Polish history mixed with fiction
595046
When substituting for Martin's senior students who were facing reading his first novel, Push Not the River, I guaranteed them that they would enjoy the book once they "got into it."  Two months later, I saw them again and asked if I was right.  They said, "yes." and "we think we're going to get the second book".  Once they have read Against a Crimson Tide, I know they'll be back for the third novel. The newly published, Warsaw Conspiraacy lives up to my promise.  Once you get through the introductory pages, you'll keep turning.  You'll be kept on the edge of your seat wondering who will survive in the time of war and conspiracy. Even if you haven't read the first two novels, you can pick up this third book and be incorporated into the lives of the characters. There's just enough history to make one feel drawn to the lives that are involved in the Warsaw revolution.  Martin kept me guessing until the end...always the mark of a successful book.
2051168
This is a well written, well researched fiction based on actual events. I'm a little ambivalent about this type of writing. The subject of Nazi treatment of Jews is perhaps too weighty a topic to address in a fiction. I hope these types of fictions don't detract from the reality that these horrors actually occurred.

Ludwika is a young Polish Jew who struggle to survive and even consorted with a Nazi in order to make it through the next day, week, and month. The story is based upon a real character, perhaps an amalgam of several young ladies. I can recommend this reading, but I would further recommend that future such writings be treated in a more serious manner.
1633523
Although this is a fiction based novel it is heavy into history from various parts of Europe. Riveting and a fairly quick read youI've spent your money well.
3744251
It started with a chance remark. Karen Auerbach, a former journalist and current lecturer in East European Jewish history, traveled to Warsaw in 1997, trying to trace her grandmother's life there. As she got to know members of the community, she discovered that one building in particular - 16 Ujazdowskie Avenue - had nearly half of its apartments rented by Jewish families at a time when surviving Jews made up a very small percentage of Warsaw's population. These families - decimated by the Holocaust - had returned from the countries in which they had found refuge to rebuild their lives in Poland. Szymon Rudnicki, the son of one of these residents, comments, "You could write the twentieth-century history of Poland through this building."  And in her new book, "The House at Ujazdowskie 16: Jewish Families in Warsaw after the Holocaust," Karen Auerbach does precisely that.
 Ms. Auerbach follows eleven Jewish families who lived at this address, most notably the Adlers and the Bergmanns, who stand out because of the amount of information available on them. Most of these families shared a total lack of participation in Jewish observance and culture. Yet all suffered as a result of being Jewish, not only at the hands of the Nazis, but from the anti-semitism of the Communist party that governed Poland after the war. Jurek Neftalin explains, "In our home there were no Jewish traditions. . . And my father's Jewishness was like a very heavy suitcase. And I did not know what this suitcase was. I did not know about Jewish culture, about tradition, nothing." Another very striking image is that of Piotr Sztuczynski, whose hobby is making paper cuts using motifs of Hebrew letters that he cannot read.
 Ms. Auerbach does a fine job of examining these families' lives, their relationship - or lack thereof - to Judaism, and how their lives tie into the history of Poland after the Second World War. But for me, the book really lit up in the epilogue, when the author switches to a more personal voice and recounts her own experiences in Warsaw. The detachment of the historian is gone, and people and places come to vivid life. I would like to hear more from that voice.
4230241
This is an interesting review of Poland's history told in Michener's usual fashion of stories of inter-related families over the years.  (I think I have read all of his books and enjoyed them.)  But,  the Polish names make it hard, if not impossible to follow.  Plus, every family's ancestors  are remembered as the hero of this battle or that battle and, of course, all the women are remembered as incredibly beautiful and headstrong.
3605449
I'm still trying to pin point the reason why I thought this was only so, so.  It had all sorts of promising features..WWII, Poland, modern day Poland just after the fall of the wall, a clever story telling style, yet the whole thing just didn't come together.  The story starts in the mountains outside Krakow before the war and starts unfolding the story of several colorful and interesting characters living in the woods. The author uses a sort of fairy tale story telling style that, in the beginning at least, is captivating.  Of course, before long the war arrives and turns all their lives upside down.  Concurrently, the story of a young lady in modern day Poland (after the fall of communism) is told.  I found life in liberated Poland fascinating and the characters interesting.  Eventually the two stories come together, the young lady is the granddaughter of the Pigeon (the character in the WWII story) and they are reunited in a very believable and satisfying conclusion.
I found the modern story much more captivating and interesting, which is highly unusual for me, and again I can't quite put my finger on the reason why the complete story just didn't move me the way I expected.  I suspect that the fairy tale style of writing grew old, and often made the scenes of deep feeling seem very detached and unfeeling, in particular when depicting the war.  The story of Poland, past and present was still compelling and a good enough reason to read the book.
2540230
This is a well-written work of romantic historical fiction by noted author Evelyn Anthony, who had a number of her books adapted to film. It tells a love story, set amidst the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars. The story begins in the early part of the nineteenth century, just when Napoleon is set to invade Russia. Poland is cautiously allied with Napoleon Bonaparte, then Emperor of France, hoping that if the French prove victorious over the Russians, the French would unify a partitioned Poland and grant it independence.

Wary of their ally's intentions, the Polish oligarchy decides to spy on the French to ascertain their real intentions in terms of Poland's future, should the French prove victorious over the troops of the Russian Czar. To this end, they decide to set upon a path of seduction as the likeliest means to an end. Selecting the exquisitely beautiful Valentina Grunowski, married to the ambitious and evil Count Theodore Grunowski, one of the most influential men in Poland, the plan is set in motion.

An initially resistant Valentina is soon subdued and brought to heel by her abusive husband. It is also made clear to Valentina that if she does not comply, her Russian half-sister, the Princess Alexandra Suvaroff, would be arrested and charged with treason. Valentina's mission is to seduce Marshal Joachim Murat, one of Napoleon's most trusted soldiers and confidants, in order to discover the true intentions of the French towards Poland.

The nefarious plan of the Polish, however, is intercepted by the handsome Colonel De Chavel, the head of the French Secret Police, and, once Valentina's unwilling participation in the scheme becomes clear, both she and her sister are placed under the protection of the French. The meeting between Valentina and Colonel De Chavel, however, would set in motion the beginnings of a love affair that would change their lives forever.

Set amidst the ravages of war, this is a scintillating love story. Those who like romantic historical fiction will find much to enjoy in this book.
184163
"Against a Crimson Sky" takes a gripping historical look at the final partition of Poland (1795), it's people, and tells the personal story of the Stelnickis. Martin uses a grand, sweeping style reminiscent of epic storytelling to paint a vivid picture of the era. "Against a Crimson Sky" is a book that can easily be visualized on the movie screen.

The story beings in 1794 shortly after the Russians invade Poland before the country's final partition. Zofia Gonska is pulled from a river escaping death. Switching scenes, Countess Anna Berezowska-Grawlinska (minor Polish nobility) makes her way back home to Sochaczew after the Russian invasion of Praga and reunites with her lover, Count Jan Stelnicki. As Poland is finally taken over by Russia, Prussia, and Austria, Anna and Jan get married and start their family.

Zofia, Anna's cousin, had previously tried to keep Anna and Jan apart. Now, she finds herself drawn to the peasant boy who saved her, Jerzy. Zofia though is like a bird that can't stay still and the peasant life isn't for her. She leaves Jerzy and returns to Praga, a town just outside of Warsaw, and gives birth to her daughter, Izabel.

Anna and Zofia make peace, yet Jan finds married life unable to satisfy his restless nature. When Napolean hints that he would return Poland to the Poles, Jan and his friend, Pawel, join the Emperor's legion, leaving Anna to raise their three children, Jan Michel, Tadeusz, and Barbara. Anna, uncomfortable with the local magistrate, Dolinski, leaves Sochaczew and moves in with Zofia at Praga.

