Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #41957 in Books
• Published on: 2008-02-15
• Binding: Paperback
• 416 pages

Review
'I have not been so moved by a book in quite some time' --Historical Romance Writers on Kommandant s Girl

'...a compelling tale...I couldn't stop turning the pages' --Young Lawyer/The Legal Intelligencer on The Kommandant s Girl.

'…well constructed and a real page turner.' --Birmingham Jewish Weekly

Synopsis
"How have I been lucky enough to come here, to be alive, when so many others are not? I should have died...But I am here."Surviving the brutality of a Nazi prison camp, Marta Nederman is lucky to have escaped with her life. Recovering from the horror, she meets an American soldier who gives her hope of a happier future. But their plans to meet in London are dashed when his plane crashes.Devastated and pregnant, Marta marries a caring British Diplomat and glimpses the joy that home and family can bring. But her happiness is threatened when she learns of a communist spy in British intelligence, and that the one person who can expose the traitor is connected to her past...

About the Author
Before becoming a writer Pam Jenoff began her career working for the U.S. Consulate in Krakow, Poland. It was during this period that Pam developed her expertise in Polish -Jewish relations and the Holocaust, working on matters such as preservation of Auschwitz and the other former concentration camp sites, and the restitution of Jewish property in Poland. Pam left the Foreign Service in 1998 to attend law school. When not writing novels or practicing law, Pam enjoys spending time with her family and friends, going to the beach, reading, travelling and participating in sports. She is a second degree black belt in karate! Her stunning debut, Kommandant s Girl, was a UK bestseller. The Diplomat s Wife is Pam s second novel.

Customer Reviews

Heart warming and beautifully written
What can I say, I bought this book on a whim and I'm so glad I did. It is one of the most amazing books I have ever read. You immediatly engage with the characters, particularly Marta and the story is captivating with an unexpected twist at the end.

I would recommend this and am now going to buy the Kommandants Girl, which I think is the prequel to this beautiful story.

An easy read
This is almost a direct follow-on from Kommandant's Girl and I think you probably need to have read that first. It's shame that the back cover gives away a major plot point so if it's possible try to avert your eyes from that!

I really enjoyed Kommandant's Girl (although was very uncomfortable with the ethics of building what is essentially a love story on a charismatic and sexy Nazi...) and I don't know whether other people felt the same way but certainly here Jenoff has an American as her 'hero' fighting the Soviets in the aftermath of WW2/start of the Cold War.

Marta is far less interesting as a character than Emma/Anna and her narrative voice is the same; and many of the plot points remain unchanged: the woman pregnant by one man, married to another; the idea of a woman 'forced' into a sexual relationship (although both the reasons and the emotions are very different here) etc. So this is a kind of re-run of the first book in my view but with all the moral ambiguities that made the KG so interesting now ironed out. The plot also unfortunately gets increasingly silly so that it was quite difficult to stifle the giggles at the end...

This is an easy and engaging read, but while KG resonated in my mind after finishing it, this one is quite forgettable. However it does bring a closure to the story started in KG so if you want to know how Emma/Jacob's story ends, it's here.

Very disappointing
I am sorry to have to say that this book was a huge let down. I thoroughly enjoyed 'The Kommandant's Girl' and bought copies for friends and family. I would recommend it without hesitation. However, I found it almost impossible to believe that 'The Diplomat's Wife' was written by the same author. I persevered for quite a few chapters but finally gave up as I did not find the story at all gripping and was thoroughly bored by the characters. It reminded me more of a 'Mills and Boon' novel. I was so excited about the thought of a sequel but will not be recommending this to my friends.