Lisa Barr is back with another winner full of Jewish representation and badass female characters. With powerful scenes set during the Holocaust as well as a more modern timeline in Hollywood, this book is Barr at her best and will capture your attention from start to finish.

5 Huge Stars for The Goddess of Warsaw by Lisa Barr! WWII historical fiction is one of my favorite genres and this novel now ranks up there with one of my all-time favorites.
Told from a dual timeline perspective and brilliantly narrated from the sassy protagonist, Bina Blonski (aka Hollywood starlet Lena Browning). From the streets of the Warsaw Ghetto under Nazi occupation of Poland to the glitter of post-war Hollywood, the reader is taken on Bina's life journey as she battles for her life and her freedom.
Bina is forced into the Warsaw Jewish ghetto when her family is murdered by Nazi's and Polish collaborators. She learns to use her looks (blonde hair, blue eyes) to gain access to much needed supplies and information helpful to the Polish resistance. Bina is one strong heroine and willing to do anything to save herself and those she loves. I thoroughly enjoyed the spellbinding intelligent protagonist Bina and her narrative voice and introspective thoughts.
Thank you to HarperCollins, NetGalley, and Lisa Barr for the opportunity to read the complimentary copy of the novel. I loved it so much I pre-ordered a copy for my own library.

I'm a sucker for WWII novels with strong female MCs and The Goddess of Warsaw did not disappoint. Lisa Barr writes incredible historical fiction; she crafts incredible plots and her characters have such amazing arcs.

This book touches on the lengths people will go to in order to survive, reminds us that there are somethings you can never forgive or forget, and the need for revenge doesn't lessen overtime.

A chilling and thought provoking story of the hardships and moral challenges a determined young woman encounters as Warsaw is occupied by the Nazi regime and her quest to survive. Dark at times, the main character becomes a master of disguise and reinvention. Necessity dictates the partnerships of Jews from varying (previous) socio economic backgrounds work together to do anything and everything to try to survive when no one can *really* trust another. If this novel reminds us of anything, it’s to never underestimate the desperation and will to survive or the profound desire for retribution.

ARC copy provided courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you!

This A-MAY-ZING historical, page-turner of a novel, the latest from the endlessly talented Barr, starts with the glamor of a legendary star in the Golden Age of Hollywood and then throws us back in time to her secret past as a Jewish assassin and Warsaw Ghetto survivor.

Before becoming Lena Browning in America, Bina Blonski is a beautiful, talented, tall, blond-haired, blue-eyed star actress whose Aryan looks conceal her Jewish identity. The daughter of privilege, she grows up in an ultra-wealthy, cultured family who considered themselves more German than Jewish. She’s a rising star in Poland theatre – until in 1943 she’s outed as a Jew by the fanatical Nazi-supporting Polish father of her best friend. Bina along with her husband Jakub get sent to the crumbling, crowded, decrepit Warsaw Ghetto – where the Nazi’s are starving Jews before gunning them down or shipping them off to concentration camps. Lena starts as a smuggler via the sewers, trading sexual favors for food, medicine, and basic supplies for the camp. She evolves into both an assassin and resistance fighter from there. Lisa Barr brilliantly spins an edge-of-your-seat tale as she goes back in time.

Barr brings WWII in Poland so alive that you become deeply immersed and deeply vested in people from the Warsaw Ghetto. The main characters range from the woman leader of the resistance movement against the Nazis, the intellectual husband trying to record it all for history, his smoldering handsome and brave younger brother who lost both his wife and daughter to the Nazis, the young orphan of a leading musical family, and preteen girls being targeted for a brothel to serve German soldiers. All this culminates in the true story of the Warsaw Ghetto’s heroic stand-off with the Nazi’s using smuggled in weapons – choosing to bravely fight the Nazi’s to death rather than be shipped off to by murdered in prison camps.

Fast forward to the present where Sienna Hayes, the latest young rising star in Hollywood wants to direct and star in a film about Lena’s legendary life as a movie star. But Lena sets her own demands as she agrees, and these involve revealing the highly guarded secret of her past, as well as the fury that continues to burn bright within her towards surviving Nazi’s.

This must read for 2024 will inspire you, if you haven’t already, to go back and read Lisa’s other scintillating works including Woman on Fire and The Unbreakables.

Thanks to Lisa Barr, Harper and Netgalley for an advanced reader’s copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Amazing novel! This book has it all and then some.
I have to read more from this author.

This was my first book by this author and I was hooked from the first page! Intense, heartbreaking and so suspenseful! Loved every word! Highly highly recommend!

This book was PHENOMENALLY done.
The writing is beautiful and the character arcs are incredible.
I read a lot of historical fiction, especially WWII, but have never read a book quite like this one before.
Without a doubt a 5 star read.

Thank you Harper Perennial for the chance to read the ARC!

This was an amazing historical book. The book was very well researched and I could not put it down. Would recommend!

I devoured this book in a single day; I was absolutely captivated by it. If it weren't for the profanity, I would have given it a five-star rating. The writing, plot, and storyline were truly enthralling. Lena, the main character, was a complex and imperfect figure, making her feel incredibly authentic, much like real people.

