Why do you suppose Anna Weber, the miniaturist, regrets not taking the job designing for the Berlin Olympics, even though she knows the Nazis are wrong?

"She did not know that the soul she refused to sign away would soon feel worthless to her." Why do you suppose Anna Weber, the miniaturist, regrets not taking the job designing for the Berlin Olympics, even though she knows the Nazis are wrong?

I think Anna regrets not signing on with the Nazi party because of her son. She lost him to the very party she refused to become a part of and having to watch him be the face of the movement in her husband's films. She lost her career, her home, her country and her son. It was that loss she regretted. The job was just the catalyst for the loss.

She gave up so much by not taking the position. The greatest loss was her son. She sacrificed her son for her ideals. I don't think she realized she'd actually lose him when she made her decision. If so, she would have decided differently. The loss of position and fame in Germany were minor compared to losing her child.

She regretted not taking the job and becoming a nazi because she lost access to her son.

As other respondents have observed, Anna's greatest regret was losing her son - I detested her husband. I really wanted her to fight for him (I was disappointed the author didn't write her character that way,

As others have said, in the end Anna realized that the loss of her son was so devastating that she should have done whatever it took to stay with him. Her life was never the same.

I agree with everyone that her regret was that she lost her son. But I had to respect her for being true to her principles.

Of all the characters in the book, Anna is the most compelling and her story is the most heartbreakiing.

What a choice she was forced to make. She followed her moral compass and conscience, refusing to join the Nazi party because of her principled beliefs. And her principles cost her everything. Many things can be replaced. A residence can be rebuilt or otherwise replaced. One can choose and become established in a new career. Marriages end and people either remain single or move on to find new love. Even a different city, state or country can become one's adopted home.

But a child? There is no replacement. No substitute. The loss of a child -- and not necessarily to death -- is a loss from which one never recovers.

Anna was a woman in an impossible situation, and at the time she made her decision she could not see all the possible ramifications. As they became clear and the years wore on, she simply could not find a reason for her own life to continue. Her story was an epic tragedy.

Anna regretted not taking the job mostly because of her son, but on a strictly professional level, I think she regretted not taking the job because of the opportunity it afforded. Woman had fewer career choices back then, and while her principles guided her to do the right thing, she suffered the consequences on both a professional and a personal level.

I agree with other readers, it was principles and her son. Even though she was guided by her principles and did the right thing, she suffered on a personal level. I can't imagine giving up a child and I know she so regretted it.