I’m so delighted today to be helping launch Bookouture‘s Books-on-tour and sharing my publication day review of The Resistance Sisters by Anna Stuart: published today (19th August), the fourth in her Women of War series, it’s now available as an e-book, in paperback, and as an audiobook. My thanks to Sarah Hardy and Bookouture for the invitation and support, and for my advance reading e-copy (provided via netgalley).
The depth of Anna’s research has made this a stunning series – slices of lesser known wartime and post-war history, woven together with the most compelling, emotional and beautifully written personal stories where the historical detail becomes far more than a mere backdrop. The first, The Midwife of Auschwitz, was inspired by the life of a Polish midwife who delivered over 3000 children while incarcerated at Auschwitz – and was an exceptional read (you’ll find my full review here). The second, The Midwife of Berlin, followed midwife Esther into her life during the Cold War and in the shadow of the Berlin Wall – such a powerful story wonderfully told (you’ll find my review of that one here). The third book, The War Orphan told the fictional but very real story of sixteen-year-old Tasha, separated from her mother who was forced to join the death march only days before the liberation of Auschwitz, and her experiences during and after moving to a temporary home – a real, and well-documented project – at Windermere in the Lake District. Powerful and emotionally authentic, it was such an uplifting story, deeply moving, and entirely unforgettable (you’ll find my review here). And this time? I was so looking forward to reading about Hana and her sisters, and their experiences in wartime Warsaw…
1944, Poland. ‘Take this message, keep it hidden.’ Shaking, I tuck the torn slip of paper in between the loaves of bread. I pray I can make it through the bombed-out streets and into the tunnels beneath this broken city without being caught. If this secret falls into the wrong hands, my sisters’ lives are at stake…
This heart-wrenching and unforgettable World War Two novel is inspired by the incredible true stories of the brave women who fought in the Warsaw Uprising.
Hana’s home has gone up in flames; the little bakery at the heart of the city is no more. Smoke curls into the sky and the buildings around her burn. But Hana has already lost far more – her blue-eyed fiancé was wrenched from her arms at the start of the war and her brave father was murdered by the Nazis. She’s determined to protect her younger sisters but every day more people are being killed…
Hana realises that one person alone won’t win the war and she has to accept her sisters are playing their own part in the resistance. Fiery Zuzi is working as part of a secret all-female combat unit while gentle Orla is a nurse in the underground hospital. As the women of Warsaw plan to rise up against the enemy, Hana risks her life to navigate the dangerous streets. The torn piece of paper she clutches in her hand has the potential to save her precious family.
It’s time to fight back. But when the moment they’ve been waiting for comes, will Hana and her sisters finally win back their freedom? Or will they lose their own lives as they fight for their futures…?
An emotional and gripping WW2 story of incredible courage against all odds and of the power of love and hope in the darkest of times. Perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Orphan Train and The Nightingale.
I’ll hold my hands up and admit, rather shamefully, that I knew absolutely nothing about the Warsaw Uprising – the extraordinary bravery and tenacity of ordinary people as they fought on against the occupying enemy while awaiting the assistance that never arrived. By combining the fictional story of the Dabrowska sisters with a meticulously researched account of those dark days, the author has created a stunning story of courage and resilience that vividly brought the history to life and moved me really deeply.
The book’s prologue is particularly shocking – the three sisters (Hana, Suzi and Orla), together with their mother and young brother Jacob, are forced to watch the public hanging of their father at the hands of the Nazis. He was found guilty of treason – part of a well-orchestrated plan to eradicate the opposition of individuals formerly in a position of influence. He urges them, immediately before his death, to continue the fight – and they do, each in their different way. Hana becomes a courier, risking her life daily by carrying key communications to the scattered cells of the resistance movement, hidden inside loaves of bread baked by her mother; Zuzi joins an all-female resistance unit, her speciality being the setting of explosive charges; Orla becomes a nurse, never feeling that what she does is enough, but continuing to work underground under appalling conditions when the hospital is lost. Even young Jacob joins the effort, believing himself well protected by his grandfather’s old helmet – to the great consternation of his family, but growing up fast.
It becomes the story of the experience of a city under occupation – the challenges of living under continuous daytime bombardment, the hand to mouth existence, the many setbacks and sacrifices, the small victories, and the hope the people continue to harbour even when it becomes plain that the help they desperately need might not be on its way. There was never a point when the citizens of Warsaw simply accepted the inevitable – they fought back with the most extraordinary organisation, defying the oppressive regime of the occupying forces, moving through the cellars beneath the bombed homes then through the sewers beneath, hitting back and recapturing key buildings within the city. The sisters’ fictional stories are woven into the realities of daily life – in a way that’s particularly emotionally engaging, everything seen through the sisters’ eyes and their lived experience. There’s real warmth in their family relationships, their friendships, even time and space to introduce some welcome romance – and that makes the whole story feel even closer to home, and far more personally affecting.
As always, the author’s afterword sets the story’s context – but that’s after having felt part of the story, feeling the same intense anger as the citizens of Warsaw did while watching the allied liberation of Paris and waiting for the help that never came. There’s a stark divide between expectation and reality, as the air drops of essential supplies become increasingly perfunctory, and the Russian advance – always seen as their salvation – stalls within hearing distance. These exceptionally courageous people really were abandoned to their fate, their liberation apparently never part of anyone’s plans – and the sheer injustice of it all frequently moved me to tears.
But I must try and separate the historical fact from the strength and power of the author’s writing, that makes the reader feel so very much part of the story – I was at that barricade with Zuzi and her grandmother feeling the same intense joy (however temporary and fragile their victory), holding down wounded patients with Orla before the next amputation (pouring fine wine on the wounds in the absence of any alternative), raising the flag on the Prudential tower after the fiercest of battles, wading through the deepening sewage with the sisters to recapture the plans for a rebuilt post-war Warsaw. She really is the most wonderful storyteller – and the well-researched detail, authenticity and raw emotional content of her writing makes this wonderful book, filled with love, a really fitting tribute to lives and experiences of those brave people. The whole experience of reading this book will stay in my memory for some time to come – I’d recommend it very highly.
About the author
Anna Stuart lives in Derbyshire with her campervan-mad husband, two hungry teenagers and a slightly loopy dog. She was hooked on books from the moment she first opened one in her cot, so is thrilled to now have several of her own to her name. Having studied English literature at Cambridge University, she took an enjoyable temporary trip into the ‘real world’ as a factory planner, before returning to her first love and becoming an author. History has also always fascinated her. Living in an old house with a stone fireplace, she often wonders who sat around it before her and is intrigued by how actively the past is woven into the present, something she likes to explore in her novels.
Anna loves the way that writing lets her ‘try on’ so many different lives, but her favourite part of the job is undoubtedly hearing from readers. You can reach her on Facebook or Twitter, and sign up to be the first to hear about her new releases here.
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