Marion Kummerow

The extremes a woman would go to give her sister the chance to escape from a hell-hole jail is just one of the moral dilemmas in this novel. The best-selling author, Ken Follett, once said moral dilemmas made the best stories. Marion Kummerow has done just that in this novel set in Germany in 1943.

Lotte Klausen is an impulsive, rebellious and outspoken teenager. She lives with her aunt and cousins because her mother thinks it’s too dangerous for her to be in Berlin. But her mother’s show more fear that Lotte’s fiery personality will get her – and others – into trouble is realised when Lotte harbours Jewish children whose parents have been taken away. She’s caught and endures the awful consequences.

She ends up at the notorious Ravensbrück concentration camp for women. Lotte’s sister, Anna, active in the resistance, has come to rescue her but the price she has to pay is enormous.

Marion Kummerow skilfully paints a picture of war-time Germany’s brutality and horror. But there’s also love and tenderness. The complexities and reality of what life was like is all here.

Lotte is a loveable character motivated by good. She has help along the way but ultimately she is left to battle for survival on her own. She develops into a brave opponent of the Nazi regime. Her evolution and depth is one of the many strengths of this page-turning novel.

War Girl Lotte is part of an eponymous series but can be read on its own. The author’s love and resistance series, which I’ve also read, is a must for World War II fiction fans. show less

Every action has a consequence. When the consequence tests the endurance of an innocent woman, you have the basis of a good story. When that woman has a strength and determination that’s inspiring, you have a great story.

Anna Klausman’s action was to enable her sister to escape. The consequence is suffering at the hands of the despicable doctor Tretter, head physician at the Ravensbrück women’s concentration camp. There seems no escape until Charité hospital professor Scherer offers show more Anna a job. He treats her well and becomes her mentor and champion. But he isn’t all he seems. And his driver, Peter, isn’t either. Anna falls in love with Peter, despite her suspicions.

When Tretter unexpectedly re-enters Anna’s life the consequences are diabolical.
Tightly written, inspiring female characters and suspense are combined in Marion Kummerow’s trademark style. This is a compelling page turner. It is the third in the Wargirl series but can be read as a stand-alone. I’d recommend starting with the first, Ursula and then Lotte.
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Jewish, WW2, Germany, historical-figures, historical-novel, historical-places-events, historical-research, historical-setting, history-and-culture, triggers, secrets, subterfuge, lies****

A tough read. It highlights the very personal way Jewish women were subjugated and violated, even worse than the ordinary German wife or daughter. The cruelty of the men working for the Reich has usually been a given because they were either brainwashed or were sociopaths to begin with. It does reflect the show more constant fear of those who were ordered to wear the Star. The publisher's blurb gives a whitewashed overview but can alert the reader to some of the triggers. This is what I would call a horror novel, but it is well written.
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from Bookouture via NetGalley. show less

This well written and well researched book is another look at the plight of the Jewish people in Berlin, Germany, in 1942. The Nazis have enacted new laws that limited their lives, forced them to wear yellow stars (which often caused harassment from non Jewish people) and has started sending them to camps for extermination. Their day to day lives are full of danger and fear for their futures. What is different about The Last Safe place is that seven German Jewish people are offered a chance show more to escape with the help of two Nazi officers who do not agree with the persecution of the Jewish people in Germany.

At first they tried to get the seven people out of the country by normal means but the borders were closed to Jewish people. Their group came up with a plan to train the seven people to be German agents. The German officers, convince the Nazi hierarchy that these seven people will be trained and will spy on other countries and report back to Germany. It all looks like a pretty precarious plan in the beginning. The seven people aren't sure if they should trust the Germans officers who want to help them but eventually realize that the plan to be spies are their only possibility of getting out of Germany. One of the most fascinating members of the group is a female doctor who is not allowed to work because she is Jewish. She spends a lot of her time helping people in her neighborhood who can't get medical help. She had been safe because her husband was Aryan but as soon as he died, the government was ready to send her to a camp. Will the plan really work and help her and her daughters escape from the dangerous day to day life in Berlin. The two Nazi Lieutenants are also fantastic characters. They know that they are putting their lives in jeopardy for helping these people plus they are in love with each and if that is discovered their lives will be over.

Once the escape finally starts, there is danger every step of the way. The seven people have become friends and try to help each other. Will their friendships and the help of the two soldiers get them out of Germany or will their plan be discovered?

This book was a wonderful look at people who put their lives in jeopardy to help other people. It was well written and kept me turning pages to find out if their plans to escape would be successful. Another great WWII novel. show less