The Diplomat's Wife [Paperback]

Pam Jenoff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2008

Love was not a luxury Marta Nedermann could afford during the war. But with the Nazis defeated, her life takes a surprising turn when she meets Paul, a handsome American soldier. Their whirlwind romance is cut short when his troop is deployed, but promises of marriage and a rendezvous in London bolster Marta s spirits. Then, tragically, a plane crash claims Paul s life, and Marta is left alone to discover to her delight and dismay that she is pregnant.

Now, two years later, Marta has picked up the pieces and moved on. She has started over in London with her husband, a British diplomat, with whom she shares a companionable, if passionless, marriage. Simon asks her no questions, and Marta is happy to keep close her memories of Paul and let her deeds of the past remain unspoken.

But Marta s new life is anything but simple. A new war has been brought home to her doorstep: Communist loyalists have infiltrated British intelligence, and the one person who holds the key to exposing the leak is connected to Marta s past. There is a traitor amongst them who needs to prevent Marta s involvement, and no one not her former friends or current lover can be trusted.

In this dramatic follow-up to her international bestselling debut novel,
Pam Jenoff explores the sacrifices and heartbreak that come
in a time of uneasy peace and rising paranoia, when love and
desperation can make liars of us all.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Jenoff's stirring sequel to her debut, The Kommandant's Girl, chronicles the perilous post-WWII adventures of Marta Nederman, a member of the Polish resistance and best friend of the earlier book's heroine. When the Allies liberate Dachau, where Marta has been imprisoned and tortured by the Gestapo, Paul Mattison, a handsome American soldier, tenderly gives the weakened Marta a drink of water. Later, at a refugee camp outside Salzburg, Austria, Marta befriends Rose, another recovering survivor. After Rose's sudden death, Marta is able to use Rose's visa to travel to London. When en route Marta runs into Paul in Paris, the passion between the pair ignites. They promise to meet in two weeks, but tragedy ensues when Paul's plane crashes in the English Channel. Pregnant with Paul's baby, Marta marries Simon Gold, a British diplomat. Two years later, Marta goes on a dangerous mission to Poland, where a Communist takeover is imminent and where the seesaw plot takes more than one surprise twist. Historical romance fans will be well rewarded. (May)
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From Booklist

After working in the Jewish resistance in Kraków, Poland, Marta Nedermann is rescued from a Nazi prison by American soldiers. A simple gesture of human comfort by a soldier named Paul is etched in her mind, and when she sees him again in a camp for displaced persons in Salzburg, Marta is overjoyed. They meet again in Paris and become engaged, only to have Paul die in a plane crash. Marta is now scared, pregnant, and alone in a strange city. Simon Gold, an English diplomat, needs her language skills, and he wants her as well. They marry, and two years later, the English government taps Marta for help in finding a traitor in the British intelligence corps, sending her on an undercover mission that entails revisiting her past. Jenoff gives readers a thrilling and intense look at the beginning of the cold war as well as a heartrending love story about two very brave people as she continues the story of the heroic resistance members from The Kommandant’s Girl (2007). --Patty Engelmann

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: Mira Books; Original edition (May 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0778325121
• ISBN-13: 978-0778325123
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #88,679 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Pam Jenoff attended George Washington University, Cambridge University in the U.K., where she received a masters in history, and the University of Pennsylvania Law School. A former Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Army and State Department officer, she lives in Philadelphia, where she works as an attorney.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely a Page Turner!!, July 15, 2008

By 

Dream Reader - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Diplomat's Wife (Paperback)

I thought this book was excellent. It grabbed me from the first page and I practically read the entire book in one sitting. I simply couldn't put it down. I thought the characters were well developed and the story line twists were always exciting. The setting of the story, post WW II Europe, was also very interesting. There aren't alot of contemporary novels (that I'm aware of) that showcase what happened after the war ended and communism began to take over in the east. The author did a great job of balancing between historical elements and fictionalization. The story was also very romantic. Loved it!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A page turner - but not as good as the Kommandant's Girl, November 13, 2008

By 

C. Francis "Always looking for a good book" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Diplomat's Wife (Paperback)

There is no doubt Jenoff has found her niche in the world of books. For WWII historical fiction, they are an enjoyable read; but, they lack much beyond that. However, with that said, they will hold your attention and you will find her characters easy enough to like. Personally, I love to travel and have been to most of the places in the novels and she is excellent at bringing those places to life again and again throughout her stories.

I was glad she decided to write a sequel to the first book (the better of the two) and I flew through the story in two evenings. I did feel, however, that not as much thought to detail and plot was given to her latest installment. At times, it was so predictable and unrealistic that I just wanted to turn ahead to get through the passage. I never fully believed in the relationship between Paul and Marta. I wanted to...I really did...but this book at times seemed like a "formula" no better than a Harlequin romance. Like her other book, there is a "mystery" element that holds the attention of the reader; however, this book was so predictable that it felt like her publisher might have rushed her into completing this one too quickly after the success of Kommandant's Girl.

I don't want you to think I hated the book. I didn't. It was just what I consider to be "entertainment." I didn't really have to think about much with this novel. I hope Jenoff continues to write because ultimately she can be a good storyteller. I just hope she takes more time with the next book and uses her natural gift as a writer to become more fully developed.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars cheaper to buy a Harlequin, August 2, 2011

By 

Evi Adams (Israel) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Diplomat's Wife (Kindle Edition)

As others have commented the first part was the best.
After that it truly was one unbelievable scene after another.

Towards the end the word 'boring' kept spinning in my head.

Yet another, not worth the money, book.