V.S. Alexander

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

The Taster

Lacy W

You can find this review and others like it at aravenclawlibraryx.wordpress.com

tw: murder, rape holocaust horrors (everything horrible related to the holocaust), suicide, attempted poisonings, actual poisoning, attempted murder, murder of dogs, anti Semitism, bombings

As you all know or may not know, I am very much into Holocaust and World War II books. I love reading about how people overcome such evil and help others to make sure that kind of evil never happens again. I love the stories of triumph. They give me hope in this bleak world we live in. Most of the Holocaust/WWII books I have read have been related to the concentration camps, which, don’t get me wrong, they are good books (most of them are) but sometimes I like to read about survival on the other side. The ones that fight the evil from within. 

And this book delivered that in spades. I had this book saved in my Overdrive (which is a truly blessed app that everyone should have on their Kindle) and I decided to give it a shot in an effort to get the list cleaned out. The synopsis had me intrigued and I wanted to know more about it. In short, I. Loved. This. Book. Everything about it was amazing. The main character was great, the story was heart wrenching and the writing was beautiful. I could yell all day long about how fantastic this book was. 

Magda was the main character and let me tell you, her growth in a short amount of time that this book took place (it spanned the course of the war; 1939 to 1945) was amazing. In case you didn't know, I love a good character growth in a book. Magda started off kind of whiny and a little bit spoiled, as she was a young adult at the time of the war starting. Quickly, she changed her tune and grew up to be a very strong and courageous woman. She excluded strength in desperate times and never lost who she was as a person despite the atrocities she faced. I was truly amazed at how well she adapted to being a taste for Hitler. I would have lost my nerve if I ever had to do such a job. She will be on my list as one of my favorite main characters, simply because of how strong she is. 

The plot was what drew me into the book. How often do you see a book written about a taster? I have yet to see another one, to be honest. Like I mentioned above, Magda was a taster for Hitler. What that means is she tasted the food Hitler and his officials would eat to ensure it was not poisoned. Hitler was obsessed with the Allies poisoning his food. To me, having that job would just straight up suck. I mean sure, the chances of poison actually getting into the food was very slim as Hitler surrounded himself with nothing but incredibly loyal and blind followers but there is always that chance. I wondered, while reading this book, if it’s based on true events. I will have to do a bit more research to see if it is. 

I do have one teeny tiny complaint about this otherwise amazing book. That complaint would be the ending. It felt kind of rushed to me, like as if V.S Alexander realized he needed to quickly wrap things up as the book was getting to be a bit longer. The last 100 pages or so, events seemed to happen at breakneck speed when before they had gone at a leisurely pace. It just felt off and threw the pacing of the book way off. It was one of the reasons why I rated this book 4 (four) stars instead of 5 (five) like I was originally going too. 

Overall, everyone needs to check this book out. I can’t believe that it isn’t more popular. Be assured I’ll make sure this book will be known. Everybody, seriously, check this book out! You don’t have to be super interested in WWII like I am. It has a great plot line that would appeal to readers of all different types.

V. S. Alexander

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 F�hrer'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

Barbara Williford

Magda is a young woman trying to survive Nazi Germany. She is pressured into service as one of Hitler’s tasters. The more she is around the Fuhrur, the more her eyes are opened to the realities of the war and how it is harming the people of Germany. Through her journey she does everything she can just to survive and come out of it alive.

Trigger warnings: travesties of WW2 including violence, details of concentration camps, violence against women including rape.

Lisa Benavides

I couldn’t put this book down. Suspenseful, heartbreaking and perseverance in a time of destruction. This book had me on an emotional rollercoaster. I was so captivated with the story I felt as if I was in it. This is the story of a young girl who , without her knowing before being hired, was assigned the task of tasting Hitler’s meals in case someone was trying to poison him. Along the way, she falls in love and is intertwined in having to hide her true feelings about the Reich to save her own life and show her support for The Führer. I’m giving this one 5 stars!

Mariya Tuchinskaya 

When I first picked up "The Taster" I didn't realize that this was based on a true story. Although Magda Ritter is a fictional character, her story is partially based upon the account provided by Margaret Wolk, one of Hitler's food tasters who chose to share her story with the world in the late 2000s. Considering the countless atrocities committed by the Nazis, I supposed I shouldn't have been surprised that Hitler would find nothing wrong with needlessly putting the lives of his staff at risk by employing food tasters. 

In terms of the plot itself I felt that the author did an incredible job of depicting the horrors of the Nazi regime while also highlighting the fact that not all Germans were in favor of those in power. The fact that Magda and her family are not party members is mentioned multiple times and in fact, her father is portrayed as being vehemently against Hitler. The atmosphere of fear and mistrust is pervasive everywhere. Magda's mother at one point cautions her father against making certain comments. More than once Magda is told that certain things should never be questioned or spoken off. The SS and the Gestapo are unsurprisingly portrayed as terrifying. Once Magda and her husband become involved in conspiracies against Hitler and his regime the atmosphere becomes even darker. All this serves to enforce the fact that the Nazis didn't have the support of the entire country and kept power through a mix of fear and intimidation. Not even their own people were safe from reprisals if they stepped out of line.

While there are definitely many difficult and even horrifying moments in "The Taster", I felt that at its core this was a story about love and hope even in the darkest of times. Magda manages to find the love of her life and it is only thanks to her love for her husband that she is able to keep going when she is sent to a forced labor camp, when her parents are killed and while surviving the fall of Berlin. And even when she is at her lowest Magda is able to find other kind and compassionate people who help her to survive. Though I often got chills while reading "The Taster", I was warmed to read about the people who helped Magda, because it served as a reminder that it is always possible to find good people even when it seems incredibly unlikely. 

Overall, I give this book a 5 out of 5. I think it's incredibly important to remember how the actions of a tyrant can bring suffering to millions of people and this book does a great show casing that.

For more reviews like this check out my blog at reviewsbym.com

The Taster

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