My Enemy's Cradle

My Enemy’s Cradle by Sara Young is a book that I probably shouldn’t have liked as much as I did. I had to swallow some very big coincidences and set-ups in order to let the story work, and more than a few times I had to shush my inner voices that were saying “Huh? That couldn’t have happened!”. But I totally got caught up in both the story and the romance and the pages flew by.

The story is of a half-Jewish girl, who in order to keep herself and the family that has sheltered her safe during WW II, gets herself impregnated, impersonates her cousin, and enters a Nazi Lebensborn. The plan being that she will be rescued and taken to safety well before the baby is born. Of course, as with all war-time plans, things change.

Although show more this story tends to romanticise the period, I found the author’s descriptions of the Lebensborn to be fascinating. Touted as a safe haven for girls who get pregnant (either willingly or by rape) by German soldiers, in fact, this was one more institution that the Nazi’s carried to the extreme. Only girls with “pure” bloodlines were allowed this refuge, only healthy babies were accepted, the girls had no rights over their child (although the German fathers had first claim). Most of these babies were adopted into a Nazi home in the hopes that they would be reared to be future soldiers and solid citizens of the Third Reich.

My Enemy’s Cradle offers intrigue, suspense and romance in a very readable package but at no time did I ever feel I was reading anything but a fictional piece. Good escapism with a flawed ending that was too pat and too abrupt. show less

This was a very easy book to read. And yet, it was a very difficult story to take in. The writing was exceptional, drawing me in from the beginning. The characters were very sympathetic and real and the situations in which each found themselves were harrowing.

I had no idea that there truly were Lebensborn facilities during the war; but it makes perfect sense, knowing what we now know about how the Nazi regime thought and worked. The fact that these women had a place to go for excellent care and safety was a good thing, but the fact that many of these children were taken from the beginning to be raised as potential soldiers seemed as cold as a munitions factory. I was also saddened by the lack of physical contact for the babies, and show more wonder how that affected those who survived the war into adulthood.

I liked the characters immediately. Of course, Anneke and Cyrla were irritating as almost all late-teen girls are. They were perhaps to little too naive and full of wanderlust for the tone of the story, especially given Anneke's mother and father's stern dispositions, and Cyrla's difficult past. I would have thought that, realistically, they would have been more subdued and in touch with the reality of war. I became irritated over and and over by Cyrla's persistent refusal to see the danger she was in.

Karl and Isaac were excellent characters on both sides of the spectrum. One loving and forthright, a Nazi soldier. The other a Jew, but very stoic and stiff with people.

This was a very humanizing story and intriguing part of history that I want to learn more about. A great read, and highly recommended. show less

I had a goal this year to read 100 books by December. And so as I reached book 99, I started to look for a book in my shelves to be number one hundred. You see I wanted my goal to end with a bang. And while some of the books I read this year were mere disappointments, I didn't want book 100 to end up being one of those. So, I picked My Enemy's Cradle from my shelf. It killed two birds with one stone. Being my 100th book and satisfying one of my other goals which was to diminish the pile of books that I have had for more than a year.

My Enemy's Cradle didn't disappoint. I thought it was utterly amazing! I found myself feeling terrified for Cyrla with the danger she was in. This book had me enthralled and kept me turning the pages in show more record time. I was surprised that I actually liked the romance in the book. Usually I find myself not liking the romance in most adult books because it either comes out as cheesy or terribly contrived, but I thought the romance was intriguing and I found myself rooting for these two characters to make it through.

I actually had no idea about the Lebensborn Organization. And I love it when historical fiction books tell me about some part of history that I didn't know about, so that was a plus with this book. Anyway, if anyone is thinking about picking up this book, don't hesitate and just read it. It's a beautiful book with a fast pace and an intriguing main character that you root for until the end. This is definitely staying on my keeper shelf. No swapping for me. show less

During the Nazi occupation, parents often sent their children to what they considered safer areas. Cryla's father sends her to her aunt, uncle and cousin's home in Holland where they are safe...but only briefly until Nazis arrive and change everything. Food, jobs, money becomes scarce, and soon curfews and racial laws against Jews are implemented. Because Cyrla's father is Jewish, (but she is blond like her mother), the family has to be extra vigilant. Cryla is anxious because her uncle's behavior toward her has changed for the worse.

When Cyrla's beautiful and sweet older cousin Anneke comes home pregnant, the situation worsens. Her furious father makes plans to send her to one of the Nazi Lebensborn maternity homes for girls and women show more impregnated by Nazi soldiers. The women are fed well and their babies adopted out to loyal German families with the plan to increase Germany's future military. Some women choose to remain after giving birth to become impregnated again during periodical orgies held at these maternity homes.

When Anneke learns her boyfriend Karl has left Holland supposedly to return to his fiance she feels abandoned and devastated. Her father's frightening behavior and plans drive her to take an action that will change life for all of them forever.

My Enemy's Cradle is about Cyrla's coping with a horrific situation, forcing herself to maintain a calm exterior while experiencing deeply troubling feelings. But because she is young, smart and a naturally caring person, she is able to quickly grasp other people's feelings and situations, and provide friendship and support. She is trusted by some of the staff, and is able to carefully request unconventional favors.

Before long, she is challenged with a new set of circumstances that include Anneke's boyfriend Karl. Not trusting him, she uses her instincts to deal with him, and remains wary, careful and alert.

While frightening I was glad I read this and learned about the Lebensborn homes. I plan on learning more about this German program. show less

What a surprising book! Firstly, because it's by the author of the kids' Clementine series, which I love. Secondly, because she writes about an aspect of the Holocaust I was unaware of - the Lebensborn. These were German maternity homes for unwed mothers intended to increase the population of "The Master Race." The novel tells the story of Cyrla, a half-Jewish gilr living with relatives in Holland, who decides to take the place of her dead cousin Anneke in the Lebensborn she was going to be sent to. A fasinating read about a young girl's choices in extremely difficult times.

3.5 Stars

The story for My Enemy's Cradle was very intriguing. I've never read a novel that centered on the Lebensborn program until now. And to have Jewish girl hiding in that setting?!?! Definitely a unique story. Once Cyrla got into the center, I was on pins and needles working my way through the novel. I desperately wanted to know how, or even if, she survived the ordeal and what ever happened to her baby. The actual story was the strongest part of this novel. It sucks you in, all the way through to the end.

Now the characters? That's another story.... Pretty much most of them, I could live without. I thought Anneke was a flighty bit of fluff. Isaak was a cold SOB I wouldn't have put up with nearly the amount that Cyrla did. And show more Cyrla? Wwwweeelllll..... Her characterization pre-Lebensborn I found pretty awful. She's so hung up on her "love" for Isaak that almost nothing else registers. I found myself wishing for more depth something awful.

Yet, once she got into the Lebensborn program and was really on her own, I think her characterization improved over all. Besides burning hot and cold on Karl and making me want to smack her more than once, I found her to be far more "with the program" and have more depth of character. Being isolated in such surroundings, I think, helped her to find herself. She became smarter, more focused, and more aware of her environment, with all its inherent dangers.

The whole love story between Karl and Cyrla I actually found pretty sweet. It came with some heavy baggage, but in the end, they overcame it all to achieve a happy ending, post-war. I actually liked how realistically it was portrayed. The heavy guilt of their combined history, their backgrounds, and the hostile environment they were in provided obstacles they were able to overcome, strengthening their relationship in my eyes. It made the romance all the sweeter.

Overall, I found this book enjoyable. It had a captivating and unique story to tell and a sweet romance to divulge. Characterization was hit or miss, but at least the main character found herself for most of the book. I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Holocaust fiction or fiction set in the domestic world of WWII. I'd recommend it if only for the portrayal of the Lebensborn world; I don't know of another novel that portrays it. show less

Wow, what a story. I had read the review in the paper and was interested but I truly didn't imagine that it would be so gripping. I could hardly put this book down as I was so wrapped up in her story that I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. It was also heart-wrenching to learn about these "hospitals" where these girls were sent.