From the bestselling author of ‘Unrelenting’ comes the heartbreaking first-in-series, War Girls: Ursula, a harrowing tale of courage and conscience, love and survival under the Third Reich.
In Berlin, 1943, compassion is a crime.
Newlywed Ursula Hermann is a simple woman, wanting nothing more than an end to the war and the return of her husband from the Russian front.
But some things are not … and the return of her husband from the Russian front.
But some things are not meant to be.
The authorities determine that Ursula’s contribution to the war effort is to guard a prison for undesirables and political prisoners.
Then, the unthinkable happens. A prisoner, Royal Air Force pilot Tom Westlake escapes, and Ursula looks the other way. If her single act of mercy is discovered, her life is forfeit.
When the injured airman returns, seeking her help, it is her opportunity to turn over the enemy and save herself from destruction. In a world where right has become wrong, and wrong has become right, Ursula must make a decision: obey the fatherland, or follow her conscience.
Inspired by true historical events, War Girl Ursula is the unforgettable story of one young woman’s moral courage in the face of unspeakable suffering.
Praise for War Girls: Ursula:“A fast-paced ww2 historical fiction novel… with a gut-wrenching moral dilemma.”
“From the first to the last page, I found I couldn’t put this book down. There were twists and turns in the plotline which had me on the edge of my seat.”
“Here is yet another exciting WWII story from Marion Kummerow’s fertile imagination mixed with historical research!”
If you’re a fan of Pam Jenoff, Soraya Lane or Mark Sullivan, you’ll devour this story by USA Today Bestselling author Marion Kummerow.
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I have read many books set during World War II but this story was different as the main character is a young woman working as a prison guard assigned to Nazi prisons. There were elements of the story that I had not previously been aware of.
Loved it
I really liked this book. It felt like I knew the characters and that I was right there with them.
Thrilling war novel
The story is about Ursula, a normal German who looks beyond the Nazi propaganda during the days of the war. Getting steadily disillusioned with the violent Nazi regime, she plans to help people out of it and this is her story. She is helped by her own sisters as she is plotting against the regime which has taken over their lives.
The descriptions of the book were vivid and the end makes it clear and even in the most inhuman times, even the people from the enemy lines have a heart and act out of humanity – that is what makes all people so precious.
Loved the story.
Very readable. Plausible. Coming of age in Nazi Germany. Finding your moral compass in the darkest of times.
I was not mistaken when I bought this book. Once again I got hooked. Looking forward to read another one. My kind of stuff. I love reading history and historical fiction mixed with a nice romance, of course! It reminded me of another excellent book I read titled White Rose Black Forest.
I’m thankful for those so brave to do what is right.
This is a very easy book to read as the plot and characters keep you riveted.
Captivating.
Well written historical novel. A different look at life during WW II
I made it halfway through this book and had to stop. Set in Nazi Germany, this book is told from the POV of Nazis. Kummerow goes to great lengths to not call them that directly, but addresses the surrounding characters as such with her main characters being complicit to the Nazi regime.
I stopped reading, because there was a heavy feel that we should understand Ursula because she has a good heart. No. She does not. She doesn’t mind what she’s doing until the cute prisoner she likes needs help. Using a power control move like that to motivate her humanity is gross.
The other reason I stopped was the glossing over and forgiveness of German citizens who participated with Nazis. Ursula was more worried about the man she wanted to marry, barely cared about his death, then went on to her prison job, carelessly supporting the ill treatment to the POWs. She is noted as being beloved because she used politeness. But there was no point (before the halfway point in the book) where she actually cared about the POWs. Not until she saw a cute guy and she was commenting how she was worried about being single and not having kids.
Again, gross.
I’d hoped this book was going to turn for the better, but it never did. It’s horrible to history in muting the atrocities of a genocide that was actively taking place for those characters. I highly recommend you do NOT read this book.
I really enjoyed this book. Recently I’ve become interested in WWII via reading historical fiction. This is the first book which had the main character as a German who believed in the Hitler BS in the beginning. The BS hits home for me with the current leader in the US.
So so
I enjoyed reading this book. It has a great story. Characters are believable. However I was disappointed in the ending. It didn’t really end the story of Ursula. You were left hanging and wondering if that was really the ending. Disappointed. I do realize that this was one of a series but usually you feel like you finished the book and I did not.
Some good twists! Enjoyable
This is a somewhat unrealistic story of a Patriotic young girl living in war-torn Germany suddenly realizing that what she had been indoctrinated to accept was wrong. She falls in love with a British prisoner who, somehow knew where she lived ending up almost on her doorstep when he escaped from prison. The book was a nice easy read but it had too many coincidences.
I found it rather boring and simple. Not as good as many I have read about the struggles of people in that era.
I wanted a more dramatic ending. Maybe a sequel where they meet again after 10 years
Great Read