The Woman with the Blue Star

Written by Pam Jenoff

Narrated by Jennifer Jill Araya, Emily Lawrence and Nancy Peterson

"An emotional novel that you will never forget." —Lisa Scottoline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Eternal

From the author of The Lost Girls of Paris comes a riveting tale of courage and unlikely friendship during World War II -- Now a New York Times bestsller!

1942. Sadie Gault is eighteen and living with her parents in the Kraków Ghetto during World War II. When the Nazis liquidate the ghetto, Sadie and her pregnant mother are forced to seek refuge in the perilous tunnels beneath the city. One day Sadie looks up through a grate and sees a girl about her own age buying flowers.

Ella Stepanek is an affluent Polish girl living a life of relative ease with her stepmother, who has developed close alliances with the occupying Germans. While on an errand in the market, she catches a glimpse of something moving beneath a grate in the street. Upon closer inspection, she realizes it’s a girl hiding.

Ella begins to aid Sadie and the two become close, but as the dangers of the war worsen, their lives are set on a collision course that will test them in the face of overwhelming odds. Inspired by incredible true stories, The Woman with the Blue Star is an unforgettable testament to the power of friendship and the extraordinary strength of the human will to survive.

Highly recommended by Entertainment Weekly, Washington Post, CNN, BookTrib, Goodreads, Betches, AARP, Frolic, SheReads, and more!

Don’t miss Pam Jenoff’s new novel, Code Name Sapphire, a riveting tale of bravery and resistance during World War II.


Read these other sweeping epics from New York Times bestselling author Pam Jenoff:

The Lost Girls of Paris

The Orphan’s Tale

The Ambassador’s Daughter

The Diplomat’s Wife

The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach

The Kommandant’s Girl

The Winter Guest
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Harlequin Audio
• Release date: May 4, 2021
• ISBN: 9781488211706

Pam Jenoff

Pam Jenoff was born in Maryland and raised outside Philadelphia. Upon receiving her masters in history from Cambridge, she accepted an appointment as Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Army. The position provided a unique opportunity to witness and participate in operations at the most senior levels of government, including helping the families of the Pan Am Flight 103 victims secure their memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, observing recovery efforts at the site of the Oklahoma City bombing and attending ceremonies to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of World War II at sites such as Bastogne and Corregidor. Following her work at the Pentagon, Pam moved to the State Department. In 1996 she was assigned to the U.S. Consulate in Krakow, Poland. It was during this period that Pam developed her expertise in Polish-Jewish relations and the Holocaust. Working on matters such as preservation of Auschwitz and the restitution of Jewish property in Poland, Pam developed close relations with the surviving Jewish community. Pam is the author of The Kommandant's Girl, which was an international bestseller and nominated for a Quill award, as well as The Winter Guest, The Diplomat's Wife, The Ambassador’s Daughter, Almost Home, A Hidden Affair and The Things We Cherished. She also authored a short story in the anthology Grand Central: Original Postwar Stories of Love and Reunion. She lives outside Philadelphia with her husband and three children.

Reviews for The Woman with the Blue Star

[Mercedes Romero Simon · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

2.5
The ending made me round up to 3 but it’s still not a book I’d recommend on WWII.
Also the way the story is told is repetitive and unnecessary to know in every POV how each character experiences the same moment.
The relationship between the girls is highly unlikely and I found it difficult to connect to either of them and to truly get the depth of the friendship. The romance there was meh and not well developed and some characters are just too stereotypical like the evil stepmother.

[Stefanie's Stash · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A bit slow, lots of reiteration, but good nonetheless. I found the last 2-3 chapters confusing... May go back to re-listen.

[Gloria Perez · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book will keep you wanting to know what comes next. It will pull at your heart and make you appreciate what you have. Great read!

[Amy Hagberg · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

To be a Jew hiding from the Nazis during World War II Poland would be terrifying, but to be forced to hide in the sewers beneath a bustling city of 250,000 people would be beyond revolting. Can you imagine the stench of a roiling river of excrement? What little food you had and the clothing you wore would be tainted. There would be no fresh air, no hope, no joy. It would be claustrophobic and cold. You would have no idea what was occurring on the streets above you. The sense of despair must have been unimaginable. Yet, some survived despite their circumstances.

Such is the backdrop of The Woman with the Blue Star by Pam Jenoff, to date, her most highly rated novel on Goodreads. With each WWII book I read I learn something new. In this case, I didn’t know that different countries/regions used different versions of a “Jewish Star.” I didn’t know people were so desperate they hid in sewers for years at a time. Her characterization was splendid as was the revulsion of those who lived underground. The heroic actions of the Poles who rescued them reminded me of the good in humanity.

Although the plot was appropriately intense, it was just too much. Too tragic, too melodramatic, and too redundant. 4 stars. For more reviews visit amyhagberg.com.

[Patti Piorkowski · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a awesome book it held my attention to the end. I would recommend it for all my friends and family.

[Jane Richman · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

So incredibly wonderful in every way. Amazing story of human trust, faith, love and survival against all odds. Very well read. Such an unexpected twist at the end. Thank you ❤️

[Natalie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Pam Jenoff is a great storyteller and this is no exception.

[Mary · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It was a very interesting book of the horrors and persecution faced by the Jewish people during World War 2, but it was also about their bravery and tenacity. Very well done. ♥️

[Jennifer Thomas · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent. Very emotional and moving. Unexpected ending with a twist.

[Teesha Fogelsanger · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This was an awful book. So boring and the narrator was so whiny.

[Yiyi Li · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

a wonderful story and I can't stop to listen it!

[Crystal Wells · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I absolutely loved this novel. I could not stop listening!! This is my second selection by this author and now I will listen to all of her novels.

[Calla McKinley · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely loved this book. I couldn’t stop listening and finished in less than two days.

[Kim Kunchick · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Good.
Some scenes tended to be long winded.
Not too much historic info to learn about.