A lovely read - historical fiction with a focus on love of literature. Well told, good pacing - would recommend.

AMAZING! I love all of Martin's books and will continue to buy anything she writes! I love a book about people who love books as much as myself, and to top it off it is a historical fiction book (Which I absolutely LOVE!) The writing, the characters, the plot---everything was amazing and absolutely fantastic about this book. You can really tell that the author did her work with conducting a lot of research in order to write this book, and her writing and the storytelling are some of her absolute BEST! I adored this book!

Sorry to say as much as I wanted to love this book, i often found my mind drifting away from the task. Perhaps it was the writing style though I tend to think it was me coupled with the holidays.

It is always sad to read of the atrocities other purported onto people which of course is continuing today and it is a book like this that reminds us that humans can be quite cruel, heartless, and evil.

Thank you to Madeline Martin and NetGalley for a copy off this story which has already published.

This was a beautifully written story, although I found it dragged in certain parts. It was both heartbreaking and inspiring and clearly reminds us the horrors of book banning and censorship.
3.5 stars

The Keeper of Hidden Books is the story of Zofia living in Warsaw as it is invaded during WWII as Poland is invaded and the Warsaw Library system is being forced to destroy books.

I could not put this book down, following Zofia's journey as her country is invaded, her friends are under attack and everything is unknown. I love the way that Madeline Martin wove her story with history and from a new perspective. Reading about what was happening in the library system and books being banned. I highly recommend this book.

This is a book that I really wanted to love. It's historical fiction which is one of my favorite genres. It centers heavily on the censorship of books which is important to me and also extremely relevant at this moment. It also features the friendship between two women and I am here for all of the girls supporting girls type books. This should've been deep and emotional for me, but yet I felt a little detached from it. This felt like a narrative I've read before. There are. so many great books about saving books from the Nazis during WW2. If this was my first or second book on this subject, I think this would've made much more of an impact. Still a well-written book about an interesting moment in history.

The Nazis have invaded Poland and the people of Warsaw find that the books they long to read are no longer on the library’s shelves. Zofia and Janina are best friends and they love books. They volunteer at the library and are dismayed that classic novels are being taken away. Some library workers are hiding books to preserve them, but it is a dangerous enterprise.

Janina is Jewish and everything gets complicated when she and her family are sent to the ghetto. Zofia is determined to help, but doing so puts her in jeopardy. In the meantime, the attempts to preserve works of literature continues.

What makes this book so appealing is the shared love of books and the covert efforts to preserve them, despite the chaos and imminent threats. Book banning has always been an attempt to control others and keep information limited. Janina and Zofia are at the heart of the plot and their characters develop as the teens are faced with the life-altering challenges of ghetto existence and the Nazis threat. Yet the commitment to preserve and share banned reading material points to the importance of the freedom to read and the impact reading can have on one’s emotional well-being.

Martin used real events to base her book upon. She explains in her notes the details of the real hidden library and the heroic people who ran the clandestine enterprise as well as those who fought with the Polish Underground. The book is timely and will have tremendous appeal with lovers of history and of reading.
3.5*

While I originally attempted this book as n ebook and stopped, I tried again as an audio and thoroughly enjoyed it. A perspective of WWII in Poland and the fight to keep Hilter from destroying literature he deemed unacceptable. The Main character, Zophia plays an integral role in the underground fight to keep Poles having access to books during the Nazi occupation. While the historical subject matter is always heavy, this was a wonderful perspective of the many heros of that time.

I sadly can not get into this book. I’ve loved another of this author’s books… but this one isn’t hooking me like I wanted it to.

The Keeper of Hidden Books.

First, I love that this is based on a true story; highlighting the power o books to bring us together in even the darkest of times, the beauty of friendship and the heart of a people united.

Warsaw, Poland. The story starts early in WW2. Zofia and her Jewish best friend, Janina, have always found comfort in books and each other. As Hitler and the Nazi's dig deeper and take more from the people, both of those things would be challenged.

The one way that Zofia can find to resist the occupation and the brutality was to save the books Hitler was intent on banning and burning. History. Polish writers. Stories of hope. Biographies. Nothing was beyond the reach of the regime. As a librarian, Zofia was in a prime position to slowly and deliberately hide books away from the regime and still get the into the hands of the polish people. She even starts a clandestine book club.

