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4.24 AVERAGE
4.24 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don’t read WWII historical fiction. Not if I can help it. It’s not a hard and fast rule. It’s just… life is hard enough, and I don’t particularly like remembering that time, especially from the perspective of a Jewish character. That said, it is more important than ever to remember and learn from history so we don’t repeat it.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
When my aunt recommended this book, I went into it blind. I had no idea what it was about, and it was framed a little bit like the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. A beautiful and famous aging actress is hesitant to tell her life story to a young Hollywood starlet who wants to turn her life into a movie. And then as a reader, you’re immediately pulled in as Lena Browning reveals that she isn’t who anyone thinks she is - she’s a cold-blooded killer. We are immediately transported back to wartime Warsaw, where she did anything and everything to survive as a Jew in the midst of Nazi-ruled Poland.
This book is upsetting, gripping, and takes you on a twisty journey you’ll never see coming. I know some people hate a framing device because it removes the suspense - we know Lena survived to tell the tale. But for me, it didn’t take away from the story at all in this case. It was so well-told, and many of my frustrations throughout the story are resolved beautifully in the end. I highly recommend this if you’re willing to endure a serious and heavy topic.
adventurous
dark
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
dark
informative
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It felt pulpy. I wanted more emotional depth from the characters. Also the Warsaw uprising is such an amazing time in history, I really wanted to read something that would transport me there and get across the feeling of being in Warsaw at that time. Instead it came across as a romance/thriller that could have used any city and any war as a backdrop.
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Murder, War
Moderate: Miscarriage, Death of parent
Minor: Classism
Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy of this book. I really enjoyed Lisa Barr’s “Woman on Fire” from a few years ago so I was very excited for her new book, however, I was pretty medium on The Goddess of Warsaw. The setup is compelling - a survivor of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising goes on to become one of the most famous actresses in Hollywood and no one knows her origin story. For me the distribution of this book was lopsided - I felt the author spent too much time on the war years and didn’t dedicate enough time to the Hollywood years. I thought the part about Bina being a Nazi hunter was the most compelling plot point and it didn’t get enough time. I also found the movie conspiracy at the center of the Hollywood aspect of the plot to feel a little thin and it strained belief at multiple different points. The end also felt improbable and over the top, but I suppose that was the point. Overall, the second half felt rushed. I think true fans of historical fiction will probably enjoy this more, but this doesn’t count as a must read for me.
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes