The Midwife of Berlin

Women of War #2

by Anna Stuart, Sophie Aldred (Narrator)

Auschwitz, 1943: I stroke my beautiful baby’s hair. It’s a miracle it’s blonde because it will keep her alive, it will keep her safe. Soon they will come and take Pippa out of Auschwitz-Birkenau–and out of my arms. But while there’s life, there’s hope I might find my daughter again....

An incredible story of one woman’s courage and determination to reunite her family in the aftermath of surviving Auschwitz.

Berlin, 1945: Ester Pasternak walked out of the gates of Auschwitz barely alive. She survived against devastating odds, but her heartbreaking journey is only just beginning. In the camp, Ester gave birth to a tiny fair-haired infant, only for her precious baby to be snatched from her and taken to a German family. Now the war is over, Ester longs to find her little girl.

But Europe is in chaos, Jewish families have been torn apart, and everyone is desperately searching for their loved ones. In every orphanage and hospital she visits, Ester searches the faces of tear-stained toddlers; each mop of blonde hair and pair of blue eyes she sees sets her heart racing....

But as the months and the years tick by, the possibility of finding her daughter shrinks smaller and smaller. And Ester starts to wonder if little Pippa is even safe or whether the miracle that saved her has now put her in even more danger....

Will Ester ever be able to find the child whose tattoo matches her own? Or is she already too late?

A completely gripping and emotional WW2 novel of one woman’s bravery and determination to hold on to hope in a world torn apart by war. Perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz , The Alice Network , and The Nightingale .

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Audiobook, Holocaust, World War II, War

Audible Audio

First published January 1, 2023

About the author

I wanted to be an author from the moment I could pick up a pen and was writing boarding-school novels by the age of nine. I made the early mistake of thinking I ought to get a ‘proper job’ and went into Factory Planning – a career that gave me some wonderful experiences, amazing friends and even a fantastic husband, but didn’t offer much creative scope. So when I stopped to have children I took the chance to start the ‘improper job’ of writing. During the baby years I wrote in the brief gaps provided by sleeps, playschools and obliging grandparents, publishing short stories and serials in all the women’s magazines.

But my ultimate aim was to write longer fiction and several years ago I published a series of successful historical novels under the pseudonym Joanna Courtney. I will continue to publish under that name but am delighted, as Anna Stuart, to also be able to write contemporary fiction. Bonnie and Stan is a true to life romance set in both the present day and sixties Liverpool and Four Minutes to Save a Life is a domestic drama about how small acts of kindness might just change the world!

Reviews

[Brenda]

When Ester Pasternak had walked out of Auschwitz in 1945, after two years of barely surviving, her first thoughts were for her husband Filip, and the daughter who'd been snatched from her arms in 1943. Ester had tattooed baby Pippa with her own number, in her armpit, hoping that she'd be able to find her baby through the tattoo. But as she and Filip searched orphanages, hospitals, and with the Red Cross helping, their hopes were continually dashed. But she found a child whom she'd tattooed, and knew the girl's parents were both dead, so she and Filip adopted Olivia, covering her in love, while their search continued.

Seventeen year old Olivia had two younger brothers whom she loved dearly, and she was a keen tennis player at school. One day a javelin player was at the school, looking for anyone who might have a raw talent. Olivia stunned him and it wasn't long before she was boarding at a sport's school, training for the Olympics as one of Germany's elites. But trouble was not far away, and Olivia wondered if the glitz and glamour of where she was, was false. Berlin was in chaos - what was to be Olivia's future? And would she ever find her sister, Pippa?

The Midwife of Berlin is the 2nd in the Women of War series by Anna Stuart and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Even with the war over, nothing went smoothly in Germany, especially in Berlin, and some ex-Nazis didn't accept that it was over. Olivia was a well-written character, quite naive which was to be understood. I'm looking forward to the 3rd and final in the trilogy. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

[theliterateleprechaun]

Author Anna Stuart examines separation and reunification in this installment of the Midwife series.

This time she whisks us back in time to Berlin and the aftermath of WW2. With regard to historical fiction, little focus has been given to the geopolitical turmoil Europe found itself in as boundaries were moved and history was rewritten. Stuart’s focus on this benchmark in history is a welcome shift. We catch up again with Auschwitz midwife, Ester Pasternak, and see how courage and determination allow her to deal with being separated from her new baby and give her a laser-sharp focus on reuniting with her one day.

After giving birth in Auschwitz, Ester knows that she can’t hide her little Pippa from the Nazis, so she does the only thing she can do … she tattoos her own number into Pippa’s armpit hoping that one day they’ll find their way back to each other.

Reuniting with the other half of 58031 brings Ester hope and is her driving purpose to stay alive.

Paralleling the above storyline is that of Kirsten, Olivia, Hans and Dieter in 1961. Some of them also experience the strength of family and work to overcome the negative forces that try to separate them from all they’ve ever known. For one, her drive to feel worthy and find her place almost pushes her further away from her ‘power’ and it takes one woman with courage and determination to give her a feeling of unity and belonging. For another, he risks his life as an instrument of reunification.

In scaffolding these two themes, Stuart reminds readers of the division within Berlin, within families and within the sports community. The resulting camps of the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ arose from drawing lines, physical or political, and affected the lives of those innocently ensnared. She works to uncover how each reacted to and lived with separation and how dreams of reunification gave each the strength to live another day.

While many struggled with the history lesson Stuart presented to aid us in our understanding of her characters and their outlooks, I reveled in a chance to learn more about Stalinstadt, Dynamo, Bernauerstrasse, Checkpoint Charlie, Operation Rose, The Tokyo Olympics, and The Berlin Wall.

This was another wonderful book by a trusted historical fiction author. If you love historical fiction, you must allow Ester, Olivia, Kirsten, Pippa, Hans and Dieter show you how separation and reunification shaped their life.


I was gifted this copy by Bookouture and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

[Elaine and Tess the Springer. I won’t be on GR for a bit.]

Great.

The book is mainly set after the war and the story is about two babies born in Auschwitz and the parents that survived trying to find them. It's not quite as harrowing as the first book and is worth reading.

[Andrea]

Firstly I would like to thank netgalley and Bookoutune and the fantastic author Anna stuart for a early copy of her book.

This book starts in Auschwitz,A Midwife gives birth to a baby in the death camp Auschwitz. Her name is Ester her baby is taken from her and she gives her a tattoo with a number under her armpit if she survives she could trace her.years later she doesnt find her she had 2 sons and a daughter she brought up as her own Olivia who lost her parents in the death camp...she tells Olivia she has a sister she named Pippa,Olivia is determined to find her that's when the search begins again...Will she find her?I enjoyed the storyline for me there was to much politics so my rating is 3.5 rounded to 4...looking forward to reading more of her books..

This book will be reviewed on goodreads and Amazon uk.

[Cristina Lazăr]

„Moașa din Berlin” de Anna Stuart este una dintre acele cărți care nu doar se citesc, ci se simt până în adâncul sufletului. Pentru mine, a fost o experiență intensă și profund emoționantă, o poveste care m-a prins încă de la primele pagini și m-a captivat pe tot parcursul lecturii. Am fost mereu atrasă de poveștile despre Auschwitz și despre Al Doilea Război Mondial, dar această carte a reușit să mă atingă într-un mod aparte, să mă facă să trăiesc fiecare moment alături de personaje, până la lacrimi.

Mai multe în recenzia de pe blog: https://carti.blog/2026/04/28/moasa-d...

