Eva Braun: Life With Hitler

I recently finished this book and have since been stuck on how to give it a fair rating and review. I think the best summary is that I was left wanting for more. Although this book is presented as a biography on Eva Braun, as well as her influence within the Third Reich there is a far more substantial thesis to be found. First and foremost the reader must understand that this is not a true biography. It's very clear early on that there is very little substantial information written on Braun. This is not the author's fault. In an effort to fill in the blanks the author instead delves into the wives of some of Hitlers inner circle who were often with Braun. In this regard I believe the author missed what could have truly been an excellent book. She proposes that the women around Hitler her almost as, if not just as complicate as the men. What I believe would have made a far better read is if that had been the focus of the book, instead of Eva Braun exclusively. It feels like a missed opportunity since there isn't a lot of focus on how the Nazi regime was supported by the women. Still, I found the book very interesting. The author did not shy away from presenting Hitler as he was nor did they allow too much bias to leak through their writing. Hopefully the topics of this book will be revisited so there may be more understanding of the roles of the wives within Hitlers inner circle.