Based on the authorâs discoveries about her great-grandfather, this stunning debut novel that âpowerfully portrays the inner struggles of ordinary people moved to do extraordinary thingsâ (Booklist) takes place over three days during World War II when members of a German family must make âthe sometimes impossible choice between family and moralityâ (Helen Simonson, author of Major Pettigrewâs Last Stand).
When World War II breaks out, Edith and Oskar Eberhardt move their familyâtheir daughter, Marina; son-in-law, Franz; and their granddaughtersâout of Berlin to the quiet town of Blumental, near Switzerland. A member of the Fuhrerâs cabinet, Oskar is gone most of the time, and Franz begins fighting in the war, so the women of the house are left to their quiet lives in the village.
But life in Blumental isnât as idyllic as it appears. An egotistical Nazi captain terrorizes the citizens heâs assigned to protect. Neighbors spy on each other. Some mysteriously disappear. Marina has a lover who also has close ties to her family and the government. Thinking none of them share her hatred of the Reich, she joins a Protestant priest smuggling Jewish refugees over the nearby Swiss border. The latest âpackageâ is two Polish girls, and against her better judgment, Marina finds she must hide them in the Eberhardtâs cellar. Everything is set to go smoothly until Oskar comes home with the news that the FĂźhrer will be visiting the area for a concert, and he will be making a house call on the Eberhardts.
âWith jaw-clenching suspense and unexpected tendernessâ (Jacquelyn Mitchard), The Good at Heart is an âengagingâŚrichâŚevocativeâ (Library Journal) portrait of a family torn between doing their duty for their country and doing whatâs right, especially for those they love.