Medalionul

by Cathy Gohlke

O poveste extraordinară despre curaj, sacrificiu și supraviețuire. Două familii sunt răvășite de un război, cum altfel dacă nu hidos, dar și legate pentru totdeauna de o fetiță care trebuie, cu orice chip, să supraviețuiască.

Varșovia, 1939. Aproape peste noapte, atacul fulgerător al germanilor a transformat străzile într-o zonă de război și a spulberat viața fiecărui cetățean − polonez, evreu sau de oricare altă naționalitate. Sophie Kumiega, o soție britanică ce lucra la biblioteca orașului, așteptă vești de la soțul ei, Janek, detașat de Forțele Aeriene poloneze în România. Deși este hotărâtă să își păstreze copilul încă nenăscut în siguranță, zilele care vin o vor arunca într-un vârtej de conspirații, determinând-o să se implice pentru a da o mână de ajutor, indiferent de riscuri.

Rosa și Itzhak Dunovich nu și-au imaginat niciodată că aveau să dea naștere copilului mult așteptat în ghetoul evreiesc al orașului. Și nu, nu au crezut că se vor despărți vreodată. Dar, pe măsură ce atrocitățile războiului se intensifică, Rosa realizează că fiica ei va rămâne în viață doar dacă este ascunsă în afara ghetoului, departe de mama ei. Așa că își rupe medalionul în două, păstrează o jumătate, iar pe cealaltă o pune la gâtul fetiței sale și speră să o regăsească, dacă vor supraviețui, după război.

Inspirată din istoria adevărată a zilelor negre ale Varșoviei, dar și a eroilor ei minunați, Medalionul ne creionează fața reală a războiului și a dezastrului lăsat de el în urmă, încurajându-ne să credem că, și atunci când totul pare pierdut, Dumnezeu ne va salva din nou! 

Genres: Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction, Fiction, World War II, Historical, Christian, War

400 pages, Paperback

First published June 4, 2019

About the author

Bestselling, Christy Hall of Fame, and Carol and INSPY Award-winning author, Cathy Gohlke writes novels steeped with inspirational lessons, speaking of world and life events through the lens of history. She champions the battle against oppression, celebrating the freedom found only in Christ. Her critically acclaimed novels include This Promised Land, Ladies of the Lake, A Hundred Crickets Singing, Night Bird Calling, The Medallion (Christy Award), Until We Find Home, Secrets She Kept (Christy Award; Carol Award; INSPY Award); Saving Amelie (INSPY AWARD); Band of Sisters; Promise Me This (listed by Library Journal as one of the Best Books of 2012); I Have Seen Him in the Watchfires (Christy Award, American Christian Fiction Writers Award and listed by Library Journal as one of the Best Books of 2008) and William Henry Is a Fine Name (Christy Award).

Cathy has worked as a school librarian, drama director, and director of children's and education ministries. When not traveling to historic sites for research, she and her husband, Dan, divide their time between Northern Virginia and the Jersey Shore, enjoying time with their children and grandchildren. Visit her website at www.cathygohlke.com and find her on Facebook at CathyGohlkeBooks. Follow her on BookBub.

Reviews

[Carrie Turansky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again Cathy Gohlke takes us back to WW2 and gives us a deep and powerful story that captures the depth of love and the power of forgiveness in a time a great trial. The events are gripping, and the characters are so real you will remember them long after you finish the book. Highly recommended!

[Amy Bruno · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is no way I can adequately express how beautiful and tragic this book was! For the past few days, I've been completely absorbed in Cathy Gohlke's The Medallion. Alternating between anger, sadness, and ultimately hope, I was emotionally invested in this book like none other before.

Set in Poland during WWII we follow two couples as they struggle to survive the German invasion. It's a powerful and memorable story of one woman's ultimate sacrifice to save her child and another woman who risked everything to take care of her during one of our history's darkest times. I've never read a WWII set in Poland so that provided a fresh perspective for me.

