The Diplomat's Wife

Starred review from March 17, 2008
Jenoff’s stirring sequel to her debut, The Kommandant’s Girl
, chronicles the perilous post-WWII adventures of Marta Nederman, a member of the Polish resistance and best friend of the earlier book’s heroine. When the Allies liberate Dachau, where Marta has been imprisoned and tortured by the Gestapo, Paul Mattison, a handsome American soldier, tenderly gives the weakened Marta a drink of water. Later, at a refugee camp outside Salzburg, Austria, Marta befriends Rose, another recovering survivor. After Rose’s sudden death, Marta is able to use Rose’s visa to travel to London. When en route Marta runs into Paul in Paris, the passion between the pair ignites. They promise to meet in two weeks, but tragedy ensues when Paul’s plane crashes in the English Channel. Pregnant with Paul’s baby, Marta marries Simon Gold, a British diplomat. Two years later, Marta goes on a dangerous mission to Poland, where a Communist takeover is imminent and where the seesaw plot takes more than one surprise twist. Historical romance fans will be well rewarded.

April 15, 2008
In this successful and satisfying second novel (after "The Kommandant's Girl"), Marta Nedermann is rescued from torture and interrogation at a Nazi prison by Paul, an American soldier, at the end of the war. Sent to a hospital and relocation camp, Marta reunites with Paul, only to be separated again when Paul is killed in a plane crash and Marta, using a dead woman's visa, escapes to London. Alone, pregnant, and desperate, Marta marries Simon Gold, a kindly British diplomat. Marta's history as a Resistance fighter and Simon's job in the Foreign Office pull her into the intelligence game and a dangerous mission in Prague. Jenoff explores the immediate aftermath of World War II with sensitivity and compassion, shedding light on an often overlooked era of European history. She expertly draws out the tension and illustrates the danger and poverty of Eastern Europe as it falls under communism. Highly recommended for all fiction collections.Jessica E. Moyer, Coll. of Education & Human Development, Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2008
After working in the Jewish resistance in Krakw, Poland, Marta Nedermann is rescued from a Nazi prison by American soldiers. A simple gesture of human comfortby a soldier named Paul is etched in her mind, and when she sees him again in a camp for displaced persons in Salzburg, Marta is overjoyed. They meet again in Paris andbecome engaged, only to have Paul die in a plane crash. Marta is now scared, pregnant, and alone ina strange city.Simon Gold, an English diplomat, needs her language skills, and hewants her as well.They marry, andtwo years later, the English government taps Marta for help in finding a traitor in the British intelligence corps, sending her on an undercover mission that entailsrevisiting her past. Jenoff givesreaders a thrilling and intense look at the beginning of the cold war as well as a heartrending love story about two very brave people as she continues the story of the heroic resistance members from The Kommandants Girl (2007).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)