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Eva's Cousin
Berchtesgaden, Germany, is a beautiful place, set among the gentle meadow-clad hills rising to the sheer heights of bare Alpine peaks. It is here where an elderly woman arrives and recollects her past—and her peripheral role in a chapter of world history. She walks along a beaten path, which has come into being because so many tourists have ventured this way . . . to see something that exists only in her memory.
In the summer of 1944, twenty-year-old Marlene is thrilled when her older, more glamorous cousin, Eva Braun, Adolph Hitler’s mistress, invites her to come to the Fuhrer’s Bavarian mountain retreat. Against her father’s wishes, Marlene accepts, and immediately sets forth to Berghof.
There, while Hitler is away desperately trying to turn the tides of war, Marlene finds herself in a strange paradise, a world of opulence and imminent danger, of freedom and surveillance. The two women sneak off and skinny-dip in a nearby-lake, watch films in the Fuhrer’s private cinema, and flirt with the SS officers at the dinner table—one of whom will become Marlene’s first lover.
Initially delighted by Eva’s attentions, Marlene later tries to understand the elusive connection between her cousin and the man she loves.
In quiet defiance, she begins to commit her own acts of subversion, which include listening to BBC radio broadcasts, forbidden by the Fuhrer. But a clandestine mission of mercy will force her to question her allegiance to both her cousin and her country—and to face the chilling reality that exists outside her sheltered world.
Based on the true experiences of Eva Braun’s cousin, Gertrude Weisker, who has shared her memories with Sibylle Knauss after more than fifty years of silence, Eva’s Cousin is a novel that illuminates the banality of the domestic face of evil. It casts a special light on the profound questions of innocence and complicity that still haunt much of the world today.
In the summer of 1944, twenty-year-old Marlene is thrilled when her older, more glamorous cousin, Eva Braun, Adolph Hitler’s mistress, invites her to come to the Fuhrer’s Bavarian mountain retreat. Against her father’s wishes, Marlene accepts, and immediately sets forth to Berghof.
There, while Hitler is away desperately trying to turn the tides of war, Marlene finds herself in a strange paradise, a world of opulence and imminent danger, of freedom and surveillance. The two women sneak off and skinny-dip in a nearby-lake, watch films in the Fuhrer’s private cinema, and flirt with the SS officers at the dinner table—one of whom will become Marlene’s first lover.
Initially delighted by Eva’s attentions, Marlene later tries to understand the elusive connection between her cousin and the man she loves.
In quiet defiance, she begins to commit her own acts of subversion, which include listening to BBC radio broadcasts, forbidden by the Fuhrer. But a clandestine mission of mercy will force her to question her allegiance to both her cousin and her country—and to face the chilling reality that exists outside her sheltered world.
Based on the true experiences of Eva Braun’s cousin, Gertrude Weisker, who has shared her memories with Sibylle Knauss after more than fifty years of silence, Eva’s Cousin is a novel that illuminates the banality of the domestic face of evil. It casts a special light on the profound questions of innocence and complicity that still haunt much of the world today.
352 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2000
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About the author
Sibylle Knauss
23 books4 followersSibylle Knauss is the author of eight novels. She is professor of dramaturgy and scriptwriting at the Baden-Württemberg Academy of Film. Eva's Cousin is her first book to be translated into English. She lives near Stuttgart in Germany.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
November 5, 2015
Although this is a novel, it is partially based on memories of Gertrude Weisker, cousin of Eva Braun, Hitler's mistress.
Marlene, the protagonist and narrator, spends the last year of the war at Hitler's Bavarian mountain retreat. Eva is lonely and needs to be entertained while Hitler is away, so she invites her twenty-year-old cousin to join her at The Berghof.
Life at the retreat is luxurious, and the women are isolated from the war; however, reality does gradually intrude via trips to nearby Munich, BBC broadcasts, and Marlene's encounter with an escaped Ukrainian slave labourer.
