The Prisoner’s Wife by Maggie Brookes

It is with great awe that I share some information about an intriguing book that is scheduled to hit bookshelves today. We are faced with hardships today, but that is nothing new to the world and this book is a perfect example of that.

Seventy-five years after Germany’s World War II surrender to the Allied forces, former journalist and BBC television producer Maggie Brookes delivers a heart-wrenching story of love and its endurance in the face of overwhelming hardship—and the lengths that we’ll go to keep it, and ourselves, alive. 

Inspired by a true story, THE PRISONER’S WIFE (Berkley Trade Paperback; On Sale May 26, 2020) is the tale of a daring deception that leads one woman into the depths of a Nazi Prisoner of War (POW) camp to be with the man she loves.

          The year is 1944 and Izabela is a Czech teenager whose family has been ripped apart by war. With her father and older brother fighting with the resistance against the Nazis, Izabela’s mother is left short-handed to run the family farm as Izabela yearns to join the fight and set off on an adventure of her own. It’s not long before such perilous fate comes her way—the Nazis supply several POWs to lend a hand with manual labor on the farm, and Izabela falls head-over-heels for Bill King, the handsome musician-turned-prisoner from England.

Under cover of the night, the lovers marry and run away to support the rebel fighters, only to be captured again by the Nazis. But Izabela is in disguise and instead of a married couple, the guards take in two young male captives—a British man, and a mute teenage boy named Algernon Cousins.

          Izabela and Bill are transported to a Nazi POW camp, where Izabela’s survival is dependent upon her ability to keep her secret under wraps. But in the midst of unimaginable horrors comes hope: the young couple are befriended by fellow prisoners who come together to protect Izabela from the worst. 

I couldn’t help but share an audio sample from THE PRISONER’S WIFE for your listening pleasure.

For those who aren’t familiar with the author, here is a bit more information about her.

Author Maggie Brookes Photo by Lyn Gregory LRPS

Maggie, a British poet and novelist, was moved to write THE PRISONER’S WIFE after hearing a story told by a British POW who survived World War II.

Though her characters are fictionalized, Maggie conducted extensive research, including visiting the sites of the former POW camps featured in this story, and driving the length of the Long March, the bitterly cold, miles-long route that German soldiers forced prisoners to trek across Northern German territory in snow and severe winter conditions.

The author’s own father was a POW and her novel sheds light on the treacherous conditions that many prisoners faced, which few people know about today.

Maggie is an advisory fellow for the Royal Literary Fund and also an Associate Professor at Middlesex University, London, England, where she has taught creative writing since 1990.  She lives in London and Whitstable, Kent and is married, with two grown-up daughters. She has published five poetry collections in the UK under her married name of Maggie Butt.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. We humans have been enduring hardships for many, many years. Doesn’t this story just touch your heart? Can you imagine what hardships the younger generation (your grandchildren, great-grandchildren) will face as adults?