“The Warsaw Sisters” by Amanda Barratt ~ Book Review

“The Warsaw Sisters” by Amanda Barratt

WWII Fiction

Review copy from Revell Publishing

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars

About the Book:

On a golden August morning in 1939, sisters Antonina and Helena Dąbrowska send their father off to defend Poland against the looming threat of German invasion. The next day, the first bombs fall on Warsaw, decimating their beloved city and shattering the world of their youth.

When Antonina’s beloved Marek is forced behind ghetto walls along with the rest of Warsaw’s Jewish population, Antonina turns her worry into action and becomes a key figure in a daring network of women risking their lives to shelter Jewish children. Helena finds herself drawn into the ranks of Poland’s secret army, joining the fight to free her homeland from occupation. But the secrets both are forced to keep threaten to tear the sisters apart–and the cost of resistance proves greater than either ever imagined.

Shining a light on the oft-forgotten history of Poland during WWII and inspired by true stories of ordinary individuals who fought to preserve freedom and humanity in the darkest of times, The Warsaw Sisters is a richly rendered portrait of courage, sacrifice, and the resilience of our deepest ties.

My Thoughts:

This is one of those books that I think will linger in my mind for quite a while. I want to say it was beautiful, but that almost seems wrong because it dealt with so many heavy, serious, and heart wrenching topics. Heart wrenchingly beautiful? Is that an apt word description? As you can see, I’m struggling to get my thoughts together XD
But I can definitely say that reading The Warsaw Sisters was a very good experience. The writing style itself was poetic and flowed beautifully, and realistically too. The author did a wonderful job of depicting so many things and aspects of WWII and taught me new things as well, specifically on the war’s effect in Poland. I’ve read a great deal about/relating to the second World War, but this novel brought a whole new perspective to another area of it, which I definitely appreciated. So much of it was truly heart wrenching, honestly. So much horror, sadness, and grief. And the main characters helped to bring those realities to life, but also bring to life the strength of the Polish people, even among the atrocities that occurred. 
Warsaw Sisters, Antonina and Helena were both very different, but both very strong in their own ways. While I was able to relate more to Helena’s character, I equally appreciated their stories, and seeing how they changed over the course of the novel. 
I would have liked to see a bit stronger faith message throughout, though there was some mentions here and there. The Warsaw Sisters isn’t a book you rush through, as there really is so much to take in. If you enjoy World War Two novels with depth, realities, and strong characters, I definitely recommend this one then.



Thanks to the publishers for the opportunity to read this novel! I received a complimentary copy from the publishers for review. I was not required to give a positive review, and all thoughts expressed are entirely my own.