The Sunflower House: Uncovering the Legacy of Lebensborn

The Sunflower House: Uncovering the Legacy of Lebensborn

by | Jan 24, 2025 | Book review, Germany, Holocaust, Jewish History, World War II

World War II novels are a dime a dozen; why read another?

I ask myself this question whenever I see a new one set in this era.

So why did I choose The Sunflower House to read and review?

The Sunflower House, by Adriana Allegri, cover image

Simply put, this novel focuses on an aspect of this era that I knew little about—the Nazis’ Lebensborn program, which aimed to breed perfect Aryan children to fulfill Hitler’s dream.

As much as I learned about this program from The Sunflower House, the plot twists kept me interested and worried, and its characters were equally compelling, revealing:

  • Their moral conflicts and relationships with their neighbors of different ethnicities and faiths
  • How patriotic Germans responded to the inhumane orders their government and its representatives commanded
  • How few people rose up to oppose the Nazi terrors

Main Characters:

Allina – the protagonist in the World War II era; she’s a young German Jewish/Christian woman whose life suddenly changed with the Hitler’s rise to power, and his plans for Germany and the Jews

Dieter – Allina’s heroic uncle who raised her; he explains her family’s background before he dies

Karl – German Army officer who befriends Allina after seeing her weep and sing a Christmas carol to a baby at Hochland Home, a Lebensborn home

Katrine – Allina’s daughter; she’s the modern-day protagonist

Gruppenführer Gud – German Army officer who places Allina in Hochland Home

Schwester Marguerite Ziegler – head nurse at Hochland Home; a complex character

Rilla – Allina’s close friend at Hochland Home; enemy of Berta

Berta – a young mother at Hochland Home whose jealousy of Allina endangers Allina

 

Strengths:

Exciting, tension-filled story with multi-faceted characters

Weakness:

Readers who wish to know precisely what happened in the Lebensborn program may be disappointed, as the author had to use literary license to fill in gaps in the historical record.

Content review:

Given the focus of this novel and its setting in the heart of Nazi Germany, it’s not surprising that sexual violence and immorality appear in its pages.

My Recommendation:

I found The Sunflower House thought-provoking and entertaining. It will appeal to readers who enjoy the challenge of a novel set in a time where even heroic characters must make heart-wrenching choices.

 

Reader, can you recommend a novel or non-fiction book about Lebensborn?

Grazia’s Journey Through the Italian Renaissance

Grazia’s Journey Through the Italian Renaissance

by | Oct 24, 2024 | Book review, Historical novels, Italy, Jewish History, Renaissance

Some novels resonate at the time they’re published, while others have plots, characters, and themes that never go out of date.

You probably think of beloved novels in the second category, and I’d like to introduce you to one of my favorites, The Secret Book of Grazia dei Rossi, written by Jacqueline Park more than twenty years ago. Because it was set in Renaissance Italy, there’s no outdated technology or fashions to spoil your reading experience.

The Secret Book of Grazia dei Rossi, by Jacqueline Park, cover image

What makes this novel special?

  • The Secret Book of Grazia dei Rossi takes readers through numerous key events of the Italian Renaissance (wars, conflicts between Italian city-states, religious persecution, the sack of Rome, to name a few), from the unique vantage point of a gifted Jewish woman attempting to find her way in an often-hostile Christian culture.
  • Grazia records the secrets of her life so her son will understand her choices (and his heritage) after her passing.
  • The author based this story on a brief footnote about a real-life Italian woman of that era.
  • During Grazia’s lifetime, Italy experiences rebirth/renaissance on an intellectual level, with the discovery of ancient Greek and Roman texts. She encounters such luminaries as Pico della Mirandola, the Florentine philosopher, Aldus Manutius, Venice’s master printer, and Benevenuto Cellini, sculptor and writer.
  • At the same time, undercurrents of anti-Semitism and misogyny limit Grazia’s options and endanger her. Her romance with a Christian nobleman challenges her to abandon the faith and traditions of her ancestors, risking estrangement from her family. Grazia’s character, as well as several others, emerge as memorable portraits of the era.

As I revisited and reviewed this novel, I discovered that its author, Jacqueline Park, extended the story into a family saga with a sequel, The Legacy of Grazia dei Rossi, and the concluding volume, Son of Two Fathers (completed after her death by Gilbert Reid). I’m eager to read these novels, and I’d appreciate your comments if you’ve read either or both.

