Some Girls, Some Hats and Hitler: A True Love Story Rediscovered by Trudi Kanter

Some Girls, Some Hats and Hitler: A True Love Story Rediscovered by Trudi Kanter
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Goodreads: The astonishing true journey of Trudi Kanter, an Austrian Jew, whose courage, resourcefulness, and perseverance kept both her and her beloved safe during the Nazi invasion is a rediscovered masterpiece.

In London, in 1984, Trudi Kanter's remarkable memoir was published by N. Spearman. Largely unread, it went out of print until it was re-discovered by a British editor in 2011 and now, for the first time, it is available to readers everywhere. 

In 1938, Trudi Miller, stunningly beautiful, chic, and charismatic, was a hat designer for the best-dressed women in Vienna. She frequented cafes. She had suitors. She flew to Paris to see the latest fashions. And she fell deeply in love with Walter Ehrlich, a charming and romantic businessman. But as Hitler’s tanks roll into Austria, the world this young Jewish couple knows and loves collapses leaving them desperate to find a way to survive. 

Some Girls, Some Hats and Hitler is an enchanting true story that moves from Vienna to Prague to blitzed London, as Trudi seeks safety for her and Walter amid the horror engulfing Europe. In prose that cuts straight to the bone, Trudi Kanter has shared her indelible story. Some Girls, Some Hats and Hitler is destined to become a World War II classic.

My thoughts: The overall story is interesting but the writing style is horrible. Difficult to follow direction of thought as situations require interpretation that is not common knowledge in today's society and country. There is a lot if self promotion of author's sexual prowess and desirability. It didn't relate to the storyline, in most cases and seemed self congratulatory. At the same time, the author's "true love" tended toward vanity as well. She didn't trust him with fidelity and it seemed to almost be a contest to see who could garner the most attention from the opposite sex. Very distracting from the other storyline.

The storyline of how Trudi figured out how to save herself and those closest to her is interesting. I was also unaware that England interned possible enemies of the state in deplorable camps in Liverpool.

Quick read and educational. I found the extraneous information to either exhibit a great deal of vanity and misguided drama or a huge cultural chasm.

 *I received a free copy of this book from publishing company in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.