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THE CENTER OF GRAVITY
A young woman is tricked into service as a food tester for Adolf Hitler in his secret Wolf's Lair, where she will endure yet another atrocity. A French professor, whose best friend is a Jew fighting in the Alsatian Resistance, is forced to assist in the Nazi reconstruction of the priceless Amber Room in the Konigsberg Castle. All hide dangerous secrets. When their worlds collide, high risk plans for escape are made, with the unlikely help of the anti-Nazi brother of Hermann Goering. But will the darkest of secrets remain hidden, or will lives be forever changed when the truth is finally revealed?
269 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 30, 2019
2 people are currently reading
17 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 12, 2019
I read a lot of WWII books and thought that The Center of Gravity was an outstanding novel because it dealt with people living in Germany during the war - regular people who had nothing to do with the politics of the war but whose lives changed considerably during this time.
Sonne is an adored only child in Berlin in 1933. Soon after her father moves Sonne and her mother to East Prussia in 1941 he is taken into custody by the Reich military police to help with a project back in Berlin. Because Sonne and her mother need money to live, she decides to go to work. After she rebuffs a local Nazi leader's amorous advances, he decides that she will be sent to the Wolf's Lair. The Wolf's Lair was one of Hitler's hideouts where Sonne and 14 other young women were held prisoner there to be food tasters for Hitler's food. They face possible death at every meal because of the possibility of someone trying to poison Hitler. She manages to escape but it isn't the end of her problems because her life remains very difficult.
Ranier is an art historian from the Alsace area of France. He is in training in France to become an restoration expert when he is asked (told) that he is needed to work on the project to remove the Amber room from Russia.
When the stories of the two main characters are blended together, we get a wonderful look at two people who hate the Nazi regime and know that they need to escape to stay alive. It was impossible to escape without help and very dangerous to try to get help. Would they be able to find somewhere safe or will they be arrested and put into a camp?
This is a beautiful love story of two people during one of the most tumultuous times in recent history. It's a story of love, betrayal, sacrifice, and loss with well written characters that readers will care about.
Sonne is an adored only child in Berlin in 1933. Soon after her father moves Sonne and her mother to East Prussia in 1941 he is taken into custody by the Reich military police to help with a project back in Berlin. Because Sonne and her mother need money to live, she decides to go to work. After she rebuffs a local Nazi leader's amorous advances, he decides that she will be sent to the Wolf's Lair. The Wolf's Lair was one of Hitler's hideouts where Sonne and 14 other young women were held prisoner there to be food tasters for Hitler's food. They face possible death at every meal because of the possibility of someone trying to poison Hitler. She manages to escape but it isn't the end of her problems because her life remains very difficult.
Ranier is an art historian from the Alsace area of France. He is in training in France to become an restoration expert when he is asked (told) that he is needed to work on the project to remove the Amber room from Russia.
When the stories of the two main characters are blended together, we get a wonderful look at two people who hate the Nazi regime and know that they need to escape to stay alive. It was impossible to escape without help and very dangerous to try to get help. Would they be able to find somewhere safe or will they be arrested and put into a camp?
This is a beautiful love story of two people during one of the most tumultuous times in recent history. It's a story of love, betrayal, sacrifice, and loss with well written characters that readers will care about.
August 24, 2019
"Evil often initially masquerades as gray, not black and white..."
Germany would be a great nation now that Adolf Hitler was at the helm. Look how successful the Olympische Sommerspiele of '36 had been, and that was only the start.
The signs had been there, of course. Sonne Becker's father had seen them, but even he did not know how far the Nazis were willing to go to achieve their aims.
Rainer von Bauchelle and Josef Taffel had been friends for as long as they could remember. Nothing could change that. Nothing. Not even the Nazis as they marched into Alsace, France and spread their propaganda of hatred and division. But while Josef, a Jew, joins the Alsatian Resistance, Rainer must play a different type of game. He is forced to befriend the enemy, work with them. He does not want to. But, he has no choice.
Hitler had blue eyes. Sonne Becker had always thought them black, like his soul. But no. They were blue. She would never forget the colour of his eyes, or what that chance meeting would mean for her. Sonne's life was no longer her own, and nor it seemed, was her body.
From the early days of Hitler's chancellorship to the devastating consequences of the Second World War and beyond, The Center of Gravity by Patricia Brandon is the gripping yet harrowing account of two lives torn unmercifully apart by the Nazi Regime.