[Deanne Patterson]

Though this book was so hard to read I am so glad the author has written it. We need to never forget those who were tortured during the Holocaust. My heart aches for the people subjected to such inhumane treatment. I really don't understand how they could treat another human being the way they did. Reading this book absolutely broke my heart. I have never read such a realistic book about Auschwitz! Though hard to read it's such an important story that needed telling!
A haunting story that will stay with me long after I've turned the last page. I've always been able to count on realistic and heartbreaking historical fiction from the author that I must read.
As I flipped the pages, I was holding my breath praying for the safety of the characters.
Gripping and emotional, this author's books are a must read for me. The strength and resilience the women show in a time of darkness is a shining example of bravery and the will to go on.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Lavinia Reads]

Scrie frumos și emoționant această autoare.
Mi-a plăcut tare mult. A expus problemele perioadei de atunci, haosul dar și speranța prin rândurile cărții.
Recomand iubitorilor de ficțiune istorică 🩷

[Ana]

Gen: Ficțiune istorică
Vârstă: 16+
Notă: 4,5/5⭐️

☆War-Torn Romance
☆Strong Female Protagonist
☆Historical Trauma
☆Life and Death Stakes
☆Moral Dilemmas
☆Found Family
☆Survival Against the Odds
☆The Power of Hope
☆Secret Identities
☆Resistance Movement

● Cartea a fost la fel de frumos scrisă și la fel de plină de sensibilitate ca primul volum, dar nu la fel de profund. De date aceasta nu am avut la fel de multă acțiune ai am simțit cumva că unele scene erau cam forțate. Lăsând toate astea departe, a reușit totuși să îmi smulgă o lacrimă și să mă întristeze 🥹

● Acțiunea volumului are loc la 17 ani după Auschwitz, Când toată lumea încearcă să meargă mai departe și săi regăsească pe cei dragi pierduți. Este împărțită în trei părți și urmărește trei fire narative, cu mici fragmente din trecutul lui Ester, surprinzând un alt moment istoric important. A fost continuarea perfectă. Personajele au primit ceea ce meritau, iar povestea lor a reușit să mă emoționeze.

● Această carte ne oferă o perspectivă asupra unei lumi necunoscute pentru mulți, dezvăluind ororile pe care oamenii le pot provoca unii altora.

● Acestea fiind spuse, mă opresc aici pentru că restul ar putea conține spoilere. Sper să citiți și voi această serie. Recomand atât „Mașa de la Auschwitz”, cât și „Mașa din Berlin”, care pot fi citite și independent, deoarece volumul 2 are fragmente din trecut, explicând în mare ce s-a întâmplat anterior. Ambele sunt lecturi care îți vor frânge inima, dar merită pe deplin.

[Lisa Gilbert]

At Auschwitz, when a baby was born, they were grabbed from the mother and given away. But, Ester, the midwife, was smart enough to tattoo the number of each mother into their baby’s armpit so they could find their child if and when they escaped from the camp.

This story is about Kirsten, one of the babies born in Auschwitz, and Ester, the midwife and mother of Pippa, Olivia, Pippa, and their loved ones. The story takes place when the war is over and everyone is trying to move on and find their lost loved ones.

This book captured my heart. It was heartbreaking, yet hopeful. I recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction and rate it 4 stars. Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC. This is due to be published on September 13, 2023.

[Keven Lahaie]

Vraiment moins bon que le premier tome de la série, mais c’est tout de même impressionnant de vivre à travers l’histoire l’implantation du communisme en Allemagne et les événements qui ont mené à la création du mer de Berlin! Bien des longueurs, peu d’action, mais on sent la peur et le conflit d’idéaux de la guerre froide dans chacun des chapitres.

[Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews]

We meet Ester as she thankfully is leaving after surviving Auschwitz, but sadly leaving without her daughter that the Nazis ripped from her arms after giving birth in the camp.

We then meet Ester as she works as a midwife and is still looking for her daughter who has a tattoo under her arm that Ester put there so she could be identified after the war.

She had no luck but did adopt Olivia who we meet as she is chosen to train for the Olympics.

We also meet Kirsten and Uli. Kristen was adopted and her brother Uli who was born after his mother was raped during the war.

We follow all the characters as they struggle with what happened to them and the devastation they felt when secrets about them were revealed.

I enjoyed the personal side of this marvelously researched book and learning about the Berlin Wall.

Ms. Stuart truly lets the reader feel the horrors of Auschwitz and what the residents went through for 28 years with the Berlin Wall.