As Napoleon marches across Europe, Anna and Zofia, as members of Poland's nobility, help to entertain various European dignitaries, including Russia's Czar, Alexander, and even Napolean himself. Zofia is always in the thick of Polish intrigue while Anna prefers to keep her eyes on her boys who have gone to military school.

After years apart, Jan is reunited with Anna in Sochaczew as their boys join Napolean's march into Russia. This time it's Anna who leaves Jan to work as a nurse in Praga. As Napolean's march into Russia holds the promise of a reunited Poland, will Jan and Anna's marriage withstand another separation? The end of the novel is surprising and satisfying.

The book's historical backdrop is intriguing and the supporting cast is not only dynamic, but strong in it's own right. Zofia, Pawel, Charlotte, and Dolinski have their own interesting stories to share. Anna is a vibrant lead character in her own right and is a steady, grounding force during the turbulent times of the book. Anna's nobility, whatever the situation, always shines through.

The pace is quick and the writing is sharp. The book is a sequel to "Push Not the River," but stands on it's own. For an exciting look at Poland's struggles and the human condition in the face of war, "Against a Crimson Sky," is a book that will keep the reader turning the page.
3348026
The story centers around one woman and the various lives she touches. I have visited Poland on numerous occasions and found the people there to be friendly, but there is an underlying sense of the trials they or their ancestors endured at the hands of Russia and Nazi Germany. This story captures a great deal of what they went through.
4753687
Although Ben Elton's book 'Two Brothers' is a fiction work the story line is believable because of the factual content of life in Germany, Poland and Great Britain during the period of time in which the book was written plus the personal story of  Ben Eltons own Jewish family history..
833219
I enjoyed reading The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story.  It is based on a true story of a Polish zoo during the war.  How she took care of everyone and hid Jewish people in the zoo and in the house.
4347535
When Rethinking Poles and Jews was initially published in 2007 it received all kinds of favorable press in the Polish American media. I suspect this was because Pol-Am reviewers, who had yet to actually read the book, had caught wind that it included a section on anti-Polish stereotypes. While Rethinking Poles and Jews does present a balanced treatment of Polish-Jewish relations, it doesn't shy away from the pervasiveness and virulence of Polish Catholic anti-Semitism.

The two overly-critical customer reviews that you find here, one from an academic who specializes in anti-Polonisms and the other from a radical Dmowskian ethno-nationalist, translate into a very favorable recommendation for the objective and fair-minded reader.

Some other very good books which discuss Polish Catholic anti-Semitism:

"Poland's Threatening Other: The Image of the Jew from 1880 to the Present" by Joanna B. Michlic

"Neighbors: The Destruction of the Jewish Community in Jedwabne, Poland" by Jan T. Gross

"The Neighbors Respond: The Controversy over the Jedwabne Massacre in Poland" by Antony Polonsky

"Fear: Anti-Semitism in Poland After Auschwitz" by Jan Tomasz Gross

"Contested Memories: Poles and Jews during the Holocaust and Its Aftermath" by Joshua D. Zimmerman

"Secret City: The Hidden Jews of Warsaw, 1940-1945" by Gunnar S. Paulsson

"Shtetl" by Eva Hoffman

"Bondage to the Dead: Poland and the Memory of the Holocaust" by Michael C. Steinlauf

"Karski: How One Man Tried to Stop the Holocaust" by E. Thomas Wood

"My Brother's Keeper: Recent Polish Debates on the Holocaust" by Antony Polonsky

"Polish-Jewish Relations During the Second World War" by Emanuel Ringelblum

"On the Edge of Destruction: Jews of Poland Between the Two World Wars" by Celia Stopnicka Heller

"The Convent at Auschwitz" by Wladyslaw Bartoszewski

"The Hidden Pope: The Untold Story of a Lifelong Friendship That Is Changing the Relationship Between Catholics and Jews - The Personal Journey of John Paul II and Jerzy Kluger" by Darcy O'Brien

"When Nationalism Began to Hate: Imagining Modern Politics in Nineteenth-Century Poland" by Brian Porter

