The Keeper of Hidden Books Published by Hanover Square Press on August 1, 2023 Genres: Fiction / Friendship, Fiction / Historical / 20th Century / World War II, Fiction / Women
Pages: 416
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Goodreads
*A BookBub Pick for Best Historical Fiction of Summer 2023*
A heartwarming story about the power of books to bring us together, inspired by the true story of the underground library in WWII Warsaw, by the New York Times bestselling author of The Last Bookshop in London.
All her life, Zofia has found comfort in two things: books and her best friend, Janina. But no one could have imagined the horrors of the Nazi occupation in Warsaw. As the bombs rain down and Hitler's forces loot and destroy the city, Zofia finds that now books are also in need of saving.
With the death count rising, Zofia jumps to action to save her friend and salvage whatever books she can from the wreckage, hiding them away and even starting a clandestine book club. She and her dearest friend never surrender their love of reading, even when Janina is forced into the newly formed ghetto.
As Warsaw creeps closer toward liberation, Zofia must fight to save her friend and preserve her culture and community using the only weapon they have left: literature.
"Readers will be on the edge of their seats as they are transported...with Madeline Martin's vivid and inspiring characters." --Kelly Rimmer, author of The Warsaw Orphan
"Madeline Martin immerses us in the expertly rendered and fascinating worlds." --Natasha Lester, author of The Riviera House
Review:
The Keeper of Hidden Books is a well-researched, page-gripping, heartbreaking story of a young girl who profoundly loves books. Set between 1939 and 1945, the story is told through the perspective of a young girl named Zofia Nowak and her friends, who have a deep love of literature and will do anything to defy Hilter to destroy the books he deems not worthy of his new world. I enjoyed seeing this glimpse of how people fought Hilter in the form of a book club, hiding books inside a forgotten warehouse and, at times, in a suitcase behind a wall. The book reminds us that although Hilter stole many things from many people, some were determined that Hilter wouldn’t steal their love of reading, their books, or their freedom to choose what to read. The bravery of these young people in a time when their world is torn apart by bombings, war, and friends being pointed out as unworthy of living is fantastic and to be admired. There are a lot of stories from that time in our history, and we should never forget and pray it never happens again.
@MadelineMMartin check out my review for The Keeper of Hidden Books. Based on the true events of Warsaw’s public librarians in their efforts to save books from Nazi destruction and bring hope through literature in the darkest of… Click To Tweet
About Madeline Martin
Madeline Martin is a USA TODAY Bestselling author of historical romance and historical fiction.
She lives in sunny Florida with her two daughters (known collectively as the minions), one incredibly spoiled cat and a man so wonderful he’s been dubbed Mr. Awesome. She is a die-hard history lover who will happily lose herself in research any day. When she’s not writing, researching or ‘moming’, you can find her spending time with her family at Disney or sneaking a couple spoonfuls of Nutella while giggling over cat videos. She also loves to travel and attributes her love of history to having spent most of her childhood as an Army brat in Germany.
