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City of Women
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
Whom do you trust, whom do you love, and who can be saved? A gripping tale of Berlin in the Second World War, from the author of Annelies.
It is 1943—the height of the Second World War. With the men away at the front, Berlin has become a city of women.
On the surface, Sigrid Schröder is the model German soldier’s She goes to work every day, does as much with her rations as she can, and dutifully cares for her meddling mother-in-law, all the while ignoring the horrific immoralities of the regime.
But behind this façade is an entirely different Sigrid, a woman of passion who dreams of her former Jewish lover, now lost in the chaos of the war. But Sigrid is not the only one with secrets—she soon finds herself caught between what is right and what is wrong, and what falls somewhere in the shadows between the two . . .
Whom do you trust, whom do you love, and who can be saved? A gripping tale of Berlin in the Second World War, from the author of Annelies.
It is 1943—the height of the Second World War. With the men away at the front, Berlin has become a city of women.
On the surface, Sigrid Schröder is the model German soldier’s She goes to work every day, does as much with her rations as she can, and dutifully cares for her meddling mother-in-law, all the while ignoring the horrific immoralities of the regime.
But behind this façade is an entirely different Sigrid, a woman of passion who dreams of her former Jewish lover, now lost in the chaos of the war. But Sigrid is not the only one with secrets—she soon finds herself caught between what is right and what is wrong, and what falls somewhere in the shadows between the two . . .
426 pages, Paperback
First published August 7, 2012
1172 people are currently reading
25157 people want to read
About the author
David R. Gillham
5 books383 followersDavid R. Gillham is a New York Times bestselling author. His latest novel, SHADOWS of BERLIN, was released in hardcover in April of 2022, and is now available in PAPERPACK, E-Book, or the award-winning Audio Book.
David loves to join book club discussions, virtually or in person. See his website at davidrgillham.com for the book club kit!
Author Bio: The author of CITY of WOMEN and ANNELIES, Gillham studied screenwriting at the University of Southern California before transitioning into fiction. After moving to New York City, he spent more than a decade in the book business, and now lives with his family in Western Massachusetts.
David loves to join book club discussions, virtually or in person. See his website at davidrgillham.com for the book club kit!
Author Bio: The author of CITY of WOMEN and ANNELIES, Gillham studied screenwriting at the University of Southern California before transitioning into fiction. After moving to New York City, he spent more than a decade in the book business, and now lives with his family in Western Massachusetts.
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January 31, 2014The city is Berlin, 1943, and the woman we care about is Sigrid, whose husband is fighting on the eastern front. Sigrid is seduced by two very different men (the sex in this book is hot-hot-hot), but the real seduction involves her reluctant participation in a scheme to ferry Jews to safety. You haven’t experienced such gray skies since season 1 of The Killing, but the feel is all Casablanca. I can’t wait for Gillham’s next novel—play it again, Sam.
October 25, 2012
I'm afraid I didn't care for this book all that much, but the setting (atmosphere, sense of place & time) was so well evoked that I can't totally write it off.
I know people are really in love with this novel, and once again I'm swimming against the current of public opinion here because it just didn't do that much for me. In my long review I make the point that the author's original intent to
"...write a novel with a completely female cast of characters, because I wanted to explore wartime from a feminine point of view"
would have made this book more realistic and would have added something to the existing works of historical fiction set during this time period, but I felt that what I got instead was like chick lit set against the backdrop of the Holocaust. Rather than following his instinct, the author decided that his original idea "fell flat" and that he "needed the dramatic tension of the love affairs to keep the plot moving and the suspense tightened." (from an interview at Psychology Today).
Now, I know my opinion sounds kind of harsh, but well,I can't help how I feel. How can there not be real suspense when, at the very least, the novel recounts Berlin in 1943 where people are being watched, or are themselves agents of the watchers or where there are regular bombing raids that create tension and a fear of nothing to go home to when the all clear sounds? Then there are some of the other female characters in this novel whose stories, had they been considered and more developed in terms of the original idea of "wartime from a feminine point of view," would have made for much better reading and may have offered more of a look at what these women might have actually gone through during this time.
I think I'd recommend City of Women to people who like their historical fiction on the lighter side; this one has more of a beachy feel rather than a serious examination of lives where "regiments of husbands, uncles, and brothers have been mobilized and Berlin has become a city of women."
I know people are really in love with this novel, and once again I'm swimming against the current of public opinion here because it just didn't do that much for me. In my long review I make the point that the author's original intent to
"...write a novel with a completely female cast of characters, because I wanted to explore wartime from a feminine point of view"
would have made this book more realistic and would have added something to the existing works of historical fiction set during this time period, but I felt that what I got instead was like chick lit set against the backdrop of the Holocaust. Rather than following his instinct, the author decided that his original idea "fell flat" and that he "needed the dramatic tension of the love affairs to keep the plot moving and the suspense tightened." (from an interview at Psychology Today).
Now, I know my opinion sounds kind of harsh, but well,I can't help how I feel. How can there not be real suspense when, at the very least, the novel recounts Berlin in 1943 where people are being watched, or are themselves agents of the watchers or where there are regular bombing raids that create tension and a fear of nothing to go home to when the all clear sounds? Then there are some of the other female characters in this novel whose stories, had they been considered and more developed in terms of the original idea of "wartime from a feminine point of view," would have made for much better reading and may have offered more of a look at what these women might have actually gone through during this time.
I think I'd recommend City of Women to people who like their historical fiction on the lighter side; this one has more of a beachy feel rather than a serious examination of lives where "regiments of husbands, uncles, and brothers have been mobilized and Berlin has become a city of women."
July 3, 2015
This is another book where I seem to have the opposite opinion of pretty much everyone, and maybe I'm crazy for hating this book, but hate it I do.
Okay, first a disclaimer: I in no way believe that a male author can not write brilliant female characters, or vice versa. That said, in the case of this specific book, I don't think the male author can write a realistic female character. The whole time I was reading it I was reminded that the author was male, and the primary female characters read like manifestation's of the author's sexual fantasies, with none of the nuances of character to make them interesting or three-dimensional. There is the gorgeous, voluptuous main character, who is so driven by her sexual urges that she seems to think with her d--- ...oh wait, that's right...she doesn't have one. Because she's supposed to be a woman, I keep forgetting. And uh oh, I think it's time for another disclaimer: I'm not saying women can't be sexual beings and obsessed with sex above all other aspects of life. I'm not even saying that Sigrid and her friend at work can't both fit that description and carry on purely sexual affairs with barely a second thought (although that would be a BIT more rare in the 1940's, and probably taken more seriously than they do). I accept that the character can feel no guilt over cheating on her wounded husband with more than one partner, feel no guilt about desiring her Jewish lover to let his wife and children be sent to a concentration camp so that they can "truly be together." Yes, people that selfish do exist, and yes, some of them are female. What I do not accept is that I am supposed to then believe that she has enough empathy to risk her own life helping Ericha (also known as male fantasy number three: a fierce, sexually-free, dark-haired young beauty, who of course at one point poses naked and sleeps with people to help the cause) hide Jewish men and women from the Gestapo. The characters are un-even, unrealistic, and for the most part unlikable (don't even get me started on Egon, the main love interest)...which is quite an achievement actually. The two main characters risk their lives saving people from the Gestapo. You would think making women like that unlikable would be a lot harder/more unlikely than writing female characters who are believable, and yet...
Okay, first a disclaimer: I in no way believe that a male author can not write brilliant female characters, or vice versa. That said, in the case of this specific book, I don't think the male author can write a realistic female character. The whole time I was reading it I was reminded that the author was male, and the primary female characters read like manifestation's of the author's sexual fantasies, with none of the nuances of character to make them interesting or three-dimensional. There is the gorgeous, voluptuous main character, who is so driven by her sexual urges that she seems to think with her d--- ...oh wait, that's right...she doesn't have one. Because she's supposed to be a woman, I keep forgetting. And uh oh, I think it's time for another disclaimer: I'm not saying women can't be sexual beings and obsessed with sex above all other aspects of life. I'm not even saying that Sigrid and her friend at work can't both fit that description and carry on purely sexual affairs with barely a second thought (although that would be a BIT more rare in the 1940's, and probably taken more seriously than they do). I accept that the character can feel no guilt over cheating on her wounded husband with more than one partner, feel no guilt about desiring her Jewish lover to let his wife and children be sent to a concentration camp so that they can "truly be together." Yes, people that selfish do exist, and yes, some of them are female. What I do not accept is that I am supposed to then believe that she has enough empathy to risk her own life helping Ericha (also known as male fantasy number three: a fierce, sexually-free, dark-haired young beauty, who of course at one point poses naked and sleeps with people to help the cause) hide Jewish men and women from the Gestapo. The characters are un-even, unrealistic, and for the most part unlikable (don't even get me started on Egon, the main love interest)...which is quite an achievement actually. The two main characters risk their lives saving people from the Gestapo. You would think making women like that unlikable would be a lot harder/more unlikely than writing female characters who are believable, and yet...
