The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck

*The Women in the Castle will be released Tuesday, March 28th!*

The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck. William Morrow, 2017. 368 pages.

*I received a physical ARC courtesy of HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review.*

As some of you may know, I tend to be skeptical of World War II-themed books. I have read so many of them over the years that I slowly became burned out on the genre, and now I am very choosy about those that I do pick up. I am extremely pleased to report that The Women in the Castle was a WWII book that I really enjoyed!

This story centers on the postwar lives of three women: Marianne, Benita, and Ania. We do get a few chapters told from the perspective of Benita's son, Martin, but overall this book is told from the perspective of these three women. The content and plot of this particular story was very unique and refreshing to me. Most of the books I've read that centered in Germany during WWII were told from the POV of Jews, those in concentration camps, or those running from Nazis; in this book, the story is told from German women who were not especially in danger of Nazis. Instead, this book seems to focus more on their own guilt and emotions as they come to terms with the horrors that occurred during the war and what role they did or didn't play.

This is not a linear book. Each chapter begins with a location and a date, and though it does move in a linear fashion some of the time, there is also a jumping around between dates and locations. Honestly, I'm not usually a fan of this style in books, but Shattuck is so careful with her storytelling that it actually fits in rather well and makes for an interesting read.

 I was particularly impressed with the development of each woman and how distinct each was. Shattuck could have easily gotten stuck in having three widows who were too similar in personality, but she somehow moved away from that and managed to keep each character unique to who they are. I enjoyed learning about each woman as more and more of their story was revealed and the reader is able to see more aspects of them. 

Shattuck's prose is both descriptive and simple at the same time. It is not overdone, but it is also not overtly simple, either. The Women in the Castle is not what I would call a 'page-turner,' but there is a compelling quality in Shattuck's writing that made me want to keep reading. Her words are almost haunting as they capture the darkest and most personal sentiments of these three women as they come to terms with their experiences during and after the war. 

The Women in the Castle is a thoughtful book. There is not a lot of action of suspenseful moments; instead, things are told in a thoughtful, deliberate manner in a specific order. If you enjoy World War II novels or enjoy reading books with strong character development and that are more character-focused than plot-based, then this is absolutely the book for you. 

Overall, The Women in the Castle receives four stars from me!

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Whistling Women by Kelly Romo

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The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

TBR Thursday: The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck

This week I have decided to jump on board with TBR Thursdays, created by Kim @ Kimberly Faye Reads! This feature was created with the intent of spotlighting a title from your shelf that you planning on reading in order to discuss why you want to read it, as well to discuss the book with others! If you'd like to join, feel free to use the banner created by Kimberley (or your own), and stop by her page to participate.

Today's pick is The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck! I haven't read very many World War II novels in a while because over the year I've gotten pretty burnt out on them, but I'm pretty intrigued by the sound of this one, so I think it's time I go back to this historical period. I have an ARC of this one waiting for me to start within the next week or so, so I'm looking forward to it!

Synopsis from Goodreads:

"Set at the end of World War II, in a crumbling Bavarian castle that once played host to all of German high society, a powerful and propulsive story of three widows whose lives and fates become intertwined—an affecting, shocking, and ultimately redemptive novel from the author of the New York Times Notable Book The Hazards of Good Breeding

Amid the ashes of Nazi Germany’s defeat, Marianne von Lingenfels returns to the once grand castle of her husband’s ancestors, an imposing stone fortress now fallen into ruin following years of war. The widow of a resistor murdered in the failed July, 20, 1944, plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, Marianne plans to uphold the promise she made to her husband’s brave conspirators: to find and protect their wives, her fellow resistance widows. 

First, Marianne rescues six-year-old Martin, the son of her dearest childhood friend, from a Nazi reeducation home. Together, they make their way across the smoldering wreckage of their homeland to Berlin, where Martin’s mother, the beautiful and naïve Benita, has fallen into the hands of occupying Red Army soldiers. Then she locates Ania, another resistor’s wife, and her two boys, now refugees languishing in one of the many camps that house the millions displaced by the war. 

As Marianne assembles this makeshift family from the ruins of her husband’s resistance movement, she is certain their shared pain and circumstances will hold them together. But she quickly discovers that the black-and-white, highly principled world of her privileged past has become infinitely more complicated, filled with secrets and dark passions that threaten to tear them apart. Eventually, all three women must come to terms with the choices that have defined their lives before, during, and after the war—each with their own unique share of challenges. "

Publication Date: March 7th, 2017
William Morrow

Are you interested in reading this book? What books are on your TBR?

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