Kvinnan med stjärnan

by Pam Jenoff, Gunilla Mattsson (Translator)

1943. När Krakóws getto töms av nazisterna söker artonåriga Sadie Gault och hennes mamma skydd i tunnlarna under stadens gator. En dag kikar Sadie upp genom ett brunnsgaller - och får kontakt med den unga kvinnan Ella Stepanek.
Ella kommer från en förmögen familj och sedan hennes fästman kallades ut i kriget lever hon ett stillsamt liv tillsammans med sin styvmor. Dagen då Ella passerar torget och upptäcker Sadie förändras hennes tillvaro för all framtid.
Ella hjälper Sadie och de blir vänner. Men i takt med att kriget trappas upp går deras livsöden isär, och den starka vänskapen sätts på prov.

Kvinnan med stjärnan är inspirerad av sanna berättelser från andra världskriget. Det är ett drabbande vittnesmål om oväntad vänskap, och om den enorma styrkan i människans vilja att överleva.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, World War II, Historical, Audiobook, Holocaust, War

347 pages, Paperback

First published May 4, 2021

About the author

Pam is the author of several novels, including her most recent The Woman With The Blue Star, as well as The Lost Girls of Paris and The Orphan's Tale, both instant New York Times bestsellers. Pam was born in Maryland and raised outside Philadelphia. She attended George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and Cambridge University in England. Upon receiving her master’s in history from Cambridge, she accepted an appointment as Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Army. The position provided a unique opportunity to witness and participate in operations at the most senior levels of government, including helping the families of the Pan Am Flight 103 victims secure their memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, observing recovery efforts at the site of the Oklahoma City bombing and attending ceremonies to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of World War II at sites such as Bastogne and Corregidor.

Following her work at the Pentagon, Jenoff moved to the State Department. In 1996 she was assigned to the U.S. Consulate in Krakow, Poland. It was during this period that Pam developed her expertise in Polish-Jewish relations and the Holocaust. Working on matters such as preservation of Auschwitz and the restitution of Jewish property in Poland, Jenoff developed close relations with the surviving Jewish community.

Having left the Foreign Service in 1998 to attend law school at the University of Pennsylvania, Jenoff practiced law at a large firm and in-house for several years. She now teaches law school at Rutgers.

Reviews

[Lindsay L · Rating 3 out of 5]

First half : 4 stars
Second half: 2 stars
Overall rating: 3 stars

This book revolves around a very unlikely friendship. Ella and Sadie are from two different worlds. Ella is a Polish girl living with her selfish and uncaring stepmother who entertains Nazi officers occupying their town. Sadie is a Jewish girl hiding underground in the sewers with her pregnant mother and another Jewish family. Their chance meeting at the sewer grate begins a friendship that gets them through devastating and tragic times.

This was a mixed book for me. I enjoyed and appreciated learning about this time in our history. It always fascinates me when an author can provide a fresh perspective in such an over-saturated genre. I knew nothing of Jews hiding in sewer systems and found that shocking, eye-opening and informative. The first half of the book was stronger for me because it was highly atmospheric in its claustrophobic setting and it focused more on the sewer systems and what the families had to do to survive.

The second half of the book focused more on the friendships and romance of the characters which didn’t work as well for me. At times the storyline felt cliche, predictable and slightly cheesy. Some of the dialogue and characters behaviour was too “cute” for such a harrowing plot. The main characters were charming and endearing but didn’t suit the situation and pull the plot forward for me. The storyline was informative and hopeful but it lacked the sense of feeling “real” which prevented me from forming a true connection or investment in the characters and their situations. I enjoyed reading the story from an educational perspective, but it failed to pull at my emotions since the characters didn’t seem realistic and I didn’t feel the true heaviness of the devastating situation they were living in.

Overall, I’m glad I read it because I learned important parts of our history, but it wasn’t as enjoyable as I had hoped. I can certainly understand how this will appeal to many readers who enjoy lighter, less gritty wartime novels with charming characters and romance. Thank you to Park Row and Edelweiss for my review copy!

