David Gillham: City of Women

I also want to thank my copy editor, David Koral, for burnishing every syllable of every page; Liz Stein at Amy Einhorn Books for all her invaluable assistance; my writing consultant, Carol Epstein of the Vernon Street Writing Group, who acted as my sounding board throughout the drafts; my first writing teacher at USC, Shelly Lowenkopf, who set me upon this course of novel-writing; and my parents, Charles and Marcia Gillham, plus my sister, Lisa Curtiss Gillham, for providing me with a childhood home where artistic accomplishment was truly valued.

And, of course, I must thank my wife, Ludmilla Pavlova-Gillham, who continues to be my touchstone in all things.

“David Gillham’s excellent new novel, City of Women , is built on one of the most extraordinary and faithful re-creations of a time in history—Berlin in World War II—that I’ve ever read.”

“In this moving and masterful debut, David Gillham brings war-torn Berlin to life and reveals the extraordinary mettle of women tested to their limits and beyond. Powerful and piercingly real. You won’t soon forget these characters.”

“Haunting and sensual, City of Women is a story of survival, of the unfathomable choices made and consequences suffered by those pushed to the brink. David Gillham has depicted a little-known aspect of the war with humanity and grace.”

“If you enjoy beautiful story telling, gripping suspense, and a distractingly romantic plot, this is the book for you! An exciting, page turning read!”

“ City of Women is a big, brilliant, passionate book, a masterful evocation of Hitler’s Berlin in all its claustrophobia, duplicity, and fear. This is a thriller of searing intensity… I found it utterly compelling.”

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Copyright © 2012 by David R. Gillham

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Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Gillham, David R.

City of women / David R. Gillham.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-1-101-59934-1

1. Berlin (Germany)—History—1918–1945—Fiction. 2. Women—Germany—Berlin—Fiction. 3. Military spouses—Fiction. 4. Nazis—Fiction. I. Title.

PS3607.I44436C58 2012 2012011002

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

While the author has made every effort to provide accurate telephone numbers and Internet addresses at the time of publication, neither the publisher nor the author assumes any responsibility for errors, or for changes that occur after publication. Further, the publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.