The girl in the mirror.

Harrowing story of a family torn apart by the war and the Nazi invasion of their small Polish town. A mother doing what she must to survive and care for her children even though she must leave one behind to save his life.

A young girl growing up afraid and alone talking to herself in the mirror for company. Hiding, always hiding and living with a constant fear of being found out by the Nazi's.

A woman living and housekeeping for a Nazi officer and hiding that she and her daughter are Jewish. Afraid that someone will find them out. Hoping her son is safe with the family caring for him as it is too dangerous for him to be in the house of the Nazi's.

Danusha feels her mother wanted a son instead of a daughter. She thinks her brother is loved more than her. Finally she realizes , when she listens to her mother tell others her story, that her mother loved them both and was just doing what she could to survive.

It is a story of a desperate mother in one of the worse times in history, a young girl coming of age in unbelievable circumstances and a war that tore everything apart.

It was a well written story and a good read. I would recommend this book.

Thanks to Malka Adler for writing a good story, to Harper Collins UK, Harper 360, One more Chapter for publishing the book and to NetGalley for providing me with a copy to read and review.

A rather sad story, The Polish Girl is based on a true story. A young girl feels as if her mother does t really care for her, favoring her brother. Set in WWII, it’s a great backdrop for yet a different nuance of the war. There are a lot of characters and I did get people mixed up at first.
I liked the author’s historical note and the reason why she wrote the book.

The Polish Girl was a gut wrenching World War 2 Historical Fiction. Reading the story was like ripping a bandaid off the denial. The author went into great detail of the challenges of survival of the Jewish people during WW2. The story continues exploring the struggles after WW2, the travels to the Promised Land and the continuing conflicts.

The author uses a unique narrative. Danusha tells her story with the help of stories told to an audience in their living room by her mother. A mother that did not treat her well. A mother that doted on her younger brother.

It was not the easiest book to read. It was very depressing. Danusha and her family struggled to find shelter constantly. People feared getting caught for hiding them. They lived every day in fear of being discovered, of starving.

Food and clothing were limited. Danusha's mother paid exorbitant prices to get food on the black market. Jewelry became the currency of choice. Although I did not like Danusha's mother; I do admit that it took strength to survive when all around you crumbles.

I had a difficult time reading the book continuously. I had to read it a couple of chapters at a time. At times there was so much within the story that I was overwhelmed. I am not saying that is a bad thing. I am hoping this dread will teach all of that what happened in WW2 cannot happen again.

I have to thank the author for giving Danusha a happily ever after. It was a reward, albeit a small one, after experiencing such devastating times through the words of the story.

I don't like it. I don't like the way the story is presented, I don't like using the war as the background for complicated relations. I don't like the description, keep it simple if we talk about children emotions in such a hard time.

The polish girl could be so much more. It could be a hard and beautiful portrayal of polish family during this time. But it is not.

For me, it is misunderstanding.

Though the concept and storyline of this book is good, I found the execution to be a bit lacking. Because of the choppy writing, I had trouble connecting with the characters and they never really came alive to me. I found my mind wandering at several points and it was a struggle to push through. After giving the author's prior work, "The Brothers of Auschwitz" five stars, "The Polish Girl" was a real disappointment to me.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This moves back and forth between 1939 and 1949 to tell the story of Danusha and her mother Anna, who had a big secret to keep in Nazi Poland. It's a tough read in spots but it's also based on a. true story (don't miss the afterword). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. For those who like historical fiction.

Told in dual timeline format (1939 and 1949), The Polish Girl is a fiction book based on real people and true events of the Holocaust, specifically when the Nazis occupied Poland. Not only is it about sorrow, heartache and horrors of war and its effects but also about the desperate desire of a little girl to be loved by her mama, believing her little brother was cherished more than she was.

In 1939 when the Nazis invade Poland, Anna and her young daughter Denusha flee and live with German Herr Doktor in his home. Anna is a housekeeper (and superb cook) and yearns for her wee son. Denusha does everything she can to be a good girl to her mother but she feels she cannot measure up. Anna tells stories of war atrocities to neighbours in the living room who are both crushed at the brutality and amazed that this Jewish woman is living in a German house! Amongst the the many stories which stand out in my mind include the soap and badges and multisensory descriptions, starkly breathtaking, told simply yet achingly beautifully and heartbreaking. The courage and perseverance of survivors who had nothing is beyond imagining. Anna is an incredibly interesting and complex character, often chilly, sometimes warm, but always persistent and brave. The mother/daughter relationship is sad yet fascinating and is a key component in this book. It is repetitive in spots and can be a bit choppy but well worth reading. I particularly appreciate its uniqueness.

Author Malka Adler was born in Israel and has a family history in WWII. Her inspiration for this book happened in a miraculous way, drawn on stories of Nechama Tiechtel's family. Do be sure to read the author's notes in the back. I have read countless Holocaust books and believe The Polish Girl should be required reading by those interested in both true history and historical fiction.

My sincere thank you to Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this highly emotive and inspiring book. It is well regarded in Israel; it needs to be everywhere. True stories such as this cannot be forgotten. Ever.

I always love a good story inspired by a true story and this one caught my attention. A good mother/daughter story but I found it didn't flow well but the story is powerful and heartfelt.

I did find it a bit long and maybe this was because it didn't flow which made me stop and start a bit with my reading of it. It is interesting, it still makes you feel the emotions of the time and the subject but it just needs a bit more oomph.

A good book but sometimes repetitive, sometimes confusing and far too long.

This rambling story centers on a woman who tells her neighbors the story of her life during WW2. The woman has a daughter, who she ignores, and a son, who she adores.

This is the story of Danusha from Poland and her mother and brother set mostly during WW2. Because the family is Jewish they are constantly moved on and changing abode in order to stay one step ahead of the Nazis. The book is told alternatively in a rather muddled way from the point of view of Danusha and then the memories, or rather the chosen and abridged memories of her mother, Anna. Anna is speaking to a group of friends in Haifa, Israel where the family fled after the war and Danusha listens to her stories and struggles to remember events in the same way.
I really wanted to enjoy this story. The blurb sounded extremely interesting but I didn't like either of the main characters. I found both Danusha and her mother selfish and very concerned with themselves and their own well being. Part of this I realise must come from what they went through but it did not make me like them at all and since this is a work of fiction, albeit based on a true story, they could have been made more likeable.
I would have to say this was not a book that wowed me at all.
With thanks to #NetGalley #HarperCollinsUK #OneMoreChapter for the arc copy of this work.

Historical fiction always gives me food for thought especially given my own background. Perhaps very poignant given today's world. Interesting but not gripping. Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC

The book tells the story of Danusha, her little brother and their mother during the war and after the war when they are living in Haifa Israel. Danusha is telling it out of her memory, one time this memory is told as if it is happening now and the other time it is told while her mother has her story-telling evenings at home. The story is not always chronological and there are some overlaps. In addition, Danusha seems to remember things differently than her mother tells them; this is sometimes a bit confusing as you are wondering which of the two stories is true.

The chapters have both story telling evenings in it and slowly they change into the event being told by Danusha instead of her mother.

During the book you feel pity for little Danusha and wonder why her mother acted the way she did. This question is being answered at the end of the book.

The book however did not really touch me as I had hoped it would, I certainly enjoyed reading it, but I expected something different from it. I am curious about the author's earlier book: 'Two brothers from Auschwitz'.

Characters = 7 | Atmosphere = 7 | Writing Style = 6 | Plot = 6 | Intrigue = 7 | Logic = 7 | Enjoyment = 7 | Score 6.71 = 3 stars

Winter, 1939: Danusha and her family are forces to flee their home when the Nazis invade Poland. Danusha's mother, Anna, changes her name and secures a position as a housekeeper in a German Doctors mansion in Krakow where the Gestapo meetings are hosted in the kitchen. Her secret is their salvation, but what Danusha remembers most is the solitude, with only her baby brother and the girl in the mirror for company. All Anna ever wanted was a firstborn son. All Danusha ever wanted was a mother who would love her like a firstborn son.