February 12, 2013
4 ½ stars
I’m struggling because I want to do this book justice but I am not in the mood to write a review. I want to get something down though when everything is fairly fresh in my mind, because I loved this book.
I read this as a buddy read with my Goodreads friend Diane, and also read it for my real world book club. I’ve been wanting to read this for ages, and I’m so glad I got to this no later than I did.
I even liked the love story, and I’m not a romance fan.
Many of the characters are so memorable. I love how the people are complicated and the relationships are complicated. They felt very real. I appreciate that a male author could write such an authentic seeming female character, telling the story in third person but mostly from her point of view. I developed such strong feelings for the characters, ranging from love and admiration to hatred and, until the end of the book, at times I felt confused by some of them. With some characters, I enjoyed getting to know them layer by layer; it’s how people generally do get to know each other.
There is also such a rich plot, with many twists, a few of which I guessed ahead of the reveal, most of which I didn’t guess, and a couple that I didn’t at all see coming. I loved how at one point in the story, I had to suspend disbelief in a major way, but then because of a twist, that part of the story made total sense, that really something else was going on that was a much more sensible thing to have happened. Everything, about people’s motivations and personalities, and what happens in the story, they all ended up making sense to me, even though some were emotionally disturbing. In some chapters, so much action is packed into so few pages.
I learned some things too. I had no idea that there were that many Jews left in Berlin in 1943. I got such a feel for WWII Berlin. The atmosphere came through so well, both of the city, and of Sigrid’s internal experience. At the beginning, in particular, the oppressiveness was so well drawn. Sigrid’s life as it was, the experiences in the bomb shelters, just everything had me captivated.
I loved the writing style.
I relished the suspense, and there was a lot of it.
I got completely engrossed in the book and it was really hard to put down. When I did keep reading, the pages, chapters just flew by. I was trying to keep in sync with my buddy (which we basically were able to do) and at one point the narrative was so gripping that, even though I was keeping careful track, I hadn’t realized I’d read from one chapter into the next.
Like many Jews, I've always wondered about what if I was in the Holocaust? Would I have been shot, drowned, gassed, starved, beaten to death, or would I have gotten out of occupied Europe in time, or gone into hiding, etc?? And then I wonder what if it was here and now and another group of people, a group of which I was not a part? Would I risk my life to help them directly? Indirectly? Would I help in ways with less risk to myself? Would I try to ignore the situation and do nothing? I'd like to think I would help, but I've never felt all that brave. I love these kinds of books, fiction and non-fiction, because they do make you think, as well as entertain you. This is a perfect book to get me again thinking of these questions. And there is a lovely 4 page long author’s note at the end that addresses some of the “what would you do” question.
This is a great book! I highly recommend it to all historical fiction fans, particularly those interested in the WWII years, and especially those who enjoy reading books with strong female characters.
I’m struggling because I want to do this book justice but I am not in the mood to write a review. I want to get something down though when everything is fairly fresh in my mind, because I loved this book.
I read this as a buddy read with my Goodreads friend Diane, and also read it for my real world book club. I’ve been wanting to read this for ages, and I’m so glad I got to this no later than I did.
I even liked the love story, and I’m not a romance fan.
Many of the characters are so memorable. I love how the people are complicated and the relationships are complicated. They felt very real. I appreciate that a male author could write such an authentic seeming female character, telling the story in third person but mostly from her point of view. I developed such strong feelings for the characters, ranging from love and admiration to hatred and, until the end of the book, at times I felt confused by some of them. With some characters, I enjoyed getting to know them layer by layer; it’s how people generally do get to know each other.
There is also such a rich plot, with many twists, a few of which I guessed ahead of the reveal, most of which I didn’t guess, and a couple that I didn’t at all see coming. I loved how at one point in the story, I had to suspend disbelief in a major way, but then because of a twist, that part of the story made total sense, that really something else was going on that was a much more sensible thing to have happened. Everything, about people’s motivations and personalities, and what happens in the story, they all ended up making sense to me, even though some were emotionally disturbing. In some chapters, so much action is packed into so few pages.
I learned some things too. I had no idea that there were that many Jews left in Berlin in 1943. I got such a feel for WWII Berlin. The atmosphere came through so well, both of the city, and of Sigrid’s internal experience. At the beginning, in particular, the oppressiveness was so well drawn. Sigrid’s life as it was, the experiences in the bomb shelters, just everything had me captivated.
I loved the writing style.
I relished the suspense, and there was a lot of it.
I got completely engrossed in the book and it was really hard to put down. When I did keep reading, the pages, chapters just flew by. I was trying to keep in sync with my buddy (which we basically were able to do) and at one point the narrative was so gripping that, even though I was keeping careful track, I hadn’t realized I’d read from one chapter into the next.
Like many Jews, I've always wondered about what if I was in the Holocaust? Would I have been shot, drowned, gassed, starved, beaten to death, or would I have gotten out of occupied Europe in time, or gone into hiding, etc?? And then I wonder what if it was here and now and another group of people, a group of which I was not a part? Would I risk my life to help them directly? Indirectly? Would I help in ways with less risk to myself? Would I try to ignore the situation and do nothing? I'd like to think I would help, but I've never felt all that brave. I love these kinds of books, fiction and non-fiction, because they do make you think, as well as entertain you. This is a perfect book to get me again thinking of these questions. And there is a lovely 4 page long author’s note at the end that addresses some of the “what would you do” question.
This is a great book! I highly recommend it to all historical fiction fans, particularly those interested in the WWII years, and especially those who enjoy reading books with strong female characters.
July 16, 2012
I absolutely loved this book. It was so layered; the characters beautiful, flawed, believable; the scenes unfolding like a brilliant movie (not surprising since the author is an actor and screenwriter). I stayed up until 5 a.m. reading this book--which doesn't happen often--but it is the reason why I read! I love books like this. Sigrid is a great heroine, I rooted for her; Ericha, not so much. Sigrid's lover, Egon, I just kept picturing an awesome Michael Fassbender--ruthless, magnetic and endearing all in one. This book, although a historical fiction, is definitely sexy (I can't think of any other word). The twists in this book were well-conceived. They don't just come out of nowhere--after finishing this book, I immediately started reading it again! I needed to go back and look at the details, especially about Egon's family (great tactic in withholding information both from the reader's point-of-view and the characters'). I wish I knew some German -- the book has tons of German words weaved in but it was necessary. This debut author is someone to watch out for. Amazing.
Review copy provided by Penguin Debut Author program.
Review copy provided by Penguin Debut Author program.
February 16, 2013
This book is perfect for those readers who want an intelligent thought-provoking book filled with action, form the first page to the last. It is filled with twists and turns and dead ends. What you think you understand, well you probably don't. You will by the end. If you love the ride of such an adventure I highly recommend this book.
The central theme, other than simply figuring out what was going on, is: what role would YOU have played if you were a German during WW2? Would YOU have the guts to work in the Resistance? That is not an easy question. Who do you sacrifice? Don't think valor is loaded all on one side. Whom do you hurt?
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Suzanne Bertish. Her reading was forceful and given the tempo and style of the book this is perfect. I was a bit annoyed as she insisted on pronouncing the words Patent Office ad "pay-tent office".
So why only three stars? I found annoying incongruities that made no sense to me: a man's belt is not large enough tie up a suitcase with. I know this is petty, but why write that? Secondly, the main characters are all aberrant each in their own way. The author has collected quite a group. I cannot name one "ordinary person" among any of the central characters. There is a pronounced fixation on strange sexual behavior. Supposedly all the men are gone from Berlin but one woman still has three lovers. Where does she get all her energy? Food is rationed. The cinema antics aren't all that believable, but titillating for sure. What occurs in the cinema could happen but what are the chances everything would play out in this manner? To put it simply, the characters are a bit hard to believe in, maybe not one at a time, but as a group.
Another major complaint I have is that there is little to explain why the Germans who were silent, who obediently did as they were told, acted as they did. True, if you don't, you lose your job. That IS in the book, but there is no history, no discussion of the fact that after WW1, inflation was rampant in Germany, there were no jobs and that the common man just wanted some food and law and order and JOBS. So although I too despised those who did as they were told and "followed the rules", as all good Germans should do, I would have liked more depth, something that illustrated why these people behaved as they did. That none of this is pointed out makes them look worse than they really were, and I don't like that.
This book is an exciting mystery story. One thing follows another, so you have to hold on tight. Characters surprise you. There is sex, but heck any adult can read this. And you can stop and think what would YOU have done!
May I recommend too other books about German life during the war?
A Woman in Berlin: Eight Weeks in the Conquered City: A Diary and
On Hitler's Mountain: Overcoming the Legacy of a Nazi Childhood
The central theme, other than simply figuring out what was going on, is: what role would YOU have played if you were a German during WW2? Would YOU have the guts to work in the Resistance? That is not an easy question. Who do you sacrifice? Don't think valor is loaded all on one side. Whom do you hurt?
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Suzanne Bertish. Her reading was forceful and given the tempo and style of the book this is perfect. I was a bit annoyed as she insisted on pronouncing the words Patent Office ad "pay-tent office".
So why only three stars? I found annoying incongruities that made no sense to me: a man's belt is not large enough tie up a suitcase with. I know this is petty, but why write that? Secondly, the main characters are all aberrant each in their own way. The author has collected quite a group. I cannot name one "ordinary person" among any of the central characters. There is a pronounced fixation on strange sexual behavior. Supposedly all the men are gone from Berlin but one woman still has three lovers. Where does she get all her energy? Food is rationed. The cinema antics aren't all that believable, but titillating for sure. What occurs in the cinema could happen but what are the chances everything would play out in this manner? To put it simply, the characters are a bit hard to believe in, maybe not one at a time, but as a group.
Another major complaint I have is that there is little to explain why the Germans who were silent, who obediently did as they were told, acted as they did. True, if you don't, you lose your job. That IS in the book, but there is no history, no discussion of the fact that after WW1, inflation was rampant in Germany, there were no jobs and that the common man just wanted some food and law and order and JOBS. So although I too despised those who did as they were told and "followed the rules", as all good Germans should do, I would have liked more depth, something that illustrated why these people behaved as they did. That none of this is pointed out makes them look worse than they really were, and I don't like that.
This book is an exciting mystery story. One thing follows another, so you have to hold on tight. Characters surprise you. There is sex, but heck any adult can read this. And you can stop and think what would YOU have done!
May I recommend too other books about German life during the war?
A Woman in Berlin: Eight Weeks in the Conquered City: A Diary and
On Hitler's Mountain: Overcoming the Legacy of a Nazi Childhood
June 23, 2012
Sorry, just wan't for me. Sigrid was unlikable in a harsh, cold way, the dialogue was stilted and the sex scenes were awkward, not even including the several times male characters got a kick out of placing Sigrid's hand on their erections. Plus, and I'm not sure here, but I think it might be a bit harder to have sex in a movie theater seat(something involving very skinny people who wouldn't take up too much room in the seat, and one of them having very flexible knees) than the author made out. I wanted to like this book because of the perspective of the good German, but I'd recommend Stones From the River or The Book Thief over this unpleasant effort.
September 21, 2012
This is the third book in a row I've read about Berlin in the late 1930s-early 1940s (before this: Kino and before that All That I Am: A Novel).
With every one, details accumulate to make this era more personal, more human, somehow realer to me. This book has some good, sharp dialogue, especially between Sigrid and Ericha and when Sigrid meets Brigitte and Carin. The plot is enthralling although it ties up too quickly in the end. Maybe that's just because I want more of the story and the characters. There's melodrama but there's more Just Drama that makes reading it worthwhile. I read it quickly and I liked it a lot.
Berlin is a character. I wish I knew it better so I could see better the streets that are named and the areas where the action takes place.
I learned that in bomb shelters crying was forbidden and signs were mounted to announce as much.
There's a paragraph on how the Germans imagined life would be after they won the war, with Russian phrasebooks in the stores so citizens could learn how to address their new eastern servants.
(Not all Germans are bad.)
And always in the past, when I thought about blackouts, I thought only of people huddled in their apartments behind black curtains, and not that people and some businesses still kept up at night and how the streets must've looked with pocket flashlights illuminating that kind of urban darkness.
A reader might be sacrilegious to say this but spending time with this story is like watching a really good escapist black-and-white movie in the afternoon. It's time well-spent away from real life. Only imagine what real life was back then.
With every one, details accumulate to make this era more personal, more human, somehow realer to me. This book has some good, sharp dialogue, especially between Sigrid and Ericha and when Sigrid meets Brigitte and Carin. The plot is enthralling although it ties up too quickly in the end. Maybe that's just because I want more of the story and the characters. There's melodrama but there's more Just Drama that makes reading it worthwhile. I read it quickly and I liked it a lot.
Berlin is a character. I wish I knew it better so I could see better the streets that are named and the areas where the action takes place.
I learned that in bomb shelters crying was forbidden and signs were mounted to announce as much.
There's a paragraph on how the Germans imagined life would be after they won the war, with Russian phrasebooks in the stores so citizens could learn how to address their new eastern servants.
(Not all Germans are bad.)
And always in the past, when I thought about blackouts, I thought only of people huddled in their apartments behind black curtains, and not that people and some businesses still kept up at night and how the streets must've looked with pocket flashlights illuminating that kind of urban darkness.
A reader might be sacrilegious to say this but spending time with this story is like watching a really good escapist black-and-white movie in the afternoon. It's time well-spent away from real life. Only imagine what real life was back then.
October 7, 2014
Really bewildered by the many star reviews by people, and as far as Stephen King describing the sex as hot-hot-hot.... NO, it is not-not-not. Not for anyone who is used to reading steamy sex scenes or erotica, anyway. Unless you think it's hot to have a total stranger in a move theater strike up a conversation, and, a couple sentences into it, grab your hand and put it on his erection.
Because after that kind of foreplay, wouldn't any woman say, "oh yeah, baby, climb on top of me and do me right now." In a movie theater seat.
There are lots of sex scenes like that, much tearing of clothing and rutting but just not much sexual tension building to said scenes, or in them.
I waited the whole book, thinking/hoping there would be an explanation of WHY this seeming ordinary Berlin hausfrau began an affair like that, the first time, but never found out. I imagined, perhaps, a character like her might feel a kind of dull desperation like Halle Berry in Monster's Ball, wanting to be made to FEEL something, but there was nothing in the actual pages to either show that or perhaps another reason - because it was Tuesday? because she was aroused by the other people getting busy a few rows away? - that Sigrid would decide to bang a stranger in the cinema.
Despite being written (kind of) from Sigrid's point of view, I never felt close to her, or any of the characters; they all felt stiff an unbelievable, loving around like paper dolls. I don't mind flawed characters, but I wanted to like some of the people in it, anybody, but I came away not really liking anyone.
The author also made the odd choice to write in present tense - except when in flashback mode (and there were plenty of them), and it's a style choice that is perhaps meant to give it more immediacy, but I wasn't feeling it.
And the whole issue with the Jewish mother and two girls, who may or may not be the lover's wife and kids... that was weird. The plot itself was interesting and had lots of twist and turns. And I thought the cover was gorgeous.
Because after that kind of foreplay, wouldn't any woman say, "oh yeah, baby, climb on top of me and do me right now." In a movie theater seat.
There are lots of sex scenes like that, much tearing of clothing and rutting but just not much sexual tension building to said scenes, or in them.
I waited the whole book, thinking/hoping there would be an explanation of WHY this seeming ordinary Berlin hausfrau began an affair like that, the first time, but never found out. I imagined, perhaps, a character like her might feel a kind of dull desperation like Halle Berry in Monster's Ball, wanting to be made to FEEL something, but there was nothing in the actual pages to either show that or perhaps another reason - because it was Tuesday? because she was aroused by the other people getting busy a few rows away? - that Sigrid would decide to bang a stranger in the cinema.
Despite being written (kind of) from Sigrid's point of view, I never felt close to her, or any of the characters; they all felt stiff an unbelievable, loving around like paper dolls. I don't mind flawed characters, but I wanted to like some of the people in it, anybody, but I came away not really liking anyone.
The author also made the odd choice to write in present tense - except when in flashback mode (and there were plenty of them), and it's a style choice that is perhaps meant to give it more immediacy, but I wasn't feeling it.
And the whole issue with the Jewish mother and two girls, who may or may not be the lover's wife and kids... that was weird. The plot itself was interesting and had lots of twist and turns. And I thought the cover was gorgeous.
March 2, 2017
3.5 stars. I'm a sucker for historical fiction, especially about WWll. This did not disappoint.
January 23, 2013
There is no black or white in war, but the variations of gray are infinite. With the protection of history and hindsight, we can sit at our remove and imagine how our moral compass would guide us through treacherous situations, but fiction – well-crafted fiction – can offer three-dimensional dilemma and nuance that our egos would deny.
David Gillham’s City of Women is just such a work and it is an excellent. Berlin in 1943 is a city of shadows. Nearly all able-bodied men are fighting across various fronts; left behind are hungry, cowed, suspicious citizens and their Nazi keepers, the old and infirm, wounded soldiers, and black marketeers. But mostly, Berlin is kept afloat by the wives, mothers, sisters and daughters of soldiers and officers. It is a city of women.
One of these women is the lovely and enigmatic Sigrid Schröder, a stenographer and wife of a combat officer. Sigrid’s war is reduced to the daily grind of her job and the grim existence she shares with her wretched mother-in-law. Scrapping together enough to eat, making do with threadbare clothes, huddling in a bomb shelter, not attracting the attention of her apartment building’s informers or Nazis patrolling the streets, would seem to leave Sigrid with no time or energy for moral quandaries. But there are empty moments, split open by boredom, loneliness and desperation. How Sigrid fills them drives the plot of this atypical wartime thriller.
Gillham juggles many elements. His skill at maintaining a complicated narrative with many characters, while remaining true to history, is tremendous. He adds new elements to our understanding of German citizens’ attitudes and behaviors during the war while crafting the hold-your-breath suspense of a literary thriller. His portrait of Berlin is pitch-perfect – the hopelessness and the viciousness of a city living in fear are claustrophobic and terrifying.
Gillham’s characters are intriguing, sympathetic and nuanced. The moments of tenderness and betrayal leave the reader uncertain of whom to trust, demonstrating the inconsistencies and unpredictability of human behavior that are true even in the best of circumstances. In the worst of times, who among us wouldn’t do what we needed in order to survive? Who among us would risk everything to ensure the survival of others?
What holds this back from a 5-star read is the overheated atmosphere. David Gillham’s Berlin might be drab and crumbling, but beneath the patched coats and bomb rubble is a city pulsing with sex. I’m torn here, because it also raises an important question of how women survive, even now, when their political and physical power is so often compromised. Sex becomes a refuge and a weapon. Still, the movie theatre trysts and living room carpet couplings become tedious and make you wonder how Sigrid would have been portrayed by a woman writer.
In addition, this is one of the most poorly proofread books I have encountered in recent memory. That isn’t the author’s fault, but it jars the reader from her world and sends her dashing for her red pen.
A compelling novel that I highly recommend to WWII history enthusiasts and literary thriller fans alike.
David Gillham’s City of Women is just such a work and it is an excellent. Berlin in 1943 is a city of shadows. Nearly all able-bodied men are fighting across various fronts; left behind are hungry, cowed, suspicious citizens and their Nazi keepers, the old and infirm, wounded soldiers, and black marketeers. But mostly, Berlin is kept afloat by the wives, mothers, sisters and daughters of soldiers and officers. It is a city of women.
One of these women is the lovely and enigmatic Sigrid Schröder, a stenographer and wife of a combat officer. Sigrid’s war is reduced to the daily grind of her job and the grim existence she shares with her wretched mother-in-law. Scrapping together enough to eat, making do with threadbare clothes, huddling in a bomb shelter, not attracting the attention of her apartment building’s informers or Nazis patrolling the streets, would seem to leave Sigrid with no time or energy for moral quandaries. But there are empty moments, split open by boredom, loneliness and desperation. How Sigrid fills them drives the plot of this atypical wartime thriller.
Gillham juggles many elements. His skill at maintaining a complicated narrative with many characters, while remaining true to history, is tremendous. He adds new elements to our understanding of German citizens’ attitudes and behaviors during the war while crafting the hold-your-breath suspense of a literary thriller. His portrait of Berlin is pitch-perfect – the hopelessness and the viciousness of a city living in fear are claustrophobic and terrifying.
Gillham’s characters are intriguing, sympathetic and nuanced. The moments of tenderness and betrayal leave the reader uncertain of whom to trust, demonstrating the inconsistencies and unpredictability of human behavior that are true even in the best of circumstances. In the worst of times, who among us wouldn’t do what we needed in order to survive? Who among us would risk everything to ensure the survival of others?
What holds this back from a 5-star read is the overheated atmosphere. David Gillham’s Berlin might be drab and crumbling, but beneath the patched coats and bomb rubble is a city pulsing with sex. I’m torn here, because it also raises an important question of how women survive, even now, when their political and physical power is so often compromised. Sex becomes a refuge and a weapon. Still, the movie theatre trysts and living room carpet couplings become tedious and make you wonder how Sigrid would have been portrayed by a woman writer.
In addition, this is one of the most poorly proofread books I have encountered in recent memory. That isn’t the author’s fault, but it jars the reader from her world and sends her dashing for her red pen.
A compelling novel that I highly recommend to WWII history enthusiasts and literary thriller fans alike.
October 16, 2025
Gave up at 25% - I am not wasting my time on this trivialisation of the female experience of war. War-torn Berlin serves no other function than as a dramatic backdrop for a smutty affair and the female characters are used solely as tools to fulfill Gillham's improbable sexual fantasies.
Do Not Expect Any Sort Of Diplomacy In This Review!
Apparently, Gillham “wanted to explore wartime from a feminine point of view” - but City of Women is an unpleasant and offensive ‘effort’ at illuminating the female reality amid the androcentricity of war. Where does the preconception that in order to endow history with a female perspective, the focus and motive needs to shift to sex come from? Gillham’s female characters are intrinsically unlikeable, unrealistic and entirely lacking in agency. Their primary concerns are not the consequences of the changing tide of the war, not the tightening rations, nor Commander Harris’s concerted air attacks that were more akin to a biblical punishment than a military strategy. Nope, it’s sex. Sex, anytime, anywhere. I am not in anyway denying the existence of sexually promiscuous people, they are out there, but using sex as a plot device in what has been marketed, primarily towards women, as a gritty historical thriller is not on. The sex scenes themselves are poorly written and certainly not in any way compelling - and they definitely do not provide the “dramatic tension” Gillham claims he intended them for. This reads like bad chick-lit. Really bad chick-lit.
Before anyone attacks me with the specious argument that the appreciation of art is entirely subjective, I would like to acknowledge that yes, it is to an extent - but no art is above criticism, and there are certainly objective levels of quality that should be met in any piece of literature. Now, does the simile: 'Eyes as wild as spiders’ seem particularly appropriate or even feasible? Pam Jenoff claims that Gillham writes with 'humanity and grace’. Does any of this read like grace to you?
"I think a circumcised cock is an honest organ. It looks so naked. So unsheathed,' she told him, drowsing her hand over it. "It has nothing to hide. All men should have such an honest cock." And then she said, "Funny, that word still feels so strange in my mouth."
"The word or the organ?"
"Ha!" She laughed and slapped her hand against his arm. "If you're worried, I'll confess that I've come to love the taste of both."
Or this?
1. 'He let her gape at his ass’
2. 'It was one of the old farts’
3. 'Unlikely he could tell the difference between… a sack of sand and his great fat ass’
I rest my case.
Overall, the writing is piecemeal and frequently made me wince. The descriptions are feeble, the dialogue is strained and the novel is riddled with Americanisms. Gillham provides endless and extensive exposition, regurgitating what feels like transcribed verbatim excerpts from documentaries; it is overtly research-heavy, lacking any nuance or subtlety. There’s also a huge volume of name-dropping as well as a generous peppering of German words and phrases, although no translation is ever offered; what should achieve some level of authenticity or verisimilitude instead becomes distracting. Unless exhaustive topography (which doesn’t actually ever prove crucial or complementary to the plot) and a literary tour of every bus, tram and U-Bahn route of 1943 Berlin is what you consider enlightening historical detail, reach elsewhere.
City of Women provides no unique, enlightening or surprising outlook on an already very well trodden time period. In my opinion, the laudatory blurbs are all entirely unfounded and misleading, especially Stephen King’s Goodreads review. 'The sex in this book is hot-hot-hot’ - haha, no it is really not-not-not. If you are interested in a compelling, heartfelt, beautifully written and powerful account of life in war-torn Berlin, I would highly, highly recommend A Woman in Berlin. Don’t waste your time on this travesty.
Do Not Expect Any Sort Of Diplomacy In This Review!
Apparently, Gillham “wanted to explore wartime from a feminine point of view” - but City of Women is an unpleasant and offensive ‘effort’ at illuminating the female reality amid the androcentricity of war. Where does the preconception that in order to endow history with a female perspective, the focus and motive needs to shift to sex come from? Gillham’s female characters are intrinsically unlikeable, unrealistic and entirely lacking in agency. Their primary concerns are not the consequences of the changing tide of the war, not the tightening rations, nor Commander Harris’s concerted air attacks that were more akin to a biblical punishment than a military strategy. Nope, it’s sex. Sex, anytime, anywhere. I am not in anyway denying the existence of sexually promiscuous people, they are out there, but using sex as a plot device in what has been marketed, primarily towards women, as a gritty historical thriller is not on. The sex scenes themselves are poorly written and certainly not in any way compelling - and they definitely do not provide the “dramatic tension” Gillham claims he intended them for. This reads like bad chick-lit. Really bad chick-lit.
