Ce livre est une très belle découverte. J'adore lire des livres reliés à la Deuxième guerre mondiale et principalement à l'Holocauste. Laissez-vous entrainer par cette histoire d'amour délicate et sensible. L'amour entre Ala et Max vous bouleversera et continuera de vous hanter une fois le livre terminé...
Je le recommande chaleureusement !

Just could not get into this book, so I did not post a review. I don't like to DNF books, but there are so many great ones. Thanks for the opportunity.

This is a fictionalized account of the author's grandmother's experiences in Warsaw during World War II. She was basically the only person in the story that survived through to the end. I didn't realize it was more or less a true story until the ending. It's a Holocaust story, so even one survivor is basically a miracle. The story takes place in Warsaw, mostly in the ghetto. There are actually a lot of books like this, but this one really resonated with me. I think I just really liked the story and I got really involved with the characters (still struggling to think of them being actual people).

Ala is training to be a dancer when the Nazis invade Warsaw, Poland. Ala and her family are forced into the ghetto with small rooms for entire families, barely enough food and water to survive, and filthy conditions. She is asked by her dance teacher to join the ghetto dance company to put on a show for the residents of the ghetto.

Ala's uncle, Max, moves into the ghetto with his family. He is surprised to see the girl he loved in university. The woman was abandoned by her Catholic husband and is now barely surviving in the ghetto with her two children.

Ala and Max try their hardest to survive, help others, and keep their dreams alive.

This book, describing life in the ghetto was well written and researched. It left me saddened, but of course with a good dose of reality

I really tried to be this book but the content was tough going and the writing style just didn't end up working with me. I felt myself fighting the style as it didn't sit well.

Tbe story itself was good.

Great book about the Jewish population that was basically herded into a small area of Warsaw and barricaded in until they were either killed on the street or taken off by cattle car to be killed before they reached Treblinka concentration camp or before.
At times it was very hard to read,as unimaginable things happened to babies,small children as well as many older adults.Many of the men and women were so confused,they could barely understand what was happening to them.
One of the main character's was Ala,who studied to be a Ballet dancer and was around 20.Her uncle max was also an active character along with her brother Henyrk.(msp).
They tried to help and shield family and friends,but there was little they could do,as the Germans did everything unnatural to them,even starving them out and bribing their own people to turn against them.
I've read many books on WWII and the Holocaust,but this was one that really got to me,even though,I knew that it was fiction.
Thank you "Glenn Haybittle" for writing such an important book and to Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review.

Beautifully written and heartwarming. This was a story of bravery and perseverance. This reminded me a bit of “The Tattooist of Aushwicz” - so much love in a time of terror.

4.5 (rounded to 5 stars)

Wow, this book really exceeded my expectations. I secured an ARC of In the Warsaw Ghetto several months ago and let it languish on my TBR list for a long time as I went through a book slump, especially in terms of World War II stories. I think the best compliment I can give it is that it has revived my interest in learning even more about the Holocaust.

I’d say the first half of the book was a bit slow for me, especially since it took me a while to warm up to the main characters. It wasn’t that they weren’t likeable (though a few side characters weren’t my faves); it was more of an early lack of me feeling bonded with them. But as I read on and got to know these people, I came to appreciate them and what they stood for. Also, the more I read, the more I appreciated the strong writing of Mr. Haybittle. I would classify it as at least a notch above most of my wartime historical fiction reads. He truly captures the essence of the ghetto, the Jews under persecution, and the flagrant cruelness of the Nazis. The best I can describe it is that his writing adds depth, fiber, and polish to the story. So well done. The book is also very well researched.

I was so pleased to read about an aspect of the war that I had not encountered before and that was the story of the Warsaw Ghetto itself. What a horrible atrocity. And I had no idea there was a police force of Jews working for the Nazis. I had essentially stopped learning much from my WWII reads, so this alone is worth lots of stars!

The storyline becomes really gripping as the tale hurtles towards the end. And what an end it is. But it was the postscript that really got to me. DO NOT FAIL to read the postscript!

I enjoyed this novel so much that I went to the author’s page and was excited to see several more novels. I was shocked, however, to find how little read his books are—a shame in my opinion. If you are looking for an especially well written WWII story with a lot of depth and reasons to remember it for a long time, look no further than In the Warsaw Ghetto. Highly recommended.

I struggled with my star rating. Do I round up or down? Though it took a while for me to become totally invested, I know this book will be one that rattles around in my head for quite a while. These type of books are definitely in the minority, so I do think this one deserves all the stars.

I want to thank Net Galley, Cheyne Walk, and Glenn Haybittle for an advanced copy. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

This book follows a young woman (Ala) and her uncle (Max) from the onset of WWII through the building, filling, emptying and eventual destruction of the Warsaw ghetto. The sad historical truths were felt rather than read. I really appreciated the candor about the brutality and hate that were spewed at the Jewish people during that time. So many times, things are watered down to try to show the human side of the nazis. While I understand that there were some "decent" people wearing the nazi uniform, and they may have performed acts of charity or even mercy, it was certainly not the norm for interaction between nazis and Jews.

This gets a bit graphic at times, which makes it an adult read, It also has some explicit sexual scenes and thoughts expressed.

I hated the ending! I would have written a very different conclusion for Ala.

For historical accuracy and lifelike characters, I would give this book 4 stars, but the overuse of sexuality dragged it down it my opinion.

3 "distanced by sepia" stars !!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Cheyne Walk books for a copy of an e-book in exchange for my honest review. This was released in July 2019.

