A review by arielhayes
The Goddess of Warsaw by Lisa Barr

3.0

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.