A “mesmerizing” re-imagination of the final months of World War II (Kate Quinn, author of The Alice Network), Hannah’s War is an unforgettable love story about an exceptional woman and the dangerous power of her greatest discovery.
Berlin, 1938. Groundbreaking physicist Dr. Hannah Weiss is on the verge of the greatest discovery of the 20th century: splitting the atom. She understands that the … the 20th century: splitting the atom. She understands that the energy released by her discovery can power entire cities or destroy them. Hannah believes the weapon’s creation will secure an end to future wars, but as a Jewish woman living under the harsh rule of the Third Reich, her research is belittled, overlooked, and eventually stolen by her German colleagues. Faced with an impossible choice, Hannah must decide what she is willing to sacrifice in pursuit of science’s greatest achievement.
Hannah’s War
By janeliasberg
more
I read an ARC of this for a cover quote and found it mesmerizing. “Hannah’s War” is a gripping cat-and-mouse tale of love, war, deception, and espionage you won’t be able to put down. Jan Eliasberg elevates the spy thriller with her clear, fierce admiration for the women of the past who refused to be edged out of the world of scientific discovery.
Suspenseful & entertaining! A fast, satisfying listen.
A compelling WWII drama — I’ve discovered I’m a big fan of books from that era. They come ready-made with all the conflict you could ever need; all you have to do is add some compelling characters and a slightly different scenario than what’s been done before.
In this case, the main character is Jewish physicist Dr Hannah Weiss, who was working in Germany on the atomic project before she escaped to America to help with the Manhattan Project instead. The story is told in two layers: Hannah’s interrogation by the American Jack Delaney, who believes she is a spy for the Germans, and her memories from Germany. She’s brilliant and excessively beautiful, as the narrator mentions often, but as a Jew, she was often accused of assisting the enemy (and as a woman, her contributions are constantly minimized). She certainly did aid the Germans for a time, and was entangled romantically with Dr Stephan Fry. But was she still aiding the Germans by feeding their own competing project information about the American progress? It certainly looks that way, and Jack is determined to prove it. The problem is, he’s falling in love with her at the same time.
The story is entirely fictionalized, but it’s compelling enough that I almost believed it was real. Hannah’s role in this version of events is certainly pivotal. Very well done!
My rating: ****
Language: present and at times a bit excessive
Sexual content: present, and I could have done without it, but it’s not constant. There’s a few scenes.
Violence: it’s WWII so it has to be there, but it was tastefully done I thought.
Political content: none that I could tell (historical only)
This is a little different story based on WWII. While touted as historical fiction, it’s a little more fiction that fact. But it is still an interesting read. You will be taken two timelines as you explore Hannah’s time in Germany and the difficulties the Jewish people experienced before and during WWII. You’ll also learn about Hannah’s story in present day as she is investigated and is attempting to keep her secrets hidden.
This is should really be considered a spy thriller and I enjoyed the presentation of a woman in science and the difficulties she experienced during a time when female scientists were not given the respect they deserved.
Thank you to NetGalley and Back Bay Books for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
This book is a thrill ride from start to finish. You won’t want to miss it.
As a female Jewish scientist under the Third Reich, Dr. Hannah Weiss struggled personally and professionally with her ideas belittled, stolen, and twisted. On the verge of a major breakthrough in atomic physics, in 1938 she was driven out of Berlin as she became increasingly aware of the true nature of the new regime. Dr. Hannah Weiss, a brilliant Austrian physicist, immigrated to the United States to work on the Manhattan Project under Dr. Oppenheimer. Their task at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico was to finish first in the global race to split the atom. As with many discoveries, Hannah realizes she can contribute to changing the world – either for peace or for war. Does she really know which side she’s on?
Jack Delaney arrives in New Mexico in 1945 on a mission after the liberation of Paris leaves him wounded. He’s tasked with flushing out a spy in the nuclear lab who has been sending encrypted messages to German scientists. Jack’s top suspect is Hannah Weiss after a series of encoded postcards are found in her possession. Through several days of interrogation, Jack learns of Hannah’s complicated relationships with her colleagues at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute and of her certain charm.
Jan Eliasberg delivers a compelling tale of historical fiction in her first novel. During a complex moment in America’s history, this story touches on the difficulties Jewish immigrants faced when coming to America and the future era of the Red Scare. Combining war-time fiction, mystery, and a complicated romance, Hannah’s War takes a look into the ethics of science in a tense time of history.
Two wounded souls, espionage, suspense, mystery and humor all come together to make this a wonderful book to read. It’s a fast-paced thriller set around the time of WWII and easily had me mesmerized till the very end of the book.
WW2, science, historical-figures, historical-novel, historical-places-events, historical-research
An exiled German scientist who is an anathema to the nazis because she is a Jewess is brought to Los Alamos to work with other scientists on a very secretive project. There she works with others in a very secret place and seems to be hounded by a suspicious war veteran working for the internal version of the OSS. I am at a loss as to how to convey how excellent this book is both on the fiction and historical research levels without going into spoilers. It is compelling and the imagery of persons, places, and emotions are spot on. I will be buying the audio when I can so that I can reread it when so motivated.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Little, Brown and Company via NetGalley. Thank you!
Fascinating, pacey, and engaging!
Hannah’s War is an intriguing story that sweeps you away to Los Alamos, New Mexico in the final days of WWII where a female Jewish physicist is on the cusp of making history in a field dominated by men, the race to develop the first nuclear weapon is well and truly underway, and the search and investigation of potential Nazi spies is top priority.
The prose is atmospheric and descriptive. The characters are intelligent, passionate, anxious, and driven. And the plot is an entertaining tale about life, love, friendship, survival, tragedy, war, romance, loyalty, subterfuge, and the development of nuclear fusion.
Overall, Hannah’s War is a well-written, compelling debut by Eliasberg that incorporates a nice mix of real-life historical figures, insightful information, and plausible fiction in a tale loosely based on the brilliant accomplishments of Dr. Lise Meitner.