Historical fiction fans and fans of this time in history will devour this book. 4/5

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

[Laura]

The sequel to the Midwife Of Auschwitz, which I rated a solid four stars. Unfortunately this story just wasn’t as captivating as it’s predecessor, it felt a little contrived and forced at times.

The plot focuses on a couple of decades after the war has ended and how Esther and her family have adjusted to life post war. One of the main features of the book is the Berlin Wall, which is not something I had anticipated when I began reading. That era is fascinating to many of course, but not something I particularly enjoy reading about when I’m looking for engaging wartime fiction.

Ana, a central character in the first book, is all but a memory in the second book, which is sad. A disappointing sequel.

[Phoebe]

Rating- 4.5 stars
(Kindle Unlimited)
Once again what a beautiful book. This was physically impossible to put down. Anna Stuart really has a way with her historical fiction books. You can see the research and the pride she puts into her books. I really don't want this series to end 😩

[Camille Pinault]

4,5⭐️ Une histoire qui explore les réalités de l’après-guerre. C’est triste, mais c’est à la fois beau et touchant. Cela remet les choses en perspective : on est chanceux d’être bien, en paix et entouré des gens qu’on aime🫶🏼

[Marie-Eve Anctil]

Encore une fois bravo pour cette autrice 👏👏👏 j’ai adoré l’histoire est poignante et émouvante bref je recommande cette série . Hâte de lire le tome 3

[Mihai Stere]

Moasa din Berlin-Anna Stuart

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Moasa din Berlin

Bună prieteni,azi vin cu recenzia asupra acestei carti care probabil a avut cel mai mare impact asupra mea anul acesta,Moasa din Berlin este o carte despre luptă,sperantă si puterea de a crede ca mereu o să se termine bine atat timp cât mai sunt oameni buni in lumea asta. Cartea de data aceasta ne duce înapoi în timp la Berlin și la consecințele celui de-al Doilea Război Mondial. Ne întâlnim din nou cu una dintre moașele de la Auschwitz, Ester Pasternak, și vedem cum curajul și determinarea îi permit să facă față separării de noul ei copil și îi oferă o concentrare clară asupra reuniunii cu ea într-o zi.

Povestea incepe cu Olivia, în vârstă de 17 ani, avea doi frați mai mici pe care îi iubea foarte mult și era și o jucătoare de tenis pasionată la școală.Într-o zi, un atlet la sportul cu sulița era la școală, căutând pe oricine ar putea avea un talent bun pentru stat. Olivia l-a uimit și nu a durat mult până când s-a internat la o școală sportivă, antrenându-se pentru Jocurile Olimpice ca una dintre elitele Germaniei. În același timp cu  povestea Oliviei este si cea a lui Kirsten care în din punctul meu de vedere era mult mai luptătoare decât Olivia. Kirsten a luat decizii importante când a aflat despre circumstanțele nașterii ei și despre adevărata ei moștenire. Odată ce a aflat adevărul, a fost hotărâtă și încăpățânată în misiunea ei de a-și întalni mama si sora și nimic nu i-a mai stat în cale, nici măcar zidul 

In final pot spune ca aceasta a fost o altă carte minunată a unui autor de ficțiune istorică,care pur si simplu m-a târât în poveste și m-a facut sa trec prin toate stările posibile si imposibile,și mai pot spune ca lumea ar avea nevoie de personaje precum Ester, Olivia, Kirsten,  Hans și Dieter care să ne arate ce înseamna sa lupți cu toată puterea atunci cand crezi că într-un final totul o sa fie bine.

Lectura placuta va doresc!🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤
#carte #cartecadeau #carte #cărți #carturesti #catsofinstagram #cititorpasionat #carteadinmanamea #carturestitimisoara #citescdeciexist #cititulnuingrasa #cititor #citescinoriceanotimp #cititoare #citim #carturestiandfriends #citescdecisuntsexy #cititoridinbrasov #război #christmas #auschwitz #bookstagramfeature #book #bookstagramromania #humanitas #booklover #bookstagrammer #naziștii #istorie #Anna Stuart

[Janie Thifault]

4.5⭐️🥹

[Kristin Kisha]

Another I enjoyed and learned history from.

[Gabrielle Carmichael]

Un excellent livre! J’ai adoré en apprendre davantage sur le mur de Berlin et la guerre froide.

[Pauline Rézeau]

J'ai davantage aimé ce tome que le premier.
En effet, c'est la première fois que je lisais un roman sur la guerre froide et notamment la construction du mur. J'ai trouvé intéressant d'avoir le point de vue des deux côtés de la frontière entre l'Est et l'Ouest. Cette histoire montre une fois de plus que le bien finit toujours par triompher.

[Wendy Hart]

A powerfully written hear t wrenching tale but I did not enjoy it as much as the first book in this series. The author dealt with a mix of emotions masterfully but things unfolded slowly

[Oana-Maria]

Nu citesc foarte multe cărți de ficțiune istorică, deoarece nu este unul dintre genurile mele preferate, iar când vine vorba de alegeri, sunt destul de pretențioasă.

Totuși, atunci când descopăr un autor care scrie exact pe gustul meu, îmi doresc să îi citesc toate cărțile. Așa s-a întâmplat și în cazul Annei Stuart.

Moașa din Berlin este continuarea cărții Moaşa de la Auschwitz, așa că recomand să începeți cu primul volum pentru a evita spoilerele.

Lectura m-a captivat rapid, fiind foarte curioasă de parcursul personajelor după întâmplările din primul volum. Deși începutul este mai lent, am fost intrigată de poveștile protagonistelor, fiecare aducând o perspectivă diferită.

Această carte nu a fost la fel de tulburătoare și apăsătoare ca primul volum, deoarece perioada descrisă este, într-un fel, mai “liniștită”. Observăm impactul pe care cel de-al Doilea Război Mondial l-a avut asupra Berlinului și cum oamenii încearcă să se adapteze noilor realități. Chiar și așa, povestea tot m-a emoționat.

Nota: 4,5✨

Deși povestea nu are același încărcătură emoțională, sunt de părere că abordează o o perioadă a schimbărilor și aduce o viziune interesantă asupra urmărilor războiului. Mi-a placut și o recomand cu drag!

[Marie-Noël Chenel]

Ce livre, tout comme le premier, est touchant, percutant et surtout empreint d’une grande injustice. Plusieurs éléments historiques sont abordés, comme la Guerre froide et la construction du mur de Berlin. J’ai trouvé les faits historiques vraiment intéressants et très bien intégrés au roman. Ça ajoutent beaucoup à l’histoire sans jamais nous faire perdre le fil.

Honnêtement, ces deux romans m’ont aussi beaucoup fait réfléchir à la chance que nous avons de naître dans un endroit sécuritaire, en paix et où nous pouvons vivre librement. Ils nous rappellent que certaines réalités, comme la guerre, la persécution, la séparation des familles et la peur de perdre les gens qu’on aime, ont été la triste vie de bien trop de pauvres gens.

C’est le genre de lecture qui nous fait prendre un pas de recul sur notre propre réalité et apprécier davantage les libertés et la sécurité que l’on tient parfois pour acquises.

Je ne sais pas quoi dire de plus que vous devriez lire ce livre 🤍

[bloominginthedark]

3,5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🪨”Răul nu poate dăinui, nu cât timp oamenii buni îi rezistă” 🪨

Decât timp așteptam acest volum!
Deși îl așteptam de multă vreme, a durat ceva până să îl încep deoarece nu eram în mood de ficțiune istorică.
Până la urmă, am mers pe premisa “Forțează-te, Andreea” și m-a prins.

Nu pot să vă dau o descriere deoarece ar fi spoilere pentru primul volum.
Cartea a fost la fel de frumos scrisă și la fel de plină de sensibilitate ca primul volum.
Însă de data aceasta am simțit cumva că unele scene erau forțate ca la telenovele turcești. Contrar acestui fapt, spre deosebire de volumul întâi, nu mi s-a părut chiar atât de emoționant acesta.