Brandon has penned a deeply moving story of betrayal, deceit, sacrifice, and loss. This emotionally charged story paints a graphic portrait of what life was like for those who found themselves as disposable pawns in a game they never asked to play in the first place. Sonne experiences the horrors of Hitler's Wolf's Lair, whereas Rainer has to pretend to be submissive when he really wants to shout out his hatred. But along the way, both Sonne and Rainer discover that even in the darkest of moments, there is a reason to hope. For help can come from the strangest and most unlikeliest of places — an SS Officer, and the brother of Hermann Göring.
Sonne's struggle for survival haunts me. Brandon has taken a woman with so much promise, with youth on her side, and placed her in a situation where she cannot save herself nor can she fight. Her fears and her struggle for survival was incredibly moving. But her suffering does not end when the war does, nor does it end after the Nuremberg Trials. What happened to her affects her for the rest of her life. I found myself in tears on more than one occasion.
Rainer's war is a little different from Sonne's. He is recruited by the Nazis to recreate the Amber Room in Konigsberg Castle. His acts of defiance are small — unbeknown to anyone he wears the Star of David, a gift from Josef. But he soon comes to realise that not everyone who raises their hand and greets with a "Heil Hitler" is as loyal to the Party as they seem to be. I thought Rainer's character was masterfully portrayed.
There are several supporting characters in this book, but I thought the portrayal of Albert Göring was sublime. Albert is one of those unsung heroes of World War II. Unlike his brother, Albert was not seduced by the Party — in fact, he despised it. Albert saw through the parades and the banners and the slogans. He saw the Nazi Party for what they were. Albert was vehemently opposed to Nazism, and he did everything he could to help Jews and others who were persecuted escape. Albert has been shoved into obscurity by the depravity of his brother's crimes, so it was wonderful to read a book that celebrated his achievements. Kudos, Ms Brandon.
The historical detailing has to be commended. I have tutored Modern European History for a number of years, and the rise of the National Socialist German Workers' Party has always been somewhat of a speciality. Brandon has paid very close attention to the historical sources and eye witness accounts. I thought her portrayal of Wolf's Lair and the plight of Hitler's food-tasters was fabulous. The story of these 15 women who were forced to test Hitler's food before it was considered safe for him to consume is not something that is often discussed. But these women faced death every day, and the emotional damage must have been horrendous. Brandon has shown this in all its horrific detail.
I thought this was an absolutely fabulous book, and there is a surprising twist at the end, which I didn't see coming. Fans of tautly gripping World War II fiction will undoubtedly enjoy The Center of Gravity.
I Highly Recommend.
Review by Mary Anne Yarde.
The Coffee Pot Book Club.
Germany would be a great nation now that Adolf Hitler was at the helm. Look how successful the Olympische Sommerspiele of '36 had been, and that was only the start.
The signs had been there, of course. Sonne Becker's father had seen them, but even he did not know how far the Nazis were willing to go to achieve their aims.
Rainer von Bauchelle and Josef Taffel had been friends for as long as they could remember. Nothing could change that. Nothing. Not even the Nazis as they marched into Alsace, France and spread their propaganda of hatred and division. But while Josef, a Jew, joins the Alsatian Resistance, Rainer must play a different type of game. He is forced to befriend the enemy, work with them. He does not want to. But, he has no choice.
Hitler had blue eyes. Sonne Becker had always thought them black, like his soul. But no. They were blue. She would never forget the colour of his eyes, or what that chance meeting would mean for her. Sonne's life was no longer her own, and nor it seemed, was her body.
From the early days of Hitler's chancellorship to the devastating consequences of the Second World War and beyond, The Center of Gravity by Patricia Brandon is the gripping yet harrowing account of two lives torn unmercifully apart by the Nazi Regime.
Brandon has penned a deeply moving story of betrayal, deceit, sacrifice, and loss. This emotionally charged story paints a graphic portrait of what life was like for those who found themselves as disposable pawns in a game they never asked to play in the first place. Sonne experiences the horrors of Hitler's Wolf's Lair, whereas Rainer has to pretend to be submissive when he really wants to shout out his hatred. But along the way, both Sonne and Rainer discover that even in the darkest of moments, there is a reason to hope. For help can come from the strangest and most unlikeliest of places — an SS Officer, and the brother of Hermann Göring.
