A forbidden love. A deadly secret. `An absorbing, well-researched story that brings to life an extraordinary period in history' GILL PAUL, bestselling author of The Secret Wife
A fascinating, bold read, allowing you access to the Second World War from an unusual viewpoint. Magda Ritter tells her own story as she moves from Berlin to Hitler’s retreat The Berghof to act as the ultimate protector, Hitler’s food taster. Magda has to be prepared to give her life for the Fuhrer, yet she finds love and a social conscience in the most unlikely of places. V. S. Alexander writes with a beautiful simplicity, allowing the heart of the story to shine through. The words encourage you to imagine, to experience, to feel. Taking you into the heart of Germany during the Second World War, ‘Her Hidden Life’ is an absorbing and intriguing foray, that encouraged me to think and feel from an entirely different perspective.
| Primary Genre | Historical Fiction |
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A fight for survival that kept my intrigued until the last pages.
This is a great book. A tale of one woman's fight to survive and do what's right in some of the most difficult circumstances.
Connected (very loosely) to a real person, V.S Alexander's book shows a more human side to WWII Germany. Magda, born and raised in Berlin decides to leave the city as the dangers mount. Magda is a quiet sceptic of the National Socialist party, but she needs to find work, and with the help of her uncle (an enthusiastic party member) she finds herself in Hitler's inner circle of workers as the taster of his food.
The storyline is really interesting, letting you peek behind the curtain in to Hitler’s private life.... Read Full Review
Magda Ritter moves from her sheltered life in Berlin to work as a food taster at Hitler’s mountain retreat. The serene alpine location belies the dangers lurking around every corner.
Her Hidden Life is set in Germany in 1943 and focuses on its young heroine, Magda Ritter. Magda has led a rather sheltered life in Berlin, but is sent to live with relatives in Berchtesgaden in the Bavarian Alps, to escape the Allied bombing of Berlin. Under pressure to pay her way, and taking advantage of her uncle’s connections, Magda soon finds herself in the employment of Adolf Hitler as a food taster.
V.S. Alexander has clearly done extensive research on this period and this topic in particular. The small details of Magda’s daily life at Berghof, Hitler’s mountain retreat, ring true as we see her gradually absorbed into his inner circle. Her budding relationship with Karl Weber, a handsome SS officer, brings her further into danger when it is revealed that Karl is a member of the resistance.... Read Full Review