Cathy's writing is exquisite. While it's heartbreaking and maddening to read, I am so glad that I did. I will never forget Sophia, Janek, Itzhak, and Rosa. Thank you to Cathy Gohlke for sharing this exceptionally written historical. I cannot wait to read more books by her!

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

We may think this current world situation is tough, but, back in the time of World War II, Jews were being exterminated merely because of their faith. This book shines a light on one of the twentieth century's darkest chapters, and is heartbreaking at times, touching at others. Fair warning: As you might expect, it packs a serious emotional punch.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whew, this one was intense! And yes, it most definitely will leave you with a book hangover! (Plus with a serious knot in your throat as you read, and a likelihood of using an entire box of kleenex.)

There are two storylines, as Gohlke tends to do often, and for quite some time it isn't clear how the two will intersect. What made it most intense for me was the child's story and how the book explores the meanings and heartaches of motherhood. I can't imagine having to face the idea of having to give up a child to try to give her a chance at life.

A truly heartbreaking and yet hopeful story. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free reading copy. A favorable review was not required.

[Kav · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Red Sea...how Adonai will make a way where there is no way." (p 8)

I read that line early on in this novel and haven't been able to shake the imagery since. It's at the heart of this story -- how God prepares a way even if it's not the way we'd choose.

The Medallion is a tough read. Have tissues and comfort chocolate on hand and be prepared for an emotional roller coaster ride ending in an ugly cry. Cathy Gohlke writes with such passion and reverence...and hope! As hard as this read is, it inspires me to live my faith more fully to treat my neighbours with more compassion and to speak up and take action whenever I am witness to injustice.

This is one of those impossible to review kind of novels. Mainly, because I don't want to give anything away. But there are so many talking points in this book that it would make a fabulous book club selection.

Impeccable historical research laid the foundation for a compelling tale about everyday people doing extraordinary things. It is both a celebration of life and a cautionary tale.

Indescribably good. If you only read one book this year (is that even possible?) you should make The Medallion that book.

[Sarita · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve come to know Cathy Gohlke as an author who provides a deep profound story on a difficult part of history and this was no different.

This story was sad, heartbreaking and sometimes just depressing as you follow all the different Jews in Poland beging targeted and seeing how circumstances worsened as the war prolonged. There was a particular scene with a father and son which was purely devastating.

But even though through Sophia and Rosa’s stories, you experienced heartbreak, you also experienced sacrificial love, strangers going the extra mile for others in need and at the end you are also left with a bit of hope.

We have only to confess—to turn away from our darkness and confess whatever it is He already knows—and He waits, ready to help. We weren’t made to walk alone, to live alone, to grieve alone.

If you enjoy WW2 stories, this author should be high on your TBR list.

[Andrea Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from NetGalley. A positive review was not required. These are my honest thoughts.

Heartbreaker is the only word I can think of to truly sum up this one. It’s an exquisite tale of a few families facing the horrors of WWII. How many tears the author poured into this story I cannot possibly know, but, I’ll tell you, I gave her a run for her money! I cried in a vacation rental house, in the car on the way home, and into my pillow once I’d gotten home and found time around unpacking and catching up on laundry for those last heartrending chapters. That’s one thing about Mrs. Gohlke’s WWII fiction: it’s certain to make me weep, because it’s filled with raw and vulnerable emotions that I love experiencing while reading.

It was wonderful to see real-life people make appearances that were crucial to the plot. Irena Sendler, Jan and Antonina Zabinski, and Dr. Janusz Korczak provided splashes of truth to the wealth of rich details that Mrs. Gohlke infused into every page of this novel. From the wedding to open the book to the hardships of living in the Polish and Lithuanian ghettos during the second World War to the traumatic forced labor… every scene swept me away into a time in history I’m glad I personally missed. I’m so grateful for the ways in which God inspired and helped and encouraged those who did live through it. My heart breaks at the thought of how many starved or froze to death and those who were so callously murdered by the Nazi regime. Such a tragic time in our planet’s, in all of humanity’s, history, and I hope we take books like this seriously so we remember the dark places we’ve been. If we don’t, they will be repeated.