Before anyone attacks me with the specious argument that the appreciation of art is entirely subjective, I would like to acknowledge that yes, it is to an extent - but no art is above criticism, and there are certainly objective levels of quality that should be met in any piece of literature. Now, does the simile: 'Eyes as wild as spiders’ seem particularly appropriate or even feasible? Pam Jenoff claims that Gillham writes with 'humanity and grace’. Does any of this read like grace to you?
"I think a circumcised cock is an honest organ. It looks so naked. So unsheathed,' she told him, drowsing her hand over it. "It has nothing to hide. All men should have such an honest cock." And then she said, "Funny, that word still feels so strange in my mouth."
"The word or the organ?"
"Ha!" She laughed and slapped her hand against his arm. "If you're worried, I'll confess that I've come to love the taste of both."
Or this?
1. 'He let her gape at his ass’
2. 'It was one of the old farts’
3. 'Unlikely he could tell the difference between… a sack of sand and his great fat ass’
I rest my case.
Overall, the writing is piecemeal and frequently made me wince. The descriptions are feeble, the dialogue is strained and the novel is riddled with Americanisms. Gillham provides endless and extensive exposition, regurgitating what feels like transcribed verbatim excerpts from documentaries; it is overtly research-heavy, lacking any nuance or subtlety. There’s also a huge volume of name-dropping as well as a generous peppering of German words and phrases, although no translation is ever offered; what should achieve some level of authenticity or verisimilitude instead becomes distracting. Unless exhaustive topography (which doesn’t actually ever prove crucial or complementary to the plot) and a literary tour of every bus, tram and U-Bahn route of 1943 Berlin is what you consider enlightening historical detail, reach elsewhere.
City of Women provides no unique, enlightening or surprising outlook on an already very well trodden time period. In my opinion, the laudatory blurbs are all entirely unfounded and misleading, especially Stephen King’s Goodreads review. 'The sex in this book is hot-hot-hot’ - haha, no it is really not-not-not. If you are interested in a compelling, heartfelt, beautifully written and powerful account of life in war-torn Berlin, I would highly, highly recommend A Woman in Berlin. Don’t waste your time on this travesty.
June 7, 2016
Een oorlogsroman met diepgang...een verhaal dat in je hoofd blijft 'hangen'...het zet aan tot nadenken...wat ook de bedoeling van de schrijver is. De keuze tussen 'goed' en 'kwaad', wat is 'goed' en wat is 'kwaad'? Hoe hebben de inwoners van Berlijn tijdens WOll gereageerd op de misdaden die het regime uit hun naam heeft begaan? Mensen die zeggen dat ze simpelweg proberen hun kinderen te eten te geven, een dak boven hun hoofd te houden en uit de problemen te blijven?
Sigrid staat voor die keuze...en maakt de keuze om U-Boote te helpen. Voor haar ook een vlucht uit haar alledaagse, troosteloze bestaan. Iedere dag is hetzelfde, haar werk , haar 'gezellige' schoonmoeder bij wie ze inwoont, de keuze triggert haar om 'het goede' te doen maar ook om spanning in haar bestaan te creëren. Dit doet ze door U-Boote te helpen maar ook door minnaars te nemen, van een Joodse charlatan die haar voor zijn eigen 'zaakjes' gebruikt tot een SS officier. Steeds dwingen de omstandigheden haar keuzes te maken. Ik heb het verhaal in één adem uitgelezen!!
Waarom is er geen vervolg??
Sigrid staat voor die keuze...en maakt de keuze om U-Boote te helpen. Voor haar ook een vlucht uit haar alledaagse, troosteloze bestaan. Iedere dag is hetzelfde, haar werk , haar 'gezellige' schoonmoeder bij wie ze inwoont, de keuze triggert haar om 'het goede' te doen maar ook om spanning in haar bestaan te creëren. Dit doet ze door U-Boote te helpen maar ook door minnaars te nemen, van een Joodse charlatan die haar voor zijn eigen 'zaakjes' gebruikt tot een SS officier. Steeds dwingen de omstandigheden haar keuzes te maken. Ik heb het verhaal in één adem uitgelezen!!
Waarom is er geen vervolg??
July 20, 2013
"City of Women" is just fine for what it is: a star crossed love story taking place in WWII Germany. Unfortunately, the story lacks many valuable details that would anchor the tale in this time period. Your satisfaction with the story will probably vary according to your expectations. Rereading the books description now, I see the fault lies in me. I will say that narrator Suzanne Bertish is excellent. Her German accent light and pleasant - her intonation catching the rhythms of German speech perfectly.
I bought "City of Women" out of curiosity about the experience of German wives and mothers caring for their families during WWII. Though brought up in a second generation German immigrant family, the war was never discussed. Nor was there any sort of permission to ask questions. No one told me not to, I just got the message loud and clear that WWII was off limits. And yet I've always wondered: what did the average German know about the government's activities? What did they do with what they did know? Did parents send their children off to safer homes in the countryside as did their London counterparts? How did the disappearance of a huge chunks of the population (German men into the army and Jewish everyone to other countries or concentration camps) affect life and morale? There has been much written about wartime Britain but very little about domestic life in wartime Berlin. Unfortunately, other than a cursory mention of ration books and a few trips to a bomb shelter, this novel could take place in almost any historical period where circumstances (pick one or more: war, family disapproval, ethnic hatred, class difference) amps up the drama between two lovers cheating on their spouses.
It begins fairly promisingly and with an air of mystery. Why is protagonist Sigrid Shroeder, married to a German soldier fighting on the Eastern Front, so restless and lonely? One would expect her to be anxious about her husband's welfare, afraid for her friends and neighbors after nightly bombing raids. We quickly learn much of her alienated sad behavior is actually Sigrid mooning about for her vanished married Jewish lover. See (in case you miss the metaphor) her German soldier husband is not only distant physically, but also emotionally, you guys. Sigrid is what my daughters would call a 'guy's girl' not a 'girl's girl.' She's so beautiful and never really connects with the "city of women" left to tend the home fires during the war. Most readers will quickly recognize this novel's supporting cast of characters: impossibly mean mother-in-law, suspicious landlady, foolishly brave sidekick; you can fill in the rest.
There are some acts of heroism and personal risk in the story. However, in previous reading (like the excellent Bonhoeffer biography I devoured earlier this year) I've learned that most actual acts of heroism during this time period seemed to be fueled by moral courage or a philosophical mandate that left the hero no alternative but to confront evil head on. Sigrid's motives are largely unexplored, therefore unconvincing. Is she helping Jews out of guilt for sleeping with a married Jewish man? Is she trying to get out of the house more? It's all sort of vague. Plus, from what we learn of her lover, there isn't much to inspire such slavish romantic obsession. Although she does describe a certain part of his anatomy as "noble" which could be just as easily "novel" since I'm assuming her previous lovers were uncircumcised.
Enough. Sorry. I will end by saying that my experience echoed the much more concise review of "City of Women" written by Katherine of Ontario. For a compelling look at life under German occupation, I recommend "Anne Frank Remembered" by Miep Gies. Ms. Gies was an employee of Jewish business owner Otto Frank who hid the Franks (and many others) in occupied Holland for over 2 years. She fed them by going to several different shops a day, never carrying more than one shopping bag at a time to avoid suspicion. I doubt she had a Jewish lover, but I found reading about her life so deeply inspiring, I didn't miss it at all.
I bought "City of Women" out of curiosity about the experience of German wives and mothers caring for their families during WWII. Though brought up in a second generation German immigrant family, the war was never discussed. Nor was there any sort of permission to ask questions. No one told me not to, I just got the message loud and clear that WWII was off limits. And yet I've always wondered: what did the average German know about the government's activities? What did they do with what they did know? Did parents send their children off to safer homes in the countryside as did their London counterparts? How did the disappearance of a huge chunks of the population (German men into the army and Jewish everyone to other countries or concentration camps) affect life and morale? There has been much written about wartime Britain but very little about domestic life in wartime Berlin. Unfortunately, other than a cursory mention of ration books and a few trips to a bomb shelter, this novel could take place in almost any historical period where circumstances (pick one or more: war, family disapproval, ethnic hatred, class difference) amps up the drama between two lovers cheating on their spouses.