Sonne's struggle for survival haunts me. Brandon has taken a woman with so much promise, with youth on her side, and placed her in a situation where she cannot save herself nor can she fight. Her fears and her struggle for survival was incredibly moving. But her suffering does not end when the war does, nor does it end after the Nuremberg Trials. What happened to her affects her for the rest of her life. I found myself in tears on more than one occasion.
Rainer's war is a little different from Sonne's. He is recruited by the Nazis to recreate the Amber Room in Konigsberg Castle. His acts of defiance are small — unbeknown to anyone he wears the Star of David, a gift from Josef. But he soon comes to realise that not everyone who raises their hand and greets with a "Heil Hitler" is as loyal to the Party as they seem to be. I thought Rainer's character was masterfully portrayed.
There are several supporting characters in this book, but I thought the portrayal of Albert Göring was sublime. Albert is one of those unsung heroes of World War II. Unlike his brother, Albert was not seduced by the Party — in fact, he despised it. Albert saw through the parades and the banners and the slogans. He saw the Nazi Party for what they were. Albert was vehemently opposed to Nazism, and he did everything he could to help Jews and others who were persecuted escape. Albert has been shoved into obscurity by the depravity of his brother's crimes, so it was wonderful to read a book that celebrated his achievements. Kudos, Ms Brandon.
The historical detailing has to be commended. I have tutored Modern European History for a number of years, and the rise of the National Socialist German Workers' Party has always been somewhat of a speciality. Brandon has paid very close attention to the historical sources and eye witness accounts. I thought her portrayal of Wolf's Lair and the plight of Hitler's food-tasters was fabulous. The story of these 15 women who were forced to test Hitler's food before it was considered safe for him to consume is not something that is often discussed. But these women faced death every day, and the emotional damage must have been horrendous. Brandon has shown this in all its horrific detail.
I thought this was an absolutely fabulous book, and there is a surprising twist at the end, which I didn't see coming. Fans of tautly gripping World War II fiction will undoubtedly enjoy The Center of Gravity.
I Highly Recommend.
Review by Mary Anne Yarde.
The Coffee Pot Book Club.
November 9, 2020
My Parents Secret Lives
This is a story of to young people during WWII that were forced to do horrible things by the Nazis’. It talks about “The Lion’s Lair” where Hitler spent time, and the tasters. The tasters were women that tasted the food before Hitler ate it to tell if it was poisoned or not.
It also talks a bit about the beginning of the Lebensborn project to create perfect Nazi offspring by insemination of young Aryan German girls.
After Rainer and Sonne escaped to America they changed their names and the secrets were never told to their children.
When the two girls are teenagers their parents are killed in a plane crash. After the become adults Renne and Jose are told there is a room with letters to them both. Renne goes with her friend and reads her letters. She finds a secret about Josie that is so horrible it can never be revealed.
This was a good book which contained much history of WWII and very well written. It was fast paced and kept my interest. I would recommend this book.
This is a story of to young people during WWII that were forced to do horrible things by the Nazis’. It talks about “The Lion’s Lair” where Hitler spent time, and the tasters. The tasters were women that tasted the food before Hitler ate it to tell if it was poisoned or not.
It also talks a bit about the beginning of the Lebensborn project to create perfect Nazi offspring by insemination of young Aryan German girls.
After Rainer and Sonne escaped to America they changed their names and the secrets were never told to their children.
When the two girls are teenagers their parents are killed in a plane crash. After the become adults Renne and Jose are told there is a room with letters to them both. Renne goes with her friend and reads her letters. She finds a secret about Josie that is so horrible it can never be revealed.
This was a good book which contained much history of WWII and very well written. It was fast paced and kept my interest. I would recommend this book.
June 20, 2023
Wow
Fantastic, sometimes terrifying, suspenseful, and sad. WWII and the Nazis destroyed so many lives and the hurt and crimes are still alive in later generations. How can we stop dictators from ever coming into power. I highly recommend this book for anyone that enjoys a good story.
Fantastic, sometimes terrifying, suspenseful, and sad. WWII and the Nazis destroyed so many lives and the hurt and crimes are still alive in later generations. How can we stop dictators from ever coming into power. I highly recommend this book for anyone that enjoys a good story.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews