"The Warsaw Sisters" by Amanda Barratt

The Warsaw Sisters (Nov. 7, 2023) by Amanda Barratt.*

<This is a standalone novel.>

It is the eve of the Nazi invasion of Poland in 1939 when sisters Antonina (Tosia) and Helena (Hela) Dąbrowska bid goodbye to their father as he leaves to serve as an officer in the Polish army. The following day, bombs fall on Warsaw, annihilating the sisters’ beloved city and eventually destroying the home of their youth. They are able to move in with Aunt Basia, a physician and sister to their father, and they both find work, especially needed when Basia is executed. Antonina goes to work at a cafe, waitressing and playing the cafe’s piano, while Helena works as a secretary for a German official. Antonina eventually moves out, leaving Helena alone to find a new roommate.

            Antonina’s beloved Marek Eisenberg is forced behind ghetto walls with his family and Warsaw’s Jewish population. After hearing he and his entire family have been sent to Treblinka, Antonina turns her grief and anger into action, becoming one of a network of women risking their lives to shelter Jewish children. She meets Jolanta (the renowned Irena Sendler, an actual person from history). Meanwhile, Helena joins the ranks of Poland’s secret army, the Armia Krajowa, to fight to free her homeland from occupation. Their secrets are their own, not even shared with each other.

            My first story from Barratt is this Christian, historical fiction tale that is sincere and has heart. There is deep poignancy surrounding the sisters striving to survive in a country ravaged by the atrocities of war, and it’s no wonder that faith struggles in the face of those atrocities. It is apparent that Barratt has done extensive research, but there were parts that didn’t seem realistic. For example, how could Helena slap a German policeman’s hand away with no consequence? Fortunately, that doesn’t deter from the courage, sacrifice and resilience seen throughout the book (not only by the lead characters). Here’s a country that’s fighting to gain back its freedom and clinging to humanity in a deep, dark time. It’s not an easy story to read, but it is richly-plotted and emotively-written.

* Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are expressly my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”