Munich & Vienna, 1932. Aspiring opera singer Angelika Eder thought she had it all — a cultured life in Vienna, along with the guidance of her glamorous mother, a world-famous soprano.

But when tragedy strikes and her mother dies amidst a swirling family scandal, eighteen-year-old Angelika finds herself uprooted to Munich, where civil unrest is rife and leaders of the increasingly powerful Nazi Party seek to use her voice as propaganda.

Genre: Historical | Romance | Women’s Fiction

When a figure from her mother’s past offers Angelika the chance to study and sing at an elite Viennese university, she decides to fight for her dream while evading the vile Nazis she despises. But the Nazis aren’t relenting in their demand that Angelika support their party and sing for Hitler himself. Can Angelika find her voice and stand against evil, even if it means risking not only her dreams of fame, but also the safety of herself and everyone she loves?

My Review

My late mother and grandmother were both born in Bucharest, into a Jewish family. In around 1930 when my mother was fifteen they moved to Vienna. On one occasion, they were at a performance by the renowned Austrian tenor Richard Tauber. They were tear gassed in the theatre. By 1938, the situation for Jews was so bad that they escaped to London and were then evacuated to Cheltenham where I was born. Tauber also fled to London in 1938, having had his music banned in 1937 and his passport taken away. He eventually died in London aged just 56. But I digress.

I mention this because it was why I wanted to read this book. Would I get a feel for the city where my mother lived? I visited when I was 12 with my father and brother. I clearly remember Schönbrunn Palace, and the Prater wheel which my mother said she could see from her bedroom window.

In 1932, when we first meet Angelika Eder and her family in Munich, the rise of the Nazis was simmering in the background. Hitler was persuading German citizens that their poverty and lack of jobs was due to the immigrants – ie the Jews. – sound familiar? If you tell people something enough times they will believe you. Angelika is engaged to Kurt von Hügel, but secretly in love with Erich Bauer whose father is a staunch Nazi and regularly beats Erich for his own anti-Nazi views. Personally I didn’t want her to marry either. Far too young.

The book moves between Munich and Vienna and also Lake Fuschl near Saltzburg, which is where we stayed when I was twelve and visited again a few years ago. Saltzburg is all very Sound of Music these days.

Angelika is an opera singer whose mother was the world famous soprano Clara Eder. Clara was married to Rudolf Eder, to a cold-hearted businessman, but in love with Viennese opera director Daniel Weiss, a Jew, who Angelika believes to be her real father. The scandal led Clara to take her own life, leaving Angelika and twin brother Andreas inconsolable. While Angelika adores Daniel, Andreas blames him for their mother’s death.

The rise of the Nazi party is always simmering in the background. It’s quite subtle initially and I think it could have been much harsher, but then I suppose in 1932 it wasn’t really up to speed yet, just sewing the seeds of anger and discontent that would escalate by the end of the decade. An enjoyable read but I could probably have done without the ‘romance’ but that’s just me.

Many thanks to @lovebookstours for inviting me to be part of #TheDivasDaughter blog tour.

About the Author

Heather Walrath is an author crafting new stories while celebrating the release of her debut historical novel, The Diva’s Daughter. Whether they are standing against evil in fractious 1930s Europe or solving a sticky bootlegging mystery in Prohibition-era America, Heather’s relatable heroines make the past accessible and engaging for modern readers. She holds a master’s degree in publishing and a bachelor’s degree in journalism.

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