A fost interesant să văd cele două perspective: cel al fetei pierdute și cel al fetei pe care Ester și Philip au adoptat-o.
Toată partea cu sportul și Klaus m-a enervat. 😠

E incredibil cum o carte de ficțiune te învață mai multă istorie decât școala.

[Charlotte]

« Et ils pleurèrent sur tout ce qu’ils avaient perdu, et sur tout ce qui leur restait encore à vivre. »

Wow! Faut croire que les livres de cette auteure sont tous excellents. C’était une période que je connaissais moins : la période d’après guerre avec le mur de Berlin. Une histoire entre deux soeurs et leur mère qui ont été séparées pendant de nombreuses années. Très bien écrit, et très touchant. Un livre qui remet les choses qu’on prend pour acquises dans la vie en perspective.

[Grumpy]

3.75/5

[Cierra Galavan]

This novel was written a bit differently than Midwife of Auschwitz, to me it lacked the depth and emotion that the first book had. Until the very end recap - it had me in tears. I also didn’t feel as connected to the characters/didn’t feel like recurring characters were true to how they were originally written (Ester and Filip just sitting back and watching all of this go on???)

[Julchen]

Clearly not as strong as the first one, could have used a hundred pages less.
I was really captivated by the midwife of Auschwitz thus I wanted to know whether or not Pippa would be found.
Well, sometimes it's better for a novel to not get a sequel.
The whole plot is just really forced and unrealistic. Why decided the Pasternaks to move to Germany after being terrorised by the nazi regime and never went back to Poland after they've given up the search for Pippa? What happend to Ana?
I feel like the titel doesn't fit the book. Ester's only a side character and there's only been one birth mentioned in the whole book. Besides she has changed a lot. It seems like Ester is only present to remind the other characters of the concentration camps, she rarely seems to feel any other emotion than grief or have other things going on in her life. Maybe that might have been a try to write trauma, to me it's just a flat character. Speaking of flat characters, so many of them are just replaceable. Astrid, Dieter, Hans,... ask me to name three discerning qualities of them, I could not.
I must warn people who have any knowledge of the german language to read this book, it's atrocious. Anglophones have a habit of using german half phrases in their writing but here it's become embarrassing. For example the word "Dummkopf" which is a noun gets used as an adjective all the time. Please do your research.
Reading this book made me feel a lot less than the first part. I was bored really often and had to force myself to go ahead. Please don't get me started on the whole Klaus and the stasi thing, I hate this man with a passion.
I give this book two stars because there were sometimes interesting scenes and I like the way Kirsten and Olivia and their whole conflict are written.
In my opinion it wasn't a good read.

[Lisa]

Although this book has a brief prologue that begins in Auschwitz, Christmas Day 1943, it's actually about the aftermath of World War II. We meet Ester as she has given birth only to have her daughter snatched away by an SS guard. This is the story of that daughter, Pippa/Kirsten, and Ester's adopted daughter, Olivia, another Auschwitz baby beginning in 1961. The complexities of adoption, both good & bad, weave their way throughout the novel.

The bigger story is about living in a divided Germany and how the Berlin Wall quite literally divided families overnight. The depth of research done by the author is impressive and the reader can feel the anguish & despair of Berliners on both sides. Olivia's experiences as a top East German athlete give the reader special insights into their training & expectations for the Tokyo Olympics.

I can vividly remember my visit to West Berlin in the '60s, seeing the Wall with its guard towers and the strip of no man's land. With fascism on the rise again, this novel couldn't be more timely. Just as I was shocked when the Wall came down in 1989, I am shocked to see fascist ideas being touted once more. We can't let history repeat itself with devastating consequences. I need to remember Ester's mantra, "Love wins" against tyranny and it always has. Don't miss this pulse-pounding, heartwrenching tale of the importance of family, blood ties or not.

Many thanks to NetGalley & Bookouture for the digital ARC. All opinions and the review are my own.

[Melissa]

It is rare to find a book that focuses on the after-math of WWII in Germany, specifically Berlin and the impact of the Berlin Wall on families. I finished the book wanting more details into the life of Ester and Phillip behind the wall over the years before the wall fell.