[Jaimie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe I've just read too many historical fiction novels and memoirs set during World War II which explore the Jewish experience, but this novel just didn't work for me. Jenoff's premise is enticing: a dual storyline pairing two young girls, one a Jewish girl in hiding (Sadie) and the other a wealthy Polish girl (Ella), with heightened tension due to the precariousness of Sadie's hiding place in the sewers of Krakow. Yet, Jennoff's writing is borderline brusque and the language is childish, jumping from event to event and doubling back to ensure that not a second of the dual perspective is missed (which is unnecessary in many places), her characters felt shallow and not particularly original, and then she threw in some unnecesary romance themes. If this book was marketed at a younger audience I would have given it a bit more of a pass, but for an adult audience it doesn't really hit the same level of engagement as others of similar plot and theme. Sure, I wanted to know how Sadie's and Ella's stories ended, and that kept me turning the pages, but I felt myself disengaging with the story and characters too much for it to be very enjoyable.

[Karren Sandercock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sadie Gault is eighteen, she’s living with her parents in the Kraków ghetto in 1942, her parent’s think she’s safe hiding in the apartment during the day, and it’s not the case. One day when the adults are at work; the Germans start emptying the ghetto, all the children are taken and it’s just the start. Sadie manages to hide and the next day she starts working at the shoe factory with her mother. She has no idea her father has been making escape plans with a friend, Pawel is a sewer worker and under the city is a long network of tunnels and chambers. One night Sadie is woken by her father, the Germans have blocked the street and are arresting everyone. She’s horrified when her dad wants her and her mother to climb down into the cities underground sewerage network and hide.

Sadie and her pregnant mother Danuta begin living in a filthy sewer chamber and along with the devout Rosenberg family. They rely on Pawel to bring them food, every crumb has to be divided up fairly, what are they going to do when the baby arrives, babies are noisy and it doesn’t take long for things to get tense underground. Saul Rosenberg and Sadie explore the tunnels, being the youngest they collect water and dispose of the rubbish. One day Sadie takes a big risk and looks up through a grate in the market square, trying to get some fresh air and some sunlight on her face.

Ella Stepanek’s father marched off with the Polish army, never to be seen again and she lives with her stepmother Ana Lucia. She’s a collaborator, she entertains German officers, she receives food and they have German stamps on their identification papers. Ella hates the Germans and Ana Lucia, her friends will no longer speak to her due to her stepmother’s behavior and she’s still waiting to hear any news about her fiancé Krys. Desperate to get out of the house she offers to go to the market, she has no trouble getting around Kraków or through checkpoints with her German endorsed papers and she’s shocked to notice a girl looking up at her from a grate and she can’t believe people are living cities sewerage system.

Ella begins helping Sadie and they become friends, Sadie hanging around the market grate during the day is extremely dangerous for both of them, it only takes one person to notice something and alert the Germans. The Woman With The Blue Star is based around true stories of Jewish people living in sewers during WW II, desperate for somewhere to hide from the Germans and not be sent to Auschwitz. It’s a story about survival in a horrendous place, sacrifice, the good and the bad of human behavior, friendship, hope, and love.
Thanks to Edelweiss for my copy in exchange for an honest review and five stars from me.
https://karrenreadsbooks.blogspot.com/

[Mary Kubica · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a powerful and absolutely transporting novel. Pam Jenoff can do no wrong. This is a must read!

[Marialyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars


The horrors of the war are innumerable and in this book, Pan Jenoff portrays a life of terror for two Jewish families who find their ghetto being sacked and their people being herded into convoys. Through the kindness of one man, they are led away to a kind of safety at least for now. The place is a sewer and the awfulness of this situation is well portrayed from the smell, to the rats, to the putrid water, they find themselves in.

Tragedy happens almost immediately as the father drowns in the rushing dirty water and our main character, Sadie Gault, eighteen years old is left with her pregnant mother and others to hide out assisted by the man who rescued them.

