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Totally beautiful prose and some amazing character studies.
The thing about this book is that it's not only about the Jews in the Warsaw ghetto, which obviously was a tragedy but is the subject of many other works too. This book also looks at the non-Jewish Polish people and even the German occupiers during the Second World War, showing how each person had an effect on the lives of the others. And in the end it's really about Poland and whether it can exist as an independent nation which when thi ...more
The thing about this book is that it's not only about the Jews in the Warsaw ghetto, which obviously was a tragedy but is the subject of many other works too. This book also looks at the non-Jewish Polish people and even the German occupiers during the Second World War, showing how each person had an effect on the lives of the others. And in the end it's really about Poland and whether it can exist as an independent nation which when thi ...more
This short novel or maybe novella was written about 30 years ago by a man who was active in the Solidarity uprising in Poland against undemocratic socialist government and who was later elected to the Polish legislature.
The setting is primarily Poland during WW2 but on a number of occasions talks about what happened to the characters later, even in old age. It doesn't just focus on the title character but also on several others who mostly have some connection to her. It is not only narrative bu ...more
The setting is primarily Poland during WW2 but on a number of occasions talks about what happened to the characters later, even in old age. It doesn't just focus on the title character but also on several others who mostly have some connection to her. It is not only narrative bu ...more
An excellent novel that looks at Poland (Warsaw) and the Polish during the German occupation of Poland during WWII.
The story is based around the blond and blue-eyed Jewish widow Mrs Seidenman, now known as Mrs Gromowski (sp?), a Polish officer's widow. Someone informs on her, and her community comes through to save her. Though this is the framework for the novel, each chapter looks at a different person living in Warsaw at the time--from Mrs S-G (as she goes by after the war, living in Paris), t ...more
The story is based around the blond and blue-eyed Jewish widow Mrs Seidenman, now known as Mrs Gromowski (sp?), a Polish officer's widow. Someone informs on her, and her community comes through to save her. Though this is the framework for the novel, each chapter looks at a different person living in Warsaw at the time--from Mrs S-G (as she goes by after the war, living in Paris), t ...more
REVIEW
A story of Poland told through several stories of people who are living in Warsaw, Poland and generally is set in WWII though it does span over several years and into more modern times. Poland is made up of many peoples who have identity with Poland; the Polish, the German, the Jewish and Russians. The characters were all intimately presented and we get to know their inner thoughts and how others see them. The author gave each person their unique voice but also was able to speak through hi ...more
A story of Poland told through several stories of people who are living in Warsaw, Poland and generally is set in WWII though it does span over several years and into more modern times. Poland is made up of many peoples who have identity with Poland; the Polish, the German, the Jewish and Russians. The characters were all intimately presented and we get to know their inner thoughts and how others see them. The author gave each person their unique voice but also was able to speak through hi ...more
This is a great novel to read right now, as the US and several other modern countries are struggling to defeat newly empowered fascist regimes, movements, or leaders. This book centers on a single event, the burning of a Jewish ghetto in Poland during World War 2, but deconstructs this event into all the various people and events that put that historical footnote of history books into context. All the facets of the many Jewish, Polish and German people involved, and all the circumstances and bel
...more
I savoured this book and I think I read it almost uninterrupted, which is probably why I enjoyed it and found it less disjointed than others did. I think I had expected it to be a succession of short stories (not sure why) and therefore the multiple viewpoints were not distracting. I also found it an enjoyable read because the descriptions were so believable, despite the subject matter. It is a gem of a book and I would recommend it to others
Mar 27, 2017
Diane
rated it
really liked it
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review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-fiction,
1001,
20th-century,
holocaust,
war,
polish,
1001-done,
2017-reads,
around-the-world-2017,
translated
Jul 23, 2016
Janet
marked it as to-read
Apr 21, 2017
Haaze
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Jan 13, 2018
Sorobai
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Mar 22, 2018
Kai Coates
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Jun 01, 2019
Yvonne
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Feb 08, 2021
Christoffer Jacobsen
marked it as to-read