"Faith and Fatherland: Catholicism, Modernity, and Poland" by Brian Porter

"The Populist Radical Right in Poland: The Patriots" by Rafal Pankowski

"Rome's Most Faithful Daughter: The Catholic Church and Independent Poland, 1914-1939" (Polish and Polish American Studies) by Neal Pease

"Traitors & True Poles: Narrating A Polish-American Identity, 1880-1939" (Polish and Polish American Studies) by Karen Majewski

"The Catholic Church and Antisemitism: Poland, 1933-1939" by Ronald E. Modras

"The Jews in Poland" by Chimen Abramsky

"Imaginary Neighbors: Mediating Polish-Jewish Relations after the Holocaust" by Dorota Glowacka

"Sinners on Trial: Jews and Sacrilege after the Reformation" by Magda Teter

"From Assimilation to Anti-Semitism: The Jewish Question in Poland, 1850-1914" by Theodore R. Weeks

"Antisemitism And Its Opponents In Modern Poland" by Robert Blobaum

"The Jews of Poland Between Two World Wars" by Yisrael Gutman

"Unequal Victims: Poles and Jews During World War Two" by Israel Gutman

"Economic Origins of Antisemitism: Poland and Its Jews in the Early Modern Period" by Hillel Levine

"Forced Out: The Fate of Polish Jewry in Communist Poland" by Arthur J. Wolak

"The Crosses of Auschwitz: Nationalism and Religion in Post-Communist Poland" by Genevive Zubrzycki

"Memory Offended: The Auschwitz Convent Controversy" by John K. Roth

"In the Shadow of the Polish Eagle: The Poles, the Holocaust and Beyond" by Leo Cooper

"No Way Out: The Politics of Polish Jewry, 1935-1939" by Emanuel Melzer

"The Politics of Hate: Anti-Semitism, History, and the Holocaust in Modern Europe" by John Weiss
1732430
This novel is very long and complex, but great reading.  It is especially interesting if you want to learn moreabout the history of Poland.
1027022
I was uncertain when trying to categorize this book on my Kindle to classify it as biography or as historical fiction, knowing that it was a true story based on the lives of real people.  I went with biography (as that way I didn't have to create a new category), but I think probably historical fiction is actually a better match.  The basics of the story actually happened, but of course after all this time I suspect that much of the dialog has been invented.

This is the story of Lois Cutler who was a WASP during WWII and a handful of her friends.  The book tells how they came to get into the program and some about their training in Sweetwater Texas.  There is also some romantic interest, both for Lois before the war and for some of her bunkmates during the training.

I especially liked the parts about Lois's early life in Philadelphia and Atlantic City, and her courtship days.  These are times and places I have not encountered so much in my other reading.  The little background pieces on the other girls in the program are interesting as well, showing the different backgrounds of the young women who signed up to be WASPs during the war.

I do feel the book could have benefitted from more stringent editing beforehand - there are a couple of places in the middle where it appears that the intent was to move a passage from one place to another but it was not deleted from the first place.  Also I occasionally got lost in the dialog during some of the arguments; there were not a lot of "he said - she said" indicators, (probably just as well) so in some of the fast-paced discussions I was not sure which party was talking some of the time.  Of course, some of this may have been due to the font size I was using on my Kindle Touch, which is mainly where I read this book; when I looked at some of the same passages on the Kindle Fire they were formatted a little better and it was easier to tell where one argument left off and the next one began.

All in all though this was a fun read and I recommend it.
2990321
Well written and I believe it could have been based on many people in Poland. My family did not hear from Polish
relatives after the war.
719369
I loved this book as it was so rich in history in Poland during WWII.  It is one thing to learn history in school but to have the human dimension added as to how the people suffered and managed to live is quite another thing.
3504358
Powerfully written, fictional account of a young Jewish woman's life and struggles during the Nazi occupation of Poland. Although it is fiction, there is no doubt but that the author knows this period in history intimately. No detail is overlooked. The story is incredible.