The Woman with the Blue Star
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- Create Date：2021-05-23 02:18:59
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Pam Jenoff
- ISBN：B08PDTQ5TB
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
From the 'New York Times' bestselling author of 'The Lost Girls of Paris' comes a riveting tale of unfathomable sacrifice and unlikely friendship during World War II。
The year 1942。 Sadie Gault is eighteen and living with her parents amid the horrors of the Kraków Ghetto during World War II。 When the Nazis liquidate the ghetto， Sadie and her pregnant mother are forced to seek refuge in the perilous sewers beneath the city。 One day Sadie looks up through a grate and sees a girl about her own age buying flowers。
Ella Stepanek is an affluent Polish girl living a life of relative ease with her stepmother， who has developed close alliances with the occupying Germans。 Scorned by her friends and longing for her fiancé， who has gone off to war， Ella wanders Kraków restlessly。 While on an errand in the market， she catches a glimpse of something moving beneath a grate in the street。 Upon closer inspection， she realizes it's a girl hiding。
Ella begins to aid Sadie and the two become close， but as the dangers of the war worsen， their lives are set on a collision course that will test them in the face of overwhelming odds。 Inspired by harrowing true stories， 'THE WOMAN WITH THE BLUE STAR' is an emotional testament to the power of friendship and the extraordinary strength of the human will to survive。
RUNNING TIME => 12hrs。
©2021 Pam Jenoff （P）2020 Harlequin Enterprises， Limited
The year 1942。 Sadie Gault is eighteen and living with her parents amid the horrors of the Kraków Ghetto during World War II。 When the Nazis liquidate the ghetto， Sadie and her pregnant mother are forced to seek refuge in the perilous sewers beneath the city。 One day Sadie looks up through a grate and sees a girl about her own age buying flowers。
Ella Stepanek is an affluent Polish girl living a life of relative ease with her stepmother， who has developed close alliances with the occupying Germans。 Scorned by her friends and longing for her fiancé， who has gone off to war， Ella wanders Kraków restlessly。 While on an errand in the market， she catches a glimpse of something moving beneath a grate in the street。 Upon closer inspection， she realizes it's a girl hiding。
Ella begins to aid Sadie and the two become close， but as the dangers of the war worsen， their lives are set on a collision course that will test them in the face of overwhelming odds。 Inspired by harrowing true stories， 'THE WOMAN WITH THE BLUE STAR' is an emotional testament to the power of friendship and the extraordinary strength of the human will to survive。
RUNNING TIME => 12hrs。
©2021 Pam Jenoff （P）2020 Harlequin Enterprises， Limited
Reviews
Stephanie
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I loved this book and gave it 4 stars only because I wanted more to this storyline at the end or at least a second book。 I found this book so interesting and want to read more！！
Diane
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I like Pam Jenoff's writing， but I could not get past or accept people talking through a sewage crate， creating enough dialogue to become friends while this could be easily seen by anyone and reported to the Nazi's killing them both。 Just could not suspend disbelief。 Very disappointing。 I like Pam Jenoff's writing， but I could not get past or accept people talking through a sewage crate， creating enough dialogue to become friends while this could be easily seen by anyone and reported to the Nazi's killing them both。 Just could not suspend disbelief。 Very disappointing。 。。。more
Maureen
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An interesting plot but the writing was more appropriate for a YA book: simple sentences and too much explanation of phrases and plot points that would be obvious to an adult。
Jane Glen
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Firstly， this was an audio book which partly accounts for the low rating。 The 2 main narrators were very difficult to listen to。 Everything was read in an overly dramatic tone and became very annoying， to say the least。 It also brought out the incessant repetition in the book which you could likely ignore or skim if you were reading it yourself。 This made me realize that this is by far one of the poorest historical fiction books that I have read。 So why did I keep going？ It was based on true eve Firstly， this was an audio book which partly accounts for the low rating。 The 2 main narrators were very difficult to listen to。 Everything was read in an overly dramatic tone and became very annoying， to say the least。 It also brought out the incessant repetition in the book which you could likely ignore or skim if you were reading it yourself。 This made me realize that this is by far one of the poorest historical fiction books that I have read。 So why did I keep going？ It was based on true events and I wanted to see what happened in the end。 I admit to fast-forwarding at some point。 Interestingly， at the same time， I am reading The Lost Girls of Paris by the same author。 Although the same repetition and inconsistencies are prevalent， one obviously can skim over or ignore them much more easily than in audio。 But I guess I'm done with this author。 。。。more
Sarah Fiander
