A review by ladypalutena
The Dollmaker of Krakow by R.M. Romero
5.0
This is a book I picked up on a whim from NetGalley. I assumed it would be a much more involved novel, like "The Nightingale" by Kirstin Hannah. I was wrong in some ways and right in others.
This is a children's book, but it doesn't pull any punches. It covers about five years in the life of a toymaker in Krakow, during the German occupation in World War II, told through the eyes of a doll he brought to life, Karolina. I expected it to be happy, to be about bringing joy in dark times. While there was a lot of that, the book was dark. It covered the atrocities and showed what it was like living under the German occupation, even if one was part German.
The ending was not a nice one, but it gives hope for the Land of Dolls, where Karolina comes from, and shows that better times are coming to Krakow after the war. The only problems I could see occurring if someone younger reads the book is that Karolina's experiences in The Land of Dolls are interwoven with her experiences in Krakow. Chapters alternate, revealing little by little how Karolina came to be in Krakow. These transitions were smoother at some times than others, but it really adds to Karolina's backstory and lets us see each little by little instead of giving us everything at the beginning. I could see younger readers being confused by all the switching back and forth if they've never experienced that style of narration before. (I had some college-aged classmates of mine get confused in "The Martian" by Andy Weir when it changed perspectives multiple times, so it's plausible.)
It was written for 9-12 year olds, judging by the writing style, but I had a hard time stomaching the subject material as an adult. I've been reading books about the Holocaust (both fiction and non-fiction) for almost 15 years now. I've never encountered a children's book that made me feel what I felt with this one here. I thought it was fantastic, and I'll admit I teared up at the end. While the pacing wasn't the greatest, and there were some copy errors (I attribute that to being an ARC), if you've got a kid interested in WWII, I would look into this. 4.5/5 ☆
This is a children's book, but it doesn't pull any punches. It covers about five years in the life of a toymaker in Krakow, during the German occupation in World War II, told through the eyes of a doll he brought to life, Karolina. I expected it to be happy, to be about bringing joy in dark times. While there was a lot of that, the book was dark. It covered the atrocities and showed what it was like living under the German occupation, even if one was part German.
The ending was not a nice one, but it gives hope for the Land of Dolls, where Karolina comes from, and shows that better times are coming to Krakow after the war. The only problems I could see occurring if someone younger reads the book is that Karolina's experiences in The Land of Dolls are interwoven with her experiences in Krakow. Chapters alternate, revealing little by little how Karolina came to be in Krakow. These transitions were smoother at some times than others, but it really adds to Karolina's backstory and lets us see each little by little instead of giving us everything at the beginning. I could see younger readers being confused by all the switching back and forth if they've never experienced that style of narration before. (I had some college-aged classmates of mine get confused in "The Martian" by Andy Weir when it changed perspectives multiple times, so it's plausible.)
It was written for 9-12 year olds, judging by the writing style, but I had a hard time stomaching the subject material as an adult. I've been reading books about the Holocaust (both fiction and non-fiction) for almost 15 years now. I've never encountered a children's book that made me feel what I felt with this one here. I thought it was fantastic, and I'll admit I teared up at the end. While the pacing wasn't the greatest, and there were some copy errors (I attribute that to being an ARC), if you've got a kid interested in WWII, I would look into this. 4.5/5 ☆