This week, our book club is discussing Cradles of the Reich by Jennifer Coburn, a novel that takes place in a Nazi breeding home and covers three different women's points of view.

In Editor's Choice, we bring you a review of Maggie O'Farrell's The Marriage Portrait, a work of fiction that imagines an alternate life for the 16th-century Italian figure Lucrezia de' Medici through the focus of a turbulent marriage.

You can also check out our take on the best fiction for book clubs in 2023, current and upcoming online discussions, and a new Wordplay!

With best wishes,

Davina Morgan-Witts

BookBrowse Publisher

At Heim Hochland, a Nazi breeding home in Bavaria, three women's fates are irrevocably intertwined. Gundi is a pregnant university student from Berlin. An Aryan beauty, she's secretly a member of a resistance group. Hilde, only eighteen, is a true believer in the cause and is thrilled to carry a Nazi official's child. And Irma, a 44-year-old nurse, is desperate to build a new life for herself after personal devastation. All three have everything to lose.

"This is an entrancing story of three women, strangers to each other at the beginning of the narrative, caught up in an astoundingly ugly program instituted by Nazi Germany... Though this is a work of fiction, the horrific program actually existed, and the characters’ plights are believable and intriguing. The story moves along at a clip and kept me captivated. This novel is for anyone who likes thrillers, and especially for those interested in learning about a little-known aspect of Nazi Germany." - gaylel

"I love historical fiction and in particular World War II fiction. I'm always on the lookout for stories which approach this time period from a new angle and this novel definitely did that... The sense of menace and danger were ever-present. I found the characters fascinating and I found myself flying through the pages." - darleneb

"For several years I have read fiction and nonfiction delving into the facets of Nazism but had never learned about the Lebensborn Society... I loved how the author presented opposing views of the three women living at the Lebensborn facility." - BBO

The idea of marrying for love is a startlingly recent development. It seems natural, in our society that has built stories, movies and an entire wedding industry around the idea that marriage is an expression of true love. But in earlier centuries, marriage was a political and economic arrangement with love considered, at best, a happy accident, and as Maggie O'Farrell shows in her historical novel The Marriage Portrait, those arrangements could have fatal consequences for wives.

O'Farrell brings to life early modern Italy while also masterfully inhabiting the mind of a bright yet awkward girl. The lead character and object of the portrait in the title is Lucrezia de' Medici, an actual daughter of Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, who is believed to have been born in 1545. O'Farrell presents an alternate telling of the life of this obscure yet tragic character from Renaissance history.

The book begins with Lucrezia's realization that her husband means to murder her while they're at a remote castle. The story then loops back through her childhood and adolescence, with chapters periodically jumping to her in the castle trying to avoid her husband's violent intentions. ... continued

In The Marriage Portrait, Maggie O'Farrell captures the dark personality of Alfonso II d'Este, Duke of Ferrara (a region in northern Italy), who lived from 1533 to 1597. Alfonso was the last in his family lineage, which stretched back to the 13th century. As monarchs around the world have experienced throughout history, a lack of male heirs doomed the Este dynasty — despite marrying three times, Alfonso fathered no children. Prior to the end of the line, however, the Este family produced some of the most colorful characters and generous art patrons of the Italian Renaissance.

The most notable members of the family include Ercole I (d. 1505), who became a leading patron by bringing artists to the court at Ferrara — he had a particular fondness for music and theater. His two daughters, Beatrice and Isabella, were famous in their time both for their love of fine art and for their political prowess. Beatrice died young, in 1497 at age 21, but she was the wife of the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza, and in 1495 she directed military operations against the invading French army while Ludovico recovered from a stroke.

Isabella (d. 1539) was also famous for her learning and statesmanship. As historian Margaret L. King writes in her book Women of the Renaissance, "…she had mastered Greek and Latin, the signs of serious scholarship, alongside such skills as lute-playing, dance, and witty conversation." ... continued

What novels will your book club love reading in 2023? It's never too early to start planning a spectacular lineup. To help you out, we've put together a list of fictional works being released in paperback during the first half of 2023 that have all received 5-star ratings from our reviewers.

Our list features exciting and significant debut novels, including two from authors who previously established themselves via poetry, Destiny O. Birdsong and Leila Mottley. We've also included books by writers who were already well-known and acclaimed for their fiction, like Douglas Stuart, winner of the 2020 Booker Prize, and veteran bestselling author Victoria E. Schwab. ... continued

Discussions are open to all, so please join us! If you would like to receive a message when a particular discussion opens, you can sign up for a one-time notification. You can also find inspiration for your book club among our almost 200 past discussions.

Solve our Wordplay puzzle to reveal a well-known expression, and be entered to win the book of your choice or a 6-month membership to BookBrowse!

The answer to the last Wordplay: G R T Bad R

Meaning: To be glad to be rid of someone.

According to The Random House Dictionary of America's Popular Proverbs and Sayings, the earliest known usage of this expression in the USA is in the Assex Gazette in 1771. Finding no record for the Assex Gazette, we wonder whether this is a misspelling and should read Essex Gazette (a paper of this name was in print at that time in Salem, Massachusetts).

Perhaps the more interesting topic is the use of riddance. It's a word that has fallen out of use these days pretty much across the board except in this expression. ... continued