Reviews

The King of Warsaw by Szczepan Twardoch

wcaleniemary's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

kingarooski's review against another edition

5.0

Jakub Szapiro is tall, dark and handsome. A boxer and a collector of protection fees; he is the king of Warsaw. In 1937, Jakub is powerful and under the protection of the Polish socialist hero, Jan "Kum" Kaplica. The book details their battles with the fascists of Warsaw (including the bourgening Falanga) and their lives in a multicultural city. All the main characters are contradictions: Jan Kaplica is a hero to many poor Varsovians, but he makes his money through extortion of poor shopkeepers and traders. Jakub is powerful, but seems lost and confused without guidance. He has a number of weaknesses which get exposed as the story develops.

This was a brilliant story which had me gripped from the beginning. I wanted to listed to my audiobook (expertly told by Maciej Stuhr) continuously. I loved the pace of Krol, even with the repetitions and pauses in the story.

iga_chaotic's review against another edition

adventurous dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

natradzi's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This is an intense but incredible read. Harrowing but gripping, I would highly recommend it, but not as a light read!

heelleen's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark informative sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

lull's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

magdaprzybylska's review against another edition

5.0

To moja druga przeczytana od Twardocha książka i ponownie się nie zawiodłam. Autor ma niezwykły talent do pisania książek, w których szczegół z pierwszych dwudziestu stron wraca pod koniec i daje masę satysfakcji, co uwielbiam.
Serdecznie polecam.

debyik's review against another edition

3.0

We follow Jakub Szapiro a boxer and the muscle for a powerful crime lord in Poland during the rise of Hitler. There is political and social unrest throughout as well as a really interesting twist about 3/4 of the way through the book.

Overall, the book was very well written, and dramatic, and the characters are so real. But, this is just not my style of book. I am not big into crime stories, and especially not crime lord/mafia type books. If you are into those genres, I would definitely recommend you read The King of Warsaw by Szczepan Twardoch. There are a lot of trigger warnings, so be sure to check those out before reading.

mel_books's review

4.0

After a quite slow start, the world of the Jewish mafia in pre-war Poland opens up. Jakup Szapiro is a handsome, Jewish, tough guy. Inside the ring, he is unbeatable. Also, outside the ring, everyone fears him because he works for Buddy Kaplica.

The novel takes place in Poland before the Second World War. At the same time, Hitler’s power in Germany is strengthening. Also, in Poland, a similar national movement emerges. Polish Jews are considering going to Palestine.

I wanted to read this novel before, but I’ve finally found the time to do so now. The slow start may put you off, but later events in the novel confirm that this book is definitely worth reading. 

deadinsidegirl's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No

5.0