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3。5 stars。 Even though I had pretty much figured out the ending it still gave me goosebumps。 Interested in seeing this as a movie for sure。
Kathy
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This book was spell binding， couldn’t put it down。 I recommend it to anyone。
Alexis Campbell
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As always， Pam Jenoff is just incredible。 I love her ability to take little known-about pieces of history and weaving them into the most heart wrenching and magnificent stories that open your eyes to something new。 Read this book immediately， and if you haven’t read her previous works， read them too。 You won’t regret it。
Heidi Gorecki
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The Woman with the Blue Star ultimately is about not giving up no matter how bad the circumstances get， and about taking action and speaking up when someone needs help， rather than take the easy route。 Also， the thought of living in a sewer for any length of time seems inconceivable but this actually happened with a group of Jews in Poland during WW2， as the author mentions at the end。 I can’t even imagine。 The only reason I dropped a star was the writing seemed a bit choppy to me compared to Ms The Woman with the Blue Star ultimately is about not giving up no matter how bad the circumstances get， and about taking action and speaking up when someone needs help， rather than take the easy route。 Also， the thought of living in a sewer for any length of time seems inconceivable but this actually happened with a group of Jews in Poland during WW2， as the author mentions at the end。 I can’t even imagine。 The only reason I dropped a star was the writing seemed a bit choppy to me compared to Ms Jenoff’s typical writing and at times seemed a bit flat when there could have been more fleshing out of the story to give it more depth。 Otherwise it was a great read and very inspiring。 。。。more
Christine Mott
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The Women with the Blue StarBy: Pam Jenoff5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Wow！！！ If I could give this 10⭐️ I would。 This novel had me from the first sentence until the last。 I could not put it down。 Who needs to eat anyway！ 🇵🇱 An unexpected friendship between two young girls in Poland。 Sadie Gault is trying to survive the Kraków Ghetto during WWII。 When the Ghetto is raided by the Nazis， Sadie and her parents are forced to hide in the sewers。 Her mother is pregnant and life is extremely hard trying to survive in the The Women with the Blue StarBy: Pam Jenoff5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Wow！！！ If I could give this 10⭐️ I would。 This novel had me from the first sentence until the last。 I could not put it down。 Who needs to eat anyway！ 🇵🇱 An unexpected friendship between two young girls in Poland。 Sadie Gault is trying to survive the Kraków Ghetto during WWII。 When the Ghetto is raided by the Nazis， Sadie and her parents are forced to hide in the sewers。 Her mother is pregnant and life is extremely hard trying to survive in the worst of times。🇵🇱 Ella Stepanek is a young girl living with her stepmother who is entertaining German officers in their home。 Ella does not support her stepmother and her beliefs。 🇵🇱 One day as Ella is wondering through the streets she spots Sadie in the sewer through a grate。 They begin a unique friendship。 Ella begins to give food to Ella and the other trying to survive in the sewers。🇵🇱As time progresses and Nazis are rounding up Jews， their hiding place is compromised。 Will they be able to find a new place？ Who will survive？ Will their friendship be compromised？ An amazing story of friendship， loss， courage， strength and power to move forward in a an unfathomable time。 I recommend this book to all Historical Fiction fans。 #pamjenoff， #thewomanwiththebluestar， #parkrowbooks， #historicalfiction， #worldwartwo， #poland， #krakow， #bookreview， #bookstagram， #booksconnectus， #stamperlady50 。。。more
Richard Silberg
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To all my friends who complain， “not another Holocaust book” I say， “make an exception and read this！” My wife’s beloved aunt Naomi wrote， “Hide: A Child’s View of the Holocaust。” This memoir written through the eyes of a 9-year old girl depicts her life under the floorboards of a Polish farm in order to escape the Nazi’s。 This novel， based on true events in the sewers of Lvov， shift the story to Krákov。 While the characters in the novel are imaginary， the true heroism of these Poles can be felt To all my friends who complain， “not another Holocaust book” I say， “make an exception and read this！” My wife’s beloved aunt Naomi wrote， “Hide: A Child’s View of the Holocaust。” This memoir written through the eyes of a 9-year old girl depicts her life under the floorboards of a Polish farm in order to escape the Nazi’s。 This novel， based on true events in the sewers of Lvov， shift the story to Krákov。 While the characters in the novel are imaginary， the true heroism of these Poles can be felt。 There is never a dull moment with as many twists and turns as a maze of underground sewer pipes can metaphorically produce。Warning: tissues not included。 。。。more
Betty
