The Woman With The Blue Star: A Novel by Pam Jenoff

(Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book!

 

about book:

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Girls of Paris comes a riveting tale of courage and unlikely friendship during World War II.
1942. Sadie Gault is eighteen and living with her parents in the Kraków Ghetto during World War II. When the Nazis liquidate the ghetto, Sadie and her pregnant mother are forced to seek refuge in the perilous tunnels beneath the city. One day Sadie looks up through a grate and sees a girl about her own age buying flowers.
Ella Stepanek is an affluent Polish girl living a life of relative ease with her stepmother, who has developed close alliances with the occupying Germans. While on an errand in the market, she catches a glimpse of something moving beneath a grate in the street. Upon closer inspection, she realizes it’s a girl hiding.
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 in the face of overwhelming odds. Inspired by incredible true stories, The Woman with the Blue Star is an unforgettable testament to the power of friendship and the extraordinary strength of the human will to survive.

my thoughts:

Wow. What a story. Talk about an emotional and beautiful must-read book. The Woman With The Blue Star by Pam Jenoff is just excellent and I am wholeheartedly recommending it to everyone. 

Its WWII and Sadie is living with her parents. She's eighteen years old. The Nazis are terrifying everyone and people are being taken from their homes. One night, Sadie's father wakes her up and rushes her and his pregnant wife to a safe place - the sewers below the streets.  Yep, they are to take refuge with another family beneath the city, surrounded by waste and rats.  It's the only way they can survive.  Ella is rich. She lives with her stepmother. Her father has left.  No one talks to her anymore, because her stepmother has sided with the occupying Germans. This connection allows Ella to wander freely.  It's during one of her trips into town that she sees Sadie beneath the grate in the street.  From that moment, their lives are never the same. And, that is all I will write about this amazing and important book. You MUST read it for yourself to experience it all - it is worth it! This is one book you will not want to miss out on. 

The writing is top notch - the descriptions, the history, the characters, all of it will just hook you from the start. And the story itself will have you reading faster and faster to find out what will happen next. You'll be crying one minute and smiling the next. The Woman With The Blue Star is historical fiction at its finest. 

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book!

The Lost Girls Of Pars by Pam Jenoff

(Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!)

about book:

From the author of the runaway bestseller The Orphan’s Tale comes a remarkable story of friendship and courage centered around three women and a ring of female secret agents during World War II.

1946, Manhattan

One morning while passing through Grand Central Terminal on her way to work, Grace Healey finds an abandoned suitcase tucked beneath a bench. Unable to resist her own curiosity, Grace opens the suitcase, where she discovers a dozen photographs—each of a different woman. In a moment of impulse, Grace takes the photographs and quickly leaves the station.

Grace soon learns that the suitcase belonged to a woman named Eleanor Trigg, leader of a network of female secret agents who were deployed out of London during the war. Twelve of these women were sent to Occupied Europe as couriers and radio operators to aid the resistance, but they never returned home, their fates a mystery. Setting out to learn the truth behind the women in the photographs, Grace finds herself drawn to a young mother turned agent named Marie, whose daring mission overseas reveals a remarkable story of friendship, valor and betrayal.

Vividly rendered and inspired by true events, New York Times bestselling author Pam Jenoff shines a light on the incredible heroics of the brave women of the war and weaves a mesmerizing tale of courage, sisterhood and the great strength of women to survive in the hardest of circumstances.

my thoughts:

Every time I think I like historical fiction, I read a book that makes me realize how much I LOVE historical fiction. Pam Jenoff's latest tale does just that.  The Lost Girls Of Paris was not only chock full of awesome historical information, but it was an awesome story that shed light on the contributions women made during WWII - something that needs to be written about ALL the time. Women are a force and the lengths they go to to help their country is immeasurable.

Told in dual narratives, this story takes place in 1946 NYC and during WWII in England and France. We get to learn about a network of female spies and their mission to Occupied France - it is absolutely riveting! Grace lives in NY and is on her way to work one morning when she spots an abandoned suitcase. Curiosity aroused, she takes a peek and finds photographs of women.  Determined to figure out this new mystery, she takes the suitcase and starts to work out who it belonged to and who those women in the photographs are.  Grace traces the luggage to Eleanor - a woman who was placed in charge of recruiting, training, and managing female spies. A task she took to heart, knowing full well the risks that these women took in order to ensure a safer world.  Maria is one of the spies that Eleanor recruited.Through these women, we get to find out about a part of history and the role women played in it.  We get to learn about becoming a spy, the dangers that ensued, and the mystery of what happened once you were out in the field.  Grace digs deeper and deeper until she gets answers to the questions that keep popping up as she looks into the photographs. Its fascinating, engaging, and unputdownable. Reading about Eleanor and Maria was simply the best. Their stories were are not to be missed. I absolutely LOVED finding out about them.

The Lost Girls Of Paris was truly a fantastic read. It had history, drama, mystery, and intrigue - I couldn't help but get caught up in it all. In fact, I read this book in one sitting - I just had to! I needed to find out what happened to these women.

I would happily recommend The Lost Girls Of Paris to fans of Jenoff's work and fans of historical fiction - you will LOVE this book to bits!!
Here's the link to the TLC Book Tour schedule for: The Lost Girls Of Paris

Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!

The Orphan's Tale: A Novel by Pam Jenoff

(Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!)

about book:

A powerful novel of friendship set in a traveling circus during World War II, The Orphan’s Tale introduces two extraordinary women and their harrowing stories of sacrifice and survival 

Sixteen-year-old Noa has been cast out in disgrace after becoming pregnant by a Nazi soldier and being forced to give up her baby. She lives above a small rail station, which she cleans in order to earn her keep… When Noa discovers a boxcar containing dozens of Jewish infants bound for a concentration camp, she is reminded of the child that was taken from her. And in a moment that will change the course of her life, she snatches one of the babies and flees into the snowy night.

Noa finds refuge with a German circus, but she must learn the flying trapeze act so she can blend in undetected, spurning the resentment of the lead aerialist, Astrid. At first rivals, Noa and Astrid soon forge a powerful bond. But as the facade that protects them proves increasingly tenuous, Noa and Astrid must decide whether their friendship is enough to save one another—or if the secrets that burn between them will destroy everything.

my thoughts:

Wow! Talk about an unforgettable and unputdownable story that will give you ALL of the feels. The Orphan's Tale is one of the BEST books I've read this year. I am just LOVING historical fiction more and more - this book is the reason why.  Chock full of historical tidbits that enrich this story on every level, The Orphan's Tale is a mesmerizing read about survival, family, and friendship.  It is simply a must-read!

Noa and Astrid are two truly amazing women! They are strong in every which way and have braved so many terrifying situations.  Their secrets keep them on their toes.  And their friendship tests them and their boundaries.  The world around them is at war and they feel its effects.  Bent on surviving, these two women manage to find themselves a place to hide and thrive.  I absolutely LOVED reading their stories.  They were courageous with a capital "C". 

Jenoff has written a terrific story set during WWII that will suck you in right from the start.  Your heart will break, but it will also beat madly for these characters.  The writing will captivate with its strength, richness, and deep storytelling. It is such a great read!

I would happily recommend this book to fan's of Jenoff and fans of historical fiction (especially about WWII) - you will LOVE this book!!

Here's the link to TLC Book Tour schedule for: The Orphan's Tale

Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!