I wish I could give this book more than 5 stars. I have read countless novels based in/around WWII and this is among the top. The glimpse into Warsaw during occupation is something I (embarrassingly) knew little about and is what made the entire novel all the more fascinating, and heartbreaking. Some of the passages in this book are some of the most moving passages I've encountered. I'm not someone who highlights, clips or takes notes while reading, but multiple times I found myself highlighting sections to revisit. As for the characters, somehow even with the myriad of people we met along the way, I was able to connect to all of them and mourn their losses or hope they would return later in the book. I wish I had more words to convey how much I adored this novel. I didn't want their story to end!

Amazing storytelling, compelling, heartbreaking, and hopeful, this story is about the fight for Poland's freedom during World War II, and the many forms that fight for freedom took. War is hell, and the reader encounters the brutal horrors of occupation and the extensive repression of the Polish people, most especially the Jewish people.

"To live without hope of freedom is not to live at all. "

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for the art with me. For thou art with me, how could He be here?"

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, and I frequently dig into the history more after I finish the story. Author Amanda Barrett is an amazingly gifted storyteller. Her meticulous research places the reader right in Warsaw during the war, the experiences her characters have are drawn from real people and events. I cannot recommend her stories enough. In The Warsaw Sisters, I felt like I was there, and felt all the emotions from the beautiful dedication to the last page.

I am looking forward to an upcoming family trip to Poland, and Warsaw is on our travel agenda. This story gripped me from the start, and I now have a much better understanding of both Warsaw Uprisings. The Ghetto Uprising (April 19, 1943, where Jewish fighters fought the Germans for 28 days), and the Warsaw Uprising by the Polish resistance fighters in the Home Army, (where a staggering number of soldiers fought and died for an independent Poland for 63 days between Aug 1-Oct 2, 1944).

I could not put this story down. The horrors and the heroism are on full display in The Warsaw Sisters. Those willing to help the Jewish people, and those organizing the fight for freedom risked everything.

Don't miss the all the details in the Historical Notes at the end of the book. The quote by Irena Sendler is from there.

Irena Sendler, a Polish social worker, and her colleagues are credited for saving up to 2500 Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto. She is mentioned in the story by her nom de guerre Jolanta. Her quote embodies the reason many fought. “I was taught by my father that when someone is drowning you give them your hand. I simply tried to extend my hand to the Jewish people.”

I highly recommend The Warsaw Sisters.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for allowing me to read an early copy. All opinions are my own. I cannot wait for my own copy to have its place on my keeper bookshelf.