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sarahflanders's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Antisemitism, Dementia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, War, and Injury/Injury detail
kelly_e's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Title: The Woman with the Blue Star
Author: Pam Jenoff
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 3.25
Pub Date: May 4, 2021
T H R E E β’ W O R D S
Shallow β’ Heartfelt β’ Convenient
π S Y N O P S I S
1942. Sadie Gault is eighteen and living with her parents amid the horrors of the Krakow Ghetto during World War II. When the Nazis liquidate the ghetto, Sadie and her pregnant mother are forced to seek refuge in the perilous sewers beneath the city. One day Sadie looks up through a grate and sees a girl about her own age buying flowers.
Ella Stepanek is an affluent Polish girl living a life of relative ease with her stepmother, who has developed close alliances with the occupying Germans. Scorned by her friends and longing for her fiancΓ©, who has gone off to war, Ella wanders Krakow restlessly. While on an errand in the market, she catches a glimpse of something moving beneath a grate in the street. Upon closer inspection, she realizes it's a girl hiding.
Ella begins to aid Sadie and the two become close, but as the dangers of the war worsen, their lives are set on a collision course that will test them in the face of overwhelming odds.
π T H O U G H T S
As an avid historical fiction reader, Pam Jenoff has been an author I have been recommended time and time again, and which I have been meaning to try for quite some time. I already owned several of her novels, and I am not exactly sure what compelled me to start with The Woman with the Blue Star, but upon finishing, I don't think it was the right place to start.
Set in Poland, Jenoff was inspired by the real-life stories of people who escaped to the sewers in order to survive during WWII. I definitely thought this was an interesting aspect of the war that I had yet to read about. To me, the strength was really in that first half, where themes of sacrifice and survival were prominent. The focus definitely shifted around the midway point to more surface level themes of budding friendships and romantic relationships. It constantly felt like a stretch for the author to create events and scenarios to make the story work, which made it harder to believe.
One thing I really appreciated was the exploration of family - both biological and found. There is also a real focus on the people as opposed to the war itself - a reminder that there were individuals and groups trying to help during this incredible dark time in history. Overall, this was a quick and okay read, yet nothing I'd highly recommend. I easily figured out how everything would come to fruition, and given both main characters are young, it read more like young adult than adult fiction. I could see how it would appeal to a younger audience.
π R E C O M M E N D β’ T O
β’ readers who likely unlikely friendships
β’ WWII historical fiction devotees
π F A V O U R I T E β’ Q U O T E S
"Freedom is where you find it."
Author: Pam Jenoff
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 3.25
Pub Date: May 4, 2021
T H R E E β’ W O R D S
Shallow β’ Heartfelt β’ Convenient
π S Y N O P S I S
1942. Sadie Gault is eighteen and living with her parents amid the horrors of the Krakow Ghetto during World War II. When the Nazis liquidate the ghetto, Sadie and her pregnant mother are forced to seek refuge in the perilous sewers beneath the city. One day Sadie looks up through a grate and sees a girl about her own age buying flowers.
Ella Stepanek is an affluent Polish girl living a life of relative ease with her stepmother, who has developed close alliances with the occupying Germans. Scorned by her friends and longing for her fiancΓ©, who has gone off to war, Ella wanders Krakow restlessly. While on an errand in the market, she catches a glimpse of something moving beneath a grate in the street. Upon closer inspection, she realizes it's a girl hiding.
Ella begins to aid Sadie and the two become close, but as the dangers of the war worsen, their lives are set on a collision course that will test them in the face of overwhelming odds.
π T H O U G H T S
As an avid historical fiction reader, Pam Jenoff has been an author I have been recommended time and time again, and which I have been meaning to try for quite some time. I already owned several of her novels, and I am not exactly sure what compelled me to start with The Woman with the Blue Star, but upon finishing, I don't think it was the right place to start.
Set in Poland, Jenoff was inspired by the real-life stories of people who escaped to the sewers in order to survive during WWII. I definitely thought this was an interesting aspect of the war that I had yet to read about. To me, the strength was really in that first half, where themes of sacrifice and survival were prominent. The focus definitely shifted around the midway point to more surface level themes of budding friendships and romantic relationships. It constantly felt like a stretch for the author to create events and scenarios to make the story work, which made it harder to believe.
One thing I really appreciated was the exploration of family - both biological and found. There is also a real focus on the people as opposed to the war itself - a reminder that there were individuals and groups trying to help during this incredible dark time in history. Overall, this was a quick and okay read, yet nothing I'd highly recommend. I easily figured out how everything would come to fruition, and given both main characters are young, it read more like young adult than adult fiction. I could see how it would appeal to a younger audience.
π R E C O M M E N D β’ T O
β’ readers who likely unlikely friendships
β’ WWII historical fiction devotees
π F A V O U R I T E β’ Q U O T E S
"Freedom is where you find it."
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and War
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Medical content
drowningtays_books's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Abandonment
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Sexual content, and Dementia
reading_ladies_blog's review
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent
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