anke meets members of the SS as well as Germans who do not support the Nazi regime. The story is told through Anke's voice and goes back and forth between her experiences in the camp and her present situation in 1944, living at Berghof, Hitler's home in Bavaria.

While I found the storyline interesting and thought Anke’s struggles were well developed. The book explores her experience of feeling a prisoner inside and outside the camp, her moral and ethical struggles regarding her work, and her fight to do the right thing as her situation became more gray. However, the book moved slowly at times, especially in the middle. I was most engaged in the chapters that focused on life for pregnant women in the camps and in the half of the book in general.

I enjoy historical fiction and am always on the lookout for WWII history in particular. The comparison between A Woman at War and The Tattooist of Auschwitz initially grabbed my attention. However, I didn't feel the characters in A Woman at War were nearly as well developed, nor did they hold my attention to the same degree. Having said that, the book did leave an impression. Anke's experiences with her fellow countrymen challenged her and highlighted the complexities of individuals and groups which is something I think we often struggle with today. It wasn't my favorite WWII historical fiction, but it made me think and wonder what I might have done, and for me, that is time well spent.

Many thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read the ARC.

This is a very well written and compelling work of fiction set in Germany during World War II. Anke Hoff is a midwife who is interned in a work camp from where she is removed to assist pregnant Eva Braun at the birth of her baby to Adolf Hitler.
The writing is so true to life it could almost be real.
Highly recommend!

Another favourite read this year!
This was such an interesting read! Once I started I could not put it down. A fabulous and sometimes heart wrenching read of life in the Nazi camp's for midwife's and their patients.

What if Hitler fathered a child during World War 2?
Anke Hoff was put in the most impossible situation. Take care of one of HItler's inner circle or suffer the consequences.....
The story went seamlessly back and forth between her current position as midwife for the Fuhrer to time spent at Ravensbruck and her childhood. What a strong and courageous woman Anke was to time and time again help other women through the birth of a baby only to have it taken away moments after. I cannot even begin to imagine the suffering those women would have went through!
I very much enjoyed the characters Anke came to know along the way and felt those relationships really enhanced Anke's journey.
I have all the love for this first novel by Robotham and hope it will not be her last!

A profound novel from start to finish. A heart wrenching look inside the horrors of a concentration camp, through the eyes of a prisoner/ midwife. This is a great read that holds your attention to the very last page.
4 Stars
I received this ARC from Avon Books through Netgalley for a honest review.

This book was provided from Netgalley, Avon and Mandy Robotham in exchange for an honest review.

Anke Hoff, a German midwife, seen as betraying her country as she helps Jewish woman through birth, is taken to a camp as punishment.
After working hard, Anke has earned trust to roam ‘freely’ around camp to help any women who may be pregnant.
After a while Anke is requested, to be a midwife to a woman who is part of Hitler’s inner circle.
Anke is torn between her duty as a midwife and her hatred for regime that she is now apart of.
It is this time in her life that Anke meets unlikely allies, a forbidden love with an SS Officer, faced with loss and tragedy.

This story felt so real to me, every emotion Anke felt, it felt all real to me. The story is beautiful, sad and tragic all at the same time and you really feel all that emotion while reading this book.
If you love historical fiction, especially set during WWII then I would highly recommend this book!

Thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review
A FULL-THROTTLE TRUMPET-TOOTING EXTRAVAGANZA.
I couldn't put this book down it's graphic it's hard at times to read but a very true account of a horrific situation I can't praise this book enough

Thank you net galley for the advance read copy of this novel. This was a fantastic read and I couldn't out it down! A historical fiction about a midwife during WWII in and out of the camps and delivering Hitler's baby. The existence of Hitler's child was a nice fabricated element of this novel. This was an emotional novel that didn't spare the details of births in the camps, or the survival instinct of any mother. The range of love and loss in the book was great for Anke, the main character and solider Dieter. I highly recommend this book to any historical fiction fan. Well done!