Four Girls from Berlin: A True Story of a Friendship that Defied the Holocaust

by Marianne Meyerhoff

A pair of silver Regency candlesticks.

Pieces of well-worn family jewelry.

More than a thousand documents, letters, and photographs

Lotte Meyerhoff's best friends risked their lives in Nazi Germany to safeguard these and other treasured heirlooms and mementos from her family and return them to her after the war. The Holocaust had left Lotte the lone survivor of her family, and these precious objects gave her back a crucial piece of her past. Four Girls from Berlin vividly recreates that past and tells the story of Lotte and her courageous non-Jewish friends Ilonka, Erica, and Ursula as they lived under the shadow of Hitler in Berlin.

Written by Lotte's daughter, Marianne, this powerful memoir celebrates the unseverable bonds of friendship and a rich family legacy the Holocaust could not destroy.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Holocaust, World War II, Memoir, Germany, Jewish

256 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2007

Reviews

[Bree · Rating 2 out of 5]

Long-winded without any real point. I thought this would be about a group of girls who survived the Holocaust, and it was - but it wasn't. It was such a small part of the story, the rest was about the daughter and how she felt, and the friends she made by meeting her mother's friends from when she lived in Berlin.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting and enlightening true story of four girls (three Christian and one Jewish) who met in the pre-WW2 era. The story is unraveled by the daughter of the Jewish woman who escaped Nazi Germany. Marianne has heard of her mother's friends and marveled at the treasure of family memorabilia that was sent to her and her mother after the war. Marianne travels to Germany to visit the women and that trip is just the beginning of her search for many answers regarding the times of the holocaust, the friendship, the sacrifices that were endured. Toward the end of this story, something is revealed that is shocking and makes one contemplate all sorts of moral and ethical questions regarding forgiveness.

[Holly Ites · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much like Corrie Ten Boom's "The Hiding Place," Marianne Mayerhoff's true account of her search for her German-Jewish identity tells a very personal story of the Holocaust. What makes Mayerhoff's account so compelling is that there is no dogma or principle bonding the "Four Girls from Berlin," three Christians and one Jew, other than their love of music and of each other, a commitment so deep that it defies Hitler, spans continents, and extends through time, touching generations. We will never understand what causes man's depravity to his fellow man, but through stories like this, we can always understand and rejoice in the power of love and remembrance.

[Kami Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

"Most people are good" she said. "There are some who are not. But in this world, Liebchen, few among us are at all times the one or the other. Mehr als das gibst uns nicht zu wissen. More than this we are not given to know."

[Gill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very moving story monitors the effects of living through World War 2, Nazi Germany and beyond. Is it really true that German children aren't taught about this period of their country's history?

[Doris · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is more the journey of the author discovering and understanding her Mom's past, than it is the actual story of her mother and three friends during WWII.

[Bailee Klein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wish it talked more about Lotte during war.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book 2 for week "four"...I'm kind of surprised I'm still doing this number thing, but it seems to be working out well. I've read some interesting books so far that I would never have picked up regularly.

Marianne Meyerhoff is the daughter of a German Jew who survived WWII. In this book she is telling about the friendship between her mother and three other women from Berlin. The other women hid some of her family's heirlooms, despite the personal risk if they were caught, and sent them to Lotte (her mother) when the war ended. This book is partly Marianne searching through her family's past to discover where she came from and what happened during the Holocaust. And partly her looking at these women who risked themselves to help biological family and at times took her into their homes as family.

This is a powerful look at some of the lives that were altered by the war and illustrates how the war impacted everyone who went through it.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book transcends time and place as it follows the lifelong friendship of four friends that defied the Holocaust. The book is written by Marianne Meyerhoff, daughter of Lotte who is one of the four friends in this book.

Lotte who was Jewish was somewhat lucky in that she got out of Germany before Germany fell, but she did not escape unscathed.

Her friends, Ilonka, Erica and Ursula were Aryans who stayed behind (Ursula and her husband were missionaries in Africa during this period) and visited (along with sneaking food) to Lotte's family. They hid family heirlooms in their homes and sent them on to Lotte in America after the war.

Throughout the book, we learn bits and pieces about this horrific period in German history and I am so glad that Marianne (pronounced Marianna in Germany) Meyerhoff was able to "find her voice" to inspire us with this important piece of history.

