A sweeping story of survival during World War II Amsterdam, May 1943. As the tulips bloom and the Nazis tighten their grip across the city, the last signs of Dutch resistance are being swept away. Marijke de Graaf and her husband are arrested and deported to different concentration camps in Germany. Marijke is given a terrible choice: to suffer a slow death in the labor camp or–for a chance at … chance at survival–to join the camp brothel.
On the other side of the barbed wire, SS officer Karl MYller arrives at the camp hoping to live up to his father’s expectations of wartime glory. When he encounters the newly arrived Marijke, this meeting changes their lives forever.
Woven into the narrative across space and time is Luciano Wagner’s ordeal in 1977 Buenos Aires, during the heat of the Argentine Dirty War. In his struggle to endure military captivity, he searches for ways to resist from a prison cell he may never leave.
From the Netherlands to Germany to Argentina, The Dutch Wife braids together the stories of three individuals who share a dark secret and are entangled in two of the most oppressive reigns of terror in modern history. This is a novel about the blurred lines between love and lust, abuse and resistance, and right and wrong, as well as the capacity for ordinary people to persevere and do the unthinkable in extraordinary circumstances.
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In The Dutch Wife, Ellen Keith illuminates an important but little known piece of history from World War II: the concentration camp brothels. Keith’s portrayal of Marijke’s courageous yet unfathomable choice is sensitive, graceful and unflinching – and in itself brave. Readers of The Nightingale will be rewarded by this original and unforgettable tale.
Enjoyed the historical aspects of the book and the storyline but the ending was rushed. I wanted more closure and it didn’t happen.
I finished this book yesterday. Even through this book has many mixed reviews. I am glad that I give this book a chance. Now there are somethings that I didn’t get that were put into this book. But I kinda had a idea where the author was going with it. I couldn’t put this book down. I love historical fiction and even though this book isn’t based on actual characters. What happened 1940’s was real. And what they went through was real. The author does amazing job with these three characters has they held on no matter what Even through one of characters run and try to hide from all his wrong doing. At the end it caught up to him. I have to say Marijke de Graaf is my favorite character how strong she was during the war. No matter what she always thought of her husband and the will to stay alive. I enjoy reading these types of books even through they are sad. I enjoy learning of different people stories and things they went through during the holocaust.
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About Book- This is set up into two different times one during the 1940’s and 1977. We read of three different characters in this book. There is a lot rape and terrible things they did to the prisoners in the camps. I highly recommend this book. For people who like to read about holocaust.
The story begins in 1943 Amsterdam where Theo and Marijke de Graff are working with the Resistance to help save Jews when they are caught and sent to concentration camps. Marijke is sent to Ravensbruck where she does not like the living conditions. When Marijke is presented with an opportunity to be transferred to Buchenwald to work in a brothel, she accepts it knowing that this is where Theo was sent. Marijke meets SS Officer Karl Muller there and he falls in love with her. The story is told from the points of view of Marijke, Karl and Luciano Wagner who is imprisoned in Buenos Aires in 1977. All the loose ends of the story are tied up very nicely in the end. I thought this was a really good read and I enjoyed it although it was a little gruesome at times.
Excellent!
An interesting read. I did not know much about the Dutch involvement in WW2.
This is an amazing example of historical fiction
Very sad, but a rather surprise ending.
Just too tragic for me to read.
It was so sad what some had to go through during these times in World War 2. I can’t imagine how hard it was for her to make the choices she did and go through what she did.
There are so many WWII books! I did not intend to read another one. This one got my attention because I have the same name as the main character.
Even though I’ve read many accounts of the concentration camps, this was the first one dealing with the brothels. Wow, how difficult it was for these women to choose between more food and better quarters (plus dealing with sex and disease) or starvation and backbreaking work.
A sub plot of the Argentian “Dirty War” sometimes took away from the main story. It included extreme violence.
I was somewhat disappointed in the ending. I felt that part was hastily written.
It was a hard book to read. It was quite graphic….but after reading many many world war II books this one hit me in a very different way. With so much going on during the war you can know there were brothels and kind of skip over it….
This book takes you into the brothel and gives background and day to day life that no other book has touched. Excellent job of describing the feelings when the camps were liberated.
Explores the flexibility of societal boundaries during times if war.
I loved the book, couldn’t put it down.
A very unusual perspective for a WWII – Holocaust novel…very good!
Great book. Was not sure how it was going to tie all together but the author did. Well worth the read.
Glad to read that people do have a good life after such hard times and that evil is punished.
My husband’s family lived in the Netherlands working with the underground during Nazi occupation. The Dutch Wife is historically accurate in the telling.
I found it rather depressing
Excellent story about Ww2 with a surprise ending. I could not put it down wanting to find out what happened to the characters. Told by three different people very sad yet somehow the ending made it all worthwhile