It begins fairly promisingly and with an air of mystery. Why is protagonist Sigrid Shroeder, married to a German soldier fighting on the Eastern Front, so restless and lonely? One would expect her to be anxious about her husband's welfare, afraid for her friends and neighbors after nightly bombing raids. We quickly learn much of her alienated sad behavior is actually Sigrid mooning about for her vanished married Jewish lover. See (in case you miss the metaphor) her German soldier husband is not only distant physically, but also emotionally, you guys. Sigrid is what my daughters would call a 'guy's girl' not a 'girl's girl.' She's so beautiful and never really connects with the "city of women" left to tend the home fires during the war. Most readers will quickly recognize this novel's supporting cast of characters: impossibly mean mother-in-law, suspicious landlady, foolishly brave sidekick; you can fill in the rest.
There are some acts of heroism and personal risk in the story. However, in previous reading (like the excellent Bonhoeffer biography I devoured earlier this year) I've learned that most actual acts of heroism during this time period seemed to be fueled by moral courage or a philosophical mandate that left the hero no alternative but to confront evil head on. Sigrid's motives are largely unexplored, therefore unconvincing. Is she helping Jews out of guilt for sleeping with a married Jewish man? Is she trying to get out of the house more? It's all sort of vague. Plus, from what we learn of her lover, there isn't much to inspire such slavish romantic obsession. Although she does describe a certain part of his anatomy as "noble" which could be just as easily "novel" since I'm assuming her previous lovers were uncircumcised.
Enough. Sorry. I will end by saying that my experience echoed the much more concise review of "City of Women" written by Katherine of Ontario. For a compelling look at life under German occupation, I recommend "Anne Frank Remembered" by Miep Gies. Ms. Gies was an employee of Jewish business owner Otto Frank who hid the Franks (and many others) in occupied Holland for over 2 years. She fed them by going to several different shops a day, never carrying more than one shopping bag at a time to avoid suspicion. I doubt she had a Jewish lover, but I found reading about her life so deeply inspiring, I didn't miss it at all.
February 5, 2017
Part of me wants to give this book 5 stars for David Gillham tackling an almost taboo subject: the pov of war from the Nazis and their women. That took a lot of guts, I'll give him that much.
The other part of me wants to give him only 3 stars for choosing to portray three of the female characters as morally bankrupt, overly sexed women. This is certainly NOT to slut-shame, but come on. We're talking about a different era here. Yes, I know how loosey goosey Germany was in the 1930s; in some ways, it was a bit similar to postmodern feminism with its sexual goings on.
But still. It wasn't the same back then, and I believe that the characters should have been developed to reflect that time period properly, rather than turning it into "Sex and the City: Nazi Germany."
Ericha was a perfect recreation of a college aged girl in the 21st century, with her jaded view of men and sex, not a young female who did what she had to do because she felt she had no choice (this was in the book). So it was a little strange.
And not to beat a dead horse here, but the reaction of a husband to one of the women is a bit outlandish. Most men, especially those who have just faced extreme violence, don't act blasé about their wife's infidelity.
In order for a man to not care about his wife emasculating him and turning him into a cuckold, one of two things must be occurring. Either the man is a very weak beta (or even gamma) male, or he has zero respect for his wife to the point where he's past the pain and heartbreak she caused, and he's on his way out the door. Neither one of these are the case with this husband, thus the implausibility comes into play.
But enough about that. I only mentioned this stuff in such detail because the element of loose sexuality is so prominent in this book, and there's no way to circumvent it; it will hit you in the face like a ton of bricks, and will make no excuses for it.
Another thing I think is important to mention is how well the author wrote about PTSD and the ways that it affects all soldiers, regardless of the soil they're fighting for and dying over, or which trenches they're holed up in. There aren't the words to express these things properly, because they don't exist, despite our attempts to defy this.
Oh yeah, and before I forget, I just wanted to say that the author's use of visualization was magnificent. I mean that. And the understated way he wrote about the darkest, unspoken side of war and how they alter the core of a soldier's being is remarkable.
All in all, it would have been a perfect novel had he chosen to tow the line between the realities of what women face during wartime, and the use of their sexuality as a means to get through it.
The other part of me wants to give him only 3 stars for choosing to portray three of the female characters as morally bankrupt, overly sexed women. This is certainly NOT to slut-shame, but come on. We're talking about a different era here. Yes, I know how loosey goosey Germany was in the 1930s; in some ways, it was a bit similar to postmodern feminism with its sexual goings on.
But still. It wasn't the same back then, and I believe that the characters should have been developed to reflect that time period properly, rather than turning it into "Sex and the City: Nazi Germany."
Ericha was a perfect recreation of a college aged girl in the 21st century, with her jaded view of men and sex, not a young female who did what she had to do because she felt she had no choice (this was in the book). So it was a little strange.
And not to beat a dead horse here, but the reaction of a husband to one of the women is a bit outlandish. Most men, especially those who have just faced extreme violence, don't act blasé about their wife's infidelity.
In order for a man to not care about his wife emasculating him and turning him into a cuckold, one of two things must be occurring. Either the man is a very weak beta (or even gamma) male, or he has zero respect for his wife to the point where he's past the pain and heartbreak she caused, and he's on his way out the door. Neither one of these are the case with this husband, thus the implausibility comes into play.
But enough about that. I only mentioned this stuff in such detail because the element of loose sexuality is so prominent in this book, and there's no way to circumvent it; it will hit you in the face like a ton of bricks, and will make no excuses for it.
Another thing I think is important to mention is how well the author wrote about PTSD and the ways that it affects all soldiers, regardless of the soil they're fighting for and dying over, or which trenches they're holed up in. There aren't the words to express these things properly, because they don't exist, despite our attempts to defy this.
Oh yeah, and before I forget, I just wanted to say that the author's use of visualization was magnificent. I mean that. And the understated way he wrote about the darkest, unspoken side of war and how they alter the core of a soldier's being is remarkable.
All in all, it would have been a perfect novel had he chosen to tow the line between the realities of what women face during wartime, and the use of their sexuality as a means to get through it.
July 23, 2015
Overall, this was a disappointment, largely because both the made-to-be-turned-into-a-movie plot combined with a cast of one dimensional, totally unbelievable characters whose behavior was implausible to begin with made it difficult to take this novel seriously. Which is too bad because the setting and historical time frame (Berlin, 1943) led me to expect much more. To be fair, the author did a good job setting the stage – Germany was losing the war but unwilling to admit it; and ordinary citizens were living in a state of constant fear, not only because of the bombing raids that were desecrating their lovely city but also because of the crippling terror of being turned in to the Gestapo by neighbors and even family members if suspected of being critical of the war effort. In this kind of environment most people simply looked the other way when confronted with evidence of the unspeakable atrocities being suffered by Jews. To speak out was to risk arrest and a worse fate awaited those who were caught attempting to help Jews escape being sent to death camps in cattle cars.
Having read many books about this period from the Allies' perspective, I had hoped this novel would provide a realistic glimpse into what life was like on the German home front. Instead the author used the setting as the backdrop for a plot that depended on too many implausible premises and kept veering off in directions that simply didn’t make sense. The characters were just as unbelievable as the plot and it was difficult to find anything very likable about any of them. They all had an edge to them – and some of them, like Mother Shroder, the protagonist’s mother-in-law, were so over-the-top bad that they quickly became a caricatures rather than multi dimensional characters. Oddly enough for a novel that was set in a city where there weren’t a lot of men around at the time, much of the action involved the sexual exploits of the central female characters and their male lovers. (In fact the entire novel revolved around the truly incongruous sexual relationship that began when a Jewish man sat down next to a respectable German housewife at the movies, and asked her if she knew what to do with the bulge in his pants.) I can’t help but wonder if this novel revealed more about the male author’s sexual fantasies than what life was like in Berlin in 1943.
Having read many books about this period from the Allies' perspective, I had hoped this novel would provide a realistic glimpse into what life was like on the German home front. Instead the author used the setting as the backdrop for a plot that depended on too many implausible premises and kept veering off in directions that simply didn’t make sense. The characters were just as unbelievable as the plot and it was difficult to find anything very likable about any of them. They all had an edge to them – and some of them, like Mother Shroder, the protagonist’s mother-in-law, were so over-the-top bad that they quickly became a caricatures rather than multi dimensional characters. Oddly enough for a novel that was set in a city where there weren’t a lot of men around at the time, much of the action involved the sexual exploits of the central female characters and their male lovers. (In fact the entire novel revolved around the truly incongruous sexual relationship that began when a Jewish man sat down next to a respectable German housewife at the movies, and asked her if she knew what to do with the bulge in his pants.) I can’t help but wonder if this novel revealed more about the male author’s sexual fantasies than what life was like in Berlin in 1943.
