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Welcome to the online book club for
The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck.

I just finished the book late last night and I was thoroughly engrossed in the story. Just when I wanted to find out something about The Women in the Castle, the plot would include that, which kept my attention. While there are many WWII historical fiction books, this one is different by dealing with three women who each deal with the Nazi regime in a different way and are tied to how their husbands chose to act. The underlying question is what do you do when you know there is evil going on? What does it mean to know?

You can discuss the questions in the comments section below on the blog or join us on Facebook.

Thanks for joining us!

October’s book will be The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb by Melanie Benjamin with discussion on October 25. More details are on the Online Book Club page.

(Questions today are courtesy of LitLovers.)

1. What does the novel reveal about the method and degree of Hitler’s appeal to the German populace? In what way does it address the most problematic question of the War: how the German people allowed themselves to be swept away by Hitler and Nazi propaganda. Just as important, how much—and at what point—did ordinary citizens truly know about the impoundment and murder of Europe’s Jewish population.

2. Describe each of the three women—Marianne, Ania, and Benita. Talk about their different views of the Hitler regime as it unfolded and their various reasons for supporting it. What was each woman’s role, or position, in German society, and how did each experience the war? What about the years after the war?

3. (Follow-up to Question 2) Which woman’s story do you find most compelling, frightening, or horrifying? Are you more sympathetic toward one than the other two?

4. Most of the recent books about World War II focus on the horrors of the holocaust, and for good reason. Yet ordinary Germans also suffered, especially as the war neared the end. What was it like for the country as Nazism collapsed? Consider the population at large, but most particularly the women at Burg Lingenfels. How are the three of them luckier than most survivors?

5. What roles do hope…denial…and forgiveness play in this novel? Is Jessica Shattuck’s book an attempt to somehow exonerate the citizens who supported Hitler’s rise to power?

6. Has reading The Women in the Castle, changed in any way your understanding of World War II?

Thank you for reading with us and stopping by to discuss The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck!

Join us in October to discuss The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb by Melanie Benjamin!