The Taster
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4.2 • 115 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
Amid the turbulence of World War II, a young German woman finds a precarious haven closer to the source of danger than she ever imagined—one that will propel her through the extremes of privilege and terror under Hitler’s dictatorship . . .
In early 1943, Magda Ritter’s parents send her to relatives in Bavaria, hoping to keep her safe from the Allied bombs strafing Berlin. Young German women are expected to do their duty—working for the Reich or marrying to produce strong, healthy children. After an interview with the civil service, Magda is assigned to the Berghof, Hitler’s mountain retreat. Only after weeks of training does she learn her assignment: she will be one of several young women tasting the Führer’s food, offering herself in sacrifice to keep him from being poisoned.
Perched high in the Bavarian Alps, the Berghof seems worlds away from the realities of battle. Though terrified at first, Magda gradually becomes used to her dangerous occupation—though she knows better than to voice her misgivings about the war. But her love for a conspirator within the SS, and her growing awareness of the Reich’s atrocities, draw Magda into a plot that will test her wits and loyalty in a quest for safety, freedom, and ultimately, vengeance.
Vividly written and ambitious in scope, The Taster examines the harrowing moral dilemmas of war in an emotional story filled with acts of extraordinary courage.
Praise for V.S. Alexander’s The Magdalen Girls
“Fans of Barbara Davis and Ashley Hay will enjoy this tenderhearted story of sinner, saints, and redemption.”
--Booklist
“Alexander has clearly done his homework. Chilling in its realism, his work depicts the improprieties long abandoned by the Catholic Church and only recently acknowledged. Fans of the book and film Philomena will want to read this.” --Library Journal
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Alexander's uneven novel depicts Hitler's final years from the perspective of one of his servants. In 1943, 25-year-old Magda Ritter is sent from Berlin to escape the Allied bombardment. She goes to live with her uncle and aunt in Berchtesgaden, where her uncle uses his connections to get Magda a government interview. Within a few weeks, Magda is driven to Hitler's Alpine retreat and only then learns that she will be one of the women who will taste his food to test it for poisons. Magda begins the novel as a fairly na ve young woman, but SS Capt. Karl Weber, whom she comes to love, reveals evidence of Nazi atrocities to her, instilling in her a hatred of Hitler. While Karl takes part in plots against Hitler, Magda does not. Her disgust with Hitler and her love for Karl (who, as a Nazi officer, feels inappropriately positioned as a romantic hero) never really translate to compelling emotional stakes, giving the story an anemic feeling. Alexander (The Magdalen Girls) has placed his fictional protagonist in a pivotal historical position but fails to make the most of it.
Customer Reviews
The Taster
This book read almost like a biography except where it didn’t. The history was good, but the circumstances of Magda’s life near Adolph Hitler were too convenient. The very end is unbelievable. I give it three stars because it was very readable