The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck

I had sworn off WWII books.  For several years now, I have point blank refused to read one.

Then somebody had to go and write about the women.

Plus, a CASTLE!!!!

This is the best "war" book since Those Who Save Us.  But I am not really even sure this is a proper WAR book.  It is about three particular women and what happened to them after said war.  After their husbands are killed trying to kill Hitler in a failed coup.  One, who lives in a castle, fares pretty well and keeps her promise to look after the other wives, if she can find them.  She finds two.  Both are in pretty bad shape and both have children, and they all together form a ragtag, somewhat reluctant, family.

Marianne is queen of the castle and a righteous bitch with a huge heart but a meddling tactic.  Benita, who married Marianne's best childhood friend Constantine "Connie" Fledermann, is a shadow of her former self after her post war experiences but holds it together for her son.  And Ania and her two boys add unlikely skills to their little group once they are found and brought to the castle as well.

The book jumps around a bit and not in any consistent format.  But I admit I was a bit charmed by these women.  Annoyed, yes, but it was more about what they did to survive - each woman had her own original approach to survival and right or wrong or no matter the consequences, each one acted as she saw fit.

They are all German; they are all victims; they all have their strengths and weaknesses.  Their relationships over the years are taut, emotional and necessary.  One big reveal near the end comes on slowly so pay attention.  This book was not so much the story of finding the widows and living after the war (which is what I honestly expected), this book was a bit slow, a bit overwrought maybe, but ultimately beautifully written and a good read.  The ending was pretty perfect, even if their lives, and the lives of those they affected, were not.