Initially, the constant shifts in timeframes were a bit distracting, but as the story unfolded, it took on a life of its own. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who appreciates well-crafted historical fiction. Personally, I prefer not to encounter explicit language and detailed sexual content in my reading, especially in the specific context presented in this book, but I understand that this is a matter of personal preference.

One minor issue I noticed was the mention of antibiotics being available in the Ghetto and elsewhere in Poland in 1943. This seems historically inaccurate, as antibiotics like penicillin were not widely accessible, even by the end of World War II.

Wow Oh Wow! The ultimate revenge story that is based on true events with a fight-back twist. The story follows Bina as she loses everything during the atrocities of WWII and rebuilds herself to become a true femme fatale. I could not put this book down!

Beautiful Bina Blonski, actress and socialite, is forced to live in the Warsaw ghetto by the Nazis. Bina joins her brother in law in the resistance. With her aryan looks it is easier for Bina to pass for a non Jew - add in her acting skills and she is able to melt into the scenery and do so much for the resistance.

Enter Sienna (in today's time) who wants to direct a movie (and star in it) about the life of Lena Browning. Sienna, prior to this project, was unaware of Bina Blonski. This books show how Bina became Irina and then Lena Browning and tells the previously untold story of the resistance, survival and love. This is not just another WW2 novel - it is deeper than that.

I loved the way this story was told in separate parts rather than every chapter flashing back and forth. The character development was so good and I was immersed in the story The telling is complete without being so graphic that the reader is put off. Barr gives us likable characters that we can identify with and empathize with. I was "in Bina/Lena's corner" clear up until the end.

Thank you to NetGalley who has provided this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Run do not walk to get this book! Less than 1 day to read it. I could not put it down. The Warsaw uprising to Hollywood and one woman’s struggle to rise above adversity. The book begins when a young actress wants to tell her story so you are brought through the story. I cannot recommend it enough.
#harperperrenerial #lisaBarr #thewarsawgoddess #neglalley

I mean, wow! What a book. I’m not a huge WWII novel fan, but I really like Lisa Barr. So I was happy to receive an advanced copy. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.
This book was happy, sad, gripping and so emotional. I appreciate the historical story and enjoyed the fictional characters. I didn’t want it to end. Thank you, Lisa Barr - what a story!

Hands down, this is Lisa Barr at her very best. And that's a high BAR after WOMAN ON FIRE. The book is a force, an absolute masterpiece. You can tell Lisa put her entire heart and soul into this story. The research, the twists, the writing....exceptional. I was transported in time, invested in these memorable characters, and flipping pages, but at the same time, wishing it would never end. This will be one of my top ten of 2024 by far.

Wow. The Goddess of Warsaw was my first read of the year, and it was unputdownable. It tells the story of Bina Blonski, an upper middle class Jewish woman from Poland, during and after WWII. Bina's life as a stage actress and young wife is completely upended by the invasion of Poland by the Nazis, and after being forced into the Warsaw ghetto, she begins fighting back with the Jewish resistance. Bina is fierce and unstoppable, even in the face of the most heartbreaking evil.

This was an area of WWII history that I did not know much about, but the author clearly did her research, as so much of what happened in this book is based on actual events. The story was riveting and made me want to learn more about these Jewish women resistance fighters! Thank you to NetGalley and Harper for the advance copy.

The Goddess of Warsaw is a captivating historical fiction read that follows the untold story of Hollywood star Lena Browning aka Bina Blonski, a Polish Jew who survived the Warsaw Ghetto. The writing was exquisite, the characters were well-developed, and even though I read a lot of Holocaust fiction, I found this to be a unique perspective.

Barr dives into the choices that people make in impossible situations, what one will do to save those they love, and has you contemplate whether you can just move on from the perils of the past without repercussions. When reading Barrs descriptions about Jewish life I got chills.

Read if interested in:
-WWII fiction
-Jewish history
-Suspense
-Hollywood movie making

Thank you Harprer Perrenial for the ARC! Pub 5/12

I requested to read “The Goddess of Warsaw” as I am a fan of historical fiction and Lisa Barr.

I read a lot of WWII/Holocaust fiction but nothing with this fresh perspective. Bina Blonski, a Polish Jew, and her family were forced to live in a Warsaw Ghetto, but Bina fights back by joining the Resistance and spying on the Nazis. After the war, she becomes changes into Lena Browning, becoming Hollywood star, but Lena isn’t able to completely cut the ties of her past as she seeks revenge against those who have harmed her.

I appreciated the theme of reinvention and truth and justice prevailing. Barr did her research, and her narration of Lena’s story is hauntingly evocative. I could not put this book down.

Four and a half out of five stars.

Thank you to Net Galley, Lisa Barr and the publisher for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

An absolute tour de force 5 star book! This is outstanding meticulously researched historical fiction (if you haven't read it yet, yes the facts really happened!) Think of this as a very intense Pam Jenoff or Kate Quinn type Holocaust novel with a big revenge thriller angle thrown in. Barr's writing and plotting just grows and grows. Rush to read, recommend and buy this one!