Hitler's Women

Rating:
Summary: Another pop biography on Hitler
Review: Guido Knopp is quite famous in Germany as a pop biographer and filmmaker on Hitler. His many films on the Fuehrer have some merit, but his abilities as an author are limited, to say the least. This effort is not helped by a poor translation. I've read the book in its original German, and it loses quite a bit in the English version.

If you know little about Hitler and women, this might be an enjoyable book, though Knopp (weirdly) focuses mostly on women who had a platonic relationship with him. Eva Braun is the only women profiled who actually consumated her relationship with Hitler. Glaringly absent are a long line of Hitler's lovers: Geli Raubal, Jenny Haug, Suzi Liptauer, Mimi Reiter and others. His chapter on Bayreuth legend Winifred Wagner is the highlight of the book, though he inexplicably doesn't quote from her many, fascinating, interviews about Hitler.

The book is a decidedly mixed bag and for people with a serious background on the epoch, it's something of a waste of time.

Rating:
Summary: Rather interesting....
Review: I just finished this book today, and I must say, it is pretty good. I like the angle of it. The book is basically composed of six "mini-bios" of the prominent women surrounding Hitler during his ascension to power, and throughout the 12 Year Reich.

The most intriguing character in this book was a toss up between Leni Riefenstahl and Winifred Wagner. Both had incredible influence upon Hitler, but I think Winifred had the most personal relationship. I sincerely believe that Hitler would have probably married Winifred eventually if she had not already been betroved. In her bio, you could really sense the personal relationship between the two, and how this played out during the Wagner festivals at Bayreuth during those years.

On the other hand, Hitler's relationship to Riefenstahl was much more on a professional level. Hitler appreciated Leni's artistic value, and used it to his advantage as long as she would let him. Leni Riefenstahl will always have a place among the greatest filmakers that has ever lived. Her genius in filmaking will definitely never be forgotten. If you haven't seen TRIUMPH OF THE WILL...that is a movie you should rent. The sheer emotion of it will have you wanting to see more of her...no translation needed.

As for the other ladies, Knopp treats them just as well, but it seems as if Wagner and Riefenstahl just stood out more. The bio on Marlene Dietrich was especially good, and Zarah Leander also led a pretty interesting life. I had never heard of Leander before reading this book. Magda Goebbels was quite an evil woman, and Eva Braun was just a plain ol' airhead....and my least favorite.

A couple things did stand out in Knopp's assessment. Most of these women were artistic types. Besides Eva Braun, all were either artists, musicians, and/or movie stars. This is quite interesting since Hitler loved art, and aspired to be an artist himself before taking on politics. Also, for women to be so artistic seems a bit contradictory to the Nazi standard of the "perfect Aryan woman", whose job was to produce children for the Reich and remain behind the scenes. None of these ladies fit the blonde haired, blue eyed ideal of the Aryan lady. Eva Braun would be the closest to it, I would imagine, due to her airheaded-ness and physical attributes.

All in all, this was a very interesting and revealing book. Knopp did his research well, and there are extensive notes and quotes throughout. The only complaint is that the quotes within each section that are listed through the text make it somewhat hard to read....and makes your eyes have to skip around the page. Also, the transition has rendered a few places of improper sentence structure or missing words in the text. Other than that, this book is really great....and you should try it! You might like it!

Rating:
Summary: Rather interesting....
Review: I just finished this book today, and I must say, it is pretty good. I like the angle of it. The book is basically composed of six "mini-bios" of the prominent women surrounding Hitler during his ascension to power, and throughout the 12 Year Reich.

The most intriguing character in this book was a toss up between Leni Riefenstahl and Winifred Wagner. Both had incredible influence upon Hitler, but I think Winifred had the most personal relationship. I sincerely believe that Hitler would have probably married Winifred eventually if she had not already been betroved. In her bio, you could really sense the personal relationship between the two, and how this played out during the Wagner festivals at Bayreuth during those years.

On the other hand, Hitler's relationship to Riefenstahl was much more on a professional level. Hitler appreciated Leni's artistic value, and used it to his advantage as long as she would let him. Leni Riefenstahl will always have a place among the greatest filmakers that has ever lived. Her genius in filmaking will definitely never be forgotten. If you haven't seen TRIUMPH OF THE WILL...that is a movie you should rent. The sheer emotion of it will have you wanting to see more of her...no translation needed.

As for the other ladies, Knopp treats them just as well, but it seems as if Wagner and Riefenstahl just stood out more. The bio on Marlene Dietrich was especially good, and Zarah Leander also led a pretty interesting life. I had never heard of Leander before reading this book. Magda Goebbels was quite an evil woman, and Eva Braun was just a plain ol' airhead....and my least favorite.

A couple things did stand out in Knopp's assessment. Most of these women were artistic types. Besides Eva Braun, all were either artists, musicians, and/or movie stars. This is quite interesting since Hitler loved art, and aspired to be an artist himself before taking on politics. Also, for women to be so artistic seems a bit contradictory to the Nazi standard of the "perfect Aryan woman", whose job was to produce children for the Reich and remain behind the scenes. None of these ladies fit the blonde haired, blue eyed ideal of the Aryan lady. Eva Braun would be the closest to it, I would imagine, due to her airheaded-ness and physical attributes.

All in all, this was a very interesting and revealing book. Knopp did his research well, and there are extensive notes and quotes throughout. The only complaint is that the quotes within each section that are listed through the text make it somewhat hard to read....and makes your eyes have to skip around the page. Also, the transition has rendered a few places of improper sentence structure or missing words in the text. Other than that, this book is really great....and you should try it! You might like it!