WWII and Holocaust. Heartbreaking storyline with well written plot. The author must have researched the topic well because the story reflects that. The details and good writing make you almost touch and feel the pain there. The heroism.
This is one of those books that would stay with me for a long time. 5 stars.

The Woman with the Blue Star tells the story of two Jewish families in Krakow Poland. The Gault's and the Rosenbergs take refuge in the sewers to avoid detection from the nazi's. Loosely based on a the true story of Jews who hid in the sewers of Lviv, Poland. Sadie Gault, our young heroine becomes friends with a young polish girl, Ella Stepanek. A close friendship soon emerges, each girl relying on the other. As the war rages on, both will have to make life changing decisions.

The story itself is much like every other historical fiction novel set during WWII. Jews, nazi's, imminent danger with a splash of love story. While well written, there just wasn't enough to set this apart from the mountains of historical fiction set during this time. I will give her kudos though for most creative setting. I can't recall reading another book set entirely in the sewer system of a major city.

Unsurprisingly, I had a similar reaction to her previous book The Lost Girls of Paris. This is still a fun read, anyone who enjoys reading historical fiction will enjoy this as well. Perfect for a lazy afternoon or day at the beach. Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC for review.

Pam Jenoff is an author who has a fascination with the era of the Second World War. She has written numerous novels inspired by real life events and when reading her books I have always found them to be well-researched and well written. This novel was no exception to that. I seem to be equally fascinated with this era and am always moved by the stories she writes and am moved to learn more about the facts behind them.

This story is set in Krakow, Poland. My husband and I had the opportunity to visit there several years ago and see some of the places that are mentioned in this novel. We took walks with local Guides who told us about the wartime history so that made this book to be of great interest for me. I knew from the early pages that I would find it fascinating. The books beginning and ending are set in contemporary times, but the majority of the story brings the reader right back into wartime Krakow and its underground sewers.

Sadie Gault and her family are living in the ghetto as the story begins but that doesn’t last long as the Nazi’s are performing a round up of the local Jews to transport them to the concentration camps. Sadie is in her late teens but her mother is unexpectedly pregnant and her father, anticipating the round up, has made plans for them to leave the ghetto and the time is suddenly upon them and they must go. Sadie had not been expecting this and when she learns that her family and another family must descend into the sewer she is horribly taken a back (as indeed I would have been under the circumstances!). I can only imagine just how awful that must have been and she had no idea that the sewer was going to become her home for the foreseeable future. When her father unexpectedly dies during the escape, the future looks grim to Sadie and her mother. Led out by a local man who once knew her father, the group become completely dependant on him to provide food and anything else that they might need. Living in close proximity to strangers brings its own challenges and they all know that the Germans could decide to inspect the sewers at any time, and they would be hard put to escape. Some of the interactions reminded me of those described in Anne Frank’s journal. Frustrations bult between them and sometimes spilled out. They had to be quiet so those above wouldn’t hear them and the filth they lived in had to have been horrendous.

One day while under a sewer cap, Sadie’s eyes meet with the eyes of an Aryan girl who is approximately her own age. Their relationship and trust builds over time and Ella becomes an important support for Sadie both mentally and physically. Throughout the novel the reader also learns abut Ella’s story – the death of her father and the poor treatment she receives from her step-mother, a collaborator with the Germans; the young man that she loves and lost…

The author shared in her afterward that this story was inspired by the true store of a group of Jewish people in Lvov who lived in the sewers in order to survive. It would take incredible strength of character to do that for any length of time. I don’t know if I would be up to it personally.

This novel really drew me in emotionally and I found it hard to put down when responsibilities called me away. The twists and turns kept me on edge until the final page. If you are interested in this time period I think you will find this book fascinating.

The cover artwork was impressive as well and definitely caught my attention. Many thanks to the author, Harlequin and #NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance readers copy. The opinions expressed her are my own unbiased ones.

As with every book I read about the Holocaust there comes a point where I ask myself why I keep reading these books because they are so horrifying. But I can't stop. I was so tense waiting for awful things to happen to Sadie and her family and was so sad when something I hoped wouldn't happen, did happen. Just a heartbreaking story and a very worthwhile read.

