This well written novel grabbed me by the collar and pushed me into the turbulent life of Victoria as she experienced the horrendous life of WWII Poland. This book is well written, well organized and filled with details of Polish women being forced into Nazi slave labor experiencing brutality like one could never imagine.
Highly recommended for those who enjoy both nonfiction and historical fiction.

War hurts. It hurts the fighting soldiers, and it hurts those left behind. It splits apart families, some of which are never reunited. It hurts emotionally, and it hurts physically. No one escapes. War gobbles up its victims one by one.

Victoria Darski is a Polish woman, living in Lagodny during the Nazi takeover in 1939. She lives with her mother, and her sister Elizabeth. One day, without warning, the front door is kicked in and Nazi soldiers enter their home. Elizabeth is shot and killed because she was crying. Victoria and her mother are rounded up with more than twenty-five other women and taken to a sewing factory to make uniforms for the German army. She and her friend Sylvia attend a secret resistance meeting, which is subsequently raided and Victoria becomes a slave laborer, Zwangsarbeiter [what today would be called human trafficking].

In the Tod family, there is Jarman, the father, Krimhilda, the mother, and their two children: Wolfgang in the SS and Etta, who is deaf. The family owns a bakery. The mother is vicious! Constantly berating Etta, calling her names, ["stupid child"] treating her like a freak of nature. Totally against her will, Etta is subjected to a sterilizing operation. Sweet, considerate Etta is also an artist of some talent, and this, too, the mother quashes.

Victoria is sent to live with this family, as help in the kitchen of the bakery. The mother adds Victoria to the list of people who are "less" than human and whom she can hit and scream at without notice. Frau Tod calls her "dummer hund" [dumb dog]. "She was the dumb dog locked in the baker's attic, the dog standing at a very small window that overlooked the sidewalk in front of the bakery, the dog who smelled fresh-baked bread through the drafty floor, coming from the bakery ovens."

I invite you to walk in Victoria's shoes and experience another kind of war, another face of terror.

I read this EARC courtesy of Plainview Press and NetGalley. pub date 06/02/20

Bravery, Strength, courage, and valor ........things that often seem to be missing in the world we now live in.

Every time I think I know all of the heinous facets of the Nazis during the war, another one comes along. In the story, Victoria's War, we meet a group of women, brave women and some men who try their best to fight against the tyranny , the crimes against humanity, and the horrid acts of death and perversion that the Nazis carried out.

This story dealt with the treatment of the Catholic Polish people, many of which were sent to camps and annihilated while some were sold as slaves to Germans, who treated them like chattel, subjected them to inhuman treatment, and thought of them as human filth.

Victoria, the main protagonist in this book, is subjected to harsh treatment after she was sold into slavery to a German couple who owned a bakery. Their treasured son was a SS officer, their pride and joy, while his sister, Etta, a deaf mute, was treated abhorrently by her mother who followed the Nazi code that a human who was handicapped even if they were German, was a defective being.

Victoria and Etta form a friendship over time, a secret one that was ultimately dedicated to helping those trapped in the world of hellish proportions. Some were sent to prison camps, some were worked until they perished without adequate food and clothing, and some were placed into houses where they were forced to become prostitutes. It is the latter, that Victoria, after Etta is taken away to an institution, desires to help, thus placing her life on the line.

This was a sad story and one that opened my eyes once again to the dangers of a totalitarian state, one that manipulates its people to get what they desire, total control of all. It also made me realize that people are often sheep like, they fall into line and it is the brave ones who step out of that line and come forward to protect what is right and just.

This was an interesting story and a first effort by a new author who did a nice job relating incidents that actually occurred. I do recommend it as a glimpse at some of the shocking and hideous acts that were performed by the Nazis under Hitler's leadership. I think, as we lament where we are today, reading a book such as this makes one realize that what we are going through now is not even close to the destruction that meet so many during the war.

Thank you to Catherine A. Hamilton, Plain View Press, and NetGalley for a copy of this book due to be published on June 2, 2020.

I have always been fascinated with World War II literature. There are numerous counts of unspeakable atrocities and indomitable human spirit at its peak. Hundreds of authors have written thousands of books recounting so many tales, some true stories and some imagined. This book revolves around Victoria who undergo several spells of torture and cruelty only to rise stronger everytime by winning over her fears and helping others even when she was the weakest. This story tells us that that unlikeliest friendships can be formed in adversities, that death of someone can totally change even the most cruel person and that if you keep fighting and not lose hope than maybe someday you live to see the future you always imagined for yourself and your loved ones.

