On a recent trip to Berlin, I decided to mix my love of books with my desire to travel and set myself the following rule:

Every time I go on holiday, I will buy a book that is related to the town, city or country I am visiting.

So, with that in mind, ‘A Woman in Berlin’ was purchased from the gift shop at the Jewish Museum. The author of this book is unknown as it was her expressed wish to remain anonymous. Taking us through her diary entries between 20th April 1945 and 22nd June 1945, we learn of the experiences of German citizens, particularly women, and how they coped during this time.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I started reading as I’d  never really considered how the war, and the fall of Berlin to the Allies (particularly Russia), affected those living there. Reading this diary was an eye opener.

‘A Woman in Berlin’ received a lot of criticism from Germans when it was first published and I can understand why. It unashamedly details the numerous rapes of German women by Russian soldiers and the stoicism of they displayed. There are many occurrences where the author and other women openly discuss their encounters and many of them use this situation to their advantage; receiving much needed food and other necessities from their tormentors.

Through this book, we also learn of the relationships that are formed between residents and how old relationships changed. How people who once considered themselves to be ‘civilised’ were looting and fighting over supplies for their own survival. It’s a snapshot of the life of one woman and the people around her and reveals another side of the war.

Whilst I was reading this, I was conscious of the fact that some critics have questioned whether or not this was an authentic diary so I guess I was subconsciously looking for ‘clues’ that would prove it was/wasn’t. I have to say I’m very much on the “this is a real diary and not fiction” fence.

Now, you may read what I’m about to say and be like “well d’uuuuh” but what did it for me was an excerpt where the author details a conversation she had with a Russian soldier in French. She writes the conversation in French as they would have spoken and, whilst I read this, I felt myself getting slightly annoyed that there was no translation for the conversation… But why would there be? She’s simply writing in her diary, right.

What I really found interesting was my overall reaction to this book. I found myself wanting to take it out of my bag and continue reading when I was at home; in spite of it’s heavy content. For me, the author of these diaries was a strong and practical woman who got up and got on with life, even when she wasn’t sure how and I think it’s this that made me want to keep on reading to see how things ended for her. I didn’t feel I was being pulled into a depressing monologue.

I did think this was a good read and I appreciate the knowledge and insight it provides but I don’t think it’s one I would go shouting to my friends about as a must read (unless they were interested in the historical context). With that in mind, I’m going to give this one 6.5 out of 10 stars.

Happy reading xx

P.S. I’ve posted some pics below of my time in Berlin for you to enjoy 🙂