The Women at Hitler's Table by Rosella Postorino
Genre: Historical, WW2
Read: 24th July 2021
Published: 1st August 2019
★★ 2 stars
DESCRIPTION:
Inspired by the powerful true story of Margot Wölk, this is a heartbreaking and gripping historical novel for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz and The Beekeeper of Aleppo
East Prussia, 1943. Hitler hides away in the Wolfsshanze – his hidden headquarters. The tide is turning in the war and his enemies circle ever closer.
Ten women are chosen.
Ten women to taste his food and protect him from poison.
Twenty-six-year-old Rosa has lost everything to this war. Her parents are dead. Her husband is fighting on the front line. Alone and scared, she faces the SS with nothing but the knowledge every bite might be her last.
Caught on the wrong side of history, how far is Rosa willing to go to survive?
MY REVIEW:
There are many many books written about the greatest atrocity of our time. And I have read many a historical fiction surrounding the Holocaust, concentration camps, the Nazi occupation of Germany, Austria, Italy, Greece and France. There have also been many a true story inspired account which have been fictionalised but still as shocking as the truth which had occurred.
THE WOMEN AT HITLER'S TABLE offered something different in the form of the women who were Hitler's very own food tasters, inspired by the life of Margot Wölk (1917-2014), the last of his surviving tasters. It isn't until she is near the end of her life at 95 years old, that she decides to tell her story and reveals the truth before her death in 2014.
In this story, she becomes Rosa Sauer, a secretary from Berlin who upon marrying her boss anticipates a life of contentment and marital bliss. But when he is sent to war and bombs descend on her city, Rosa finds herself alone and without family so relocates reluctantly to the countryside and her in-laws. However, being a city girl in the country sets her apart and in 1942 she is conscripted along with many other women to become food tasters in Hitler's lair, should his food be poisoned.
The concept is an interesting one and I'm not sure whether it is because it has been translated but I found it difficult to hold my interest. I was unable to finish it though I did try to in an effort to see how things end. However, that is not to say that this book is not a fascinating tale because I daresay it is. And since movie rights have apparently been bought I look forward to seeing it played out on screen which might be far more interesting to follow. As it was compared to the likes of "The Tattooist of Auschwitz" and "Cilka's Journey", both of which I could not complete either, I should have taken that as a sign.
THE WOMEN AT HITLER'S TABLE is a highly regarded book by all accounts. It just didn't enthrall me.
I would like to thank #RosellaPostorino, #Netgalley and #HarperCollinsUK for an ARC of #TheWomenAtHitlersTable in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
"At the Wolf’s Table" (also titled "The Women at Hitler's Table") is her first novel to be translated into English. The book was an instant bestseller in Italy and won the prestigious Premio Campiello Literary Prize, one of Italy’s most important literary awards.
The rights for "At the Wolf’s Table" have now been sold to 22 publishers around the world and the book has been optioned for a film by Lionello Cerri’s Lumiere Film.
Social Media links:
No comments:
Post a Comment