The Winter Palace

by Paul Morgan

If he had died, I would know it in my heart. In 1939, Anton, a captain in the Polish army, says goodbye to his wife, Elisabeth. He is leaving to defend their homeland against the invasion by Nazi Germany and Russia. They make a vow that – whatever happens, however much time passes – they'll meet again at the Winter Palace, their stately home in the Polish countryside. The winds of war draw them far apart. Anton is captured and sent to slave in a Siberian logging camp. He joins other POWs in a lost army that battles through snowstorms and scorching deserts in Central Asia. They finally arrive in Jerusalem, where the allies are preparing to invade Nazi-occupied Europe. Anton survives, driven by his determination to join Elisabeth again. The Winter Palace is taken over by the German army, and Elisabeth is forced to be the ‘mistress’ of a Nazi officer. She is sent to work in an army brothel but escapes to join the Polish resistance. After the war ends, Anton and Elisabeth are at the opposite ends of the world. He is mistakenly told that she is dead. After nearly going mad with grief, he emigrates to start a new life in Australia. Elisabeth, meanwhile, waits for Anton to return for months and then years. Will they ever meet again at the Winter Palace? From 1930s Europe to present-day Australia, this is a sweeping story of love that cannot be broken by time, distance, war or even death.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Russia, World War II

323 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 26, 2024

About the author

Paul Morgan is a writer, reviewer, and novelist based in Melbourne.

Born in London, he has lived in Australia for over twenty years.

Reviews

[Amanda - Mrs B's Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

*https://www.instagram.com/mrsb_book_r...

A poignant tale of armed conflict, endurance, adversity and everlasting love, The Winter Palace is a 2024 Penguin Books Australia publication from the author of Turner’s Paintbox. Crossing countries and decades with continual upheaval, The Winter Palace reminds us of the cost and the power of once in a lifetime love.

🏰Although The Winter Palace is a work of historical fiction primarily set around the World War Two conflict period, there is plenty to draw on in relation to modern warfare practices in Palestine today. Paul Morgan shines a light on life during the Second World War for his characters, who speak for so many who suffered, survived and endured during this time. Our forgotten heroes in many guises. This story goes a long way in looking at the aftermath of war, this sense of displacement and the sheer sense of loss. Jewish resettlement in Israel and other countries of concern are included in this epic tale. It really did get me thinking about the state of affairs in modern Palestine of late. Those who appreciate a well written, carefully compiled and heavily researched historical novel will find this one easy to connect to. While those who have a special interest in the Polish experience, their army and life for those left behind due to the ripple effects of the Second World War, will go forth with this one. Morgan populates his story with characters that are full of heart, so it is impossible not to get pulled into their existence for the time you spend with this novel in your hands.

🙏A huge thank you to Anna and team at @penguinbooksaus for their kindness in gifting a copy of The Winter Palace in exchange for an honest review.

[Linda (Lily) Raiti · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Winter Palace is a beautifully written novel set during the turbulent times of WWII. Reading books like this one reminds me how much I love historical fiction and why I don’t read it more often.

This heart wrenching story is told in duel POVs between Anton and Elisabeth. Newly married in and living in the Winter Palace in the beautiful Polish countryside, they sadly must seperate for Anton to fight for his country against Nazi Germany.

Told through meticulous researched events of the horrors of the war, Anton and Elisabeth vow to find their way back to each other. Spanning decades and continents from Europe to Australia we follow both protagonists through heartbreak and what both are willing to do to survive and see each other again.

Highly recommended to all historical fiction lovers.

Many thanks to the wonderful team @penguinbooksaus for sending this beauty my way

[Craig and Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Penguin for sending us a copy to read and review.
World War Two was responsible for insurmountable loss and heart ache, its repercussions felt globally.
The loss of freedom, life, love, respect and liberty just the tip of the iceberg.
A fine example of fiction nurturing the seeds of the past and allowing it to stand tall in our busy world.
Anton and Elisabeth were destined to be together from a young age and a marriage consummated it.
The young newly weds were torn apart by the invading and cruel German army.
Anton was fighting for Poland’s freedom until capture.
Enslaved in a Siberian work camp, then forced to fight with the Russians and seeing first hand humanity at its worst and best.
His love for Elisabeth never waning.
Elisabeth had to adjust quickly during this period as she was forced to become a mistress for a Nazi Officer and had to rely on survival instincts to get through.
Life was tough and landing a role as a nurse would change her destiny while she awaited a reunion with Anton.
A story of hope in a world full of adversity and a story highlighting wider impacts and angles of this ghastly event.
Ironically the narrative touched on the origins of Israel and the carve up of Palestine. A place where today they are experiencing the same horrors our cast endured.
A well written and enjoyable read.

[Fabee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story hit my heart hard as many WW2 stories do (as my grandparents migrated from Poland to Australia)
Morgan writes with beautiful imagery and metaphor without becoming lost within the gritty gore of what happened during the holocaust.
The tension and heartbreak is woven throughout Anton and Elisabeth’s narrative as we swap between their Point of view.

[Helen O'Toole · Rating 4 out of 5]

How lucky I was to be sent an advance copy of this novel. Anton & his young wife, Elizabeth are married & living in his family home in 1939 but he has to leave to join the Polish Army as Germany has invaded Poland. Two parallel stories full of the utter horrors of war. Fascinating historical facts too such as the Anders Army ( Polish fighters) ending up in the then Palestine. The ending was realistic and incredibly poignant.

[Helen Katz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a brilliant, poignant story. Despite it being a Second World War tale, it was like no other WW2 novel that I’ve ever read. It was another book that I couldn’t put down. Morgan’s writing is dramatic and gentle at the same time. The alternating of the stories of Anton and Elisabeth was extremely effective in keeping the reader abreast with what was happening in the lives of the two main characters. I highly recommend this fantastic book.

[Unseen Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of The Winter Palace from Penguin Random House Australia.

Rating of 4.25.

Compelling Australian author Paul Morgan presents an intense and intriguing historical drama that examines the tragic lives of a Polish husband and wife who find themselves torn apart by war and circumstance in The Winter Palace.

Morgan came up with a powerful and captivating tale in The Winter Palace which really hits hard. Following Anton, a Polish military captain, and his wife Elisabeth, The Winter Palace features a well-planned-out split protagonist storyline that shows their respective dark journeys during the destructive chaos of World War II.

Both character-focused storylines are interesting and dark in their own ways, especially as the two protagonists go through hell and back as part of their respective war stories. Anton’s plot follows the fate of the Polish soldiers who were captured during the joint Nazi and Soviet Invasion. In Anton’s case, he experiences being a Soviet POW, a reluctant Soviet soldier fighting the Nazis, and then a member of the Allies when the Soviets send their freed Polish soldiers to Palestine. Elisabeth’s story is more Poland focused, as she is forced to become a Nazi ‘mistress’ before escaping and finding purpose, first as a nurse, and then as a member of the Polish resistance. Both storylines go in some very compelling directions, as the protagonists experience major traumas, tragedies and struggles, all while the two characters are convinced that they will never see their spouse again.

I honestly have a hard time saying which of these two storylines was my favourite, as both hit you in different ways. Anton’s was possibly the more interesting to me as a fan of military history, and I found his constant struggle to survive the direct imprisonments he experienced to be both moving and intense. There are some very direct tragedies in Anton’s experiences, including a particularly dark moment in the first half of the book, and I really found the story of the captured Polish soldiers to be extremely fascinating. However, the other half the book that focuses on Elisabeth is just as dark, if not even more traumatic, especially as the protagonist experiences evil she can’t fight back against, at least not at first. Watching her overcome her constant oppression and pull together a satisfying life that allows her to help people on many fronts was particularly inspiring, and I really enjoyed how her arc came together.

While these storylines are separate for the entirety of the plot, I felt that Morgan did a good job playing them off each other. The corresponding tragedies, the near misses in finding out each other’s fates, and the decisions they make as a result are all moving and captivating, and you are constantly enthralled to see if or how they will get back together. I think that the ending Morgan left the book on was particularly moving, and it fit the overarching themes of the tragedy of war and not knowing about those left behind. I also appreciated how Morgan didn’t overuse the trope of Australian descendants finding out the wartime secrets of their parents or grandparents. Instead, readers were given a simple but highly effective connection to the present that ended the story on a thoughtful and peaceful note that was a great conclusion to such an intense story.

I really must emphasise how impressed and intrigued I was by some of the historical elements captured in The Winter Palace. Morgan does an amazing job of showcasing various alterative experiences suffered by the Polish, from the initial invasion all the way up to the end of the war. This includes a great rundown of how many citizens, especially women, were abused in Poland as the troops rolled in, which ensured a dark aura around the potential homecoming many characters were hoping for. However, I found the historical details of the Polish soldiers and civilians captured in the opening days of the invasion to be the most interesting. Watching the various hardships and journeys that these individuals had to go through during the war, including being POWs, having to fight alongside their former captors against the Nazis when they found themselves on the same side as the Soviets, and the transfer of their army to the Middle East to serve with the Allies on the Western front was extremely fascinating and it was an part of history you don’t see often in fiction. These historical details from Morgan where some of my favourite parts of the book, and I deeply appreciated the compelling story he told around them.

Overall, The Winter Palace by Paul Morgan was an outstanding and compelling historical drama that really grabbed my attention. Powerful, unflinching and focusing on a complex and dark period of our history, this was an emotionally charged and excellent read that is really worth checking out.

An abridged review of this book also ran in the Canberra Weekly on 4 April 2024:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2024/06/16/...

For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/

[Jennifer (JC-S) · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘The time has come to tell my story, before it is too late …’

In August 1939, Anton, a captain in the Polish Army and his wife Elisabeth are in their home, known as the Winter Palace, in the Polish countryside. Anton is leaving to defend Poland; Elisabeth is to leave for Warsaw. They have only been married for three years and make a vow to meet again at the Winter Palace once the war is over.

Mr Morgan’s novel moves between Elisabeth and Anton as it follows their lives through and beyond World War II. Anton is one of the soldiers captured during the joint Nazi and Soviet invasion. He ends up in a logging camp in Siberia, and then in Palestine. Unfortunately, Elisabeth is still in the Winter Palace when it falls under Nazi control and is forced to be the ‘mistress’ of a Nazi officer. When that officer is replaced, she is sent to work in an army brothel, but escapes. Under an assumed name, Elisabeth finds purpose as a nurse and helps the Polish resistance.

Mr Morgan brings different aspects of the Polish experience of World War II to life and has me wanting to read more. And finally, the war ends. Elisabeth is in Poland, waiting for Anton to return. Anton is in Palestine. He is devastated when he is told that Elisabeth is dead and then emigrates to Australia. Elisabeth doesn’t believe Anton is dead, but she cannot find him: he has also changed his name.

I found both stories compelling. Both Anton and Elisabeth struggled for survival, and each make decisions based on limited knowledge. I found the ending both particularly moving and satisfying.
Recommended.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

[Kate thebooklover · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my, what an amazing book I have just read.

This book was so well written it has become an instant favourite, set in Europe initially during the Nazi and Russian invasion of Poland then spanning the years and decades that followed.

The story is told from the point of view of Anton (in the third person) and his wife Elisabeth (in the first person) both of whom were separated in the early chapters of the book. They both endured hardship and horrendous experiences over the years yet they both dreamt and longed for the day they are reunited together back in The Winter Palace.

I liked how time didn’t need to be marked in months, days or even years… as reader you knew that time progressed through the story and that there was still this lingering sense of hope that they both held. As I neared the final chapters I had a strong sense I was going to be needing tissues by the end and I sure did.

I really enjoy historical fiction and in particularly the sub genre of WWII has been a particular favourite. I dare say The Winter Palace is up there with the best that I have read and I reckon both Anton and Elizabeth will linger in my mind for a long time to come.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully written book about the torment and misery wreaked by war. Starting with newly wed Elizabeth and Anton and their dreams for the future , then war comes and their naivety about what that entails helps them through the initial stage. Elizabeth suffers at the hands of the Nazi in charge of her beautiful home which has been taken over by the German army. Meanwhile Anton is realising the horrors of being a soldier. They both struggle with the lives they now lead but their love for each other and their dreams of the future keep them going day by day.

This book depicts so many aspects of the destruction of war, lives irrevocably damaged; peoples annihilated; cities ruined; families torn apart and on and on.

Sadly humanity does not appear to have learned from the past and continues to force these same horrors on other nations

[Hayley (meet_me_at_the_library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my heart! This book.

WWII stories are my favourite historical fiction sub-genre, but it’s been a while since I’ve read one. The Winter Palace was a great reminder of why I love the genre so much.

It’s a heart-rending story about a couple named Anton and Elisabeth, Polish newlyweds who are separated by the events of WWII. As they part ways in 1939, they vow to meet again someday at the Winter Palace, their stately home in the countryside. Their story spans decades and follows Anton and Elisabeth alternately as they fight to survive and to return to one another.

I binged this story over the course of 24 hours, I was that absorbed in their lives. Highly recommend for all my fellow WWII fiction lovers.

A huge thank you to Penguin Books Australia for my gifted copy.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Winter Palace confirms my love of historical fiction. The setting is Poland in 1939. The focus on two characters Elizabeth and Anton who meet and fall in love before the outbreak of the second world war highlights the determination that each of them has to survive. The Winter Palace includes extensive research and suggests how little many of us know about this period in Poland. This novel also asks us what we would do to survive war. I couldn't put this book down and would highly recommend the story. I enjoyed going back to the beginning prologue with new eyes.

Sandra

[Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

An okay read without being earth shattering !
Interesting to read a WW2 story from another perspective.
Love and hope when confronted with adversity often makes for an engaging historical fiction read.
Some fine tuning on its length would not have gone astray.

[Magpie · Rating 2 out of 5]

⭐️ ⭐️… readable but melancholy doomed love story as Elisabeth and Anton are wrenched away from each other in Poland in 1939. Prose laconic. Watch We were the lucky ones on Netflix instead, covers a lot of the same ground but more vividly.

[Ann Koenig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting novel about Poland and WW2

[Kym Jackson · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Fairly pedestrian but readable historical fiction/romance.

[Alicia Wilson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not finish. I tried but could not connect with the characters so only read 1/3 of the book.

[Jeff Scotland · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this love story about a Polish couple in WWII. Very believable. Beautifully told. A good read.

[Priscilla Gough · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this story despite the fact it made me cry, laugh, go awwwww, and everything in between.
Glad I listened to it as an audiobook as the narrators tone, etc made it all so real!