Lebensborn

by Jo Ann Bender

In the summer of 1941, an elite SS force under the command of the charming but cruel Major Reinhardt Hurst takes over a small French village. Antoinette Gauthier, her family, friends, members of the Resistance, and even their pets, find life difficult under the exacting SS rules. For Antoinette, it means being a servant for Major Hurst and his officers as they take up residence in her home. She succumbs to his advances to learn their secrets for the Resistance, only to have Hurst later discard her. Then, finding herself pregnant, she is sent by Hurst to a Lebensborn home, where the residents believe she is a spy and treat her shabbily. At the SS Party House next door, she works in the kitchen and later discovers a wounded British pilot hiding in the woods behind the home. The tension builds as Antoinette is commanded to join one of the Nazis' wild parties. She agrees in the hope it can help her to rescue the pilot and, together, they can escape.

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

350 pages, Paperback

First published May 27, 2010

About the author

I grew up in Iowa where tall corn grows and where some natives do get restless and move West.

I make my home now at the base of a mountain in Eastern Washington State five miles from Trail, B.C., where my husband and I have created a rustic B&B called the Lazy Bee.

I've been a writer since childhood when I was given a little diary with lock and gold key at the age of eight. By the age of ten, I wanted to be both a writer and a detective. Now, I write adventure stories, a combination of both.

Living a mountain lifestyle means the ranch needs to be supplied, planted and pristine for B&B guests. It requires organization and energy. Sometimes I think it would be easier if I'd find a little cabin by a river and do as Marjorie Kinnen Rallings and find a cook/housekeeper and sit on the deck and write.

We have ten children. Bud has seven and I have three and together there are twenty-four grandchildren. Every day I praise God for my life. I've traveled world-wide, most recently to Turkey. I've lived madly and someday will write about my job-shopping trip to the West.
I've lived madly. Loved exeedingly. Mellowed a bit. Learned how to write a simple sentence and the difference between showing or telling a story.

I believe age should not be relevant for any woman. True age is inner spirit. If a woman is true to her spirit, she can be any age: a little girl giggling with friends, a frustrated mother talking to a difficult child in a soft voice, a wise elder woman helping someone sort out a problem, or a writer taking a love scene to conclusion.

Authors who inspire me: Doris Mortman and Nelson DeMille.

My novel in progress is A Cowboy and His Women, a contemporary western set in Montana. It is a sequel to Rusty Springs, a book that was recently being sent around by a literary agency. Maine Effort is having a wild summer and I can't wait to see why Marsha Mason
has showed up. However, now I must be a writer who sells books.

All is well in my world when my husband begins a day by saying, "I am glad you like being loved because I love loving you."

Reviews

[Ellie Midwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re a fan of historical fiction, this book is definitely a must-read! I always find this period of time fascinating myself, I always appreciate well-researched books about WWII, and “Lebensborn” certainly didn’t disappoint.
It tells a story of a young French girl in one of the occupied villages, Antoinette, who finds herself in a very difficult situation. With her boyfriend joining the resistance and with the leader of the occupants Reinhard Hurst decides to settle down in her house, Antoinette gets more and more confused about her own feelings. Eventually she falls in love with the brutal Nazi leader, gets pregnant and is being sent to the infamous Himmler’s Lebensborn – the fountain of life, a sinister breeding program aimed at raising the population of the Reich with ‘superior’ children. However, the house for future mothers is more like a prison, and now Antoinette’s fate lies in her own hands…
I very much appreciated how vividly the author grasped the era together with its deceitful beauty of the SS, and the ugliness of their deeds. The attitude of Antoinette’s compatriots was also brilliantly portrayed, and the setting in Lebensborn – the subject that not many writers touch upon – was depicted in great detail. I applaud the author for this wonderful work, and highly recommend it to everyone.

[Abby · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lebensborn is a really interesting part of Third Reich social history and so I was pretty excited to read this. But the author just sucked. The storyline was like riding in a car with a learner driver and you are bunny hopping along. The characters were under developed and annoying. The writing was trite. There was gratuitous sex scenes which served no purpose. And the ending was abysmal. I was so disappointed. The worst part of all is in the intro the author said the book took 10 years of research, writing, editing and publishing to be on the bookshelf. I never write harsh reviews but as someone who reads a lot on this era, don't waste your time on this one.

[Trish · Rating 2 out of 5]

I very much liked the concept since I had no knowledge of the Nazi 'breeding' program which really existed. Some parts I found a little too fictional. 90% of it was very well written and was believable. Not knowing all the facts the most fictional part could have been entirely real.

[Kayla · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful. The worst WWII book I have attempted to read, fiction or non-fiction. Just terrible writing. I had to put it down, and I always finish books. To learn more about the Lebensborn program, read My Enemy's Cradle.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it- could not put it down. Would love to read more on the topic. Based on a real program during WW2. Read it! :)

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://podkoldra-deana.blogspot.com/2...

[Simone · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was looking forward to some historical fiction about the Lebensborn program, instead I got this disappointing novel.

As the story went along, I began to feel like there was no ultimate point. What was the story about? The seduction of an innocent French girl? Life in the Lebensborn program? Escaping the Nazis? Sure a story can contain many threads, but they still have to come together in SOME cohesive manner! This book did not deliver.

It felt so anchorless at times that I wonder if I just missed something. For example, Antoinette never conveyed she felt like a prisoner or that she was being held captive, so why all this fervor to escape? And triggered by something so silly as not getting recognition for her pastries!?!? I MUST have misunderstood something or feel asleep and missed a few chapters and subsequently fell out of step with the plot.

The last third of the book was especially tough to finish because tangents kept veering off into and coming from nowhere! I kept thinking “Where did he come from?” “How did we get to this point?” “What’s going on, did I just skip a chapter?” it was annoying and confusing.

It all felt very disjointed. As I am pretty sure is the case with most readers, once you declare you are not enjoying a book yet decide you will finish it anyway, it’s automatically a chore. I’m glad I am done.

[Dots · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this book interesting in that focuses on a very real and disturbing part of the Third Reich, the story itself is more than disappointing. The characters had so much potential but lacked depth. The storyline jumped so quickly with parts of the book skipped over or crucial moments not detailed. It was like watching a movie and hitting fast forward x2, you got the gist of the story but nothing deeper. With books of this nature it so important to really grasp the history and look at humanity. There needs to be a complete overhaul of this book with major editing and story development.

I did feel for Antoinette towards the end and I’m happy to see her realise the cruelty behind the charming facade of Major Hurst. I think Hurst was the only original character but everyone else was very 1 dimensional

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book on World War II wasn't quite like any other . Antoinette Gauthier, the mayor daughter end up being a servant to SS soldiers who took up residence. She was a believable character and about half way through the book new characters, and unfinished events began to compound them selves.. Antoinette found herself pregnant and was sent to Lebensborn home where babies were breed to make a pure Germanic race. This part of the book was interesting and based on truth. I would like some otherfolks opinion on this title. Maybe I read it too fast...

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good WWII novel. I have read about the Lebensborns before but I am always on the look out for a new book about this time period. The characters were very real and flawed and the situations seemed realistic. The book seemed to drop off a little at the end but I would still recommend it.

[Amy Hustead · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the topic and the concept, it's a topic that very few books write about, but this book hardly held my interest.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Gloria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book, it was so great to read, I could not put it down! Highly recommended if you have the slightest interest in the great WW2.