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There are currently 35 member reviews
for The Prisoner's Wife
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Virginia M. (San Antonio, TX)
Fiction based upon fact
This novel takes place from June 1944 to March 1945 during WWII. It concerns a 20 year old Czech girl who, as a result of love at first sight, runs off to marry an English POW who happened to be assigned by the Nazi's to work on her family's farm. It is a novel based upon the true story of this young wife her husband was recaptured and, disguised as a fellow male prisoner she accompanies him to a POW work camp. During the remaining 2/3 of the novel, the readers discover the unimaginable hardships of her daily life as a prisoner at what the author's research discovered was a "hell camp" because of overcrowding, malnourishment and hard work." She personally had to first live as a mute unable to speak a word or even let out any other type of sound in order to maintain her disguise as a male; plus, second, she endures the terror of being discovered during the necessary moments of urinating and taking care of her monthly menses.
I think the author does a wonderful job of telling this dramatic story by switching from first person to third person during alternating chapters of the book so that readers are able to understand not only her strength to undergo daily trials but to also gain the perspective of some other prisoners with whom they have shared her secret. Bearing in mind that this is based on a true story, the fact that those other prisoners were willing to sacrifice even their own lives to protect her makes this novel even more than poignant.
In the Author's Note at the back of the book, we learn that she never was able to discover the names of either the POW or the young Czech girl so, unfortunately, the story ends abruptly and we can only use our own imagination to know what happens following March 1945.
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Courtney N. (Chicago, IL)
An interesting new perspective
I have to start by saying that I'm not sure I really believe the premise of the book, that a woman was hidden among the POWs in a German camp. Despite that, this was an interesting read if nothing more to think about how Could it have been done. This was a fun and interesting read that additional made me more aware of the plight of POWs during WW2.
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Julie M. (Golden Valley, MN)
WWII Love Story
The Prisoner's Wife was a love story set against the harshness of WWII. The fact that the story was based on true events made it more enjoyable for me. I did feel that the "happy" ending was a bit too easy and that made it seem more like a fairy tale rather than how they were really reunited. Izabela was an amazing character choosing to pretend to be a male soldier in order to follow her new husband back to the labor camp. I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys historical WWII fiction.
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Sandra C. (Rensselaer, NY)
Unbelievable journey
The writing style of the author is an easy read. At first I thought switching between characters would be difficult but found this style effective. The subject matter has been covered by several authors due to the anniversary of the holocaust, but this was a new perspective. The end left many unanswered question, perhaps the content of a sequel.
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Kristen H. (Hagerstown, MD)
Sacrifices for Love
I have read a lot of war books regarding WWII lately and honestly, to say I liked this one more than others is not something any one should say. With that being said, war in itself is a true debasing of a person's character, what a person is pushed to do all to make it to see another day is painful to read let alone actually experience it. Izabela and her soldier Bill push them through some extremely harrowing moments all in the name of love and survival. I honestly cannot imagine going through what they did. We truly downplay what living through a war really does to a person. Maggie Brookes captures the rawness of war without trying to romanticize it. Yes, on one hand one can interpret this story as a love story, however, it is more of a survival and true companionship story. What Izzy and Bill witness, live through and yet still manage to have optimism is nothing short of amazing. I hesitate to say "I really liked this book" because truly to like a story such as this is something none of us should.
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Kaye C. (Colorado Springs, CO)
The Prisoner's Wife
Reading the premise of the book, could this really have happened? The author, using historical data, embellishes the story using her own imagination to tell the tale. This is an epic true story, of a heroic woman and all her friends, suffering the prison camps of WWII. Maggie Brookes' descriptive writing easily captures the readers' interest. The story is a unique perspective of WWII. After all the trauma, the reader hopes there is a happy ending--that the human spirit will endure all the horrible war tragedies. I highly recommend this book for women's book clubs!
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Peggy H. (North East, PA)
Unbelievable Story
At least once a year, a member of my bookclub suggests a WW2 or Holocaust novel, and, I must admit, we all groan...not another one. The premise of the novel, which is supposedly based on fact is indeed different. I will say that the first third of the book was tepid, and I was wondering how the author was going to make the situation believable. To my surprise, she did, and the balance of the book, although a bit draggy was intereresting. I suppose it COULD have happened..although the ending seemed a little contrived to me...like it had to be a happy ending after all the misery. Hmm...I am not so sure..although I WOULD have liked to have known what happened next!
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