The German Wife cover art

The German Wife

A Novel

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The German Wife

Written by: Kelly Rimmer
Narrated by: Nancy Peterson, Ann Marie Gideon
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About this listen

“Skillfully researched and powerfully written, The German Wife will capture you from the first page.” —Madeline Martin, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Bookshop in London

For fans of
All the Light We Cannot See and The Tattooist of Auschwitz—from the New York Times bestselling author of The Things We Cannot Say and The Warsaw Orphan returns with a gripping novel inspired by the true story of Operation Paperclip: a controversial secret US intelligence program that employed former Nazis after WWII.

Berlin, 1930—When a wave of change sweeps a radical political party to power, Sofie von Meyer Rhodes’s academic husband benefits from the ambitions of its newly elected chancellor. Although Sofie and Jürgen do not share the social views growing popular in Hitler’s Germany, Jürgen’s position with its burgeoning rocket program changes their diminishing fortunes for the better. But as Sofie watches helplessly, her beloved Berlin begins to transform, forcing her to consider what they must sacrifice morally for their young family’s security, and what the price for their neutrality will be.

Twenty years later, Jürgen is one of the many German scientists offered pardons for their part in the war, and taken to America to work for its fledgling space program. For Sofie, this is the chance to exorcise the ghosts that have followed her across the ocean, and make a fresh start in her adopted country. But her neighbors aren’t as welcoming or as understanding as she had hoped. When scandalous rumors about the Rhodes family’s affiliation with Hitler’s regime spreads, idle gossip turns to bitter rage, and the act of violence that results will tear apart Sofie’s community and her family before the truth is finally revealed.

“An unforgettable novel that explores important questions highly relevant to the world today.” —Christine Wells, author of Sisters of the Resistance

Don’t miss Kelly Rimmer’s newest novel, The Paris Agent, where a family’s innocent search for answers brings a long-forgotten, twenty-five-year-old mystery featuring two female SOE operatives comes to light!

For more by Kelly Rimmer, look for:

  • Before I Let You Go
  • The Things We Cannot Say
  • Truths I Never Told You
  • The Warsaw Orphan
  • The Midnight Estate (out July 22, 2025)
©2022 Kelly Rimmer (P)2022 Harlequin Enterprises, Limited
20th Century Fiction Genre Fiction Women's Fiction Marriage War
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What listeners say about The German Wife

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So good!

Really enjoyed the story, characters, and performances. Highly recommend choosing this one. Will be looking for other books by this author.

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Brilliant!

An excellent presentation in all aspects. Couldn’t help noticing the disturbing squeak of the tape recorder (?) in the background. This in no way took away my interest.

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Excellent

Narrators made the book come alive. I love WW2 historical fiction and liked this different setting and perspective.

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Peoples' struggles during the war.

I enjoyed this book very much, but it made me feel conflicted. And so, I felt relieved when I listened to the afterward of the author saying that she felt somewhat uncomfortable about the german family having a good life in America after the war despite the fact that, during the war, they stayed in Germany and obeyed the orders of Hitler and the nazis.
Getting to know Sophie and her struggles made me feel sympathetic about her, but always with that thought about what hapened in the camps. However I think this books is an honest picture of what really happened after the war.

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Great book

I liked the way the 2 different sides of the story was told, it’s both side of one story. I really enjoyed it.

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The German Wife

A very interesting read. Will definitely look for more books by this author. Always love hearing Nancy Peterson voice..

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Worth the read

Definitely a different perspective on the usual historical fiction novels, engaging and interesting to see the war developed from a German perspective. Looked forward to listening it on my way home in the car every day!

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Great Narrator

Loved listening to this book…. It was well written. I have never taken to historical fiction but will definitely dabble more after this read.

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Wonderful story

It was a wonderful story and beautifully presented- if only it was a story that we didn’t have to tell.

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Loved it

By the third chapter, I couldn’t stop listening. The narrator for Sophie brought me to tears many many times. I will for sure be exploring other novels by this author

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