This summer my husband and I went on a one-in-a lifetime trip to Poland to see where his family origin were uprooted. How coincidental it was to receive upon my return home an offer to receive this book, which takes place in Warsaw during the war. Understand, for most Jewish people, when one says “the war” there is never a doubt which one we mean – World War II - when 2/3 of the entire European Jewish population was murdered during the holocaust. At the time there were few extremely brave and selfless souls who did what they could to save some of them, and they have been named and rightly honoured as “Righteous Amongst the Nations” by the holocaust centre in Israel. One of them was the real Irena Sendler.

So to this engaging book tells the deeds of Irena Sendler who saved perhaps hundreds of children from certain death in the Warsaw Ghetto (for real) told through her resistance workers. We get involved through the character Sophia (Zophia in Polish) who while still working in a government social welfare office, volunteers for extremely dangerous activity working with her as a faux nurse, saving lives clandestinely.

A parallel story starts in present day in Seattle where a woman, Lizzie, goes to heal physically and psychologically at her family home after suffering a miscarriage, leaving her husband behind, and trying to figure out her life. What the connection is between her and the Warsaw people is the gist of the story. The book is written so I cared about both Zophia and Lizzie, and all the others, and at the end I had tears in my eyes.

This book is engaging and exciting, and as it makes Irena Sendler’s courageous story accessible and it is well worth reading for those, especially, who are not as familiar with the history. And for the rest of us who love historical fiction from the WWII years.

Thank you to Harper Collins, Avon Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Daughters of Warsaw was always going to be a book I loved. According to my boyfriend a book just has to have a vaguely depressing topic for me to love it. I like historical fiction from set in and around World War two, particularly if it has some inspiration from real life. Daughters of Warsaw captured me because the heroine is a reluctant one, she didn't get out to be brave but her actions can certainly be described in that way.

Daughters of Warsaw is a dual timeline story, beginning with Lizzie taking refuge at her parents after a series of miscarriages. Whilst there she discovers a photo of her great-grandmother taken in Warsaw during the war.

Zofia works in the social welfare department in Warsaw and becomes a reluctant member of the resistance movement with encouragement from a friend. As time goes on Zofia sees that rescuing Jewish children is the most important thing she can do. Zofia risks everything to save them.

"Lina was right. If every righteous-minded person just sat back...who knows where it would end?"

An excellent, haunting read

Daughters of Warsaw is told in two timelines 1942 and WW2 Warsaw telling the story of how brave and selfless ordinary people were risking their lives to rescue Jewish children from certain death .In present day Lizzie in Seattle discovers a photo of her Great Great Grandmother Zophia in a nurses uniform next to a woman who was part of the resistance .She decides to fly to Warsaw and meet up with Polish Journalist who has offered to help her with her quest of finding the truth about Zophia .A truly heart warming and interesting story .Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC.

Warsaw 1942.
Zofia is helping Jewish children escape from the Ghetto. It is dangerous and she doesn,t know who she can trust.

Seattle present day.
Lizzie is recovering from yet another miscarriage and staying with her family. She discovers a photo of her great grandmother with a group of people.

She travels to Warsaw and finds out just how brave her great grandmother was but in te process can she find peace herself.

Loved it! It’s harrowing, but easy to read. It’s an emotional story about the extremely courageous people that helped people in the ghetto in Warsaw.
The story starts in modern day Seattle where Lizzie is dealing with her own struggles, but becomes involved with finding out about her family history, which takes her to Warsaw. The book then switches backwards and forwards as we learn the story of her grandmother.
I will definitely be recommending this book.

Lizzie goes looking for answers about her grandmother in this dual time line novel that moves between today and the Warsaw ghetto in 1942. Zofia works as part of the Resistance, moving children out of danger and placing herself in the cross hairs. This is based on a true story - and one of incredible bravery, It's a well researched, atmospheric and emotional tale. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a good read.

