Thank you to Kensington Books and Between the Chapters for the galley copy of The Novelist from Berlin by V.S. Alexander. This was absolutely fascinating and the 400 pages flew by in a day and a half.

“An engrossing novel inspired by the mysterious true story of Irmgard Keun, a female novelist who defied all the rules during Berlin’s volcanic post-WWI years, as a young German writer exiled for her ideas flees her country and her Nazi-supporting husband, fighting for her art, her life, and her child.”

This novel starts in Germany in the 1920s and ends in the 1960s, and I do not think I’ve read a work of historical fiction that encompasses so much history of a time and place. So many of the WWII novels are set in the war, but through the eyes of Niki (the new Berlin woman), readers witness the rise of Hitler, life during the War, and the aftermath of his defeat in WWII. The vivid writing made me feel like I was with Niki. I was gripped by her actions–to defy the Nazi’s as a German woman in Germany was so dangerous and brave. Highly recommend this for all historical fiction fans.