The only drawbacks about this book for me: two expletives, tobacco, alcohol and pubs, and one character’s name suddenly changing for the “part two” section of the book. It was a slight alteration, but it threw me off for several chapters. Maybe I simply missed that her husband had, early on, called her something different than her POV revealed. But it seemed odd to me when the switch happened, so I don’t think his name for her was emphasized early on. Anyway, those things pulled me from the story enough to dock one star. But I still very much cherished this story and its raw emotions and big heart. It’s very impactful and meaningful, and I know it will have gobs of fans.

[Maureen Timerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

How could a book based on fact and telling about true events have even happened, a world gone mad? Hate so very evil, and then I think, all these years later that hate is still there.
We are putting faces on those that lived in, mostly Poland, during that horrible time in history.
The author does a wonderful job bringing this time alive, and we need not forget. We also get a twist with a survivor child and the emotions of all that has happened come to a head. You will see how broken hearts mend, and who is there in the end having survived, but how?
A don’t miss read, and it is that good!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Tyndale House, and was not required to give a positive review.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 + stars

It is very difficult to write a review for a book that has pulled so many different and intense emotions from me as I read it. To read of the atrocities suffered during WWII is not new, but the masterful pen of Ms. Gohlke is like no other. Yet even as I was horrified by all of the suffering in Poland during the German occupancy, I was amazed at the courage that many displayed. While this is a fictional account, it is evident that the author's research incorporated the thread of overwhelming strength and courage of those true heroes and heroines who suffered during this dark time in history.

This is the fictional account of two couples: Janek and Sophia, Itzhak and Rosa. The love of a child will unite the two families in unexpected ways. While survival during wartime calls many to make decisions we would not contemplate during a time of peace, it is those decisions that have the power to haunt us for years to come. Ms Gohlke has several themes that will challenge her readers woven seamlessly throughout this masterpiece.

A. couple of my favorite quotes:
" We're not meant to handle life alone...It's too hard, too unpredictable, too messy and big. There is One who is willing and ready to help, to travel with us, if we let Him."

"We weren't made to walk alone, to live alone, to grieve alone. He'll carry your burdens.....at least let Him in."

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book from the author/publisher. I was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Jocelyn Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing read. This book is beautiful and bold, and tells a story laced with hardship (to put it mildly)--but with such tender care. This novel reminds me why I love historical fiction so much.

[Chautona Havig · Rating 4 out of 5]

2 Simple Reasons This Complex Book Is a New Favorite
I knew, the moment I read the synopsis, that I had to request a review copy of The Medallion. Anything inspired by Irene Sandler’s heroic attempts to save the children in Poland belongs on my shelf.

When the publisher sent me a free review copy, it took every bit of self-control not to set aside what I was already reading and open the pages of what is a beautiful book. However, the day came. Time to read.

This is a complex and heart-rending book. The characters and situations that play out on the page come to life in ways we wish the wouldn’t—they didn’t. Knowing that many elements and some characters are based on real people who lived and suffered during those years only adds to the richness of the story.

It’s strange. I want to complain about a few things—the slowness of some sections or the angles from which the author chose to tell a story. My mind screams she could have done this differently or that.

But the more I think of it, the more I realize that there is greater depth to this story than I realized while I read it. Because you see, that slowness tells a story in itself. If it’s slow for me to read some parts, how much slower would it have been to live them.

I truly believe that Gohlke deliberately paced this book exactly as it should be.
After all, you’d expect the second half, ramping up to a climax and after the war is over—you’d expect that to be faster paced.

But everything I’ve read about the war says that the years after were just as hard as the ones during. The difference was that there was hope again—that faith was easier to cling to. Her pacing was, in retrospect, brilliant.