The book is not an action-packed thriller; rather, it is a portrait of Eva Braun. Marlene worshipped her glamourous older cousin but comes to see her as a superficial, vain shopaholic. "All the serious thought of which [she was]capable, was devoted to having fun. There was nothing left over for anything else. [She] made sure of that." She had no concern with politics or Hitler's activities: "Eva was very good at not asking questions. It was part of her talent for elegance. She never asked unsuitable questions, just as she never wore unsuitable hats. It was perhaps the greatest talent she possessed, apart from dying." Should she hear something unpleasant, "[T]he only way in which she could face the horrors going on around her: She didn't look. She looked in the other direction." She was self-centred and obsessed with Hitler: "It was not like her to picture the consequences of her actions in much detail. Not when they were nothing to do with her and the man who was her sole concern."
The portrait of Eva is not totally negative, however. It is obvious that she is unhappy, left waiting for phone calls from Hitler who refuses to marry her. Her insecure social position only adds to her lack of self-confidence. She becomes a virtual prisoner, unable to go nowhere without guards. She also suffers from depression, having made several suicide attempts. Eva may be a bit of a victim but she is not blameless. By looking away, "That is the way in which people like Eva Braun . . . help to make evil possible."
The novel addresses the issues of guilt and complicity and concludes that many people in Germany were guilty and complicit: "History . . . It's so tactless. It makes us look like fools. It lays our great passions and small needs open to ridicule. It makes little of them, destroys them, leaving nothing but mockery behind."
Please check out my blog (http://schatjesshelves.blogspot.ca/) and follow me on Twitter (@DCYakabuski).
Marlene, the protagonist and narrator, spends the last year of the war at Hitler's Bavarian mountain retreat. Eva is lonely and needs to be entertained while Hitler is away, so she invites her twenty-year-old cousin to join her at The Berghof.
Life at the retreat is luxurious, and the women are isolated from the war; however, reality does gradually intrude via trips to nearby Munich, BBC broadcasts, and Marlene's encounter with an escaped Ukrainian slave labourer.
The book is not an action-packed thriller; rather, it is a portrait of Eva Braun. Marlene worshipped her glamourous older cousin but comes to see her as a superficial, vain shopaholic. "All the serious thought of which [she was]capable, was devoted to having fun. There was nothing left over for anything else. [She] made sure of that." She had no concern with politics or Hitler's activities: "Eva was very good at not asking questions. It was part of her talent for elegance. She never asked unsuitable questions, just as she never wore unsuitable hats. It was perhaps the greatest talent she possessed, apart from dying." Should she hear something unpleasant, "[T]he only way in which she could face the horrors going on around her: She didn't look. She looked in the other direction." She was self-centred and obsessed with Hitler: "It was not like her to picture the consequences of her actions in much detail. Not when they were nothing to do with her and the man who was her sole concern."
The portrait of Eva is not totally negative, however. It is obvious that she is unhappy, left waiting for phone calls from Hitler who refuses to marry her. Her insecure social position only adds to her lack of self-confidence. She becomes a virtual prisoner, unable to go nowhere without guards. She also suffers from depression, having made several suicide attempts. Eva may be a bit of a victim but she is not blameless. By looking away, "That is the way in which people like Eva Braun . . . help to make evil possible."
The novel addresses the issues of guilt and complicity and concludes that many people in Germany were guilty and complicit: "History . . . It's so tactless. It makes us look like fools. It lays our great passions and small needs open to ridicule. It makes little of them, destroys them, leaving nothing but mockery behind."
Please check out my blog (http://schatjesshelves.blogspot.ca/) and follow me on Twitter (@DCYakabuski).
January 15, 2022
Hitlerio favoritės Evos Braun istorija. Hitleris Eva vedė 1945 metais balandžio 28 diena.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 21, 2017
Gripping, fictionalized memoir. Excellent prose and in the English translation.
The narrative is based to an undetermined amount on the author's interviews or info from a cousin of Eva Braun, Gertrude Weisker. (Little could be found via the web regarding Weisker. )
One review here complains at the novel's ending there were ' so many loose ends. ' Well yes --- except for the millions and millions who were already dead by May, 1945. Guess they didn't have many loose ends.
The narrative is based to an undetermined amount on the author's interviews or info from a cousin of Eva Braun, Gertrude Weisker. (Little could be found via the web regarding Weisker. )
One review here complains at the novel's ending there were ' so many loose ends. ' Well yes --- except for the millions and millions who were already dead by May, 1945. Guess they didn't have many loose ends.