Life is bitter, until one day Sadie glances up through a sewer grate and sees Ella Stepanek, a young Polish girl. The two start to form a friendship through that grate and Ella is the one who eventually risks her life to help Sadie and ultimately the others who have survived the sewer so far.

This is a story of friendship, of love in a time where live seems to have gone into a long winter's nap. There are other occurrences which bind the story together until its conclusion and reminiscence many years later.

Recommended to those who love reading and learning about how through adversity one can often survive the worst of times.
Thank you to Pam Jenoff, Park Row, and NetGalley for a copy of this courageous story due out May 4, 2021.

[Marilyn (not getting notifications) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine if you were given the opportunity to survive and escape the brutality of the Nazis. Would you sign on even if it meant putting up with deplorable living conditions, constant fear of being discovered and the ultimate loss of loved ones? That was what eighteen year old Sadie Gault and her parents chose to do in Pam Jenoff’s newest novel, The Woman With the Blue Star. Sadie grew up in Krakow, Poland and enjoyed a peaceful and fulfilling life there with her parents, friends, family and teachers until the Germans arrived. Sadie and her parents were Jewish and so their lives changed drastically after the Nazis arrived but they still had each other. They were forced to abandon their home and move into the Krakow Jewish ghetto. Things for the Jewish families in the ghetto progressively got worse and worse. One day, the Nazis decided to raid some of the houses in the ghetto. All the grown-ups were at work. The Nazis came and rounded up the unsuspecting and innocent children. Sadie heard the soldiers approaching and decided to hide in a chest in her parents bedroom. When Sadie’s parents came home from work they discovered what had happened. Sadie was an only child and was loved dearly by both her parents. When her parents could not find Sadie they thought the worst had happened. Sadie’s mother almost took her own life but Sadie was able to unlock the chest where she had hid just in time to prevent that tragedy.

Sadie’s parents knew they had to try and escape from the ghetto. With the help of Pawel, a sewer worker, they devised a risky but clever plan. Sadie’s father had dug a hole under their toilet so they could escape the ghetto through the sewer system under the city that would ultimately take them out of Poland. However, as they were making their way through the sewer tunnels, two things happened. First, Sadie’s beloved father fell to his death. He was trying to help Sadie catch her balance. He lost his balance as a result and was swept away in the churning sewer waters. The other thing that happened was that Pawel told them that it was not safe any longer to escape from the sewer to the river that would take them out of Poland. To remain safe, they had to remain in the alcove in the sewer that had become their home. Sadie and her mother shared the space with the Rosenberg family, a very religious family that was comprised of the father, a son and elderly grandmother. To complicate things even more, Sadie’s mother was pregnant. The pungent smells of the sewer and the lack of light were something the two families never got used to but endured. Both families depended upon Pawel to bring them food and supplies and they tried their hardest to make the best of their situation.

It was hard for Sadie to always stay close to her mother and remain in their alcove. She began to explore the tunnels of the sewer. One day she found herself in front of one of the grates of the sewer. As she looked up to see the sunlight and the sky, Sadie saw a girl about her own age peering down at her. The girl’s name was Ella Stepanek. She was a young, Christian, Polish girl who had traveled to that side of town to find and buy cherries for her stepmother,Ana Lucia, even though they were out of season and going to be hard to find.. Ella soon discovered that Sadie was in hiding and she also realized immediately that she would do anything she could to help Sadie. Ella had lost her father in the war and her mother had died years ago. She was living with her stepmother now. Ella had difficulty tolerating the selfish and mean ways of her stepmother. For one thing, her stepmother was a Nazi sympathizer and she was constantly entertaining important Nazi officers at her father’s home. Ella suspected that her stepmother was probably sleeping with one of them as well. Her Stepmother was a despicable, self-centered person. She belittled and ridiculed Ella constantly. Ella’s only sibling, her brother, was living in Paris. Ella and Sadie became good friends as their visits continued over the ensuing months. Sadie regarded Ella’s visits as the highlight of her days. As Sadie’s and Ella’s friendship blossomed and grew, the dangers they both encountered grew in magnitude. Would Ella be able to keep Sadie safe from the Nazis and help save her?