And those characters? The ones I wanted to know deeper?

I now thank Ms. Gohlke for not giving more of them. My heart is already shredded in irreparable tatters at my feet. I couldn’t take more. And I think she knew that.

This isn’t your “overcoming all odds” WWII story. This is your, “God was with them—even in their worst moments and tragedies” story. In The Medallion, you won’t find the ending you crave as much as you will discover Who holds the endings in His hands and how He weaves them into beauty that we can’t see. Not yet.

Brilliantly written, powerfully shown, heart-rendingly realistic. And it landed on my top books of 2019 list by the end of the third chapter.

It’s a new favorite of mine for two simple reasons.
First, I don’t know how you could read this book without clinging a little closer to the Lord. Second, because I believe works like this will help us do that thing I think is so important. It helps us never to forget.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm wrung out and I have a headache from crying lol. It's hard to do this beautiful book justice. I know other reviews explain this plot and I don't need to rehash that. Nobody has mentioned Sophie's actions once she was back in England, I don't want to give any spoilers so I'll just say she acted very selfishly for a while (and towards a man who been through far more!) that really made me angry especially since up until now she was brave and sacrificial and compassionate. She does comes around, thankfully, and while a little sad the book did end well. This is without a doubt the best book written by Cathy Gohlke, yet!

[Staci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartbreaking story set in WWII Poland. Some of the events in the novel are based upon historical facts. Two married couples, one Polish/Lithuanian Jews and one British/Polish Christians, are the primary characters. A young girl bridges the two families.

[Joleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re looking for a sweet beach read, or a mild romance, this probably isn’t the one for you. But would I lower the star-rating because it was a hard book to read? Absolutely not! This was an amazing story.

WWII
Warsaw 1939 - London 1946

Characters too numerous to mention, but the main two couples were:
Sophie Kumiega : an English foreigner and professional academic in Warsaw, married to Janek, a Polish fighter-pilot separated from her throughout the war.
Rosa and Itzhak Dunovich: German Jews suffering the Nazi occupation, barely surviving, and...
Ania, aka Karolina, aka Charlotte: Rosa and Itzhak's baby

With the Nazi occupation, Poland was basically reduced to a slave state. Jews had everything confiscated while being moved to a crowded ghetto with no electricity.

Being Aryan Poles, Sophie and her best friend, Terri, were able to move about at will, eventually becoming part of the underground intent on helping Jews survive through a black-market community, sometimes being given children to care for until the end of the war.

Rosa and Itzhak were Jews sent to the ghetto with their baby and Rosa's mother. Because Itzhak was a proficient electrician, and much of Warsaw was without power due to the bombing, he was always needed for work, earning wages that could barely feed his family. When he took his chance to escape to see if he could help or retrieve his parents in Vilna, Lithuania, everything changed.

**************************************

It can be difficult reading a book filled with such hardship, but it’s realistic, so true to the life lived in Poland at that time.

I loved how Ms. Gohlke brought in characters from other books I’ve read, like Antonina Zabinski from "The Zookeeper's Wife" or of the pediatrician/children's book author in "Dr Korczak and the Children" who marched with the orphans to the death camp train.

This is one memorable book!

[Carrie Schmidt · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Remember the Red Sea . . . Adonai makes a way when there is no way. . . . . It is His specialty.”

I was woefully behind in reading this gorgeous novel by Cathy Gohlke, one of my favorite authors, because sometimes life just gets in the way of reading what you want to read. Then once I read it – a couple of months ago – I had to process it before I could possibly begin to review it. And now here I am, fingers to keyboard, still unsure how I can ever do justice to this beautiful story.