The historical fiction, Victoria's War, by Catherine A Hamilton, gives us faces and names for just a few of the 1.7 million Poles that were forced into slave labor by Nazi, Germany. This number excluded POWs and half of this number were women. The character of Victoria, represents just one of these women and her story is horrid despite the fact that she has things better than other slaves, during some of her time. Victoria is bought at auction, for the price of three loaves of bread, to be the slave of a German baker and his wife. Her cruel owners have no worries for the time she might be worked or starved to death because there are always more slaves available. Victoria works 14 hours a day for her one very meager "meal" and is beaten regularly by the couple who owns her. She lives in a closed attic, that freezes in the winter and swelters in the summer, but she knows that her plight is so much better than the women living in the work camps, where women die daily, due to starvation and disease. 

But Victoria has a ally in the couple's artistic, deaf/mute daughter, Etta, who loves Victoria as a sister and who protects Victoria and other Nazi victims, behind the backs of her parents, SS brother, and other Nazis. Etta's mother hates her and has always threatened Etta that she will send her to an institution for the insane. Victoria and Etta work together to help prisoners, slaves, victims of the Nazis, risking their own lives to do what they can to keep others alive long enough to hopefully see the end of the war. The story is heartbreaking but inspiring, as we meet so many people who are willing to die in order to provide one more piece of bread, one more blanket, to the thousands of prisoners of the Nazis. 

Behind the story of Victoria, Etta, and the others that they work with, in order to save lives, the author does a fantastic job of allowing us to be very aware of the multitudes of people suffering under the Nazi regime. Even Etta, as a girl born to a loyal German family, suffers because she is not perfect, which means she is worthless in the eyes of the Nazis. The afterword of the book details information that shows how widespread the Nazi net was thrown, to enslave, imprison, and kill, so many people that did not meet the Nazi standards. If possible, obtain the print version of this book because there are photos and captions included in the book, that enhance this story. Even with the digital version of the book, I could see these pictures and they add to the reality of what happened during the Holocaust. 

Thank you to Plain View Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

Victoria's War is a fantastic debut from author Catherine A. Hamilton. A historical fiction written about 2 characters that experience WWII and in a way become 'sisters'.

Victoria is just 2 hours away from leaving for college when Hitler invades Poland in 1939. She is soon sent to Berlin as Slave Labor. There she meets Etta, who is deaf and an artist. They become friends and try to help the slave labor camps. Each will take different paths, one betrayed and the other barely surviving the war.

The Todt Organization was the largest and most secretive wartime slave operation in modern history. This operation would be considered human trafficking today. The Nazis captured 1.5 million Polish Catholics, more than half a million women, to work as slaves.

This book is a tribute to those Polish Women who died under the Nazi Slave Labor program and to those who suffered through the humiliation of slavery, but survived to tell their story.

If you like historical fiction, don't pass this book up. It will be published on June 2, 2020. I highly recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley, Hamilton and the publisher for the Kindle version of this book, for my honest review.

A Polish Catholic teenager struggles to survive, keep her faith, and help others during World War II. Captured by Nazis, Victoria was sold as a slave to work in a German bakery, where the deaf daughter of the proprietors has already faced abuse due to the Nazi eugenics policy and regularly finds ways to assist pregnant women in labor camps and women captured as sex slaves. An intense novel filled with strong female characters. (Netgalley review)

First I want to thank Net Galley and Plain View Press for allowing me to read this book and give an honest opinion of my thoughts on the book. This subject interested me because I never knew about Polish women slaves during World War 2. This book starts off prior to Germany invading Poland and as 19 year old girl is getting ready to start college. Victoria, the aforementioned 19 year old, whole life changed when war broke out and her father is drafted to the front. Victoria's little sister is killed by SS and she and her mom are forced into slave labor at a factory, sewing shirts for the SS. Victoria joins her best friend Sylvia at a resistance meeting and is picked up and placed into slave labor. She spends days on trains and ends up at a place where they split the girls up into different categories (Victoria for slave labor sale and Sylvia off to be a forced prostitute for SS soldiers. Victoria is bought by a Captain whose parents own a bakery. The baker and his wife are true believes of the Reich and have a deaf and mute daughter Etta who befriends Victoria. The book spans years and each character evolves. I enjoyed this book, though at times it did drag and seem repetitive. If you want to learn more (I truly enjoyed the afterward which talks more about the Polish slaves) I highly recommend this book.

Victoria’s War was a very intriguing debut novel. This historical fiction was set during WWII and highlighted two very different women: Victoria, a Polish Catholic who was all set to start at a university when Hitler invaded Poland in 1939, and Etta, a 20 year old German deaf artist. They met when Victoria, kidnapped and forced into the Nazi slave labor operation, was bought by Etta’s father to work in their bakery. Etta tried to protect Victoria as much as possible, but the brutality of Hitler’s war left no one unscathed.

This historical fiction was inspired by real people and events- the kidnapping of 1.5 million Polish Catholics. The author’s extensive research resulted in a very emotional read and gave voice to all those that survived and died during this horrific time period.

WOW what a wonderful book. I received this book from NetGalley and was hesitant because I traditionally read reviews first.. If there are numerous 5 star ratings, I will usually read the book and ignore the 1 stars. I had no idea what this book would be rated as there were no reviews, so I was on my own!!!!! From the very first, I knew this was going to be one of those books that I would remember. I didn't want it to end and so took my time at first. When I got to 60%, I knew I could and would want to finish it to see what happerns.
I do not want to give anything away about the story, except it takes place during the German invasion of Poland to the end of the World War II, and in particular what happens to Victoria, this nice Catholic Polish girl (late teens 20+) whose life is turned upside down when the Germans take her and her mother away.. They are sent to a "sewing camp" when eventually Victoria is captured by the Germans and sent with a friend to another camp.. In Chapter 20, there is even a mention of Sister Faustina. Sure didn't see that one coming!!!!!
When put on another train for transportation to different camp, Victoria sees her mother who hands her a sack. It will be the only thing Victoria has left of her prior life and her mother.
I really did not know anything about the slave-labor operation and other camps except the usual historical concentration camps the Jewish people were held and their horrific conditions. I certainly learned about what the remaining Polish people endured and it was just as horrific. The maternity camps were new to me, as the other books I have read imply that the pregnant women were packed in with the others and their babies were born. They were either taken immediately or if they were able to be hidden, they eventually died.
The writing of Mrs. Hamilton is so vivid and real.. I could smell the various odors she was describing, I could perfectly see the places she was describing and I could feel the pain of Victoria, Etta and Mrs. Kosa both physical and mental. Poor Etta she was such a smart girl, I really liked her and she certainly wasn't treated like a human being... She gave life back to Victoria. We watched Victoria grow into a strong, self-reliant, woman and the transformation happens without our really knowing it. I admire Victoria's faith, Mrs. Kosa's compassionate help in befriending Victoria, and of course Etta who only wanted to be Victoria's sister. All of the characters were so explored and I knew all of them well, except the General who befriended Victoria in the brothel,
I had no idea so much research went into writing this book, but the bibliography at the end gave me another list of books to read.. I also wonded what others will think of this book and` am anxious to see other reviews.
Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this book, Mrs. Hamilton is a terrific writer, The only con would be the cover of the book. Victoria does not look like the Victoria I pictured. She needs a little softness.

First sentence: The radio changed Victoria Darski's world. It brought swing jazz and blues into her living room. And on the first of September, when she sat on the high-backed sofa and reached for the brass knob on the cabinet radio, it brought news of war.

Premise/plot: Victoria's War is a fictionalized account based on the author's researching real women's experiences in Poland during the Second World War. The novel might be called Victoria's War, but it isn't just Victoria's war--it is everyone's war. And readers get multiple perspectives on the war from a woman's point of view. The first few chapters give readers a taste of what to expect: war brings cruelty, brutality, horrors, hardships, pain, shame, regret, guilt. If these first few chapters are too much, too intense, too painful...the rest of the novel will definitely prove overwhelming.