[Riv · Rating 3 out of 5]

It always comes back to the Holocaust, I guess... this was a very touching, very personal story by the daughter of a survivor who kept up with 3 gentile friends from before the war. Certain things bothered me personally that really had nothing to do with the story (mostly the Reform Judaism elements that seem so foreign to me, like their Rabbi going to Sunday church services and being cremated....) Also, if these gentile girls felt such a connection to their Jewish friend, why didnt they visit her even once in America after the war? She never saw them again, though the narrator (the daughter) visited Germany numerous times and became quite close to them... Anyway, if you're into Holocaust memoirs, this wasn't bad.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marianne's mother, Lotte, had three best (Christian) friends growing up in Berlin. Marianne's story isn't about the Holocaust as much as it is about how far the effects of Hitler's Germany reached. It's also about how the friends didn't buy into the Hitler propaganda and why they were immune while everone else was jumping on the bandwagon...and where did they get the courage not to run with the pack. I don't recall reading a book that described in such detail the life of a child born to a Holocaust survivor and what it was like to have a single mother who was all that remained of her family save Marianne. It took years to piece the stories together until Marianne had a picture of not only her mother's family but her best friends...and her past. Outstanding.

[Yechiel Eckstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Four Girls from Berlin, Jewish author Marianne Meyerhoff tells the story of her mother, Lotte Meyerhoff, who was the sole member of her family to survive the Holocaust. After the war, three of Lotte’s Christian friends from Berlin reach out to her. Through their efforts, Lotte is able to come to grips with the tragic and traumatic events she witnessed and experienced – and to recover a part of her past she thought was too painful to remember. Though tinged with great sorrow and loss, Four Girls from Berlin is ultimately a very hopeful book that reminds us that friendship and love can transcend even the worst inhumanity and cruelty, and that discord and division between Christians and Jews is not inevitable and unchangeable.

[SuperBabe · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book tells a story that is utterly touching, of friendship, history, and life. The story itself is sad and hopeful, as most stories from the Holocaust survivors are.

The book writing / editing does leave something to be desired (several typos, repetitive stories, and parts of the story missing, though I am sure they were missing for the author as well).

Overall, the book was good, and it does leave the reader wondering and thinking about the lives of the Four Girls from Berlin...

[Kelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book didn't read like I thought that it would. I assumed that it would be about, duh, "4 girls from Berlin." However, it really was about one of the girls' daughters who is trying to figure out her mother's past. She has grown up in America and is trying to get in touch with her German and Jewish roots. It was interesting, and I enjoyed it, but it wasn't what I expected.

[Karon [KC]]

This is an exceptional memoir of the life of four women who suffered, loved, and remembered together during one of the most horrific times in the history of Germany and the US. Friendships that last through generations that are still finding each other. A true account told from the daughter of one of the young women portrayed in this moving story.

[Clarance · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an absolutely brilliant book. Even tho it's a non-fiction written in nearly-always linear/chronological order from the perspective of the Author, she has still managed to make every person a real loveable character, & every event interesting, & fill everything with suspense & a need to read more.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was all over the place in the beginning, but ultimately thought it was a good example of how there is good and evil in everyone.

[Donna]

It is the memoirs of a holocaust survivor written by her daughter. It shows the strength of a Jewish woman and the power of God in helping her to survive the holocaust.

[Mariya]

OB

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both heartwarming and heartbreaking, all the more so because it is non-fiction.

[Patti · Rating 3 out of 5]

1945 Germany when the Russians are coming thru town as the Victors. This is the true story of how one young German journalist survives.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I was expecting more from the mother's point of view with this book. Not as expected but still ok. Won't be re-reading though.

[Melenia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always difficult for me to rate these type of books.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent read, very sensitive topic and personal for the author, yet beautifully laid out and readable. An intriguing story.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very moving read. It gave great insight to a generation who never wanted to discuss their experiences in WWII.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an interesting book that looks at the life of friends in Germany during WWII and the personal devastation.

" Good comes not from overcoming evil, but from doing battle with all your heart"

"God must grow greater in me and I must grow smaller. I must recognize the frailty of living up to my own principles. I must forgive myself when the best in me lapses and fails"