I’m not even going to go too much into the characters and the plot in The Medallion because these are better left for you, the reader, to discover on your own. They will be all the more meaningful to you if you meet each one naturally on the pages, as the story unfolds. Gohlke’s writing voice is pitch perfect, and she brings the people and places to life in vivid & emotion-tugging detail. She writes of a season in which the righteous laws we hold to so tightly (never do that. always do this.) blur a bit in the face of loving God with all we have and loving our neighbor as ourselves, reminiscent of the faith questions this rule follower (me) wrestled with while reading one of my fave non-fiction books, The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. It was a time when the worst of humanity met the best of humanity in a battle for the lives of people beloved by God.

Bottom Line: Based on true events, The Medallion by Cathy Gohlke spotlights a handful of characters that will grip your heart for months to come. People just like us who must make unimaginable decisions to survive, and people who step into that sacred space of rescue, sacrificing more than our safe, comfy modern lives can imagine to put others’ lives ahead of their own. Embracing the entire story is an underlying reminder that God is in the business of making a way where there is no way, that trusting Him when the next step is unclear is always better than trusting ourselves, and that there is no pit so deep that His love is not deeper still. Beautifully written with hope and grace despite the horror of the events it covers, The Medallion will keep you captivated until the very end. A great next read for fans of Pam Jenoff’s The Woman with the Blue Star and Melanie Dobson’s Hidden Among the Stars.

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)

first reviewed on Reading Is My SuperPower

[Missy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a book on survival, maternal love, and life in Warsaw during the early days of World War II. From the beginning of the bombings and Sophie Kumeiga trying to save her unborn child and the library she so loved. To Rosa and Itzhak Dunovich beginning with their marriage, and the medallion Itzhak gives to Rosa to symbolize their union and the life they hoped to have. About Itzhak and Rosa's families and the demise they know is coming. But when the ghettos start going up and the underground of getting the Jewish children to safety, Sophie finds herself in the middle. When a little girl comes to her door, with half a medallion around her neck, Sophie will do everything within her power to make sure she and the little girl survive.

I remember years ago a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie about Irena Sendler, it was heartbreaking to say the least. This book showed the other side of her story and personalized it for those who cared for the children she put in their care. I loved this story and would highly recommend it to others.

[Carrie Turansky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cathy Gohlke is one of my favorite authors, and I always look forward to reading her next book. This one is a powerful story that really grabbed my heart. You'll be carried away to WW1 Poland and experience what it was like for those living there at that time. Memorable characters and very moving conclusion. Well written and highly recommended.

[Karen R · Rating 5 out of 5]

An epic story expertly crafted, based on real people and events. Set mainly during World War 2 in Nazi occupied Poland, the tragic events and experiences of two families show the power of sacrificial love--mother for a child in particular. The sacrifice for even a stranger is shown and challenged me to think about what I might do in a similar situation. The author does a good job of conveying a bit of hope in the midst of the horrors of war, and mans inhumanity to man. A thread of hope and faith binds the brokenhearted, with reminders that God ..."will make a way when it seems there is no way."

This is not an easy read, but an important tale that should be told, so as not to be forgotten. Not a book for the faint of heart, but one that will make readers think and feel deeply along with the characters, leaving a lasting impression. Recommend for WW2 fans who like books with more realistic people and events. The author's notes at the end are very interesting, filling in facts and her inspiration for the story. Keep the tissues handy.

(An ebook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.)

[Susan Snodgrass · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I see a book by Cathy Gohlke, I know that I will be totally immersed in said book for however long it takes to read it. Her books are so impeccably researched and the depth is amazing. In this one, she takes us into 1939 Poland when the German blitzkrieg has turned the streets and homes into a war zone, and the citizens are completely in chaos. We meet Sophie Kumiega, a British woman working in the city library, whose husband, Janek, is with the Polish Air Force, deployed, and she has no idea if he is alive or dead. She has just lost her baby and feels compelled to help those around her. So she sets out to get food to, and rescue Jewish people as much as she can, even with the ghetto walls climbing higher each day.