The story is told from Danusha's point of view, A life she's forced to live whilst hiding in Poland with her mother and brother during WWII. Danusha and her mother's relationship is complex. Her mother had wanted her firstborn to be a boy. It happens. but I can never understand a parent who loves one child more than another. This is quite an emotional book to read. This story was inspired by a true story from a woman the author knew.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #HarperCollinsUK #OneMoreChapter and the author #Malka for my ARC pf #ThePolishGirl in exchange for an honest review.

A thought provoking read that retells the absolute horrors of the second world war. The author writes well and the story line is easy to follow, told in a dual timeline 10 years apart. Geographical inaccuracies should be an absolute no-no. This is based on true life and the real places where the action of the story happened should be accurate. Set a book in a fictional place- fine, make up all you want but real places shouldn't be changed. Some of the characters I found it hard to connect with. Overall a good read but could have been great

The Polish Girl is a very moving historical novel based on real people and real life events .Told in a dual timeline between 1939 and 1949 Danuska is fighting for her country Poland and fighting for her Mother's love as she always feels second best in comparison to a son .The courage and strength that was needed to survive as a Polish Jewish Family under the Nazi's was immense and to me very thought provoking .A very interesting story .Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC.

Thank you to Net Galley, the publisher, and author for providing me a copy of this book for my honest review. This is a very powerful historical fiction novel based on real facts and a real person. This story is about a Jewish Polish family during and after WW2. It’s also about a complicated mom and daughter relationship. This is a great book for those who enjoy WW2 historical fiction novels with a bit of family drama added in. I really enjoyed the complicated family dynamics and multiple timelines wrapped up in a story based on true facts.

Thank you for an advanced copy of The Polish Girl. I was interested in this book from the title and its setting during World War 2. However, I found it difficult to read the story. Danusha, the daughter, her mother Anna and her son. Their story takes place as Jews fleeing the Nazis in Poland. It is written through Danusha's eyes as she lived it and as her mother retells their story to others once they've reached Israel. The reason I found it a difficult read was because Anna comes across as a hard, unloving mother towards Danusha, whilst being more caring of her brother. It is however, well written and based on a true story set in very different times.
I can recommend this book to those who like historical stories based on facts.

I received an ARC of, The Polish Girl, by Malka Adler. Mother and daughter relationships do not always run smooth. For Anna an Danusha its made worse with the war. All Danusha wanted was her mothers love, all her mother wanted was a son. Beautifully written.

💫 The Polish Girl 💫
By Malka Adler
Publisher: One More Chapter (June 7. 2022)
Genre: Historical Fiction

This book was sad.
And clearly I know going into any HF books during the war, that my heart will be broken from the injustices and loss that so many faced. But this wasn’t even as much about that, as it was about a young girl fighting for her mother’s attention.

That feeling of a parent loving one child more, however justified in one’s head, is a form of trauma that just hurts my mamas heart. It wasn’t an easy one for me to read… I wanted to scoop Danusha up and love on her myself.

And while I understand why Anna did or faced what she did, that disconnection was the part (as a reader) I was stuck on. I both admired Anna for trying to keep her kids safe but then was upset with her because of her lack of love towards her daughter. And while, adult me, understands it logically, I know, as a little girl, that the only thing a child wants is to feel safe and loved.

I did like the split narration as you felt the pain on both women. At times it was a bit choppy but still well written. 3.5 ⭐️

I love this genre and era of fictional books. This one is based around a young woman and her Mother forces to leave Poland when the Germans invade. Although I loved the storyline I struggled with the writing style but thanks to the author and her publisher. Thanks also to NetGalley.