#BookReview The Girls of the Glimmer Factory by Jennifer Coburn @JenniferCoburn @Sourcebooks @sbkslandmark #TheGirlsOfTheGlimmerFactory #JenniferCoburn #bookmarkedbylandmark Title: The Girls of the Glimmer Factory

Author: Jennifer Coburn

Published by: Sourcebooks Landmark on Jan. 28, 2025

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 480

Format: Paperback

Source: Sourcebooks Landmark

Book Rating: 9/10

From the author of Cradles of the Reich comes a poignant and inspiring tale of resistance, friendship, and the dangers of propaganda, based on the real story of Theresienstadt, for fans of The Forest of Vanishing Stars and The German Wife.

Hannah longs for the days when she used to be free, but now, she is a Jewish prisoner at Theresienstadt, a model ghetto where the Nazis plan to make a propaganda film to convince the world that the Jewish people are living well in the camps. But Hannah will do anything to show the world the truth. Along with other young resistance members, they vow to disrupt the filming and derail the increasingly frequent deportations to death camps in the east.

Hilde is a true believer in the Nazi cause, working in the Reich Ministry of Enlightenment and Propaganda. Though they’re losing the war, Hilde hasn’t lost faith. She can’t stop the Allied bombings, but she can help the party create a documentary that will renew confidence in Hitler’s plans for Jewish containment. When the filming of Hitler Gives a City to the Jews faces production problems due to resistance, Hilde finds herself in a position to finally make a name for herself. And when she recognizes Hannah, an old childhood friend, she knows she can use their friendship to get the film back on track.


Review:

Compelling, intense, and absorbing!

The Girls of the Glimmer Factory is a charged, intriguing tale set during WWII that takes you into the lives of Hannah Kaufman, a young Jewish woman imprisoned in the Theresienstadt ghetto, and Hilde Kramer-Bischoff, a German filmmaker who is bound and determined to produce a film that shows the world the benefits of Hitler’s Nazi ideology.

The prose is fluid and rich. The characters are resilient, courageous, and strong. And the plot is a captivating tale of life, loss, love, family, survival, sacrifice, courage, selflessness, the unimaginable horrors of war, and the dangers of propaganda.

Overall, The Girls of the Glimmer Factory is an enticing, heart-tugging, atmospheric tale by Coburn that transports you to another time and place and immerses you so thoroughly into the feelings, lives, and personalities of the characters you can’t help but be fully engrossed and completely invested throughout.

 

This novel is available now.

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Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Jennifer Coburn

Jennifer Coburn is the author of Cradles of the Reich, a historical novel about three very different women living at a Nazi Lebensborn breeding home at the start of World War ll.

She has also published a mother-daughter travel memoir, We'll Always Have Paris, as well as six contemporary women's novels. Additionally, Jennifer has contributed to five literary anthologies, including A Paris All Your Own.

Jennifer lives in San Diego with her husband, William. Their daughter, Katie is currently in graduate school. When Jennifer is not going down historical research rabbit holes, she volunteers with So Say We All, a live storytelling organization, where she is a performer, producer, and performance coach. She is also an active volunteer with Reality Changers, a nonprofit that supports low-income high school students in becoming the first in their families to attend college. She specializes in college essay development, and interview prep.

Photo Credit: Killian Whitelock