The Polish Girl

This book was difficult to read, not because of the writing style, but the subject matter. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was thought provoking and intelligently written and something I will definitely recommend to other readers who enjoy world war two stories.

A very memorable historical fiction novel. I enjoyed this book very much, and was incredibly moved by a mother’s strength and love for her child during unfathomable times. Historical fiction novels always affect me so emotionally and this one was no different.

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.

In the winter of 1039, Danusha and her family are forced to flee their home when the Nazis invade Poland. Danusha’s mother, Anna, changes her last name and secures a position as a housekeeper in a German doctor’s mansion in Kraków where 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. Instead she got one who could look a Nazi straight in the eye but not into the eyes of her own daughter. It is only years later, when their neighbors gather in the living room to hear Anna’s stories, that Danusha finally realizes her mother was never a cold unknowable person but a storm-wracked one – sometimes bright, sometimes dark, and always watching over her.

This is a well written historical fiction about how WWII affected the inhabitants of Poland and what they did to survive. At times, I had trouble with the time shifts, but was able to figure out if Danusha was talking about her childhood or how Anna affected her childhood. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book. I recommend it to anyone who like reading about WWII.

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.

WW2, Poland, family-dynamics, Jewish, Jews, historical-novel, historical-places-events, historical-figures, historical-research, historical-setting, history-and-culture, hitler, survival****

From toddlerhood, Danusha and her mother did whatever they had to for survival in a Poland that was, once again, invaded by Germany and later by Russia. But this time was even worse because they were Jews and Hitler had an agenda of elimination. The story is told in dual perspective as a child in Poland/adult in Israel (obviously after the war). A very emotional read.
NEVER AGAIN
I requested and received a free-book copy from Harper 360/One More Chapter via NetGalley.

"Even when we quarreled I stayed near her and didn’t leave. It seems I needed Mama’s support."

Tough read with life as a constant struggle for Danusha. She is two before WW2 and six when it's over. They lived in Poland, hiding and moving constantly because they were Jews. They found some kindness here and there for short times. She was always expected to be silent, as though she wasn't there. She stayed near her mother, who didn't show her love, yet they needed each other. Her mother did show love for Danusha's brother, as he was the son of the family. The story is told by Danusha and her perspective in pieces of their lives, then from her mother's perspective as she tells stories to her friends about their experiences during the war. It was a tough time for them to live and survive through the war, it was also very hard for Danusha to find her own way, her own meaning, to figure out life and how to live. Based on a true story of a daughter and mother. It's not an uplifting story, rather of constant struggle and sadness, but there are lessons to be learned about how the same thing can look entirely different from different perspectives and expectations.

I received this book free from the publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
#ThePolishGirl #NetGalley #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #HistoricalFiction #MalkaAdler #fivestarbooks

The Polish Girl by Malka Adler was a well written account of Anna and her children in Poland during WWII. The struggles were told through the voice of Anna and her daughter. I was interested in the relationship between the two and how the daughter felt unworthy of her mother and other people she came in contact with. The writing was easy to follow and it came to a clean ending. I am interested in reading more from Malka Adler.