This is a duel time story but it flows well because the main character, Lizzie, is searching for answers of her family’s past generations.
Poland saw terrible times during WWII. In the ghettos, Jews lived with squalor, disease, and starvation. Saving as many children was what was important. Irene Sendler is well known for her efforts in the Polish Resistance but many helped her.
This is well worth the read, especially with Israel at war once again.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions are my own.

A heartbreaking yet wonderful story of bravery and hope.
"It's the worst time in humanity and yet there is still light in the darkness" is a quote in the book that stayed with me long after I'd turned the last page.
A dual timeline novel of Lizzie in the present day having had her hopes of being a mother quashed again, and Zofia living in Warsaw Poland during WW2.
The 2 stories merge seamlessly throughout the book, Zofia's actions and feelings of responsibility resonated throughout.
A hard story to read at times but beautifully written with empathy

We know about the Nazi determination to wipe out the Jews of Europe. We know about the Warsaw Ghetto but this fictional story, based on the true story of Irena Sendler, takes us inside the Polish Resistance as they try to rescue as many children as possible from the present horrors of the Ghetto and the coming atrocity of Treblinka. Told in dual timeline, the present and Warsaw in Winter 1942, and from the POV’s of the two main protagonists. Sympathetically written this is a poignant and moving story that has clearly been well researched.

Briefly, Lizzie, living in present day Seattle, is aware of her Polish ancestry, but one day aimlessly browsing in the attic she comes across an old photo which stirs her interest. As a result she travels to Warsaw to try and find out more about her family. In 1942 Zofia in introduced to Irene Sendler and agrees to help provide food and medicine to families in the ghetto and help children escape.

Brilliantly told as Lizzie searches for two people in particular and whilst this is not an easy read in places I found it incredibly moving. It is amazing how some people are able to draw on incredible inner strength at times of immense horror. A shocking but immensely powerful and readable story about three wonderful strong women, very enjoyable read.

Daughters of Warsaw is a well written compelling story. Giving the point of view from a Polish citizen and how she interacts with people in the Ghetto and do all that she can to save as many people as possible. I enjoyed the story tremendously.

Dual timeline historical fiction story of two women. Zofia who fights with the resistance in war torn Warsaw in the 1940s by helping rescue children from the Warsaw Ghetto, and Lizzie struggling with her inability to have a child in present day Seattle.
A heartbreaking story of family told through the lives of the two women who find courage when they believe all hope is gone.

I'm not sure if this book is a true story or not but quite honestly it could be or simply the story of hundreds of people caught up in the second world war. Modern day Lizzie is at rock bottom. Her failure to carry a baby through pregnancy has torn her to pieces. She goes home to her family home for comfort but even there is is lost.. Then she finds a photograph of her great grand mother with a group of women from the ghetto of Warsaw all those years before. Driven by a desire to know more she travels to Warsaw and there with the help of a guide she finds out more. The story also follows that of her ancestor, Zofia as she fights to stay alive as well as trying to save jewish children from the war torn ghetto. A very moving story with a beautiful ending.

As War World II begins and slips into Poland, the Warsaw Ghetto is built up and everything is stripped from the Polish Jewish community. Wanting to help, Sofia joins the resistance and begins to live a double life. As she gets deeper with the group, she helps Irena Sendler and becomes one of the key people who helped sneak hundreds of children out of the ghetto. Fast forward to present day, Lizzie returns back to her childhood home as she reels with having another miscarriage and not sure what to do with her life and marriage. After finding a hidden picture of her great-grandmother, Lizzie takes off on a journey to find the truth of her past. She just doesn’t know how much it would uncover about her family’s past and her own courageousness.

You know it’s a good one when you find yourself choking up at the end. This was a heartbreaking story of one family and how the war had affected them for many generations. This was gripping and you couldn’t help but cherry Sofia on through her journey. If you are looking for a historical fiction about courageous women, put this one on the list. You won’t be disappointed.

