Reviews with content warning for War - Barna fra Warzawa

As the title suggests, this book is set during WW2 in Warsaw and focuses on two young people trying to survive. An interesting read which really draws you in to the plight of the two main characters.

Content Warnings

maggiestraveledbookshelf's review against another edition

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dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

“The human spirit is a miraculous thing. It is the strongest part of us—crushed under pressure, but rarely broken. Trapped within our weak and fallible bodies, but never contained.”

Rating: 5 stars ⭐️

Well, this book made me cry (and I don’t cry easily). What a devastating and incredibly powerful story.

Overview:

•Warsaw, Poland in 1942

•Two POVs: Elzbieta and Roman

•Intimate look into the daily horror of that time

•Impossible choices and hardships

•Emotional wallop

•Companion story to The Things We Cannot Say

•Inspired by real people during WWII

•CW: starvation, brutality, death, rape

This story felt relentless with its continual heartbreaks and horrors, but lightened with glitters of hope and courage. I felt completely immersed in the Jewish ghetto, and every scene viscerally impacted my heart.

These characters are faced with indescribable losses and grief, and the author portrays their journeys with respect and compassion and honesty. I was rooting for all of the characters the entire book!

The pace of this one is slower, but I felt that was intentional to help each dark scene have time to resonate and reverberate.

Side note - I have 30+ highlights on my ebook, and that’s a surprisingly high number for me. I think that further illustrates how precise and impactful this book is!

Overall, this is an incredible and emotional story, and I would recommend it to everyone! Just be sure to prepare yourself for the emotional depths.

“I won’t waste it, Chaim. I won’t waste a second of this life.”

✨ Read via Kindle Unlimited✨

Content Warnings

kshertz's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

It’s a sad historical fiction. It’s something that feels too true also. The story’s that intertwine are just horrifying. I felt that it was hard to read at times. The things that happened in Warsaw were so hard to hear. It’s well written but again, hard to go through the trauma repeatedly even though it’s meant to be fiction.

Content Warnings