City of Women Audiobook By David R. Gillham cover art

City of Women

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City of Women

By: David R. Gillham
Narrated by: Suzanne Bertish
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It is 1943 - the height of the Second World War. With the men taken by the army, Berlin has become a city of women. And while her husband fights on the Eastern Front, Sigrid Schröder is, for all intents and purposes, the model soldier's wife: She goes to work every day, does as much with her rations as she can, and dutifully cares for her meddling mother-in-law, all the while ignoring the horrific immoralities of the regime.

But behind this façade is an entirely different Sigrid, a woman who dreams of her former Jewish lover, who is now lost in the chaos of the war.

Sigrid's tedious existence is turned upside down when she finds herself hiding a mother and her two young daughters - whom she believes might be her lover's family - and she must make terrifying choices that could cost her everything.

©2012 David R. Gillham (P)2012 Penguin Audio Family Life Genre Fiction Historical Fiction War & Military
Compelling Plot • Complex Characters • Historical Perspective • Emotional Depth • Excellent Writing
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When I saw the listing of Gilham's novel, I was unsure if I wanted to download it. However, the WWII buff in me was curious to hear a description of wartime Berlin from the perspective of ordinary people. I was not disappointed with the story and Suzanne Bertish's narration was absolutely superb. The depiction of the characters living under the stress of food shortages and Allied bombing is fantastic. For the history lover this is a great listen.

A Sleeper Novel

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Not sure what I was expecting but this story caught be off guard. Brilliant reader and story put me in the middle of WWII in the heart of Berlin. A story I've not heard before about the German soldiers with v especially left home to manage to keep the home fire's burning while their husbands are drafted to the east e th front. It's a story of humble b beginnings th s t rises from the mundane to our unlikely heroines rise and fall to action to h I deals and get out as many Jews from the city as she can from under the noses of the Gestapo a n d her into d referring mother in law and best friend b d who both betray friends and family alike. I wish this author would write another book about our heroine, Sigrid. I can't say enough about the reader, Suzanne Bertish. Yes more please, Ms Bertish is the best female reader I've heard. She gave life to heroine. It's my go to story when I can't get interested in another audio book. Some readers just put me to sleep, but not Suzanne Bertish. Enjoy!

Caught by surprise!

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Narration AND plot are outstanding in this well written novel that provides a German woman's journey through WWII as she struggles with an unpopular and illegal (at the time) decision to support the underground movement of protecting Jews from the Nazis. A must listen!

A Must Listen

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Any additional comments?

Not your average war story and one of the best listens in a very long time. The author captures the good, bad and ugly of Berlin during the latter half of WW11. It celebrates humanity in all its contradictions. The characters are real and well rounded, the history faithfully re-created and the story compelling. I’ve got to say that the narrator, Suzanne Bertish did an amazing job. I would recommend this book to anyone who anyone who enjoys an exceptional story, told well.

Compelling

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Would you listen to City of Women again? Why?

Yes - bought this audio book by accident and thought OMG an audio !-but loved it and had it playing whilst driving long rides home from work and cooking meals - may have missed some small bits
Actually looked forward to long drive home at the end of a working day.

Who was your favorite character and why?

no favourites

What does Suzanne Bertish bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Just the different charactors and voices, emotions

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

don't know but would make a great movie

excellent and griping story

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This story started slow, picked up momentum about 2/3 in and then ended quickly. Still, worth the read.

a little slow

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A pretty grim story but worth listening to for its historical context. And very well read .

A strong story

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This was a real mess, both from a listening stand point and from a believability POV. Hard to grasp transitions, and resolution felt too contrived.

Messy

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Suzanne Bertish was an amazing narrator. I enjoyed the story. I was tensed up the whole time I read it. Nazi Germany was a terrible time to be alive.

City

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Would you listen to City of Women again? Why?

This is one of the better books on tape I have heard with Audible. The story and intrigue moved, I was truly interested in the characters, the twists and turns of the plot, and the development of the characters - all convincing and riveting. I had a difficult time breaking away from the book and went thru it much too quickly. In addition the reading was excellent. I really felt as though it was the characters speaking rather, not lofty or stilted at all. Bertish was able to seamlessly represent a variety of male and female characters without any apparent difficulty.

captivating story and reading

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