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This is a historical fiction inspired by the true story of a small group of Jews who survived WWII by living in the sewers of Lviv， Poland。 While life became more and more difficult for the people of Poland， it was much， much worse for the Jews who lived in the sewers。 The constant horrendous smells， the disease-infested waters， the constant wet feet - all this is just unimaginable and a sign of their desperation to survive。 Set in 1942， eighteen-year-old Sadie Gault， along with her father and p This is a historical fiction inspired by the true story of a small group of Jews who survived WWII by living in the sewers of Lviv， Poland。 While life became more and more difficult for the people of Poland， it was much， much worse for the Jews who lived in the sewers。 The constant horrendous smells， the disease-infested waters， the constant wet feet - all this is just unimaginable and a sign of their desperation to survive。 Set in 1942， eighteen-year-old Sadie Gault， along with her father and pregnant mother and another family， relocate from the Kraków Ghetto to the sewers when the Nazis liquidate the ghetto。 One day as Sadie is walking the sewer tunnels， she looks up through a grate and sees a girl about her own age。 Ella Stepanek， a Polish girl， lives an affluent life with her stepmother， who has relationships with the occupying Germans。 One day as she is shopping in the market， she catches a glimpse of a girl beneath a grate in the street。 Thus begins a remarkable friendship。This is a story of family， loss， friendship， trust， sacrifice， and even love。 The part I found most interesting was the developing relationship between a nonobservant Jewish family and a religious Jewish family forced to live in a confined space。 I also loved the friendship that developed between Sadie and Ella。The story pulled me right in， and I found it extremely hard to put the book down。 The characters are realistic。 I found the lives of both female protagonists interesting – how Sadie manages living in the sewers， and the risks Ella takes to meet with Sadie and provide her aid。 The story is very emotional and gives witness to the extraordinary strength of the human will to survive。 It will leave readers with a great deal to think about。 。。。more
Barbara
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Excellent book。 This author never disappoints。 The storyline keeps you on the edge of your seat。 Highly recommended
Laura
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This was a beautiful， heart wrenching story。 Audiobook was great with 2 narrators。
Jennifer Schmidt
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Audiobook。 Always enjoy this author。 I haven’t looked up the history， but Jews having to live in the sewer to escape Nazis would not surprise me in the least。
Melissa B
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What an amazing book。 Based on real life experiences， this story of survival brings a deeper respect for those who not NTY survived， but for those who assisted in this effort。
Amber Leigh
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I love being able to read books set in Krakow。 This author is one of my favorites！
Mary Harvey Gurley
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Another exceptional book by Jenoff。
Emily
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Got better as it went along。 I had no idea people hid in the sewers from the Germans in WWII - great story of the friendship that develops between Sadie who is hiding in the sewer and Ella who lives above ground in Krakow
Vicki Bahls
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Audio book that was easy to listen to。 Sadie must hide in the sewers to escape the Germans in WWII。 She meets Ella at the grate one day and they become friends。 One of them helps the other through the book and every chapter is told from one of their perspectives。 I was a little thrown off at the end， but this was a very good book。
Mary Jo
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AUDIO。 The horrors of Jews hiding in a sewer certainly came through and the setting of Krakow was interesting but overall I would say I was somewhat underwhelmed by the book。 I think it would have made a great young adult novel。 It just didn't have the depth I expect from this author and I did not care for the ending。 The narration voices were ok， maybe a little overdone in places。 AUDIO。 The horrors of Jews hiding in a sewer certainly came through and the setting of Krakow was interesting but overall I would say I was somewhat underwhelmed by the book。 I think it would have made a great young adult novel。 It just didn't have the depth I expect from this author and I did not care for the ending。 The narration voices were ok， maybe a little overdone in places。 。。。more
thewanderingjew