Persecution and hardship digs deeper into Warsaw. First the jews are marked, then they are mocked and, eventually, they are placed in the ghetto and put on trains for "relocation." Zofia continues to find ways to help the Jews, her heart always looking ways to resist and to help her dear friend. Over the years of the war, this takes on various forms until, as liberation draws close, a full scale rebellion breaks out in the city. Zofia and her community fight, literally, to save each other and their culture - including literature - using every means possible.

This was both a tough read and a beautiful read. It took me a long time but I think part of that was because it was so heavy in its content. It covered the span of almost the entire WW2 and, at times, it felt almost as long. I think it probably could have been a tad shorter BUT in doing so, I think some of the reality of living under that kind of brutality for as long as the Polish people did might have been lost.

Martin has a way of writing friendships that feel deep and full of heart; Zofia and Janina was no exception. And then the ending. The last pages at the library had me in tears.

If you didn't believe in the importance and power of stories to bring hope and comfort, you will after reading this one.

With Martin's trademark eye for research and detail, readers will be swept into the world of occupied Poland as Zofia works tirelessly not just to save her country's literature but as a freedom fighter determined to take her country back.

Martin's love of literature shines through in every book and the importance of the freedom to read, to preserve culture and history and also be able to see oneself in the pages of a book makes a strong statement about today's censorship climate without being overbearing. Relationships - between families, friends, and even love - form the spine of this compelling story, and you'll find yourself cheering for Zofia and Janina in their victories as well as mourning their losses with them. Recommended!

This book started slow for me but sure picked up and got interesting. You can tell the author did a lot of research. I wanted to keep reading after it was over. There are so many books about the war, but not that many about Poland and this truly opened my eyes. I love how this author always has books in her stories.

3.5 This one took me a really long time to read and I can't pinpoint exactly why. I'm not sure if my attention span was just failing me or if the story itself was hard to follow but I just felt that there were quite a few times that I had to go back and reread to understand how the characters had advanced to that point. I found the research aspect to be very interesting, I've read a lot of WW2 novels but never one that focused so heavily on the lost books/libraries.

This was a great example of why censorship is bad. I enjoyed this book about lesser known part of WWII history. I don't know why Poland is left out of the books. I also enjoyed the fact that it focused more on friendship and less on romance

I was so excited to have gotten this review copy! It had so much potential, I just feel like to me, it was just average.

Admittedly, it took me longer to get to this book than I am proud of. As a mood reader, I have learned that if I attempt to read a book that I'm not in the mood for, I do not give the book and author their due. Having now read this book, I am very happy that I waited until I was in the mindset to truly sink into it.

This is one of the most powerful books I have read. The messages of human resiliency and the power of literature, in the face of sorrow and destruction, are deep and profound. I truly recommend this book, and hope that those who read it sink into it and give it the attention it deserves.

While the beginning was slower and I wasn't gripped, it slowly started to get under my skin. I found myself picking it up while I waited for my coffee to brew, in the grocery check-out line, and reading well past my bedtime. Looking back now, I believe my initial distance from the book was because Zofia's voice is perfectly paced with her age and life experiences, and I was not connecting as deeply with her at her younger age.

Overall, will likely be one of my top books of 2023.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing me with an advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

Well, if a book is historical fiction set in WWII … and about books … then you have won me over! I enjoyed reading and learning about the Warsaw librarians who served during the German occupation in Poland. The beginning of the book was a little slow in getting me invested in the story. But once it had my attention, I was interested in following along until the end. This was a very original and different focus for the time period. I continue to be amazed at the lengths individuals went to during Hitler’s reign of terror to help those who were being persecuted. While smuggling books may seem insignificant, it took a lot of bravery and creativity to accomplish this. And the difference it made in the lives of those who were recipients was significant. While I have read much about the French Resistance, I was not as familiar with that of the Polish Resistance. Their dedication and courage are admirable. If you are a fan of WWII historical fiction books, then I strongly encourage you to pick this one up and get lost in the pages.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hanover Square Press for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

I'm usually not a huge reader of historical fiction, but this one sparked my attention, and now I know why. Reading WW2 stories as a Jewish woman always hits me a little harder, and as a lover of stories and reading, I obviously fell in love with this story. Living through Zofia's life in Poland and experiencing the horrors of the war thru her eyes gave me an entire new perspective. Thank you for this story.

I think this book may have been written about me in another life. I really connected with Zofia and her struggles. This is a WWII book every book lover should read!