From the Bookshelf of Reading with Style…
Find A Copy At
Group Discussions About This Book
No group discussions for this book yet.
What Members Thought
Irma Seidenman had been living under a false identity as a Polish officer's widow in Nazi-occupied Warsaw. She is recognized by a former acquaintance, and is arrested for being a Jew. A group of Polish people set up a plan to rescue her.
The interconnected chapters of the book are each devoted to a particular character or incident. Together, the stories give a composite picture of the people in Warsaw during World War II, and a glimpse into the future for them. The well-written book had complex c ...more
The interconnected chapters of the book are each devoted to a particular character or incident. Together, the stories give a composite picture of the people in Warsaw during World War II, and a glimpse into the future for them. The well-written book had complex c ...more
Mr. Szczypiorski, you had tears rolling down my cheeks so many times. They were not tears of sadness, rather more empathetic/sympathetic. Your book is about special friendships, the goodness of people, and selflessness. It is about a love of country and the feeling of unity and brotherhood among its citizens.
Warsaw, 1943. Jews were being literally slaughtered when they didn't just disappear. Sometimes wars are fought by soldiers, and sometimes by a civilian resistance. In WWII people also just t ...more
Warsaw, 1943. Jews were being literally slaughtered when they didn't just disappear. Sometimes wars are fought by soldiers, and sometimes by a civilian resistance. In WWII people also just t ...more
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
Nov 29, 2013
Karen Michele Burns
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
my-5-star-books,
1001-books-completed
This testament to the Polish people during WWII took me through a lovely and quiet Sunday morning. The writing was intriguing. The book could have been considered linked stories as that was the format of the writing. I recently read another book that told what would happen to characters in the future as the reader absorbed the details of the past and present and I find it an unusual but effective way to advance a narrative. Szczypiorski was particularly good at weaving in this technique. The Bea
...more
not as good as it starts off but well worth reading. A 'proper novel'
...more
Jan 03, 2012
Debbie Hoffman
marked it as to-read
Jul 21, 2012
Ariel
marked it as to-read
Nov 28, 2013
Deedee
marked it as to-read
Apr 22, 2014
Anna Kļaviņa
marked it as books-books
Jan 30, 2015
Rachel W
marked it as to-read
Feb 03, 2016
Wendy
marked it as to-read
Apr 04, 2017
Ev
marked it as to-read
Apr 19, 2017
Susan
marked it as to-read
Feb 27, 2018
Sally
marked it as to-read
Mar 22, 2018
Laurie
marked it as to-read
Aug 30, 2019
Read Between The Lines
marked it as to-read
