First published 1988
Three women navigate the collapse of democratic Germany and the Nazi ascent to control. Each character faces impossible choices as political upheaval transforms their society. One woman watches her liberal values crumble under economic pressure and nationalist fervor. Another finds unexpected opportunities within the new regime's ideology about women's roles. The third struggles to maintain her identity as traditional institutions fail around her. Their intersecting stories reveal how ordinary citizens participated in or resisted the destruction of the Weimar Republic. Koonz shows how personal relationships fracture under political strain. The novel explores the complex ways women both enabled and opposed the Third Reich's emergence. Through intimate portraits, the book examines moral compromise and survival during Germany's darkest transition.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: moral-compromise, survival
Setting: Germany
Period: Weimar Republic, Nazi Germany
582 pages · Paperback · Routledge