Customer Reviews

The Diplomat's Wife

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

The two stars I gave this book are all for the beginning. We meet Marta, an undeniably strong young Jewish woman, who has fought with an anti-Nazi insurgency and then captured, imprisoned and beaten for months by Nazis. But she refuses to give up any information. Just when she can't go on any longer, the Nazis are defeated, the prison is liberated and she meets Paul, a handsome American soldier who finds her in her cell. So far, so good. I like this Marta, and can understand her attraction to her savior.
But then the coincidences start to fall thick and fast, one right after the other, and eventually you are pretty much convinced that WWII must have killed off absolutely everyone except about six people, because these same people run into one another just about everywhere: castles in Austria, cafes in Paris, gardens in London, the streets of Munich, and best of all, deep in the woods somewhere near a train track, close to a border!
I found it impossible to truly connect with any of the characters because they were all so clichéd and the coincidences were so unbelievable. Worst of all was Marta, who transforms from a tough fighter into a mousy shadow of herself, supposedly due to the shock of Paul's death - I found myself disbelieving that a woman who held strong against the Nazis, who had faced the loss of her entire family with courage, who had fought with conviction, would lose that strength so readily and take to her bed weeping while the kindly English matron in the conveniently large house brought her trays of nourishing food.
Maybe some would argue that Marta found strength again through her unusual assignment...but I would say nope. She just found Michael, one of the six survivors of WWII. Together they take on the world- luckily there are only a few others left. What happened to Paul? Oh, I'll leave that for you to find out.

This is, without question, one of the WORST books I have ever read. As someone else commented, the style of writing is that of a beginner, not a best selling author. I feel ripped off. I read "The Kommandant's Girl" and really enjoyed it - when I first started "The Diplomat's Wife", I was happy to see that this was basically a continuation of it. After the first chapter, my happiness changed to major disappointment. I only finished this book because I felt I had to, seeing as I bought it. Had I borrowed it from a library, I would have returned it unread. The plot is so predictable and far-fetched. I've seen better writing and plots in Harlequin Romance novels that I used to read when I was a teenager...40 yrs ago! Don't waste your money or time.

The characters of this book are one dimensional and missing of depth, everything seems superficial and the love story between Paul and Marta is unrealistic. The story kept my attention until Marta and Paul run into each other in Paris and after they spent 1 day together suddenly decided to get married. Everything was so surrealistic that give me more the feeling of an imaginary tale as an historic novel. Very disappointed.

My biggest gripe is the use of present tense. I hate that writing style.

Yes, the plot is obvious. But it's a pleasant, easy read and a nice library book for a rainy afternoon. It's not great literature, but it is enjoyable. I just wish the characters were better developed, the descriptions more thorough, and the past tense in use. If you liked the Kommandant's girl, you'll probably enjoy this, too.

Although Pam Jenoff's "The Diplomat's Wife" is a sequel to her novel "The Kommandant's Girl," and can be read as a stand alone, I recommend that you read the books in order for optimal enjoyment - if one can "enjoy" books about the Holocaust.

It is 1945 and the Nazis have been defeated. Marta Nederman, survivor of the Krakow Ghetto, was a member of the Polish resistance and played an important role in the first book. The novel opens with Marta, half dead from torture, exposure and lack of food, in a Gestapo prison at Dacheau. Perhaps she has been there months or years, she doesn't know as she has lost all sense of time. When the concentration camp is liberated, she is found by American soldier, Paul Mattison. He is to appear again and again in "The Diplomat's Wife," as an important character

Marta is quickly moved to a hospital camp run by the Allies in Salzburg. Here some refugees recover, many others die. At the hospital Marta meets nurse Dava, and Rose, a terminally ill patient with an incurable blood disease. Rose and Marta become close friends and Marta learns that if Rose becomes strong enough, she can be moved to England where she would receive better medical attention. She has an aunt in London who obtained a visa for her. But Marta has nowhere to go. She certainly cannot return to Poland. When Rose suddenly dies, Dava manages to have the visa photograph and information doctored for Marta, so she can leave the continent and start a new life in England.

Marta and Paul meet in Paris, (they had also met in Salzburg), before she takes a boat to cross the Channel. The two fall in love and plan to meet in four weeks in London, where they will take a ship to America and marry there. In lieu of an engagement ring, Paul gives Marta his dog tags. Soon afterwards, Paul's troop plane crashes - all the passengers killed. Their whirlwind romance and all their plans for the future are over. And Marta is pregnant.

After all she has been through, Marta retains some of the inner strength and resilience she possessed during the war. She is a survivor. On the boat to England, she had met a kindly British diplomat, Simon Gold. After months in Europe, he is heading back to the Foreign Office. He told Marta that the Soviets liberated most of Eastern Europe and they show little indication that they will keep their word to restore the sovereign leaders and rights to the occupied territories. As the boat was about to dock, Simon left his card with Marta, and told her to contact him in case she needed anything. Meanwhile, she stays with Delia LeMay, Rose's aunt who warmly welcomes the bedraggled refugee. Not wanting to take advantage of Delia's hospitality, she tries to sort out what she will do now.

Fortuitously and very coincidently, Marta meets Simon again. When he learns of her circumstances, (she doesn't mention her pregnancy), he offers her a job - and shortly afterwards offers her his hand in marriage. She accepts, but, as their marriage progresses, he becomes increasingly cold and distant, although he is still kind to her. Marta & Paul's baby is born, named Rachel, and seemingly Simon believes the infant is his. "The respectability that having a family brought was good for his career."

Serious international problems arise, Communist loyalists have infiltrated British intelligence, and the new mother is asked to take on a dangerous mission in eastern Europe. She is familiar with the area, speaks various eastern European languages and seems perfect for the job. So, Marta returns Poland, where a Communist takeover is imminent.

Although the plot has many twists and turns, it contains too many coincidences and inconsistencies. Unlike the previous novel, I was unable to 'bond" with the characters, who all seem one dimensional and stereotypical, except for Marta. The author's prose is labored at times and the plot and subplots bog down occasionally.

This is the third book I have read by Ms. Jenoff, and her writing is consistently uneven, although her storylines are often compelling. Flawed as the novel is, I do recommend reading it...but only if you can borrow it. It is not worth purchasing.
Jana Perskie

Defiance: The Bielski Partisans
Those Who Save Us
The Kommandant's Girl
People of the Book

Excellent story, weaves true history with an exciting plot. Enjoyed it so much, I ordered the other book, by this same author. P. Jenoff is an outstanding writer. So glad to have recently learned of her.

I was very disappointed in this book. Nothing about it was believable, from the rescue of Marta and subsequent Love-At-First-Sight meeting with Paul, to the dastardly husband, to the entrance of Dava. The dialogue was contrived, the characterizations were forced, and the plot was absurd. The only saving grace was that I was traveling when I read the book, and I certainly didn't have to concentrate or use my brain to follow the plot line. It was mindless, at best.