As the author explains in a note at the end of this profoundly touching novel:


“This book was inspired in part by the true story of a small group of Jews who survived World War II in the sewers of Lviv, Poland. The account that I have written and set in Krakow is wholly fictitious. . . . . If you would like to read more about the true story, I recommend the nonfiction book 'In the Sewers of Lvov' by Robert Marshall.”

The Marshall book tells the true story of a group of Jews who spent 14 months in 1943-1944 hiding in the sewer system in the Ukrainian city of Lvov. That group consisted of 20 people, including two children and a pregnant woman. The group in "The Woman with the Blue Star" is made up of two families: Sadie Gault, 18, and her pregnant mother; and Meyer Rosenberg, his elderly mother, and his son Saul, who is around Sadie’s age. Like the group in Lvov, they were helped by a sewer worker, and as the real-life group did, they learned to deal with darkness in confined spaces, the horrific odors, feces, rats, lack of adequate food, constant fear of abandonment and discovery, and sickness and death.

Sadie’s fate becomes unexpectedly joined with that of Ella Stepanek, 19. Ella, as a Christian Pole, is technically free, but lives in her own hell above ground.

The ways in which the lives of all these characters play out, and what happens to them, create an unforgettable saga. An Epilogue in 2016 ends the story in surprisingly unexpected ways.

Evaluation: Pam Jenoff is an excellent story-teller, and this book is her best so far, in my opinion. The courage of the characters in spite of their dire circumstances and the poignancy of their stories will stay with you long after you finish this book.

Another good read from Pam Jenoff. I cannot imagine what these people had to go through to stay safe. I had not previously read of the Jews that lived in the sewer. The details in the book made me cringe at the thought of these poor people. If you like to read historical fiction that takes place during WWII then this would be the book to read.

I love Pam Jenoff's novels and this one did not disappoint. This is a different portrayal of life in Poland, an escape, and ultimately survival. I was absorbed with the characters and could not put the book down.

This was a very good novel of World War II with very strong female characters. The characters are flawed and human, yet demonstrate heroism and bravery when it mattered most to those they loved. In spite of tremendous loss and danger, two very different Jewish families flee the ghetto during the nazi purge. The reader finds it hard to believe the hardship of the few survivors facing life in the sewers.

The Woman with the Blue Star by Pam Jenoff Suspense packed historical fiction that takes place in Krakow, Poland during the WWII Nazi occupation Features the plight of two Jewish families that hide in the cities sewers to escape deportation to the German death camps and the heroic Polish citizens that aided the families in their escape. An engrossing read with a surprising ending.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

Very moving story based on true events during WWII in Poland. The unimaginable survival of Jewish people living in a sewer during the war is told in vivid color. I like the way the author began the story in present time to entice readers and then went back to war time. The characters are realistically portrayed through this horrible situation. Readers will quickly become caught up in this heartbreaking story as the author weaves the tale to conclusion. Recommended!

I received this advance reader copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Another story from WWII that we never knew - the Jews who had to hide in sewers to evade capture from the Nazis. This story follows two women in parallel circumstances: a Jewish girl in hiding in the sewers and a polish girl who is desperate to help her. Sadie lost her father, and her entire world as she tries to survive in the filth of the sewer and on other peoples kindnesses. Ella also lost her father (and mother) and too is trying to live some semblance of life while trying not to get caught. The parallels between the two are evident right through to the end. What I love about the story is how the first chapters hint at the end of the book, because then I can have this in the back of my mind throughout as the story unfolds, and I try to guess the mystery.

Honestly everything I have read from Pam Jenoff is very, very good. I loved Orphans Tale, perhaps a little bit more than this one, but nonetheless her books seem to fly by at lightning speed once you hit the mid point. This one is a little shorter book but still packed with action and excitement that makes it 'unputdownable'. I read it in precious few sittings and will recommend this to patrons who enjoy historical fiction and the WWII era. 4+ stars - rounded to 5.

This book is a masterpiece. I could not put the book down and once I finished I wanted to instantly start it over. Pam Jenoff has done it again. This is possibly her best work yet (except I hate to say that because I love all of her books). I have a feeling this is the type of book that I won't be able to ever put completely out of my mind. I can't wait until the release day and I can shout my praises from the rooftop (via the library circulation desk).