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The Woman With The Blue Star， Pam Jenoff， author; Jennifer Jill Araya， Emily Lawrence， Nancy Peterson， narrators。The setting is Krakow， Poland。 It is 1942 and Hitler has conquered the country。 At first conditions were bearable for those who were not hunted， but as the war progressed， the situation worsened。 After the Jews were gone， the Nazis simply went after the Poles。 There were shortages of food， curfews and roundups which terrified the populace。 Although Poland didn’t welcome the Nazis with The Woman With The Blue Star， Pam Jenoff， author; Jennifer Jill Araya， Emily Lawrence， Nancy Peterson， narrators。The setting is Krakow， Poland。 It is 1942 and Hitler has conquered the country。 At first conditions were bearable for those who were not hunted， but as the war progressed， the situation worsened。 After the Jews were gone， the Nazis simply went after the Poles。 There were shortages of food， curfews and roundups which terrified the populace。 Although Poland didn’t welcome the Nazis with open arms as did the Austrians， they put up little resistance。 Soon， however， a secret Home Army formed to save Poland and sabotage the German effort。 Their effort was directed mainly toward saving Poland and was not very concerned with the mistreatment of Jews， or others， whom the Germans deemed not sufficiently Aryan。Eighteen-year-old Sadie Gault is a Jew in Krakow。 Her family is not religious and she enjoyed， what to her was an idyllic life。 She had everything she wanted including two loving parents。 She also had a brother， Maciej， who lived in Paris with his boyfriend。 When the Germans came， life changed dramatically， not just because the Jews were required to wear a blue star on their clothing， but because soon， fear of the Germans isolated them from others。 As life for the Jews and people like Maciej， contracted with barbaric rules and as schools and parks and all forms of culture were closed to them， the Germans began to tighten the noose even more。 Jews were herded into ghettoes and actions were staged to round them up for arrest or transport to work camps。 Soon the roundups would ensnare the Gault family too。 They had to escape。Ella Stepanek， also a teenager， lives in luxury with her stepmother， Ana Lucia， who dislikes her intensely and the feeling is mutual。 Both her parents were dead so she has no choice but to suffer Anna Lucia’s cruelty。 Because Ana Lucia collaborates with the Germans， Ella does not witness the deprivation other Poles are dealing with。 There are no food shortages in her home and her movement around the city is not restricted since she has obtained a special travel document。 However， Ella despises the Germans and resents her stepmother’s relationship with them。 She stays away as much as possible whenever Anna Lucia is entertaining her “friends”。 Although she is not experiencing much of a change due to the war， she is suddenly beginning to notice others who are not as fortunate。 One day she witnesses a Jewish woman jump into the river with her infant， rather than allow herself to be captured by the Nazis。 She feared their brutality more than death。 Their reputation for cruelty and violence was well known。One day， when Ella was out and about， she noticed something strange in a sewer grate。 It appeared to be two hungry eyes staring back at her。 Realizing that it was not a rat but a person who would not want to be discovered， she did not react。 Why are you in the sewer， she asked。 When she realized that several people were living there in secret， she began to help them。 That is how Ella came to know Sadie。 Sadie lived in the sewer with her pregnant mom and the orthodox Rosenberg family。As the unlikely friendship between Ella and Sadie developed and grew more intense because of the traumatic times， the reader is gently introduced to the horrors of Hitler。 The reader discovers the bravery of ordinary citizens who risk their lives to save Jews， while other equally ordinary citizens coldly turn them in for a crust of bread， or like Ana Lucia， curry favors from the Germans by befriending them and even passing them information。 The underground effort， of ordinary citizens， to sabotages the German effort and plan the Warsaw Ghetto uprising is really commendable。 Although condition are horrific， the Jews that are in the ghettoes and the Jews in hiding often find a store of resilience they did not know that they had。 They find the courage to survive。Although the book purports to be historical fiction， it soon devolves into more of a coming of age， romance novel that seems more appropriate for the YA crowd。 The narrative is a little juvenile， the historic information is sparse， and the characters behavior is often implausible。 Rather than behaving like adults in the most extreme， traumatic situation， the two female main characters appear to be naïve and self-centered most of the time， giving in to their very childish impulses， disregarding the danger to themselves and others。 Their choices were often naïve and immature， leading to unnecessary injury to others。 The narrator’s interpretation often exacerbated this feeling。In spite of this， however， the atmosphere at the time of the Holocaust seems genuine and the description of the savage behavior of the Germans seems accurate。 For someone who is not a student of that part of history， this will serve as a heartbreaking introduction。 Although parts of the story are difficult to believe， I personally know of a family that lived in a sewer because of the good graces of a farmer who risked his life to let them stay there。 He provided for their needs as best he could。 My friend’s mother then silently gave birth to a daughter， in a ditch dug by her husband。 Thankfully， they did survive the war。 The book has a surprise ending， so do not peek。 。。。more
Shelly Walker
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Super interesting story
Kathryn Z
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Historical fiction。 A different view of the German occupation of Poland。 A surprise twist at the end。
Stephanie Lunsford
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Holy moly！ Of all the crazy things people did to survive the war， living in the sewers is probably the most insane。 And so terrible to think that living there was a “sanctuary。” A beautiful story full of mainly heartbreak but a peaceful ending nontheless。