Next we meet Rosa and Itzhak Dunovich who have left Lithuania to come to Poland to stay with her mother. Everything is scarce and life is bleak. Then Rosa discovers she is pregnant and they must go live in the Warsaw Ghetto. Their daughter is born and is a sickly toddler when Rosa realizes that the only hope for her child is if she allows her to be smuggled out of the ghetto and placed elsewhere. Her only hope of finding her after the war is to cut her medallion in half, the one her husband gave her on their wedding day, and place half around Ania and half on herself.

This book is inspired by actual events and wonderful heroes. It is a tremendous tale of self sacrifice, hope and the horror that was Nazism. My mind is completely boggled by these events in world history. No darker days there could not have been, nor could be to come. But God can and will allow light to shine in the darkest of days. Cathy Gholke has once again written a book for the keeper shelf. I was moved incredibly by this book and highly recommend it.

*My thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book via Net Galley. The opinions here are my own.

[Loraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Filled with courage, sacrifice and survival, The Medallion is the story of two couples who are caught in the midst of Hitler's war against Jews and Poland. Yet they are bound together by one little girl. Itzhak and Rosa Dunovich are Jewish. Itzhak goes off to fight for the Allies to protect Poland leaving Rosa pregnant. Sophie Kumlega is an American working in a large library in Warsaw. Her husband is German and has left to fight for the Germans. The loss of one baby and the birth of another will intertwine these two women as well as their husbands.

Poignantly written, this novel points out the horrors that the Polish Jews underwent during the occupation of the Nazis as well as the courage of both the Jews and the Poles in protecting young children especially, and the lengths they would go to to save them from transport to the death camps. But the story of Ania/Charlotte was a testimony to the depths of love and sacrifice that adults will go to in order to provide for the health, comfort and happiness of a child.

This book definitely made my 2021 favorite books list.

[Joy Tiff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’d read another WWII book recently about Poland, Warsaw in particular so some of the history overlapped. However, I really loved the way Cathy Golke added a twist with the medallion. Excellent story and I enjoyed the narration.

[Cheryl Barker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm having trouble reviewing this one. An important award-winning story based on WW2 realities but filled with so many horrific events and so much sadness. I really do like meaty stories, but this one was almost too much for me. Part 2 (about 2/3 of the way through) took place post-war and I was able to more fully connect with the characters and enjoy the book more after that. I really liked the ending when things took a hopeful and healing turn, and it also includes some great spiritual lessons and truths. I love historical fiction -- but sometimes the history is so hard, so tragic and heartbreaking.

[Cheri Swalwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a hard book to read. It was a wonderful, thought provoking, incredibly sad yet tinged with hope book. I have never read a book that painted such a vivid picture of the starvation, torture, and resilience of the human spirit as this book. This is a book that will stay with the reader long after the last page is turned.
I wanted to read this book because I wanted to know more about this time in history and the author did not disappoint. I felt as though I was living the war with the various characters, and then the aftermath of it also. I loved how she took us through the lives of several different people and how they all interconnected; the things people had to do in order to survive the war and then to consider – while physically they were still alive, would they ever truly be the same again?
If you have any questions about the history and brutality of the Nazi invasion, I encourage you to pick up this book. It’s one that you will never forget – I know I won’t.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit but was not under any obligation to write a review. All opinions are strictly mine.

[Carole Jarvis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed at The Power of Words: https://bit.ly/2IHbCWf

In the world of fiction, a novel by Cathy Gohlke is pure gold. Whether it’s set during the Civil War times like the most excellent William Henry Is a Fine Name, or during World War II as in her later novels, Gohlke’s characters envelop you into another era and help you see things in a different and fresh way. When it comes to what Christian fiction strives to be, Cathy Gohlke is simply one of the very best of authors.

There’s no way any words of mine can do justice to The Medallion in a review, so I’ll just express some of my feelings. First of all, the basics … Gohlke’s writing is exquisite; historical detail is beyond impressive; characters are multilayered and complex; the story flows steadily and is hard impossible to put down. The Holocaust setting in Warsaw doesn’t make for an easy read, but it is compelling. Nothing is predictable and there are some fascinating twists. The Medallion earns top scores on an entertainment level alone.

Now for some subjective thoughts. The Medallion is basically the story of two couples – Sophie and Janek, Rosa and Itzhak – trying to survive during the Nazi occupation of Poland, but a lot of stories have been written with a similar theme. What elevates and sets this one apart? There’s rich historical detail, but it’s not primarily a historical novel. There’s tons of suspense, but it isn’t really a suspense novel. The Medallion doesn’t fit into any box that I can think of. Rather, it’s a story of people – their courage, motivations, willingness to risk everything, and faith during one of the darkest times in history. In other words, ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

“Fear is an ungainly enemy. Give it a foothold and it will control your life.”
– Pan Gadomski

I confess to not buying into society’s concept of “celebrity.” If things like Hollywood magazines and talk shows depended on people like me, they would disappear due to lack of interest. Rather, the true celebrities and stars are people like the characters in this story – people with the strength and grit to make impossibly heart wrenching decisions and sacrifice regarding the safety of a child; people with a courage they never dreamed they possessed and a willingness to risk their lives in order to help the helpless; people of faith who never lost sight of God’s presence during the darkest and hopeless times of Hitler’s reign. The Medallion may be fiction, but it is inspired by factual accounts and we know the characters are drawn from real heroes during this devastating time.

No one can read The Medallion without being changed for the better. It will challenge you, make you look deep inside yourself. This a story that everyone should read. I’ll end with quote from Pan Bukowski that should minister to all of us:

“Remember the Red Sea … Adonai makes a way when there is no way.”

Very highly recommended.

I received a copy of this book through Celebrate Lit and Tyndale Publishing. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book while reading others. I needed time to ponder what was happening in the book. To know that events and circumstances were very much like this years ago. The story is written so well, with a nearly impossible to believe storyline of the events of WWII. The tenderness and care of the author is evident. I highly recommend this book.

[Carol (Reading Ladies) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

“When all seems lost, God can make a way forward.”

1939 Warsaw is the setting for this harrowing, heartfelt, and inspirational WW11 tale of survival, courage, loss, hope, risk, and faith. Sophie works in the city library, and her husband, Janek, is deployed with the Polish Air Force. When the Germans invade Warsaw in 1939 and streets become a dangerous war zone, Sophie feels compelled to help friends and strangers. Rosa and Itzhak are pregnant with their first child when they seek shelter in the Jewish ghetto. When Itzhak leaves her to check on the safety of his family, Rosa faces the horrific possibility of sending their small child into hiding to save her life, but first Rosa cuts a medallion (the Jewish Tree of Life) in half and places half around her young daughter’s neck. She prays that this will be enough to reunite them after the war.

We follow the lives of these two memorable couples whose worlds are torn apart and, in post-war years, connected by a shared love for a young daughter.

The Medallion is an engaging, heartfelt, and well-told story with memorable characters. I was right there with them in their prayers, their fear, and their every loss. Through them, I felt the uncertainty and pain, the anger and the sadness. Some of the characters represent the real Catholic social workers who worked to develop a network to rescue children during the war.

Courage, sacrifice, hope, determination, risk, and survival are prevalent themes in WW11 historical fiction. In addition, two of the outstanding themes in this story are the risks taken to care for children during the worst of war and how faith (Jewish and Christian) is a practical and important part of their every day lives. We see again and again in the story how they prayed and God made a way. Forgiveness and reconciliation show up in the end.

The Medallion is a page-turner and filled with suspenseful moments. The sacrifice of one woman who gives up her child to save her life and the story of another woman who risks everything to take care of the child are powerfully conveyed. I felt the circumstances that brought the characters together at the story’s end were a bit too coincidental and contrived, but the emotional storyline helped me overlook that. The end of the story has similar vibes to The Light Between Oceans but has a more hopeful, heartwarming, and satisfactory ending.