My thoughts: I love, love, love, love, love reading war stories. Not because I love war--I don't. But because I believe that every voice is worth hearing, every story worth telling. Especially when stories are researched, realistic, true to life. (I do read both fiction and nonfiction.) Just because it's painful and uncomfortable to witness doesn't mean I should turn away and dismiss. That being said, I am an adult. I would not by any means suggest handing intense, not-quite-age-appropriate war books to young readers and forcing them to bear witness to atrocities of the past. One's own mental health and mental state will also play a role in what you yourself seek to read. But I don't shy away from the darkness, the sorrow, the pain. I see you. I hear you.

Victoria's War has its darkness. I won't lie. But it's got a resilient, compassionate, empathetic, heroine who has gumption, courage, and strength.

I loved, loved, loved, loved, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the ending. It was WORTH IT.

"The oral history that brought Victoria Darski to life was given to me by someone close, my cousin was kidnapped from her village in Poland and survive slavery in Germany. Her only request was that I one day write it down." - Afterwords from Victoria's War.
This is my second historical fiction novels that I've read taken place in Poland during WW2. It was educating, touching and needed to be read. Poland was the first country in Europe to be overpowered by German military and as a results those people endured the longest most treacherous 6 years of their lives. Crafting a realistic and emotionally vivid story, Catherine gives a voice to the millions of Polish women forced and degraded to slave labour. She captures commonly hushed events and actions conducted by Nazis, which to this day many may not know about. Also, expressing the power of friendship, the rewards of courage and faith while proving love bears all things. Victoria's War is a novel that must be read to give an ear to those who weren't deserved to be silenced.

Victoria's War tells the story of Victoria, a Polish young woman forced into a Nazi slave labor camp during WWII. Catherine Hamilton painted Victoria's story with heartbreakingly rich events and detail. I appreciated the anecdotes at the end of the book that included stories and photos, and what Hamilton's inspiration in writing this book was. I liked how it highlighted a group not often addressed in relation to WWII, and I think it's important to tell those stories. However, while I liked the book, I wouldn't go so far as to say I loved it. I found some of the character relationships forced or a little surface level, such as Victoria's relationship with Tomas. If I were to recommend WWII historical fiction titles to a friend, I have a few other suggestions that I'd pass along before this one. However, it did address an important group of people whose imprisonment needs to be highlighted!

This book is set during WWii in Poland. It about Victoria, a young woman about to go to college, and her family and friends. It's a fictional depiction of actual events. It's a very emotional read. I would suggest this for anyone interested in human history.

‘Victoria’s War’ is a fantastic debut novel by Catherine Hamilton that follows two very different young women throughout World War Two. We start in 1939 with Victoria, a Catholic Pole, learning that Poland has been invaded by the Germans just two hours before she’s supposed to go to the University of Warsaw. Immediately, her father is sent off to war and then her 14 year old sister Elizabeth is brutally shot dead in their home by SS officers. We then jump to 1941 where Victoria and her mother are working in a sewing factory making German uniforms. Victoria is talked into attending a resistance meeting at a church by her friend Sylvia where they’re captured and sent to Berlin to be Polish slaves. On their way, Victoria is reunited with her old schoolteacher Mrs Kosa and the pair begin their journey.
Our second character is Etta, living in Germany in 1941. She is 20 and spends most of her time in the attic painting and hoping to study fine arts. Unfortunately for Etta, she is deaf. When we first meet her she is being forcibly sterilised because she is considered ‘inferior’, confused and angry she resents her family’s dedication to the Nazi regime. When her father decides to go to war they look for a Polish slave to help keep their bakery running and so Victoria ends up living in their attic.

The writing in this book had no frills, it was blunt and simple but that made the story so much more realistic and believable. The variety of characters in this novel allowed us to see the many ways in which people cope with the war, Victoria is confused by Mrs Kosa’s calm and tough approach to their situation but the older woman is teaching her a strength that will help Victoria through many impossible challenges. Etta is overlooked and underestimated by those around her because she’s deaf but she’s clever and daring with a fierce sense of what is right. The main message I took from this novel was that we are braver than we know. Regardless of their race, religion or political beliefs each of the characters were tested and it was up to them whether they dug deep or gave in. I couldn’t put this down, I became so attached to these characters and had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen.
Typically, WW2 historical fiction I read is from a Jewish perspective so it was a new experience to read a story about Polish women and a German girl living under the regime being classed as ‘inferior’. The last 10% of the book was resolved so quickly, mainly because it was the climax of the action but I felt I needed more time to process what was happening. Regardless, this was a heart wrenching story that I thought offered an alternative perspective compared to the many other WW2 novels published in the last few years. An incredible debut novel, I can’t wait to see what this author bring out in the future!

This story is written in parallel to each of the two of the main female characters but from different scenarios and events colliding together at a point and then separating only for one to understand her destination of death with the other to grow in bravery beyond her own imagination.

To the disbelief of Victoria Darski with just two hours to go before she is due to catch her train to start university, bags packed, an announcement is made over the radio that the Nazis have invaded their country, Poland. A full scale invasion of armed soldiers and tanks. At the same time there is a further announcement that the university has been closed. Believing that the Allies will come to Poland's aid, Victoria holds onto the hope that she will still start university. However, German orders are that no one is to leave their homes until their identifications are issued. This puts a strain on the family with Victoria and her sister Elizabeth quarrelling and their mother trying to make the best of things. Elizabeth is fourteen and it seems left to do many of the household chores while Victoria a little recalcitrant still fantasises about her university dream. It's not until the first visit by the Nazis that the realisation of what fate is about to deal to them becomes clear. Elizabeth is killed by the soldiers in their home. It's this event that haunts Victoria as the story unfolds.

Etta is a deaf German girl whose parents run a Bakery. They are true Nazi believers with their son Wolfgang an SS officer. Etta's mother has one thorn in her side that in her delusional mind she has an imperfect daughter, so, not in tune with the Fuhrer's idealism for his superior race. Etta suffers torment from her mother with the constant threat of being sent to an institution. This unkind behaviour is not shared by Etta's father or brother who show her love, sign to her in conversation and for Etta along with her love of art helps her to endure her mother's scourge. Her studio is in an attic room where she can escape to and wonders, if she will ever, at some time be able attend art school.

After initially being sent as a machinist in a clothing factory through being at the wrong place at the wrong time Victoria finds herself a prisoner from a round up by German soldiers of those in the Resistance. Sharing her fate is her childhood foreign language teacher who embarks on dragging from Victoria's memory the German taught to her at that time. Mrs Koser is the force by which Victoria's bravery begins to grow within her. She is assigned as a worker for the bakery and even though she is badly treated by Etta's parents for the first time in Etta's life she finds Victoria an agreeable companion, a pretend sister, someone to share her dreams with. Eventually through developing circumstances they form a team whereby they are able to help those in the prison camps until Etta finds herself sent away to the place she has always feared. Victoria is deeply affected by Etta's forced removal which makes her more determined to continue with the routine that they had started and she embarks on adding more life saving deliveries for the prisoners until she is discovered.

Many thanks to Mindbuck Media for getting in touch with me to read and review “Victoria’s War”, I’m so very glad to have had the opportunity.

Telling the story of just some of the situations women faced in occupied Poland and Germany during the second World War, this hard hitting and at times out right harrowing book really doesn’t hold back. The language used is somewhat simplistic, and while in some situations that would be a criticism, in this case it actually works in the book’s favour; it gives more power and responsibility to the actions discussed rather than the words.

Victoria is getting ready to start university on the day that war is declared in Poland. Life changes in an instant, as it does for the other women we meet throughout the course of the novel. There are some situations that can be read about as pure facts without absorption, but when applied to characters you feel a connection to, the impact of what you know changes.

What is particularly clever as a writing technique about this novel is the use of German as a tactic to get across just how overwhelming the language barrier would be. To not only be treated in the way these women are, but to be shouted at in another tongue, where you know only the bare minimum.

Catherine A. Hamilton touchingly includes the family inspiration for this novel at the beginning, and this stayed with me as I read the book; people I’ve never met, but real people, undergoing the situations and treatment I was reading about.

This book manages to tread the delicate line of high impact and easy reading, which is a difficult balance to achieve. I read this book in a day, because I simply couldn’t put it down, and needed to know what happened to everyone involved. As always with stories of war and terror, it isn’t a pleasant read as such, yet manages to be enjoyable whilst breaking your heart.

I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a war fiction novel, or a story of how women have been mistreated. We so often feel the brute force of war without being on the front line, and this is just one story of how. It was intriguing, painful, and beautiful.