Characters:

Grazia dei Rossi—protagonist, daughter of a Jewish family who obtains a humanist education and struggles between allegiance to her heritage and her attraction to a man from outside the Jewish faith

Danilo—Grazia’s son, still an adolescent when this novel ends

Judah—Grazia’s husband, a highly-regarded Jewish physician who gains employment by the pope

Lord Pirro Gonzaga—a Christian nobleman whom Grazia meets for the first time during her adolescence

Marchesa Isabella d’Este da Gonzaga—a powerful noblewoman in Renaissance Rome, she employs Grazia as her private secretary and tries to persuade Grazia to convert to Christianity

Strengths:

This novel offers readers a close perspective on the Renaissance in Italy, revealing both high and low points of the era.

Weakness:

The novel’s length (560 pages) may deter some readers.

 

Content review:

The story includes scenes of physical intimacy, as well as violence, especially directed toward Jewish people

My Recommendation:

The Secret Book of Grazia dei Rossi will be a great read if you enjoy a thoughtful yet action-filled saga that places you in the midst of the Italian Renaissance.

 

Reader, do you have a favorite novel set in the Italian Renaissance?

 

A Surprising Era in Salerno: Book Review of Rebecca of Salerno

A Surprising Era in Salerno: Book Review of Rebecca of Salerno

by | Nov 8, 2023 | Book review, Historical novels, Italy, Jewish History

Women in the United States only began to practice medicine in the 1800s (see my review of The Physician’s Daughter), so how could a young Jewish woman become a physician back in 1195?

Author Esther Erman answers this question in her action-packed recent novel, Rebecca of Salerno.

Rebecca of Salerno, by Esther Erman, cover image

In these days of conflicts related to ethnicity and religion, it’s a relief to escape into a novel set in late twelfth-century Salerno, Italy, where Rebecca could attend medical school and become a physician.

Remarkably, Salerno had a reputation as peaceful, prosperous, and tolerant of diverse groups, as exemplified by the medical school founded in the eighth century by a Greek, a Latin, a Jew, and a Muslim.

But Salerno’s atmosphere had changed by the time Rebecca, our protagonist, disembarked there. Why?

  • Crusaders arrived, en route to and from their destination in the East. They set up camp outside the town and committed acts of vandalism, robbery, and rape—with impunity
  • The Hohenstaufens, a German dynasty, conquered the Normans and took Salerno in 1195, installing a relative, Duke Henry, as ruler of the city. He didn’t want to offend the pope or the king’s regent, William of Capparone, by cracking down on the crusaders’ misdeeds.

The conflicts Rebecca faces animate this story:

  • Her father and extended family pressure her to assume the traditional role of Jewish women–marriage and life as a wife and mother—but Rebecca aspires to an independent life
  • Her colleague, Rafael, repeatedly proposes to Rebecca, but her trauma after losing her first love, Ivanhoe, leads to her secret vow not to marry
  • Even in Salerno, Rebecca faces discrimination based on her gender and religion

Characters:

  • Rebecca – protagonist, a young Jewish woman who has always wanted to devote her life to healing
  • Rafael Lopes Dias – young widower who attended Salerno’s medical school; he prefers translating texts into Hebrew rather than practicing medicine
  • Isaac ben Shmuel – renegade Egyptian rabbi who alienates nearly everyone he meets; he’s blamed for murdering a crusader
  • Rebecca’s father – traditional Jewish father who wants his daughter to marry and have children
  • Laura di Petrocelli – Rebecca’s medical student; her life exemplifies the challenges faced even by a Christian female native of Salerno who pursues a medical career
  • Leah Sara Garcia – from an older generation than Rebecca; she completed her studies at Salerno’s medical school, but went on to a traditional Jewish life as mother of many children
  • Baruch Mendoza – patriarch of a prominent Jewish family in Salerno; he plays a key role in the story

Strengths:

  • Engaging plot
  • Distinct, interesting characters
  • Offers readers a window on a place and era unfamiliar to many

Weakness:

This is an inspiring story, but Rebecca’s good fortunes may not strike all readers as credible. 

Content review:

References to sexual violence in the later part of the story may disturb some readers.

My recommendation:

If you enjoy journeying with a bold heroine to discover a distant, unfamiliar time and place, and at the same time solving a murder case, Rebecca of Salerno will provide an enjoyable and educational reading experience.

Reader, have you read a novel about this era that you’ve enjoyed?