Joanne Williams
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An interesting twist to world War 2，resistance; this one in Poland。 The desperation of the time and the will to survive is center of this story。 The characters are palpable and realistic。
Kristin （Always With a Book）
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Thank you Park Row Books / Netgalley for the gifted copy。I have long been a fan of Pam Jenoff， and have been fortunate to meet her numerous times。 As soon as I saw this book， it became an anticipated read and let me just say。。。as heartbreaking a story it is， it is fantastic！It is unfathomable to think that this story is inspired by true events， and yet it is。 This is why I continue to read books on WWII - this is the first one I have read from this perspective or even the first one I have read t Thank you Park Row Books / Netgalley for the gifted copy。I have long been a fan of Pam Jenoff， and have been fortunate to meet her numerous times。 As soon as I saw this book， it became an anticipated read and let me just say。。。as heartbreaking a story it is， it is fantastic！It is unfathomable to think that this story is inspired by true events， and yet it is。 This is why I continue to read books on WWII - this is the first one I have read from this perspective or even the first one I have read that even mentions anything about this。 And I still have such a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that families escaped to the sewers in Krakow and lived down there not for days but months in the hopes to escape the Germans and being sent to concentration camps。This book kept me on the edge of my seat， not because it's a thriller， but it just is so captivating。 I was so worried about these characters and their fate。 I also loved the friendship that develops between the two girls - Sadie and Ella。 These girls show such strength and courage despite the circumstances they find themselves in， and while one is imprisoned in a sewer， the other doesn't have it all that much better。While this book is set during such a horrific time in our history， there are so many parallels to be drawn to our current circumstances as we continue to deal with this pandemic。 That feeling of being isolated from others， finding strength that you didn't realize you had， learning to be resilient and adaptable in uncertain times - these are all things that we have had to overcome and these are things both girls had to overcome as well。 While not setting out to write a book that mirrors our current conditions， it's funny how it themes are universal in that way。I loved this book and know it's one that will stay with me for quite some time。 It's definitely not an easy read at times， but it's one that needs to be read and has such a great ending - one that shocked me for sure， but was just perfect for this book。 I have enjoyed every book I've read by this author， but this is certainly my new favorite and I highly recommend picking it up！Audio thoughts: I was able to grab this audio from the library and loved being able to alternate being the audio and print formats。 The audio was narrated by a cast of narrators - Jennifer Jill Araya， Emily Lawrence， and Emily Peterson - all of whom are new to me， and I thought they all did a great job of bringing this book to life。 They each brought a unique voice to their characters and infused just the right amount of emotion， tension and expression into their voices as needed。You can see all my reviews at: https://www。alwayswithabook。com 。。。more
Hope
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Surprise ending。
Pj Ausdenmore
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In The Woman With The Blue Star， Pam Jenoff turns her pen to the plight of Polish Jews in the Nazi-occupied city of Kraków during WWII。 While her story is fictional， the characters in the book， and their journeys， are inspired by actual Jews who took refuge in the sewers of a Polish city to escape transport to Nazi death camps。 Jenoff writes with compassion， meticulously-researched historical detail， and thought-provoking candor， creating an edge-of-the-seat story that while filled with danger， In The Woman With The Blue Star， Pam Jenoff turns her pen to the plight of Polish Jews in the Nazi-occupied city of Kraków during WWII。 While her story is fictional， the characters in the book， and their journeys， are inspired by actual Jews who took refuge in the sewers of a Polish city to escape transport to Nazi death camps。 Jenoff writes with compassion， meticulously-researched historical detail， and thought-provoking candor， creating an edge-of-the-seat story that while filled with danger， suspense， and anguish， also gives readers the gift of two young women， unlikely compatriots， who remind us that even in the most harrowing circumstances， there is still room for unlikely friendships （when we choose to do the right thing）， enduring bonds， and the will to go on when all seems lost。 Another masterpiece by Jenoff that should not be missed。Full review at The Romance DishARC received via NetGalley for fair and unbiased review 。。。more
Anne-Marie
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Probably a 3。75。 Good book but doesn’t stand out from others similar。
Rachel
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