The Plum Tree
The Plum Tree
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2012
Book Brief
387
Novel • Fiction
A small German village and Dachau, Germany, 1938 through World War II’s aftermath.
2012
Adult
16+ years
Super Short Summary
In 1938 Germany, seventeen-year-old domestic worker Christine Bolz dreams of life beyond her small village. Music, books, and Isaac Bauerman—the cultured son of her wealthy Jewish employers—open a window onto that wider world. But as Hitler’s regime tightens its control, a new law bars Christine from both her job and Isaac, threatening their hopes for a future together.
Emotional
Dark
Suspenseful
Romantic
Hopeful
Reviews & Readership
Review Roundup
Reviewers praise Wiseman’s vivid prose, emotionally gripping storytelling, believable characters, and uncommon focus on ordinary German civilians living under Nazi rule. Several found the novel powerful and immersive, with resilience and hope balancing its painful subject matter. Criticism centers on the opening: one reviewer felt its heavy descriptive detail and repetition delayed the story until roughly a quarter of the way through. That reviewer also found the central romance insufficiently convincing at first, while another reader considered some passages excessively flowery.
Who Should Read The Plum Tree?
This is a strong fit for readers who enjoy World War II and Holocaust historical fiction with a central romance. It will especially appeal to those interested in an intimate, less commonly portrayed view of wartime Germany: the daily pressures faced by ordinary German civilians rather than battlefield action. Expect a slower-paced, sentimental novel rather than a military thriller. Readers who value vivid prose, emotional intensity, resilient characters, and stories that balance darkness and sadness with beauty and hope should find it rewarding.
The cultured son of Christine’s wealthy Jewish employers, a university student and the young man she hopes to marry.
Christine’s mother, known to her daughter as Mutti, who works alongside Christine for the wealthy Bauerman family.
Christine’s best friend, who lends her clothes and confides that she has a romantic interest of her own, Stefan.
Christine’s sister and confidante, with whom Christine shares her feelings about Isaac while withholding their secret meetings.
Christine’s beloved grandmother, whose guiding advice is that she should bloom wherever circumstances have placed her.
Kate’s romantic interest and a supporting character connected to Christine through their friendship during the novel’s opening situation.
The daughter of Bauerman family friends whom Isaac’s parents hope he will marry, although Isaac intends to choose for himself.
387
Novel • Fiction
A small German village and Dachau, Germany, 1938 through World War II’s aftermath.
2012
Adult
16+ years
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