Magda is a German girl, living in Berlin in 1943. She does not care one way or the other about the Reich or the Nazis; her mother supports the Nazis, but her father does not agree with Hitler or this war (but he needs to keep quiet about it). Her parents are worried for her safety, so they send her out of Berlin to live with her aunt and uncle. Magda’s aunt insists she work for her keep, but the only job she is able to find, with the help of her uncle, is for the Nazis. She is chosen to be a “taster” for Hitler. She, along with other girls/women, taste his food before he eats to be sure it isn’t poisoned. but she needs this job. The work gets more dangerous as time goes on (for various reasons). Another different perspective on WWII. This is, of course, based on real events – a mishmash of real events and real people, anyway. I thought it was very interesting. Interesting to see that not all Germans supported what Hitler and the Nazis were doing (and some, in fact, tried to sabotage what he was doing), plus interesting to see the danger that civilians (including those who did not support Hitler) in Germany also faced. (read less)

Magda is a German girl, living in Berlin in 1943. She does not care one way or the other about the Reich or the Nazis; her mother supports the Nazis, but her father does not agree with Hitler or this war (but he needs to keep quiet about it). Her parents are worried for her safety, so they send her out of Berlin to live with her aunt and uncle. Magda’s aunt insists she work for her keep, (read more)

I decided to listen to an audio version of The Taster by V. S. Alexander as I had previously read a book by this author and although it was an interesting story, I was not taken with the author’s writing. I was hoping that an audio version would be more pleasing and thankfully it was. The Taster is about Magda, a young German woman who is recruited to be one of the tasters of Adolph Hitler’s food. It was 1943 and she had been sent to Bavaria to keep her safe from the allied bombs that were starting to fall on Berlin. Needing a job she applies for the civil service and was astonished to be assigned to the Berghof, Hitler’s mountain retreat. Although not a member of the Nazi party or even a particular fan of Hitler, she is trained and soon finds herself in a position as a taster, offering herself as a shield to keep Hitler from being poisoned. She meets and falls in love with a handsome S.S. officer, and together they start to realize the atrocities that the Third Reich is responsible for and that Hitler is a madman who is only out for himself. Magda is drawn into a plot to kill Hitler and for her the last year of the war is one that tests her loyalty and safety as she follows her quest to bring about Hitler’s downfall. I was totally captivated by the story but I was unsure of how accurate it was. When I had finished listening, I read a little further about the author and the research done for the book. I found that it is loosely based on the life of an actual taster, and that the author’s timeline was accurate as to where Hitler was during the last couple of years of the war. There were however all too many areas where the history was not recorded and it is these areas where the author relied upon imagination to fill in the blanks. I feel that the concept of this story was outstanding but I am not sure that the author actually delivered a believable book. (read less)

I decided to listen to an audio version of The Taster by V. S. Alexander as I had previously read a book by this author and although it was an interesting story, I was not taken with the author’s writing. I was hoping that an audio version would be more pleasing and thankfully it was. The Taster is about Magda, a young German woman who is recruited to be one of the tasters of Adolph Hitler’s (read more)