4 out of 4 stars
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Who was Eva Braun? History tells us very little aside from her being mistress to one of the most infamous rulers of all time: Hitler. One would naturally assume that Eva Braun was as evil as her lover, but due to the strange relationship she had with Hitler and the destruction of her personal journals after she committed suicide, history tells us next to nothing.
The Munich Girl, Phyllis Edgerly Ring weaves a compelling story about Eva and a close friend. While much of the story is historically accurate, much is also drawn from "between the lines" speculation. A chance meeting between two young girls in prewar Germany; a friendship that spanned the rest of their lives; secrets and hard choices. This is the story of Eva Braun and Peggy as told from the vantage point of Peggy's daughter, Anna.
Peggy never talked about her former life in Germany, and Anna had never asked. When Peggy died, Anna's husband encouraged her to write a scholarly article about the person whose portrait had hung in the dining room for as long as Anna could recall—Eva Braun. The story line seamlessly alternates between current day Anna and historical Peggy and Eva, with the two plots being interdependent. Through her mother's journal, Anna learns of both the mysterious relationship between Eva and Hitler and the deep sister-like bond between Eva and Peggy. While Anna becomes more and more entrenched in her research, it becomes evident that her husband, Lowell, is abusive. Can Anna deal with the recent death of her mother, an abusive husband, and the secrets of her mom's past life? Anna's story turns out to be as much a secret as that of the elusive Eva Braun.
Rarely does a book touch me in the way that this book did. While I could not tell you how much of The Munich Girl is speculation, I know that when I turned the last page I was both heartbroken from loss and breathless with hope. The author painted the characters with intricate detail. I felt that I personally knew Eva Braun, Peggy, Anna, Lowell, and others. I was happy with the transitions between "today" and history. I also enjoyed the realistic descriptions. The author definitely captured my attention and held it through the last word.
I have only one hesitation that keeps me from 100% recommending this book. If the reader has a predisposition to strongly dislike Eva Braun, this book may not be received well. However, the author's theories are largely based on what IS known about Eva (such as the fact that she never joined the Nazi party, and that on the day she died she passed on an order of execution to the one man she knew would not obey said order, thus being lauded after the fact for saving 35,000 allied lives) and an extensive collection of photos and letters. Overall, the book felt professionally edited, except for random bits of conversation where punctuation is used to show pauses in speaking rather than being technically accurate. I don't feel that this is a big enough issue to lower my rating, so I am glad to give this book 4 out of 4 stars.
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The Munich Girl
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