CITY OF WOMEN

Sometimes it seems as if novels about WWII are a dime a dozen. David Gillham’s CITY OF WOMEN, narrated by Suzanne Bertish, manages to find a fresh angle on the much told story. Set in Berlin, a city that by 1943 was nearly devoid of men, the novel focuses on Frau Sigrid Schroder. Sigrid, whose husband is fighting on the Eastern Front, finds she can no longer live only as the good soldier’s wife and instead finds herself hiding Jews, even, perhaps, the family of her former lover. Bertish narrates ably, making Sigrid come alive to the point that her large character arc seems quite believable while still differentiating well between minor characters. J.L.K. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2012]