November 25, 2014
In the summer of 1944, Marlene is excited when her glamorous cousin, Eva Braun invites her to come to Hitler's Bavarian mountain retreat, Berghof. The Berg is a strange sort of paradise, a world of opulence and imminent danger, of freedom and surveillance. Delighted by her cousin's attention, Marlene tries to understand the connection between Eva and Adolph Hitler. In her own way, Marlene begins to quietly rebel by listening to the BBC, which is forbidden by the Fuhrer. An act of mercy toward a slave laborer forces her to question her allegiance to her cousin and country—and to face the reality of Hitler's Third Reich.
I enjoyed the historical aspect of this novelized portrait of Eva Braun. Unfortunately, it took far too long to actually hook me and get me interested in the story. I mean, the concept is very interesting in that Marlene is based on Eva's real cousin named Gertrude and her actual experiences. That should have been enough to do it right there, but the story is very slow to start and sometimes the level of detail that goes into minute aspects of the story just bogs it down.
My favorite section of the book dealt with Marlene's little rebellions. For the most part, no one really knows about them except her, but it really makes the difference for her character. She starts to come out of the bubble of isolation and starts thinking beyond her cousin. I particularly liked reading her interactions with Mikhail starting around page 159. It's really the first time she begins to learn about the reality of the Third Reich first hand. Her listening to the radio is one thing, but actually meeting someone "living" in that world that she's been so separated from is completely different.
I liked the fact that Eva's not presented as a horrible villain (it is mostly negative), but as a very complex person (though it's very clear she's not blameless). One of my issues with Eva's Cousin is that we don't get much of a sense of the wider world at all aside from these little moments. I understand the isolation element, but I think it would have been much more interesting to see a juxtaposition between the hell of war and the paradise of the Berg.
Overall, Eva's Cousin is a slow-moving, retrospective character portrait of Hitler's mistress, Eva Braun, told from the perspective of her cousin, which, unfortunately, doesn't live up to its potential.
I enjoyed the historical aspect of this novelized portrait of Eva Braun. Unfortunately, it took far too long to actually hook me and get me interested in the story. I mean, the concept is very interesting in that Marlene is based on Eva's real cousin named Gertrude and her actual experiences. That should have been enough to do it right there, but the story is very slow to start and sometimes the level of detail that goes into minute aspects of the story just bogs it down.
My favorite section of the book dealt with Marlene's little rebellions. For the most part, no one really knows about them except her, but it really makes the difference for her character. She starts to come out of the bubble of isolation and starts thinking beyond her cousin. I particularly liked reading her interactions with Mikhail starting around page 159. It's really the first time she begins to learn about the reality of the Third Reich first hand. Her listening to the radio is one thing, but actually meeting someone "living" in that world that she's been so separated from is completely different.
I liked the fact that Eva's not presented as a horrible villain (it is mostly negative), but as a very complex person (though it's very clear she's not blameless). One of my issues with Eva's Cousin is that we don't get much of a sense of the wider world at all aside from these little moments. I understand the isolation element, but I think it would have been much more interesting to see a juxtaposition between the hell of war and the paradise of the Berg.
Overall, Eva's Cousin is a slow-moving, retrospective character portrait of Hitler's mistress, Eva Braun, told from the perspective of her cousin, which, unfortunately, doesn't live up to its potential.
June 13, 2014
Sibylle Knauss has written a truly beautiful book in Eva's Cousin. How bland yet how fulfilling a title for a book based on the real life experiences of a woman whose identity became enmeshed in her relation to Germany's supreme ruler of that time, Adolf Hitler. Set in Berchtesgaden, in Hitler's own home, with the towering Alps for a backdrop, and the despairing end of World War II, Eva's Cousin is a collage of memories, and time set against the superimposition of evil. There is a personal side to evil here - through all the chaos that Hitler unleashed, seen through the eyes of Marlene, the poor cousin of Eva Braun, the mistress of Hitler, it becomes a intense focus of a 20-year old struggling to come to terms with existence. Who was Eva Braun? It is a question that has been asked time and again. Sibylle Knauss attempts an answer to that question. Who is Gertrude Weisker? This forgotten figure from history who broke almost 50 years of silence to speak to Sibylle? Yes, we know she was the woman who spent the best part of the last year of Braun's life with her in the Berghof, Hitler's mountain retreat in Obersalzberg. And, who is Hitler? Of that last question, we know not the answer. This is a work of fiction based on facts - but the fiction is just strange as the facts. Especially, when the novel stretches the fact into imagination. Towards the latter half of the novel we are introduced to a strange novelish element - young Mikhail, who Marlene hides in Hitler's Tea House. Incredible. But to Sibylle's credit, the book is not history or a memoir but it is just a novel. And a well-written, almost movie-style ending, is just the stuff of novels, even if it is Eva's Cousin.
In the end, I was hugely impressed by Eva's Cousin. It was poetry in prose, in its meanings lay the capacity of the mind's imagination - that deep understanding that only the most beautiful of books can bring forth.
In the end, I was hugely impressed by Eva's Cousin. It was poetry in prose, in its meanings lay the capacity of the mind's imagination - that deep understanding that only the most beautiful of books can bring forth.
July 11, 2013
Fantastic. I love fiction that illuminates humanity - especially the gritty, uncomfortable sides, and explores how the seemingly impossible becomes everyday life. This is a fictional work based on the author's interviews with Eva Braun's cousin, who stayed at Hitler's Alpine Resort/Bunker and Nazi headquarters during and up until the end of the Second World War. Through the viewpoint of a twenty year old girl it shows how an entire population caught up in nationalism, or just young and naive and enjoying luxury and a good time, can turn a blind eye to suffering and destruction as long as their world is still mostly in tact. Also, how, after the bombs blow that world apart, shame can linger like an ever-present ghost. It is very honest and telling, more so than a nonfictional work could be.
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April 5, 2016I found this to be a very interesting read. I had always thought Eva Braun was a strong smart woman.She was Hitler's lover afterall. After reading this book, I discovered her to be a weak woman that followed along and gained notoriety as well as a lot of expensive gifts,including a home. She enjoyed the attention. She used Marlene,basically for company and entertainment when Hitler was not around.Marlene was interesting and she did grow thew this experience.I did find the story a bit long winded at times. But over all a very good read. It was interesting to read how Nazi sympathizers went back to a so called "normal" life after the war. Quite interesting. I do recommend this book.Learned a little insight on Hitler as well.
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February 20, 2016I found it worth reading because of the history. It showed a side of Hitler's world that hasn't often been revealed in other books. Though he doesn't show up in the novel, he's very much there. What bothered me was the omissions. The author slid over the fact that millions of Jews were being murdered at the time. There were only two references in the whole novel to Jews, and none mentioned the horror. It was as if the "problem" didn't exist. Maybe this is how the majority of Germans dealt with what was going on out of sight. But I found the omissions disturbing.
February 6, 2008
Fascinating, fictionalized experience of a young woman who holes up with her cousin, Eva Braun, at Hitler's Bavarian getaway during the waning years of the war. For historical detail it's superb; because the central character is based on a real person (the author interviewed her) there's also a tendency to overexplain, which I find less compelling if only because the idea of self-interrogation is such a predominate current "project" in German literature that can try to hard to tip the reader's point of view toward sympathy.
August 24, 2009
Based on the true experiences of Eva Braun's (Hitler's mistress) cousin, Gertrude Weisker. A fictionalized (never sure of what is fact or fiction) account of time spent with her cousin Eva at Hitler's fortress in the Alps. A fascinating look at a very insular world and the allure the Nazi's had for the young German cousins. Reads more like a memoir than fiction. Really piqued my interest in Eva Braun - what motivated her to stay with Hitler until the bitter end and take her own life? Overall, a very unusual look at a well read time period in history. I enjoyed the book.
August 28, 2011
This was a difficult book to get into. I think part of the problem was the translation. I didn't understand (the main character) Marlene's motivations until half-way through. I was determined to read the book because of the historical connection that Marlene has with Adolf Hitler on a personal level through her cousin, Eva Braun. I found it disturbing to catch a glimpse of the inner-circle of women and staff associated with Hitler's mountain retreat.
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February 6, 2008Totally different side of the story. I liked it.
April 26, 2008
interesting view of the end of nazi germany
January 24, 2011
A fascinating observation from Eva's cousin Gertrude Weisker as told to the author. So mesmerizing that I could not put the book down.
