The Resistance Painter is such a powerful story. Written in a dual timeline from WWII during the Nazi occupation of Poland and 2010 Canada. It tells the story of a young Irena, a Resistance Fighter who transfers people through the Polish sewer systems to get them to safety and the current time where her granddaughter Jo is working on a grave sculpture and soon becomes intrigued by possible connections to her grandmother's time during the war.

This story is filled with so much heartache and grief. Add into this that so many people experienced this war and it hits you in the most heartbreaking way. Such a well written book giving us just a tiny glimpse at the atrocities these people went through. How some survived and lived to share their stories while so many others brutally lost their lives.

**Received ARC through NetGalley. Voluntarily reviewed**

i read another historical fiction that has a dual timeline (one set during WWII) and a strong female protagonist. are we surprised? this is a current contender for my top book of 2025. it had twists that i didn't see coming, was extremely well written, and is so relevant to our world today (as much as i wish that weren't the case). the author based the story on her partner's mother who lived through being captured by the nazis during the warsaw uprising, was a military prisoner in a concentration camp, and was an integral part of the underground resistance group in warsaw. this is a fascinating, heartbreaking story that also manages to focus on the small moments of happiness that take place during times of tragedy. i do wish the 2010 storyline in toronto was developed a bit more, there were some conversations that i felt could have been more productive. overall i really enjoyed this and highly recommend. as the author states in the author's notes: "historical wars have repercussions that reverberate across the globe, far into the future".

cw: heavy themes

thanks to netgalley and simon & schuster canada for my advance copy of the resistance painter by kath jonathan. all opinions are my own.

I really enjoy reading historical fiction because I always learn so much about past events, even horrific ones, and the courage of the people who lived through these events. This story taught be many new things. Even though it was very sad, it was inspiring to read of the resilience and bravery of so many. I was not aware of how sewers were used to help so many people escape. This was such a compelling story. I thought it was very well written. I always enjoy a dual-timeline to see how people's actions in the past affect future generations. Definitely recommend to historical fiction lovers!

The more I read about WW2 the more my heart breaks for everyone who had to live through it. This book focuses on the Polish resistance during the Nazi occupation of Poland. Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for my ARC.

A WWII story of Poland and their resistance. It is another look into WWII that I haven’t read. I enjoy reading the other sides of the war. I enjoyed reading it.

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for the ARC copy of this novel!

From the Polish resistance in WWII, to Toronto of the 2010s, art runs in this family. The novel follows both Irena, a soldier in the Polish resistance army whose plans to go to Art School are put on hold due to Nazi occupation; and Jo, her granddaughter who creates grave sculptures and whose newest client may have a connection to her grandmother.

The novel at times is both heart breaking and heartfelt. The majority is set in WWII Warsaw, and the reader is brought into the world of civilians fighting for their lives and an underground network using the sewers to escape the Nazi soldiers. The heartfelt movements feel like small moments of sunshine in the bleak landscape - such as Mati and Irena's relationship – while not diminishing the horrors and atrocities that take place. This story weaves into the future, where Jo's newest client is a supposed fighter with the Polish resistance, and plants questions in Jo's mind about her grandmothers life that she never knew about.

One of the main takeaways from this story, aside from history repeating itself (because lets be honest, todays climate anyone can see that), perhaps we should ask our families those questions about their past and experiences before it's too late.