Author: Jennifer Coburn
Started: August 21, 2023
Finished: August 23, 2023
Format: Digital
Genre: Historical Fiction
Heim Hochland is the Nazi maternity home in Bavaria and the home of the Lebensborn project - the Nazi program for creating the master race. This is the story of a nurse, Irma, who believes she is bringing new lives into the world but quickly learns there is more to her job than that. There are also two young mothers, Hilde, a Nazi mistress who realized how unimportant she is to the Reich, and Gundi, a young German girl carrying a Jewish baby. Each woman must deal with being a German woman during World War II and decide how best to live their lives.
This was a book I was intrigued by the moment I saw the cover. The Nazi breeding program is not something I have seen covered in many historical fiction novels. Coburn did a wonderful job researching the project and portraying it in her setting. The characters were well-fleshed out with wonderful backstories. The only thing I found lacking was not having a clear idea of how Hilde ended up when she was abandoned. Her ending is alluded to but never set in stone. With that being said, this was a fantastic read and I hope there is more to come from Jennifer Coburn.