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A review by mhinnen
The Goddess of Warsaw by Lisa Barr
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
4.5
The book starts out with a star for Hollywood's golden age being asked to share her story with an up-and-coming starlet. I loved "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" so I'm immediately riveted. But, Lena Browning quickly corrects that assumption, “This is not a ‘Liz Taylor and her seven husbands’ story.”
And we learn Browning is not her name, "It’s the make of the gun I used to kill the Nazi who pistol-whipped my father to death.”
The Goddess of Warsaw is about survival and retribution. It is brutal and intriguing. It explores the different ways that people can resist injustice (or be swayed to stay silent or collude with evil). I appreciated the historical information with details about the Warsaw Ghetto (and uprising) and the US complicity with Nazis after the war. As we face breakdowns of democracy in the US, what are we willing to risk to help save others? To what lengths will we go to survive? How do we ensure safety for Jewish people while we see increased anti-semitism?
This novel is an important reminder of the atrocities of the Nazi regime. It is a complex story told through the lens of a woman who is so much more than people could ever imagine. There were parts that horrified me, parts when I questioned her actions (reminding myself she is only in her early 20s), and parts when I cried and gasped because of the moments of grace that emerged from such ugliness.
And we learn Browning is not her name, "It’s the make of the gun I used to kill the Nazi who pistol-whipped my father to death.”
The Goddess of Warsaw is about survival and retribution. It is brutal and intriguing. It explores the different ways that people can resist injustice (or be swayed to stay silent or collude with evil). I appreciated the historical information with details about the Warsaw Ghetto (and uprising) and the US complicity with Nazis after the war. As we face breakdowns of democracy in the US, what are we willing to risk to help save others? To what lengths will we go to survive? How do we ensure safety for Jewish people while we see increased anti-semitism?
This novel is an important reminder of the atrocities of the Nazi regime. It is a complex story told through the lens of a woman who is so much more than people could ever imagine. There were parts that horrified me, parts when I questioned her actions (reminding myself she is only in her early 20s), and parts when I cried and gasped because of the moments of grace that emerged from such ugliness.