Don’t miss the author’s note where she explains which historical facts are the foundation for this story.

I highly recommend The Medallion for WW11 histfic fans, for readers who appreciate a compelling story told from a spiritual point of view, for those who love inspirational characters, and for book clubs. In light of the driving forces of hate and evil during WW11, it’s important to remember the inspirational stories, hope, and love.

Content warnings: the expected WW11 atrocities and grief, families separated

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[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my gosh....no words to describe this but my emotions ran rampant and the tears flowed. No one should forget the atrocities that people faced in WWII and a big thank you to authors that are willing to tackle this subject and bring it to life. Ms. Gohlke is a master at her craft and perfectly weaves a story amidst actual people with impeccable research. How far would you go to protect a child in horrific circumstances and after hearts bind could you let that child go? I will never wear my tree of life necklace without remembering this story. It pacts a punch that will be long lasting. I will leave it at this....please read and place on your best books ever shelf.
I won a copy of this book and am so thankful I did. The honest review and opinions are my own and were not required.

[Parkland Mom · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stunning and heart-wrenching story. I felt as though I was there in the war and the Nazi oppression. Though the work is fiction, what happened back then was real. I learned so much and understood so more more about that black hole of inhumanity. The resolve and bravery of those victims is beyond fathomable.

This book was tough, but spectacular. It honours those who suffered by sharing details of personal things we overlook in our ‘casual approach’ to history.

I listened to the audio book and the narrator did a fantastic job.

This was my second book by Cathy Gohlke, but it won’t be my last. This will stay with me.

[Marguerite Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rooted in history, The Medallion presents a horrendous tale of the citizens of Warsaw, Poland, both Jewish and Polish, confronted with the Nazi invasion during the occupation years beginning in 1939. No one could have predicted the days of murder, starvation, punishment, separation, hatred, fear, and cruelty. Yet, in this novel we have the opportunity to view heroes and heroines at their best, those willing to sacrifice all in order to save a few—children, families, Jews, humans. Soul-wrenching and brilliant at the same time, this WWII novel is brought to life with the suspense and the crimes combined with love, faith, and a willingness to survive.

I’ve visited the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. It is an inspiring place of remembrance. I was handed a passport of a ten-year-old Jewish girl from Warsaw (she had really existed). At each level of the museum I did not know if she would survive or not. In the Warsaw ghetto room, pictures of the victims cover the walls and the ceiling. I cried. So many of the intense instincts of these people, I’ll never experience. As I read this book, I remembered the layers of the museum, some so graphic I couldn’t look. I do remember that my passport of the ten-year-old girl had a good ending. She survived and escaped to the United States. Others perished.

This story will stay with me for a long time. Even in the horrific events of the war and the aftermath, God can heal and forgive and offer second chances.

[Kerry Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cathy Gohlke remains one of my favorite authors because of her lyrical writing and characters that have stayed and stayed and stayed with me. The Medallion is not a light read, but it's a necessary one, woven with truth and grace.

I appreciate stories that carry me along on a full emotional experience, and The Medallion does this is a heart-wrenching, unforgettable way. Set in Poland in WWII, The Medallion poses an impossible question, one no parent wants to ask. I was curious how this gifted author would answer it, and she pulled it off beautifully, with grace and mercy. It's impossible to read a book by Cathy Gohlke without being deeply moved and shedding a few tears, and I certainly did while immersed in The Medallion.

The characters and their experiences will long stay with you, though reading accounts of war atrocities is heartbreaking. As we move farther away from those times, I'm grateful for stories that illuminate exactly what went on for Jews and those caught in the cross-hairs of Hitler's hatred.

Fans of WWII women's fiction don't want to miss this harrowing, unforgettable tale of love, loss, and sacrifice.