1942, Warsaw
Young Zofia finds herself leading a double life when she is enlisted to help the fearless Irena Sendler save hundreds of Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto.
Every night, Zofia risks her life to shepherd the children to safety. But when the worst happens, she is forced to make her riskiest journey yet to keep Irena’s mission alive.

Now, Seattle
After yet another miscarriage, heartbroken Lizzie returns to the comfort of her childhood home, where she stumbles upon a hidden photograph of her great-grandmother among a mysterious group of people.
On a quest to discover more, Lizzie uncovers a buried past darker and more dangerous than she could ever have imagined…

This is an interesting read, a story told across two time lines which can often be confusing but in this, it works well. It’s a tale of misery and deprivation but of great bravery and sacrifice. Based on truth, it’s beautifully written with just the right amount of description of something most of us do really want to know about. The selflessness of the Polish resistance is beyond measure. Couple that with the separate timeline of a woman lost, looking for a purpose and finding it in an old black and white photograph. Which sends her off on a journey of discovery. It has a terrific twist in the tail. A great read.

""Daughters of Warsaw" is a great dual timeline novel about the courage and fortitude of the Polish people during WW2.
When Lizzie suffers yet another miscarriage she decides that it would be a good idea to spend some time apart from her husband. Returning to her parent's home she comes across some old photos which lead her to investigate her heritage as a distraction from her grief.
Meanwhile, in 1942 Warsaw Zofia is working for the Welfare Department and, like all the other local inhabitants, struggling to survive on the meagre rations allowed by the occupying Nazis. At the beginning she doesn't realise how relatively well-off she is.
Maria Frances has written a moving and very readable novel about difficult times. Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

I really enjoyed this piece of historical fiction set during the 1940’s in Warsaw, Poland, and present day Seattle.

In Warsaw, we have Sofia who is working in the social welfare department and through a colleague begins to work for the resistance. But does so without telling her parents or her sister. She risks her life going into the Jewish ghetto bringing in medicine and bringing out children.

Concurrently we have Lizzie who has suffered with another miscarriage and has returned to her parents home to get away from her normal day to day. While there she finds a picture of her great grandmother and it leads her to investigate.

I don’t want to spoil anything as there are twists and turns to come in the story. Please pick this one up if this is your favorite genre too!

We meet Zofia in 1942 Warsaw as she works during the day at the Social Welfare Department and helps rescue children from the Warsaw Ghetto after work.

She risks her life and the life of her family as she works for The Resistance, but she says it is worth it if only one life can be saved.

We then meet Lizzie, the great granddaughter of Zofia present day who is heartbroken after yet another miscarriage. She goes to her childhood home and finds photos of her grandmother hidden in a trunk in the attic.

The photos peak her curiosity about her ancestry, and she begins a mission to find out what her great grandmother did during the war. She finds out secrets and about the dangerous life led by her grandmother.

DAUGHTERS OF WARSAW is a marvelous read with strong female characters and cements how people were willing to help others even if their lives were in danger during this dark times in history,

Beautiful writing and a pull-you-in story line that introduces us to Irena Sendler who worked as a nurse in the Polish Underground and saved Jewish children. 5/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed the dual timeline here, and it was a beautifully told story. I feel as though the WWII historical fiction genre can become stale at times, but this story was not that way. I have read and done school reports on Irena Sendler, so I was familiar with her as a fictionalized character, which was a nice addition. The stories, whether fictionalized or true-to-life, of those who smuggled Jews out of the ghetto are just mind-blowing. To have that amount of strength, resilience, and grit is something that is hard to fathom. Great read, I will definitely recommend!

This is a wonderful read. With so many titles out there about WWII and Jewish ghettos during that time, the story still remains original due to its switch between present and past perspectives.

Omg this book made me cry. I already knew about the polish jewish ghetto, but it still destroys me, people getting slowly starved, people getting tortured. People giving away their children, for a chance for them to.survive. it was a heart wrenching book bit with glimmer of hope.
Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion