for a title reminiscent of reality show (a la mafia wives, basketball wives etc) this book is surprisingly thorough in following the women of Hitler’s elite inner circle. it’s so interesting to see their own beliefs and fanaticism completely apart from their famous husbands (Goebbels, Göring, Himmler, etc), their involvement in the Nazi movement, and how they occupied distinct roles. we have the propaganda Nazi Mother / feminine face of the movement; hitler’s lovers w less of a psychological commitment to the final solution than an extreme personal devotion to him; ideological supporters not personally close to Hitler but who push their husbands up the ranks; and one who helped her Jewish friends evade harm when she could, claimed deniability, but benefited outrageously from the spoils and the luxury of being a top Nazi wife. the primary sources of diaries and correspondences make the read v rich in detail. No spoilers, but of course what becomes of them all is also so interesting ..!

because their stories are interwoven, it’s a bit difficult to keep up at times, as they and their husbands tend to run together — I wish I had taken notes when starting out to remember exactly /who/ reminded her spouse of his mother and who was the psuedo incel and who was the daughter of a famous nazi, etc etc. probably wouldn’t do audiobook on this but would recommend a hard copy!