July 3, 2013
This is a strange novel. It is not a bad novel. It is just strange. The first thing that is strange about is that the characters are not particularly likable. Sigrid, the heroine, lives in Berlin during the Second War World. While she is not a party member, her mother-in-law is and Sigrid’s husband is serving on the Front. Sigrid’s life changes in two ways, one is before her husband leaves, and the second occurs when a young girl asks her for a favor. Slowly, Sigrid wakes up to life.
The book works because it is not concerned with the fall of Berlin and focuses on those in the Nazi regime who fought against it in a variety of ways. The book is strange because as in any times of war morality because conflicted. It is hard to not only do the right thing, but harder to know what the right thing is. Which is what this book looks at. At times, you want to smack Sigrid for being so stupid or obsessed with her body, yet she is basically good. In many ways, the reader takes on the role of one of the supporting characters. Strange but good. Worth reading if interested in World War II.
The book works because it is not concerned with the fall of Berlin and focuses on those in the Nazi regime who fought against it in a variety of ways. The book is strange because as in any times of war morality because conflicted. It is hard to not only do the right thing, but harder to know what the right thing is. Which is what this book looks at. At times, you want to smack Sigrid for being so stupid or obsessed with her body, yet she is basically good. In many ways, the reader takes on the role of one of the supporting characters. Strange but good. Worth reading if interested in World War II.
September 10, 2012
The New York Times Book Review was quite unfavorable to this novel last Sunday. I totally disagree with the reviewer. I am very well-read in this historical period and I agree with one of my favorite authors of the genre, Alan Furst, when he says,: (the novel is) built on one of the most extraordinary and faithful re-creations of a time in history- Berlin during World War II." I particularly praised the author's heroine, Sigrid, who is not the sugar-coated Aryan who helps to save Jews during the Holocaust. Rather, she gets involved quite by accident and her own curiosity and freely admits it. She meets a stranger in the balcony of a movie house who becomes her lover even though he is a Jew on the run from the Nazis. She helps a young woman hide Jews from the SS while living with her acidic mother-in-law who is a member of the Nazi party. Her passions and depression from a low end typing job at the patent department combust when she meets Egon, who has a tainted past and a wife and children caught up by the persecution. I highly recommend this suspenseful, sensual and gripping novel.
April 2, 2015
"Now it's your turn to answer my question," he says, sliding his arms around her. "Will you help me?" he asks again.
There is only one answer to this, of course. Yes. For a month, for a day, for an hour. If it costs her everything. If it strips her skin down to the bone. Her answer is, as it always has been, yes.
Sigrid could be a model for the perfect German hausfrau. She works, she takes care of her mother in law, she is married to a German man who is fighting for the good of the Mother country. But Sigrid has a secret. She lives for the passionate love she has found for a man who is not her husband. This man, Egon, is a Jew. And in 1943 in Berlin, this is a dangerous liaison indeed. Soon Sigrid finds herself helping a young woman who pleads for assistance in a movie theater and before she knows it, Sigrid is caught up in a terrifyingly risky business of helping to hide Jews and get them transported to safety. How long can she keep it up before she is caught?
This book was like a dream, I loved it so much! It made my heart race, it was so packed with adrenaline and subterfuge and of course, star-crossed lovers which you guys know I just love! ;) I really enjoyed the pace of this book, it moved fast, but not too fast so where I couldn't keep up. It had just the perfect amount of varying elements to keep me fully entertained the entire time I was reading it! Plus, I absolutely loved the idea of Germans within Berlin assisting Jews right under the noses of the Nazi's, it was brilliant! You hear so many horrible and terrible things that went on during that time period, that it's nice to remember that there were just as many brave and honorable people who fought against the heavy black tide of Hitler.
A wonderful book, not to be missed!
"I came up here because you said I must make a choice. and against my better judgment, I have made one."
There is only one answer to this, of course. Yes. For a month, for a day, for an hour. If it costs her everything. If it strips her skin down to the bone. Her answer is, as it always has been, yes.
Sigrid could be a model for the perfect German hausfrau. She works, she takes care of her mother in law, she is married to a German man who is fighting for the good of the Mother country. But Sigrid has a secret. She lives for the passionate love she has found for a man who is not her husband. This man, Egon, is a Jew. And in 1943 in Berlin, this is a dangerous liaison indeed. Soon Sigrid finds herself helping a young woman who pleads for assistance in a movie theater and before she knows it, Sigrid is caught up in a terrifyingly risky business of helping to hide Jews and get them transported to safety. How long can she keep it up before she is caught?
This book was like a dream, I loved it so much! It made my heart race, it was so packed with adrenaline and subterfuge and of course, star-crossed lovers which you guys know I just love! ;) I really enjoyed the pace of this book, it moved fast, but not too fast so where I couldn't keep up. It had just the perfect amount of varying elements to keep me fully entertained the entire time I was reading it! Plus, I absolutely loved the idea of Germans within Berlin assisting Jews right under the noses of the Nazi's, it was brilliant! You hear so many horrible and terrible things that went on during that time period, that it's nice to remember that there were just as many brave and honorable people who fought against the heavy black tide of Hitler.
A wonderful book, not to be missed!
"I came up here because you said I must make a choice. and against my better judgment, I have made one."
June 22, 2012
1943 Berlin becomes the setting for a real tear jerker of a Soap Opera....Sex is everywhere, both the rough sort and the solo...but no one is happy. Sigrid is busy with her dead end job and Life with Mother-in-Law..while hubby is fighting on the Eastern Front. She makes the acquaintance of a little snippet, who works as a Mother's Helper in their Apartment Building...who subsequently involves Sigrid in the Savory business of hiding Jews from the Nazis...Sigrid drowns her sorrows in Sex....first with a nasty Jew (with a nasty history)...then with a suave, yet crippled, soldier man. No one is happy, or satisfied....
I would have enjoyed the story more if Sigrid had had more "character"...all of her whingeing became tedious...and her air of martyrdom rang false
However, as a Beach Read for the Depressive Set..this wasn't half bad
3 Stars
***this was a Net Galley***
I would have enjoyed the story more if Sigrid had had more "character"...all of her whingeing became tedious...and her air of martyrdom rang false
However, as a Beach Read for the Depressive Set..this wasn't half bad
3 Stars
***this was a Net Galley***
October 16, 2012
A quick paced thriller set in WWII Berlin where the Allied bombs fall nightly, and nothing can be trusted. Sigrid is a young woman with an absent husband and a vile mother-in-law who finds herself thrust into an entanglement with a secret lover and a mysterious young woman that could easily get her killed. All sorts of twists and turns, and a few surprises. While some of it is predictable, I was so involved in the story that I could forgive this flaw. Worth the time to find and four stars overall.
For the longer review, please go here:
http://www.epinions.com/review/David_...
For the longer review, please go here:
http://www.epinions.com/review/David_...
November 9, 2016
A long-time favorite of mine, City of Women, is the story of Sigrid, a trying to survive in World War II Berlin and navigate between her marriage to a German soldier and her former Jewish lover. Original, passionate and gripping, fans of historical fiction set during the war should not miss it.
February 13, 2013
Such a good read and I'm impressed in many ways - most notably that this is the author's first book, it's a male author writing very well from a female perspective, and every part of the story is very believable, no 'stretches' of the imagination ...
I've read a few books with WWII as the backdrop, but this was different because it was written about 'ordinary people thrust into extraordinary circumstances' (the author's words) in Berlin, 1943. I grew to love and respect one of the primary characters, Sigrid, and quite a few other characters that played a major role in the story. (I also grew to immensely dislike quite a few characters as well!) It was full of intrigue with many tense moments, a real page turner. Certainly a world I can't imagine, always having to watch your back, not knowing who you can trust, a world of air raids, basement shelters and curfews. And all these scenes written as if you were right there with the chacters
Not to be overlooked, this is a book that should leave you asking yourself "what would I have done under the circumstances"...I was left thinking what a mark someone can leave in the world, even when it would be easier/safer to turn away. Along the same thought, one of my favorite quotes in the book (page 301) is "Possibly their chances are not very good. There are certainly plenty of opportunities for things to go wrong. But one hopes otherwise. One must believe otherwise. What else can be done?"
