What do readers think of The Prisoner's Wife by Maggie Brookes? Write your own review.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

Book content reminds me somewhat of "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". The book gives a vivid picture of the happenings during the time period in which it took place. Readers that have no knowledge of the time period will complete the book wanting to do research. The characters and events are very believable. The book is interesting and informative. A story of struggle and survival during difficult times. A story of what people will do for love.

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!

Thank you to BookBrowse for the ARC of the Prisoner's Wife, by author Maggie Brookes. I've read my share of novels set during WWII, but this one had a storyline that was unique to me. A newly married couple, the wife disguised as a man, trying to survive in a POW camp. Enduring extreme hunger, cruelty, horrific weather, and filthy conditions, it's hard to imagine what people endured, yet found the courage to persevere and help each other.