The Girls of the Glimmer Factory by Jennifer Coburn ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

 

A poignant and inspiring tale about resistance, friendship, and the dangers of propaganda, based on the real story of the Nazi "show camp" Theresienstadt.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

January 2025; Sourcebooks Landmark; 978-1728277288
audio, ebook, print (480 pages); historical fiction

This beautifully written and well-researched novel is destined to be one of the top books of 2025.  It highlights a little-known concentration camp that was used by the Nazis for propaganda purposes.  The Theresienstadt "camp-ghetto" served several purposes for the Nazis.  It was a transit camp for Jewish people that would be sent to one of the killing camps.  It was a ghetto labor camp where some people with past military service and well known artists were incarcerated.  Most importantly it was used as a propaganda tool.  In Nazi propaganda, Theresienstadt was cynically described as a "spa town" where elderly German Jews could "retire" in safety.  When the Red Cross came to visit the camp, a section of it was set up like a small village with people smiling as they did their work or watched sports.  They also made a film to prove to the world that they were not mistreating the Jewish residents at the camp.

The story is told in alternating chapters by two women who had been friends in school but now were on opposite sides.  Hannah is a young Jewish woman.  After illness kept her from sneaking out of Prague to board a ship to Palestine with her family, she and her grandfather lived together.  Her grandfather was told that they had the opportunity to go to a new settlement for privileged Jews where they would be safe until the end of the war.  They left Prague with high hopes but ended up in a ghetto that was dirty and crowded and where residents were forced to provide slave labor.  At first, Hannah believes that the war will be over soon and refuses to get involved with the resistance movement at the camp.  After several incidents, she becomes involved.  When she hears that the Nazis are going to beautify part of the camp for an upcoming visit by the Red Cross and then make a film about the beautiful camp, she and her group work on ways to disrupt the film and let the world know the real truth.  She's very surprised that an old childhood friend shows up to work on the film.  Hilde believes in the Nazi cause and is looking for a way to prove that she really values their work.  The film is a perfect way for her to prove her allegiance while she makes a name for herself.  They are both surprised when they see each other. Will their friendship help the resistance or the Nazi propaganda film? How important is friendship in a situation like this?

Be sure to read the Author's Notes at the end where she talks about the research that she did for this book and the characters that are based on real people.  This book is a look at family, love, yearning for freedom, and ultimately the results of good over evil.  I read a lot of WWII fiction and this book is one of my favorites.

Buy The Girls of the Glimmer Factory at Amazon 

Susan Roberts grew up in Michigan but loves the laid-back life at her home in the Piedmont area of North Carolina where she is three hours from the beach to the east and the mountains in the west.  She reads almost anything but her favorite genres are Southern Fiction and Historical Fiction.   

 

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