I've read a few books with WWII as the backdrop, but this was different because it was written about 'ordinary people thrust into extraordinary circumstances' (the author's words) in Berlin, 1943. I grew to love and respect one of the primary characters, Sigrid, and quite a few other characters that played a major role in the story. (I also grew to immensely dislike quite a few characters as well!) It was full of intrigue with many tense moments, a real page turner. Certainly a world I can't imagine, always having to watch your back, not knowing who you can trust, a world of air raids, basement shelters and curfews. And all these scenes written as if you were right there with the chacters
Not to be overlooked, this is a book that should leave you asking yourself "what would I have done under the circumstances"...I was left thinking what a mark someone can leave in the world, even when it would be easier/safer to turn away. Along the same thought, one of my favorite quotes in the book (page 301) is "Possibly their chances are not very good. There are certainly plenty of opportunities for things to go wrong. But one hopes otherwise. One must believe otherwise. What else can be done?"
October 2, 2012
I'm so glad I read those reviews Audible sends out of books that have been highly praised by their listeners. Not sure if I'd have read this otherwise, but I really loved this book. Thoroughly enjoyed it. I read multiple books at one time normally, but from the start, this one was it. Everything else fell by the wayside.
It wasn't what I expected. Every time I thought I had it figured out, there was a twist that surprised me. Some other reviewers have mentioned there was too much sex in the book. There was a fair amount, but it wasn't explicit and it wasn't even that prevalent, I didn't think. Plus, it was integral to the story, which you'll understand when you read it.
I also learned a lot about WWII that I didn't know. I was reminded of another favorite book, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, but I think mainly because both books take place in Nazi Germany. I thought Gillham's writing was beautiful. No cliches, nothing trite, always a fresh way to describe the commonplace. I was very impressed, and will be looking for his other works. I can also highly recommend the audiobook, which is available at Audible.com and at my local library, and may be at yours as well. This one will stay with me for some time.
It wasn't what I expected. Every time I thought I had it figured out, there was a twist that surprised me. Some other reviewers have mentioned there was too much sex in the book. There was a fair amount, but it wasn't explicit and it wasn't even that prevalent, I didn't think. Plus, it was integral to the story, which you'll understand when you read it.
I also learned a lot about WWII that I didn't know. I was reminded of another favorite book, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, but I think mainly because both books take place in Nazi Germany. I thought Gillham's writing was beautiful. No cliches, nothing trite, always a fresh way to describe the commonplace. I was very impressed, and will be looking for his other works. I can also highly recommend the audiobook, which is available at Audible.com and at my local library, and may be at yours as well. This one will stay with me for some time.
December 29, 2022
3 stars
I wish I had liked this book more than I did. I took a chance even reading a book about any of the past wars - as much as I enjoy history, I find it difficult to read a book that is based in wartime. It seems as I age I am moving even further away from that genre. This story, being based in Berlin, from a different angle, I thought might be worth a try.
This ended up being a multi-layered book. Sigrid is our heroine of the story. After her unfeeling husband goes off to war - well actually even before he leaves - she becomes involved with another man - a Jew, who is also caught up in the turmoil. Sigrid ends up hiding a Jewish family - a family that may just be the family of her Jewish lover. Sigrid lives the ordeal of right and wrong and how important her actions can be.
Having read Gillham before I find him to be a very serious writer. I am not sure I was really ready for such a serious book right now. Between the strength of Gillham's writing and the subject of war it was too stark for my current tastes.
I wish I had liked this book more than I did. I took a chance even reading a book about any of the past wars - as much as I enjoy history, I find it difficult to read a book that is based in wartime. It seems as I age I am moving even further away from that genre. This story, being based in Berlin, from a different angle, I thought might be worth a try.
This ended up being a multi-layered book. Sigrid is our heroine of the story. After her unfeeling husband goes off to war - well actually even before he leaves - she becomes involved with another man - a Jew, who is also caught up in the turmoil. Sigrid ends up hiding a Jewish family - a family that may just be the family of her Jewish lover. Sigrid lives the ordeal of right and wrong and how important her actions can be.
Having read Gillham before I find him to be a very serious writer. I am not sure I was really ready for such a serious book right now. Between the strength of Gillham's writing and the subject of war it was too stark for my current tastes.
March 3, 2013
While not a perfect book, City of Women tells an interesting story with a great deal of moral ambiguity.
Sigrid, like many women in war-torn 1943 Berlin, has a husband on the front. Sharing an apartment with her difficult mother-in-law, hardworking, stoic Sigrid is gradually drawn into a love affair with a Jew and illegal activities involving saving other Jews. The book reminded me of Those Who Save Us but raised moral questions that were more interesting in my opinion.
Now for the flaws -- certain characters and interactions strained my suspension of disbelief just a bit too much. As another reviewer noted, what's up with all the love affairs when people can barely eat? I also felt that, though the author succeeded in making certain characters and their situations complex, others were a bit simplistic for my taste.
Still -- highly readable, interesting story, interesting situations and moral questions. Worth the read.
Sigrid, like many women in war-torn 1943 Berlin, has a husband on the front. Sharing an apartment with her difficult mother-in-law, hardworking, stoic Sigrid is gradually drawn into a love affair with a Jew and illegal activities involving saving other Jews. The book reminded me of Those Who Save Us but raised moral questions that were more interesting in my opinion.
Now for the flaws -- certain characters and interactions strained my suspension of disbelief just a bit too much. As another reviewer noted, what's up with all the love affairs when people can barely eat? I also felt that, though the author succeeded in making certain characters and their situations complex, others were a bit simplistic for my taste.
Still -- highly readable, interesting story, interesting situations and moral questions. Worth the read.
August 27, 2013
Betrayal. Risk. Double-crossing. Treachery. Violence.
Hitler's 1943 Berlin. Who would you trust? Not your friends. Not your neighbors. Sometimes not even your family. And yet many ordinary Berlin citizens STILL risked their lives over and over to help the Jews. In this case a German soldier's wife helps the underground hide Jews all the while juggling her imperious mother-in-law, her Jewish lover, her SS lover, and various other complicated relationships. This book does an excellent job showing the ethical dilemma faced by the German citizens. I was completely taken in by the story and tense the entire time I read it.
Hitler's 1943 Berlin. Who would you trust? Not your friends. Not your neighbors. Sometimes not even your family. And yet many ordinary Berlin citizens STILL risked their lives over and over to help the Jews. In this case a German soldier's wife helps the underground hide Jews all the while juggling her imperious mother-in-law, her Jewish lover, her SS lover, and various other complicated relationships. This book does an excellent job showing the ethical dilemma faced by the German citizens. I was completely taken in by the story and tense the entire time I read it.
May 28, 2017
Impressive and grim. What would we have done in Sigrid's situation? Be a hero or a coward, or just get on with it.
March 28, 2021
When it comes to writing strong female characters and decent love scenes with emotion, some male authors can't get the job done.
A Goodreads user named Winnie said:
"I didn't like Sigrid. There's no passion behind what she does, even when she is helping others. There's no emotion in the affairs she has, no relevant conversation, just sex. I don't think Sigrid had any idea of the true meaning of love and sacrifice."
I felt this way too.
Onward to my next reading adventure.
A Goodreads user named Winnie said:
"I didn't like Sigrid. There's no passion behind what she does, even when she is helping others. There's no emotion in the affairs she has, no relevant conversation, just sex. I don't think Sigrid had any idea of the true meaning of love and sacrifice."
I felt this way too.
Onward to my next reading adventure.
October 8, 2012
I am a fan of historical fiction, especially those works centered on the World War II years. I found this book to be rather unique as it focused on the City of Berlin, and how the residents, especially the women, were horribly affected by the war. The city is under bombardment by the British, and the citizens are subjected to the unrelenting propaganda of the Nazis.
Against this backdrop, the main character, a young German, decides to risk everything to become involved with a small group of people trying to smuggle Jewish citizens out of Germany. The suspense is high throughout, and the outcome is uncertain until the closing pages.
Aside from the terrific plot, this work provides a chilling reminder of the horrific effects of Hitler's regime. The Gestapo were unchecked and unstoppable. No one dared to speak out against Hitler. The book serves as a warning to cherish our freedom and to be wary about propaganda being generated from any source, whether it be from politicians or the media. The book also raises questions of a personal nature, such as what would the reader do if faced with a situation of becoming involved in helping strangers or of just turning away from the abominable happenings. I think that this would be an excellent book club selection.
Against this backdrop, the main character, a young German, decides to risk everything to become involved with a small group of people trying to smuggle Jewish citizens out of Germany. The suspense is high throughout, and the outcome is uncertain until the closing pages.
Aside from the terrific plot, this work provides a chilling reminder of the horrific effects of Hitler's regime. The Gestapo were unchecked and unstoppable. No one dared to speak out against Hitler. The book serves as a warning to cherish our freedom and to be wary about propaganda being generated from any source, whether it be from politicians or the media. The book also raises questions of a personal nature, such as what would the reader do if faced with a situation of becoming involved in helping strangers or of just turning away from the abominable happenings. I think that this would be an excellent book club selection.
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