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4.24 AVERAGE
4.24 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Bina Blonski was a wonderful actress when the Nazi’s began to take over. While she didn’t have the typical look of a Jewish person, there were many that knew of her ethnicity. She is now an old woman that goes by Lena but it has taken a lot to get to where she is today as hollywoods greatest. Things that nobody can even think of a person dealing with. But Sienna is determined to tell her story, she just needs “Lena” to tell it to her.
I don’t even know where to begin with reviewing this book, or even giving a synopsis for it to be honest. So much happened in this book, and it was heartbreaking reading each and every page. I will say the first half moved a bit slowly for me. This one was compared to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, so I went in expecting that. I will say, this book is not comparable in my mind but it is still truly amazing in its own way. The first half is mainly the past; the life of Bina and what she faced when the Nazi’s began to take over. The second half is more in the future and how Bina (Lena) built a life after escaping the war. I cried reading this book several times because I could just not imagine facing the horror and trauma of what Lena and her family went through. I absolutely loved where Lena ended up and how the story came to a close though. I won’t give any spoilers but it was chefs kiss.
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
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:
Complicated
For some, revenge is redemption…and sometimes it is all they have left.
Hollywood, 2005. Actress and current It GIrl SIenna Hayes is determined to make her mark by acting in and directing a film based on the life of legendary actress and femme fatale Lena Browning. Lena ultimately agrees, but she has her own agenda for this project and calculates that Sienna will be easily controlled. There is more to Lena’s story than just her brilliant acting career and love affairs, one that was filled with drama and passion, love and betrayal, long before she came to Hollywood. Lena started life as Bina Landau, the daughter of a famed Jewish architect in Poland and member of society’s who trained to be a actress….until Poland fell to Hitler and the Germans.. The Ghetto in Warsaw would become her home and many of those she loved would be killed or sent off in trains to death camps. Others, including Bina, would rise up and fight back against the brutal treatment of those aligned with the German occupiers, despite the heavy cost. In a world where no one can be trusted and allowing one’s mask to slip even for a second can result in death, Bina becomes a true femme fatale, a Jewish woman who uses her Aryan beauty and well-honed acting skills to infiltrate the non-Jewish Warsaw circles and punish those who aid the Germans and their anti-Semitic policies. After the war, when she has become Lena and has achieved stardom in Hollywood, Bina will again be confronted with enemies who escaped retribution and seek to revive their cause. She is a survivor and has done whatever is necessary to do so. As evil tries to conquer her yet again, she will take the last shot, have the last word,..she will not let fear win.
The Goddess of Warsaw features an incredible protagonist in Bina, a young woman betrayed and brutalized in the horror that is life as a Jew during HItler’s rule. She is married to a man who is focused on documenting what is happening while she feels compelled instead to take bold actions to prevent it, is in love with someone other than her husband, and is continually underestimated as a woman and actress who came from privilege. Just to survive that time in history was an amazing accomplishment, but she goes on to conquer another world while never forgetting those who managed to escape justice. The depiction of life in the Warsaw Ghetto, its squalid conditions, the betrayals committed and the bonds formed, all are rendered in stark detail. The characters, from those involved in the rebellion with Bina to those outside who seek to give them aid, and those who through fear or greed or poor judgement collaborated with the Germans, are nuanced and believable. For readers of Chris Bohjalian, Kristin Hannah, Taylor Jenkins Reid and Jessica Shattuck, The Goddess of Warsaw is a moving and chilling work of historical fiction whose powerful storytelling captured my interest from the very beginning and never let go. Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for allowing me early access to this amazing novel.
Hollywood, 2005. Actress and current It GIrl SIenna Hayes is determined to make her mark by acting in and directing a film based on the life of legendary actress and femme fatale Lena Browning. Lena ultimately agrees, but she has her own agenda for this project and calculates that Sienna will be easily controlled. There is more to Lena’s story than just her brilliant acting career and love affairs, one that was filled with drama and passion, love and betrayal, long before she came to Hollywood. Lena started life as Bina Landau, the daughter of a famed Jewish architect in Poland and member of society’s who trained to be a actress….until Poland fell to Hitler and the Germans.. The Ghetto in Warsaw would become her home and many of those she loved would be killed or sent off in trains to death camps. Others, including Bina, would rise up and fight back against the brutal treatment of those aligned with the German occupiers, despite the heavy cost. In a world where no one can be trusted and allowing one’s mask to slip even for a second can result in death, Bina becomes a true femme fatale, a Jewish woman who uses her Aryan beauty and well-honed acting skills to infiltrate the non-Jewish Warsaw circles and punish those who aid the Germans and their anti-Semitic policies. After the war, when she has become Lena and has achieved stardom in Hollywood, Bina will again be confronted with enemies who escaped retribution and seek to revive their cause. She is a survivor and has done whatever is necessary to do so. As evil tries to conquer her yet again, she will take the last shot, have the last word,..she will not let fear win.