The Woman with the Blue Star by Pam Jenoff was inspired by real life events. During the Holocaust, there were some families that hid in the sewers of Krakow to escape the brutality of the Nazis. It was hard to imagine how these families survived and lived under those conditions. The will to live and avoid the horrific ways of the Nazis, I imagine, gave them the courage and determination. I have long been a fan of Pam Jenoff and have read many of her prior books but this one was one of my favorites. This book explored the themes of friendship across social classes, hope, religion, trust, family, love, resilience, survival and loss. The Woman with the Blue Star was heartfelt, harrowing and suspenseful. It was a historical fiction book about World War II and the Holocaust but so much more as well. I loved the ending. Pam Jenoff’s writing and research was brilliant. This book will stay with me for a long time. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to Park Row Paperbook for allowing me to read this advanced copy of The Woman with the Blue Star by Pam Jenoff through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[Ink_Drinker · Rating 5 out of 5]

What was the last book you read that you couldn’t put down? For me, it was this book!!

I have read many historical fiction books taking place during WWII, and Pam Jenoff is one of the best writers in this category! I am always looking to learn something new and her books are always well researched and deliver every time. I think this is one of her best yet!!

The book is based on true events and shares the stories of the Jewish families that lived in the sewers of Krakow Poland during WWII (1942-1943) to escape the Nazi concentration camps. It truly breaks my heart to think that people had to live in these unsanitary conditions just to live another day in the sewer. How they kept going is beyond me! This story shows the strength, resilience and kindness of people in an otherwise bleak and sad time in our history.

Jenoff develops such amazingly strong characters that you feel a connection with both Sadie and Ella instantly. Sadie, a Jewish girl, living in the sewers, trying to survive with her family and Ella, a polish girl, doing everything she can to help Sadie and the others survive even though it might put everyone in more danger. It was the only way they knew of to try to make it, losing some people despite their efforts. Sadie and Ella are two characters I won’t soon forget. These strong girls were shining examples that even if you come from two extreme different backgrounds, love and trust can overcome any obstacle. Something that we could all learn from even today!

I can’t say enough good things about The Women with the Blue Star!!! Again, it goes on sale 5/4/21!! What are you waiting for?

[Ann Sheldon Mezger · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hate to give bad reviews because I know how hard it is to write a novel and I appreciate all the work an author puts into it. But "The Woman with the Blue Star" just doesn't work -- as adult fiction anyway. (Revised for a young teen audience, maybe.) The two protagonists are supposed to be 19-year-old women, but they act and sound like immature 12-year-olds, at best. Their voices are interchangeable. Minor characters are simply stereotypes. Evil stepmother, anyone? Situations strain belief. No one notices a young woman spending a lot of time around a sewer grate? I could go on, but that's enough complaining from me. Like I said, I hate to give bad reviews and usually manage to do so by only choosing to read books that I'm fairly certain I'll like or find worthwhile. I made a mistake when I picked up this one.

[Brenda ~The Sisters~Book Witch · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

The Woman with the Blue Star is inspired by the true story of a small group of Jewish people who escaped the Nazis and survived WWII in the sewers of Lviv, Poland. Now, as time goes by, it's harder to tell these stories and base them on real-life people as the people who lived through them are gone. Theirs stories still need to be told, and authors are a little more creative in the way they tell them. Pam Jenoff has done that and taken inspiration from the nonfiction book In the Sewers of Lvov by Robert Marshall. It's on our list to read. 

The Woman With The Blue Star is set in the Kraków Ghetto and tells the fictional story of an unlikely friendship and bond between two different girls Sadie and Ella, who become friends through a grate above the sewer. Their friendship, bond, and sacrifices are the heart of the story, and while I liked seeing their bravery and kindness, I struggled to buy into the instant bond between them.

The story starts with an intense claustrophobia feel from the descriptions and conditions in the sewer. It loses some tension to the story when the tone turns more towards a lighter, hopeful tone that centers more around the love between the characters. While this brings a more heartfelt tone to the story, it took away from the danger and fear I imagined they must have experienced. I struggled a bit, buying into their motivations and actions. However, this did not affect the way I felt about the story. I enjoyed the lighter, more hopeful tone of the story.

The ending takes a turn to the story I did not expect, and I enjoyed the way the story wrapped up. I highly recommend it for readers who like some dark with more of a love story to it over the dark realities of WWII.

I received a copy from the publisher on EW

[Sally Hepworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pam Jenoff can do no wrong

[MicheleReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pam Jenoff’s latest WWII-era novel is set in Poland. In this moving book’s prologue, a woman in her 70s has traveled to Kraków and has summoned up the courage to speak to an elderly women in her 90s who she believes holds important information for her. The story then transports us back to wartime and the friendship that develops between Sadie Gault and Ella Stepanek.

In 1942, Sadie Gault and her parents have been forced out of their home to live in the Kraków Ghetto. Soon, the Nazis no longer seek to simply keep the area’s Jewish people isolated, they are now gathering men, women and children and sending them to work camps and ultimately concentration camps. By 1943, the Gault family has to flee. With the help of a Polish sewer worker, Sadie, her father and her now pregnant mother along with the Rosenberg family, are taken through the sewer tunnels to a location they can hide in. At the same time, Ella Stepanek, still mourning the loss of her father, lives in their affluent home with her stepmother who spends her time romancing SS officers. When Ella gets a glimpse of Sadie through a sewer grate while walking through town, they end up speaking and the two 19-year-old women eventually form a bond. How this chance encounter changes their lives makes for a very emotional story.

The events of WWII and the horrors of the Holocaust are well documented and new books set during this period are published continually. But The Woman with the Blue Star is a standout in that the circumstances are unique. It is incredible that a true story inspired it, although the book is pure fiction. I’ve enjoyed Pam Jenoff’s other novels and view her as an auto-read author. Her books are well-researched and extremely heartfelt.

Many thanks to Park Row for the advance copy.

Rated 4.25 stars.

Review posted on MicheleReader.com.

[NILTON TEIXEIRA · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a work of fiction inspired by the true story of a small group of Jews who survived World War II in the sewers of Lviv, Poland.
The setting here is Krakow, Poland (1942/1943).
It’s a haunting and heartbreaking story of extraordinary bravery, survival, love and friendship.
The will to survive is unbelievable.
Can you imagine leaving hidden in the sewers for at least one year with your family, sharing with strangers, depending on the generosity of others and leaving with fear of betrayal and being discovered?
The storyline is well developed and I enjoyed the author’s concept but unfortunately I did struggle feeling any connection with the characters, and adding some romance did not help. Also I found the conclusion a bit unbelievable.
I thought that this was a light take on the subject matter.
I was expecting more depth.
This is my third book by this author and I’m looking forward to reading her next work.

[Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leaving your beautiful home, having to move to the ghetto, and then forced out of the ghetto into hiding in the city sewer system.

Could this get any worse for Sadie and her family?

Could it really be a hiding place unknown to the Germans and a safe place for two Jewish families?

Sadie and her mother knew it was the best place to be for now, but living there was horrible. No windows, awful smells, floods, and always cold.

One day Sadie notices a girl looking down through a grate. Sadie drew back, but the girl actually became the light in Sadie’s dreary days and brought food.

It was very dangerous for both girls and the others hiding below. You will feel the terror and desperation the characters felt but also the hope that things will work out.

Ms. Jenoff has brought another heartbreaking situation to light but also showed us the power of friendship, caring, and endurance.

If you are a fan of Ms. Jenoff’s books, this one is an outstanding addition to her marvelous, well-researched gems that you do NOT want to miss.

You will be glued to the pages as you live the lives of the characters. 5/5

This book was given to me as an advanced digital review copy by the publisher via NetGalley and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin-Trade Publishing for an egalley in exchange for an honest review

Pam Jenoff is an author that always has me anticipating what aspect of WWII that she will explore next. In her latest novel, set in Krakow Poland, we are introduced to two women- Ella, a Christian Pole from an affluent neighbourhood and Sadie, a Polish Jew whose family takes refuge in a sewer when their ghetto is liquidated. As their paths run into each other, there will be times of great danger at every turn.

Once I began reading this novel, I was basically a resident of my couch as I held my breath waiting to see how the story would play out for our two protagonists. Would Sadie and her family be caught? What would happen to Ella if she continued going to the sewer grate and speaking to Sadie? If I had one criticism it is that I really didn't like the Hollywood-style ending. When authors choose to go that route, it frustrates me so much. It's a personal feeling especially having read so much fiction and non-fiction regarding this time period. On the other hand, I enjoyed the majority of the story enough to say that it is my utmost pleasure to recommend this book to those who are interested.




Publication Date 04/05/21
Goodreads review 02/06/21

#TheWomanwiththeBlueStar #NetGalley

[Faith · Rating 2 out of 5]

A few days ago I finished reading “The Light of Days: The Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler’s Ghettos” which was also set in Poland. Unfortunately, this novel felt so superficial when compared to the nonfiction account of women during the war that it seemed pointless for me to continue reading this.

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed. Genesis 26:4(ESV)

The Nazis branded all the Jews within their borders with the Star of David. In Poland, the Jews wore a blue star. In this new novel by Pam Jenoff, we are introduced to the plight of Jews in Nazi-occupied Poland with a fictional story set in Krakow. A Jewish girl named Sadie Gault and her family escape into the sewers when the Nazi empties the ghetto. Another family of three (Grandmother, father, and son) join them. The treacherous journey to a hiding place under the streets does not give Sadie hope for a long-term stay there. Also in the city is a Polish girl named Ella Stepanek. She is oppressed by her collaborating stepmother. When an errand to find cherries out of season sends Ella into an ally looking for black market goods, she sees Sadie through the sewer grate. The story of how their lives would intertwine from there forward is a fascinating tale based on true stories of families forced under the streets to escape the terror of the camps. A compelling tale of the sisterhood that can develop in the terrors of war and the hope that comes from the enduring light of the stars.

Thank you to Park Row and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Woman with the Blue Star is an excellent story of friendship during World War II. This great historical fiction story is told from the perspective of two teenagers. Sadie is Jewish and living in a sewer with her mother and a family they just met. Ella is a rich girl living with her step mother after her father’s death. Her step mother is friends with Nazis and has them over for parties, which Ella doesn’t approve of. All Sadie has is her family, and all Ella wants is someone that cares about her. The Woman with the Blue Star is a great story of friendship. Their friendship developed with short meetings. Their lives seem very different, but they are more similar than they appear. I was very invested in Ella and Sadie’s stories. The characters are all dealing with a lot but still help each other. There are hardships throughout the book but also some romance. The story takes place in Poland. I have never heard any stories of people living in sewers which is devastating but also makes sense. The Woman with the Blue Star is a must read for fans of Pam Jenoff or World War II novels.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Jennifer Jill Araya, Emily Lawrence and Nancy Peterson. All the narrators did a great job bringing the characters to life. The spoke with emotion and their voices were different enough I didn’t confuse which character was talking.

Thank you Park Row and Harper Audio for The Woman with the Blue Star.

Full Review: https://justreadingjess.wordpress.com...

[Brooke - Brooke's Reading Life · Rating 4 out of 5]

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**4.5 stars**

The Woman with the Blue Star by Pam Jenoff. (2021).

1942. Sadie is 18 and living with her parents amid the horrors of the Kraków Ghetto. Sadie and her pregnant mother are forced to seek refuge in the sewers under the city. One day she looks up through a grate and sees a girl with flowers. Ella is an affluent Polish girl living with her stepmother, who is friendly with the Germans. Isolated and lonely, one day she catches a glimpse of a girl hidden in the sewer. Ella begins to aid Sadie and the two become close but as the dangers of the war worsen, their lives are set on a collision course that will test them...

I thought this novel was fantastic and I'll definitely have to make time to read the author's previous novels. In the last year I've read a few historical novels set in this time period, specifically in Poland, and I think this one would be one of the standouts. The notion of being forced to live in a sewer is horrifying, and knowing that this is based on true stories is devastating. The friendship that Sadie and Ella develop quickly becomes life-saving for Sadie both physically and mentally, with Ella doing her best to try and help Sadie. The storyline is tense with many heartbreaking moments throughout.
Overall: highly recommend this gripping historical fiction that packs an emotional punch.

[Kellie O'Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic story of a beautiful friendship formed by two 18year old girls in Poland during WW2. Sadie is Jewish. Sadie and her family, along with another family are forced to live in the sewers once all the ghettos were liquidated by the Germans! What a horrific place to live especially with rats and lice running around! Imagine the smells, being constantly wet and dirty, not seeing the sun and had to rely on someone else to bring you food. Ella is Polish, from a pretty well off family and lives in a beautiful home. However, Ella has a lot of sadness and loss in her life too. This sadness and loss of loved ones along with loneliness is the bond that holds these two together. When they meet, Sadie in the sewer looking up through the grate, and Ella on the street seeing her in the shadows, there's an instant connection! They keep meeting,even though it's getting more dangerous every day because they need each other 😢

Even though they are surrounded by dangerous conditions, starvation, Germans setting up check points at random killing Jews just because they are Jewish, food rations and homes and people being separated and sent to death camps, Sadie and Ella are brought closer together... helping each other however they could. What an amazing testimony of strength, courage, love and friendship!! 💞

This is a beautifully written,fast paced and emotionally moving book with lots of twists and turns leading up to a surprising ending! Ella once asked Sadie how she could do it, how could she live this way. Sadie said" if you are with the ones you loved, you could survive anything." How beautiful and true!! Even though most people would give up under such horrific conditions, Sadie and Ella found hope! Hope and the will to survive are underlying themes in this book. Never give up on life, no matter what.

If you are looking for an uplifting story in the midst of sadness, you need to read this amazing book! I very highly recommend it ..I loved it and learned so much!! I feel richer for having read it!! Remember to read the author notes.. you will learn how this story came to be.

[Kristina McMorris · Rating 5 out of 5]

The latest historical from one of my Grand Central coauthors!! I remember reading Pam's debut, The Kommandant's Girl, years before we met and was spellbound from the very first page. And now, I've been lucky enough to get an early peek at her upcoming release for a quote! (Jealous??) :)

“Once again, Pam Jenoff displays her mastery at illuminating little-known yet remarkably important nuggets of WWII history. I was immediately mesmerized by The Woman with the Blue Star, a haunting tale of enduring bonds, impossible sacrifice, and an inspiring fortitude to survive the darkness—in every sense. Book clubs will assuredly devour this compulsively readable novel that both wrenches and warms the heart.”

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this WWII historical fiction book by Pam Jenoff. I had never heard of Jewish people hiding in the sewers and loved how she made that come alive for me. I could imagine how horrible the smell was and how dark and dank it would have felt because of the descriptions in this book. I cared about both Sadie and Ella and the unlikely friendship that was forged in such difficult times and in such a unique way. I did find the first half of the book a bit more propulsive than the second half, but overall really appreciated this story.

[Myra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a tear jerker which required a rereading of the last few chapters due to my disbelief. Very glad I read this book although it was at times quite difficult. Even though Sadie being the main character was a bit immature, selfish, and a bit annoying, I grew to love her through the eyes of her parents and her best friend Ella.

There are as many versions of survival through this dark period of history as there are people. This story starts with a well to do family and takes them into the ghettos and finally into the sewers. One encounters the will to survive but encounters heartache upon devastating heartache which can easily delve into depression and suicide but the only outcome is to continue day by day because there will come days with flowers, sunshine, freedom, and love.

[Marci carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intriguing and thrilling book! I really enjoyed the suspense throughout the story and am appalled that someone would have to live in a sewer to be safe, let alone, be born there. This historical fiction book was inspired by others who really did stay in the sewers during WW11 to escape the Jewish persecution. I’m thankful to the author for reaching out to me to read it!

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like I've read all of the WWII stories and then I found this book. We follow a family of Jews hiding in the sewer in Poland. They face unbelievable obstacles as they are determined to survive. Pam starts us off in 2016 and sets up quite the mystery for us to solve. We then follow our 2 main characters through a heart wrenching quest. I highly suggest this to all of you!

[Linden · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Germans have occupied Krakow, Poland, and are rounding up Jews. Sadie and her parents know they need to do something, and Pawel, a Polish sewer worker who knows her father, says he will help hide them underground in the sewer. They are joined by another family, a young man, and his father and grandmother. One day Sadie is looking up through the sewer grate, and locks eyes with Ella a young Polish woman. Ella starts to help them after Pawel is arrested, and the harrowing story continues. In this intense historical novel based on fact, the author has created unforgettable characters, and offered insight into life in wartime Poland. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review

[Kristan Higgins · Rating 5 out of 5]

An edge-of-your-seat masterpiece based on real events in Poland during World War II. Pam Jenoff has done it again with a harrowing and somehow beautiful story of Sadie, a Jewish girl who must hide in the sewers of Krakow in order to avoid being sent to the camps or murdered in the streets by the Nazis occupying the city. She finds an unexpected friend—a lonely Christian girl named Ella who feels compelled to help…first by bringing food, then in a series of escalating steps to get Sadie and her family to safety. It a is heartbreaking, agonizing, wonderful, uplifting story about the best and worst of humanity.

[Deacon Tom (Feeling Better) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly an amazing story and in many ways. In short, I totally loved the book!

The characters are powerful and we'll written. They were so easy to relate to.

The story started out fast and got more intense with every turn of the page and ends with the most powerful epilogue I have ever read.

I loved this book and totally recommend it to you.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book to read because it had an a average rating of 4.17 stars. However, I found this to be a very disappointing read, and I really struggled to get through it. I felt that the plot line was very thin, the pace excruciatingly slow, and the writing very amateurish. Much of the book seemed like pointless filler dialogue. There were also many improbable and implausible situations that further detracted the book. For example, at the outset of the book, we are led to believe that the sewer is pitch black, and no one can see without a single lamp which the sewer dwellers are told to extinguish because the light it sheds can be seen from the grates in the street. However, the lamp is never mentioned again, and for the remainder of the book the sewer dwellers can travel the sewers day and night and see without any problems. It also defies logic that, although the sewer dwellers have no power or electricity, they can somehow their cook food every day, even after their chamber is flooded to nearly the ceiling. These were just a few of the observations I made while plodding through this one. I feel that I should also point out that the author notes that her 90% of her initial draft was scrapped by her publisher, and that she rewrote this current version in just five short months. In my humble opinion, her haste is evident. I wish I had not read it.

[Silvia C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reminder that 3 stars on GoodReads means that I liked it.
Personally I think I am a bit burnt out of world war stories, or maybe any war time in general. So definitely check out other rave reviews about this one.
There's nothing in particular that I disliked. It is a nice emotional read.
I do think that it should be classified as YA (young adult), and not as adult fiction, since the entire perspective, as well as the writing are quite standard YA.
I did like a lot the friendship between Ella and Sadie.

I would recommend it to younger readers, or adults wanting a lighter take on the WWII.

[Taury · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pam Jenoff is one of my favorite authors. Her books are amazing and wonderful. She was a way of bringing a bad time in history together in survival with a bit of romance.