The Women in the Castle

A beautiful novel, that weaves a heartbreaking story of three women who are widows, and are brought together by the will to survive the war and the aftermath that follows. They are the widows, of men who are resisters of Hitler, and though some possessed high ranks in Hitlers Army, they form a plan to try and assassinate Hitler. Unfortunately it fails, Hilter is only hurt, they are captured and hung.The wife of one of the resisters, has made a solemn promise, that if things should go wrong, she will find the other wives, and their children, and help them as best she could. You will love this story, and the depth of all three personalities of the women and their young children, and how they fight, with unwavering strength to stay alive among the fall and ruins of Germany. Each women has their own complicated story, and relationship with their deceased husbands, their children they are trying to keep alive, from not starving from lack of food, or freeze to death, from inadequate clothes and shoes, or die from the many diseases that are going around, to just keeping some normalcy in their everyday lives. It is sad, and elegant, full of compassion, and hope, as all three ladies try to rebuild their and their children's lives.It is beautifully written with unimaginable circumstances, filled with compassion, Guilt, and power. It will take you beyond the years of the war to the 1990's and give you a glimpse of their current lives...and their children's. The one they have lost along the way...and their self realization of their own Characters and burdens, they carry during the war, and after, and the mistakes they have made, some beyond their control, and even with each other. IT is a powerful and memorable read, about love, survival, and forgiveness .Beautifully written and told.

If I could only use one word to describe this book it would be “depressing”. I am literally depressed after reading this, and still waiting for that story of redemption mentioned on the dust jacket. There’s nothing happy or redeeming about this book. If I could use just one more word to describe this book it would be “forgettable”. Almost nothing about any of the three main characters is remotely interesting or memorable. I’m also really not sure where the title comes from? The majority of the stories and detail take place nowhere near the castle. The castle isn’t even what you think, it’s more like a dilapidated building they use as a place to have bad parties, a temporary shelter, and then later on it’s turned into some sort of social justice institute? It’s just weird. 0/10 recommend, unless you want to be bored and depressed out of your mind.