This is a book about an upper middle class Jewish family living and trying to survive through the years of the Warsaw Ghetto from 1941 and 1943. The book is told through alternating perspectives of uncle and niece. They are very good friend kindred spirits both lovers of the arts and deeply sensitive souls. We, as readers, witness both their everyday struggles regarding love, family, sexuality, faith and place in the world. As conditions harshen and they witness the thievery, cruelty,sexual assaults and eventually murders of their fellow Jewish community their will to survive at all costs changes their values, actions and ways of being with the world, others and themselves.

The book is told in very short alternating chapters that are more vignettes with a series of tableaux. The dialogue never loses the authorial voice and often seems unnatural. This book was like looking at a series of photographs steeped in sepia so that you have the impression of what may have occurred. I wonder if this was intentional to protect the reader, somewhat, from the frequent atrocities and betrayal that increase in intensity over time.

I very much liked the premise, the spirit and the important education provided but to me this was too art-house and a tad contrived for the material that lies within these pages. This book is very highly rated so I may have just somewhat failed as a reader. In either case, this is a book well worth reading and a reminder of what a horrible species of creature we are to treat our brothers and sisters in this manner.

ARC provided by Net Galley in exchange of an honest review

What a powerful story. The Warsaw ghetto is one known by historians. The author did a wonderful job including every bit of historical information without making the plot nonexistent and also managed to keep me interested throughout the story.

This book is both beautifully written and heartbreaking in equal measure. This is the first Glenn Haybittle novel I have read, but not the first Holocaust novel I have read. This novel competes with the best of what I have previously read. Told through the eyes of Ala Silberman and her uncle Max Silberman. Ala is an aspiring ballet dancer from a Jewish family who would definitely be considered well off. As a young woman she finds herself going from living a cultured life inside Warsaw, Poland to having to adjust to the increasing pressures placed on Jewish people as Hitler’s power rises. Ultimately it culminates in Ala and most everyone she knows becoming interred inside the Warsaw Ghetto. The characters are richly described and complex. Each event is heart wrenching, and even though these stories may be familiar to many, they are no less horrifying each time they are told. I spent a lot of time hoping that there would be a happy ending for at least some of the characters involved and as events unfold it becomes clear that is not something that will be realized. Definitely an emotional story that is hard to read at times, but well worth reading. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC. Review posted to Goodreads, LibraryThing, and Amazon

I was so excited about this book but I found it very difficult to get into. I have really enjoyed World War II fiction recently but for some reason this booked and not grab my attention the way I was hoping. It was still a very good book but I have read many books and the genre and it did not hold up to some of its counterparts.

Dnf, I'm sorry. I thought I would love this book but unfortunately, I found it hard to get through. I think the problem was the characters, it was challenging to sink into the story the way I would have loved to.

A story of two particular families in the Warsaw Ghetto. it tells of the horrendous conditions that’s the Jews had to endure. The lack of clean water, food, shelter, proper sewage, medical help and other basic needs. Many were dying in the streets,, many beaten and humiliated for no reason and of course all eventually shot or sent to the gas chambers. It is a topic most of us are aware of, but this reminds us of the atrocities that the Jews suffered. There are some bright spots in the book, many kindnesses, some romance, some brave youth trying to rebel. There were escape routes built, but if the Jews did go outside the compound, they were shunned by the outside world. People were scared to hide them in fear of severe consequences.. I highly recommend reading this book, it is an excellent reminder..........”lest we forget”. The writing is excellent.

I wanted to like this book but it was just so slow. I love historical fiction but I just I couldn’t get myself past chapter 3.

2.5 stars. Hmm. Took me forever to finish this book. Like weeks. I’d do a few pages and get bored or exasperated with the main characters that I put it aside quite easily.

The book is about two Jewish Poles, Ala and her uncle Max and what happened to them when the Germans occupied Warsaw.

I cannot understand why the author chose Ala and her uncle as the focus of this book. Ala’s parents were still alive. So was her brother. So were her friends. Why Max? It’s not as if he’s more interesting than anyone else in Ala’s circle,

I never got invested in Ala and Max. I found them annoying most of the time, especially Max. Max has a lot of monologues. And I didn’t appreciate them especially when he was monologuing at kids. At one point (and I feel slightly guilty about it) I wondered when they’d die and to kill them off already. Gaaah.

I didn’t like the writing style either; there was no rhythm and felt like there was no flow to the story. I’m not talking about the plot or the time, but the way the words flowed. It felt awkward.

Coming from reading All The Lights We Cannot See, this WWII novel fell flat to me. So so flat that I’m actually sad about it.

The cover was good though.

Thanks @cheynewalk for the arc of this book.

While IN THE WARSAW GHETTO by Glenn Haybittle is classified as historical fiction his faithfulness to historical record is impressive as he manages to paint a vivid picture with all its myriad shadings—the good with the bad, the cowardly with the heroic, the deplorable with the magnificent.

Based on historical fact but using fictional characters, the narrative is engrossing as it chronicles the lives and actions of the members of one particular family before and during the Nazi occupation as they witness the systematic dehumanization and ultimate annihilation of the people as well as the destruction and disintegration of their city.

Stripped of their rights and forced to live in foul conditions, Jews from all ranks of life and religion were driven into the ghetto and forced to co-exist. Later chapters focus on the interactions and outcomes of assimilated Jews in the ghetto as well as the resistance mounted by ordinary people, fighting Nazi tanks and artillery with limited manpower and resources, in an effort to thwart the Nazis’ plan to transport those remaining in the ghetto to concentration camps for extermination.

For those with a thirst for historical fiction, this book should quench your craving.

Courtesy of NetGalley, I received an ARC of Inside the Ghetto by Glenn Haybittle. After becoming accustomed to the phrasing and rhythm of the narration, I was completely drawn to the characters of this WWII historical novel. While cringing at the vivid descriptions of the atrocities of the ghetto police and the Nazis, which kept me awake at night, I think this was a remarkable and emotional tale.