The Goddess of Warsaw features an incredible protagonist in Bina, a young woman betrayed and brutalized in the horror that is life as a Jew during HItler’s rule. She is married to a man who is focused on documenting what is happening while she feels compelled instead to take bold actions to prevent it, is in love with someone other than her husband, and is continually underestimated as a woman and actress who came from privilege. Just to survive that time in history was an amazing accomplishment, but she goes on to conquer another world while never forgetting those who managed to escape justice. The depiction of life in the Warsaw Ghetto, its squalid conditions, the betrayals committed and the bonds formed, all are rendered in stark detail. The characters, from those involved in the rebellion with Bina to those outside who seek to give them aid, and those who through fear or greed or poor judgement collaborated with the Germans, are nuanced and believable. For readers of Chris Bohjalian, Kristin Hannah, Taylor Jenkins Reid and Jessica Shattuck, The Goddess of Warsaw is a moving and chilling work of historical fiction whose powerful storytelling captured my interest from the very beginning and never let go. Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for allowing me early access to this amazing novel.
sad
tense
medium-paced
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Goddess of Warsaw by Lisa Barr
Wow, what an incredible book! From the ghetto of Warsaw to Hollywood stardom, Lena Browning had an extraordinary life. She witnessed horrible tragedy, lost loved ones, and was treated like less than human simply for being Jewish. She was fortunate to not look like a typical Jewish person, which helped her in the ghetto resistance movement, as well as in her Hollywood career. She thought she'd left her past behind, with her new identity in America, but her enemies came and found her anyway. Will the Nazis from her past succeed in destroying her, or have they vastly underestimated Lena Browning?
Now, more than ever, it is so important to study history and to learn from past wrongs. In The Goddess of Warsaw, Lisa Barr uses fictional characters to teach us real historic lessons about the horrors of the Holocaust. These characters are richly created, complex, and flawed.
This is a story that really makes the reader think. How can such vitriol exist? Is the best revenge living well, or eliminating your enemies?
Thank you to Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for providing a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Wow, what an incredible book! From the ghetto of Warsaw to Hollywood stardom, Lena Browning had an extraordinary life. She witnessed horrible tragedy, lost loved ones, and was treated like less than human simply for being Jewish. She was fortunate to not look like a typical Jewish person, which helped her in the ghetto resistance movement, as well as in her Hollywood career. She thought she'd left her past behind, with her new identity in America, but her enemies came and found her anyway. Will the Nazis from her past succeed in destroying her, or have they vastly underestimated Lena Browning?
Now, more than ever, it is so important to study history and to learn from past wrongs. In The Goddess of Warsaw, Lisa Barr uses fictional characters to teach us real historic lessons about the horrors of the Holocaust. These characters are richly created, complex, and flawed.
This is a story that really makes the reader think. How can such vitriol exist? Is the best revenge living well, or eliminating your enemies?
Thank you to Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for providing a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Thank you @bibliolifestyle, @harperperennial ,and @lisabarr18 for this gifted copy in exchange for my honest feedback!
Lisa Barr has a way with words that is beautiful, heartbreaking and so so powerful. In this book she tells the story of Jewish women who history wanted to erase and gave them the spotlight to showcase everything they endure and survived to share their stories for all the world to see.
Lena Browning is a gracefully aged blonde Hollywood star but that isn’t who she is. She was once Bina Blonski and she had to become many things to survive the Warsaw Ghetto with her aryan looking playing a large role in it. I love how this story unfolds during three critical time periods in Lena/Bina’s life. She is beyond strong and everything she did came at a cost but the ultimate goal was justice for those of the Warsaw Ghetto no matter how long it took.
Seriously, if y’all have not picked up one of Lisa Barr’s books you need to asap. Just like her previous book, Woman on Fire, this book will be living in my head rent free for the rest of the year and has definitely earned a spot on my favorite historical fiction reads of the year list.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This was the first book I've read by Lisa Barr, and it was heartbreaking and stunning. Obviously, the Jewish representation in the story was super important to me. I couldn't stop reading. I wanted to know everything that was going to happen. While this was beautifully written, it was also super heavy and emotional. I felt like I was witnessing these events firsthand which is just a testament to Barr's writing style. It's also crazy how the themes of a book set in 1943 translate to what's happening in 2024. This book was exceptional. There were twists and turns I didn't see coming, and I've read a ton of Holocaust historical fiction, but this take and perspective was unlike other stories I've read before. I thought the different timelines were really important and I liked seeing Bina's journey throughout each one. I loved this book and I'll definitely be exploring Barr's backlist titles. Thank you to Harper Perennial for sending me and ARC to read and review!
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
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:
Complicated
If you’re looking for a World War Two story with a difference, look no further than The Goddess of Warsaw. I found it to be an emotional read, as it focuses on the N@zi-created Warsaw Ghetto and what people did/had to do in order to survive. Bina Landau Blonski’s Aryan looks enabled her to “pass.” She was an acclaimed actress beforehand and used those skills to help her people. The book opens when she is in her 80s, a Hollywood legend under the name Lena Browning, so we know that she survived the Holocaust somehow. To find out how she got from the Warsaw Ghetto to Hollywood was a fascinating story, one that pulls no punches.
Lisa Barr has done an amazing job with subject matter that is often very hard to read about, especially the focus on the extreme hardships and brutality of the Warsaw Ghetto. (I remember reading Mila 18 by Leon Uris about this many years ago and it has stuck with me.) The portions of the book set in the 1950s in Hollywood and in 2005 were really interesting and form the heart of the revenge story.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
Lisa Barr has done an amazing job with subject matter that is often very hard to read about, especially the focus on the extreme hardships and brutality of the Warsaw Ghetto. (I remember reading Mila 18 by Leon Uris about this many years ago and it has stuck with me.) The portions of the book set in the 1950s in Hollywood and in 2005 were really interesting and form the heart of the revenge story.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.