February 7, 2011
Based on the real life cousin of Eva Braun. Amazing.
January 18, 2014
Haunting novel based on the life of the cousin of Hitler's mistress.
August 15, 2017
Most of you have probably heard of Eva Braun, Hitler's mistress. In my mind, I think of her as the younger blonde seen in some old grainy photos with the Fuhrer, and of course I knew the history of them marrying and dying together in the bunker just before the end of WWII.
But have you ever thought more about Eva? What could her thoughts have been, and her motivations? Did she know that she was hooking up with maybe the most notorious guy in history?
Eva's Cousin is a novel. Fictional, yes in parts, but also based on facts given by Marlene, who happens to be Eva Braun's cousin. Eva is close to Marlene, and invites her to the Berghof frequently to stay there with her.
Marlene is a decade younger than Eva, and she looks up to her older cousin. But she also questions Eva's actions. Eva herself comes across as very ambivalent. She really doesn't end up spending much time with Hitler, and becomes antsy waiting for his calls, which might come every few days. "She had a great talent for hurt feelings. In every other way she was moderate, reasonable, average. Only when it came to feeling hurt was it granted to her to break the mold. She was extraordinarily good at it. And in Hitler she had met her master, the man who would give her the occasion for hurt feelings on a grand scale."
Since this is billed as a work of fiction, it's best not to read too much of history into it. Still, it's a fascinating look into history from a different perspective than what we usually read. "She hated her status as mistress, the defenselessness to which it condemned her. But that defenselessness in itself was a part of her attraction for Hitler. He loved defenselessness. Like all tyrants, he couldn't get enough of it. So my cousin Eva endured what she hated. She did so with a charm peculiar to the defenseless, and with the acumen of the experienced mistress who knows that this is exactly what she is loved for."
This book was written in German and translated. The translation seems good and reads smoothly. The whole book has a very dreamy, other-worldly feel. That seems appropriate given the subject matter. The women in the book live in luxury (at least for that time), while so many are suffering and dying quite nearby. Marlene waxes poetic in the book, which she is ostensibly writing as an elderly woman recalling memories from her youth. Her takes on marriage, youth, love, and motivations are sound and wise.
Interesting read; recommended.
But have you ever thought more about Eva? What could her thoughts have been, and her motivations? Did she know that she was hooking up with maybe the most notorious guy in history?
Eva's Cousin is a novel. Fictional, yes in parts, but also based on facts given by Marlene, who happens to be Eva Braun's cousin. Eva is close to Marlene, and invites her to the Berghof frequently to stay there with her.
Marlene is a decade younger than Eva, and she looks up to her older cousin. But she also questions Eva's actions. Eva herself comes across as very ambivalent. She really doesn't end up spending much time with Hitler, and becomes antsy waiting for his calls, which might come every few days. "She had a great talent for hurt feelings. In every other way she was moderate, reasonable, average. Only when it came to feeling hurt was it granted to her to break the mold. She was extraordinarily good at it. And in Hitler she had met her master, the man who would give her the occasion for hurt feelings on a grand scale."
Since this is billed as a work of fiction, it's best not to read too much of history into it. Still, it's a fascinating look into history from a different perspective than what we usually read. "She hated her status as mistress, the defenselessness to which it condemned her. But that defenselessness in itself was a part of her attraction for Hitler. He loved defenselessness. Like all tyrants, he couldn't get enough of it. So my cousin Eva endured what she hated. She did so with a charm peculiar to the defenseless, and with the acumen of the experienced mistress who knows that this is exactly what she is loved for."
This book was written in German and translated. The translation seems good and reads smoothly. The whole book has a very dreamy, other-worldly feel. That seems appropriate given the subject matter. The women in the book live in luxury (at least for that time), while so many are suffering and dying quite nearby. Marlene waxes poetic in the book, which she is ostensibly writing as an elderly woman recalling memories from her youth. Her takes on marriage, youth, love, and motivations are sound and wise.
Interesting read; recommended.
July 1, 2017
I'm always interested in learning more about Eva Braun, and this was a good introduction to her life and motivation.
"As some people are brilliant at dissembling, or friendship, or business, others are brilliant in their timidity. They are looking for a master, and once they have found him they can hold him by a degree of self-abnegation that even the most experienced men of power, those most practiced in the subjugation of other human beings, would scarcely think possible."
"An elemental homesickness, a black melancholy overcomes me on my arrival in hotel bedrooms and holiday cottages. The place may be delightful, luxurious, wonderful, the sea may be blue and the beach white, yet I still feel like going straight home. Very likely the dominant, home-loving part of me is simply rejecting having a change of scene forced on it. It hates traveling, but as soon as it realizes its protests are useless it starts making itself at home in this strange place."
"Since then I have experienced, over and over again, the affirmative power inherent in one's choice of partner. Once that choice is made, and made public, it is inevitably confirmed by outsiders. No sooner is a couple's engagement announced than congratulations hail down. The lover is touched to discover what a wonderful person his or her chosen partner is. There's no one who will say: Take a good look at this person you'e fallen in love with. What strikes you? Yes, quite right: he or she is unappealing. Does love need the nourishment of other people's hypocrisy in order to grow and thrive?"
"Like all men, he is most dangerous when he is weak, but I am not old enough yet to understand that."
"As some people are brilliant at dissembling, or friendship, or business, others are brilliant in their timidity. They are looking for a master, and once they have found him they can hold him by a degree of self-abnegation that even the most experienced men of power, those most practiced in the subjugation of other human beings, would scarcely think possible."
"An elemental homesickness, a black melancholy overcomes me on my arrival in hotel bedrooms and holiday cottages. The place may be delightful, luxurious, wonderful, the sea may be blue and the beach white, yet I still feel like going straight home. Very likely the dominant, home-loving part of me is simply rejecting having a change of scene forced on it. It hates traveling, but as soon as it realizes its protests are useless it starts making itself at home in this strange place."
"Since then I have experienced, over and over again, the affirmative power inherent in one's choice of partner. Once that choice is made, and made public, it is inevitably confirmed by outsiders. No sooner is a couple's engagement announced than congratulations hail down. The lover is touched to discover what a wonderful person his or her chosen partner is. There's no one who will say: Take a good look at this person you'e fallen in love with. What strikes you? Yes, quite right: he or she is unappealing. Does love need the nourishment of other people's hypocrisy in order to grow and thrive?"
"Like all men, he is most dangerous when he is weak, but I am not old enough yet to understand that."
March 2, 2017
This book was a fascinating look into a side of the Nazi Germany that few ever hear about. I completely understand why this woman would not speak of her time with Eva Braun until now. It is hard to believe anyone went along with the Nazi Powers, but they did, so it is easy to believe that a young 20 year old would be ingnorant to what was going on, and unable to know what to do about it. Anyone that is interested in another side of war should read this.
May 5, 2020
Es ist ein Teil der Geschichte. Was nun fiktiv am Teil dieses Buches ist weiß wohl nur Getraud Weisker, die leibhaftige Cousine persönlich.
Mir persönlich war es zu wenig. Ein bisschen konnte man hinter die Kulissen der „Eva“, Hitlers Mätresse, blicken. Schockierend war für mich allerdings vielmehr das nicht hinsehen, der Gräueltaten in dieser Zeit wie auch bei dem Aufenthalt im zerbombten München. Zu glatt war das alles.
Die Story um Michail und ihren Geliebten SS Angehörigen bläht das Buch nur noch mehr auf. Schade!
Es war fūr mich einfach nur zäh zu lesen. Zu viele Phrasen, bis der Faden der Geschichte wieder aufgenommen wurde. Dazu ewig lange Kapitel, die nicht enden bzw. einen Anschluss nehmen wollten.
Der Brief am Ende gefiel mir noch am besten, doch auch dieser wurde nach ein paar Absätzen aufgebläht und der Schwenk wurde wieder verlagert.
Schade man hätte den Aufenthalt auf dem Obersalzberg sicherlich auch anders darstellen können! Ich bin enttäuscht und entsetzt das die schrecklichen Ereignisse dieser Zeit einfach mit irgendwelchen Blabla gefüllt wurden, anstatt überhaupt erwähnt zu werden.
Mir persönlich war es zu wenig. Ein bisschen konnte man hinter die Kulissen der „Eva“, Hitlers Mätresse, blicken. Schockierend war für mich allerdings vielmehr das nicht hinsehen, der Gräueltaten in dieser Zeit wie auch bei dem Aufenthalt im zerbombten München. Zu glatt war das alles.
Die Story um Michail und ihren Geliebten SS Angehörigen bläht das Buch nur noch mehr auf. Schade!
Es war fūr mich einfach nur zäh zu lesen. Zu viele Phrasen, bis der Faden der Geschichte wieder aufgenommen wurde. Dazu ewig lange Kapitel, die nicht enden bzw. einen Anschluss nehmen wollten.
Der Brief am Ende gefiel mir noch am besten, doch auch dieser wurde nach ein paar Absätzen aufgebläht und der Schwenk wurde wieder verlagert.
Schade man hätte den Aufenthalt auf dem Obersalzberg sicherlich auch anders darstellen können! Ich bin enttäuscht und entsetzt das die schrecklichen Ereignisse dieser Zeit einfach mit irgendwelchen Blabla gefüllt wurden, anstatt überhaupt erwähnt zu werden.
June 2, 2008
I am still sorting out my feelings about this one. Overall, I quite liked it. As a fictional account of the last days of the Nazi hangers-on in Hitler's Alpine bunker, told from the perspective of Eva Braun's cousin, I first felt that the writing did not quite invoke the time and place in the way that I might have hoped. I came to realize, though, that I was really expecting a lot more melodrama and decided that the author's low-key approach did a good job of conveying just how mundane horror can be when one gets used to it a day at a time.
October 14, 2014
I absolutely loved the way this book was written. This historical fictinalized account of Marlene's year spent with her cousin Eva Braun is based on interviews with Eva's actual cousin Gertrude who spent almost a year with Eva at the very end of the war. While she never met Hitler she walked and lived in his home and observed her cousin and others who worked for Hitler for quite awhile. Tha author (or should I attribute this to the translator?) writes beautifully, almost poetically and with great insight about this absolutely horrific time in our world history.
August 3, 2011
This is a very interesting book, a historical fiction based on the actual memories of Eva Braun's cousin and the time she spent with Eva at Hitler's Bavarian mountain retreat, Berghof. It is a fascinating look at 1944/1945 Nazi culture and the complicity of the average citizen. The book was a bit slow in the middle but a great read nonetheless. It reminds me of Farewell My Queen, a novel about the last days of Marie Antoinette. Very glad I read this.
July 30, 2007
i heard a couple of book clubs were doing this book, so i thought i would be worth pickng up. it's basically about life in WWII from the viewpoint of Eva Braun's cousin. i went ahead and read the whole book, hoping that it would start hooking me partway through... that didn't happen. i could not get into the writing style nor the characters nor the story. bummer.
April 21, 2013
Loved this. I think one of the worst things we can do for our younger generations is portray Hitler as some nefarious monster at a period in history when everyone was simply crazy. Yes he was evil. Obviously. But there was a presence about him, something that drew people and made them want to listen, made them trust him. This book captures that. It's an important thing to consider. Never again.
January 14, 2017
War nicht so meins. Irgendwie fehlt in dem Buch die Handlung. Evas Cousine kommt auf dem Obersalzberg an, beschreibt alles, dann trifft sie eines Nachts auf einen Strafarbeiter, und dann kommen auch schon die Bomber, die alles in Schutt und Asche legen. Dazwischen ein paar Blicke in die Zukunft was später passieren würde. Buch zuende, bevor es auch nur irgendwie spannend oder interessant wird.
January 17, 2009
Took a long time to read. Not sure if it was the translation or my interest. Interesting, if scary, look at WWII from the other side. The survivors from both sides must have really had a lot to deal with. Would recommend.
April 6, 2009
I have been fascinated by the thought process of would you recognize evil if you saw it and what would you do. This book is based on conversations with Eva Braun's cousin and details the last fall and winter before the end of the war.
March 30, 2008
This story was amazing. Eva Braun's cousin, Gertrude Weisker, shared her story with the author after 50 years of silence.
May 24, 2008
Our tenth pick. Darcie, Kirsten, Marti, Susanne and I met at my house with all three babies in August of '07.
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