Customer Reviews

The Kommandant's Girl

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

For me this was a four-star book up until about the last 50-60 pages or so, at which point I'd have to drop to 3 1/2 stars. The plot is simple and straightforward. There were a few twists along the road, but nothing extraordinary and perhaps even a bit predictable. I thought the protagonist Emma/Anna was well developed and the story was well supported by other applicable characters. I got to know about Emma/Anna, her life and the great personal conflicts that erupted for her with the onset of the German invasion of Poland.

However, as the final pages of the book played out the author inserted a few occurrences that were just too coincidental. The types of coincidences that make me just role my eyes and say "oh, please", situations that were just a bit over-the-top and contrived, even for a novel. For the sake of those who wish to read the book I won't give details because they effect how the story ends, or course.

All in all, Jenoff did a nice job for this being her first book. Her style is very reader-friendly. I would recommend it if you're looking for a quick read with substance and a good story.

..and it took me awhile to figure out why I didn't. After all, I enjoy all types of books: romance, drama, history, fiction and non-fiction. I also found the author's intentions admirable. I guess the problem is that it seemed to walk down the middle of all these genres without mastering any of the reasons I read a particular type of book. While its an easy engaging read, it just didn't hold up to some of the wonderful non-fiction books out there that tell basically the same story. Yes, to some degree that's what historical fiction is, but this book didn't add anything new in terms of plot or character compared to other stories I've read set against the same time period (fiction and non-fiction). Probably not the greatest analogy, but have you ever had a favorite book that was made into a movie? While an enjoyable passing of time, you find the film version lacking the character and plot development found in the original telling. That's how I felt after reading this. That being said, I wouldn't not recommend this book and admittedly might have rated it higher if I didn't go in with such high expectations or other books to compare it to. As I read this book, I kept thinking back to another that I would recommend above this one: "In My Hands" By Irene Gut Opdyke

I may be prejudiced as I am already a big fan of historical fiction, especially anything that takes place in the 1930's and 1940's. However, I think any readers who enjoy taught realistic story telling will enjoy this book. Very believable characters thrown into very dramatic situations is what great fiction is all about. Though simply drawn, our heroine is someone that is easily liked, and easy to root for. The fact that her struggles in the book literally mirror those of the entire human race during what may be the turning point of our history makes it all the more interesting and consuming. It is also worth remembering that it was only 60 years ago which is not that far back at all.

This book had me from the first page--I read it in less than 2 days. Ms. Jenoff creates a tale that could very well have been true in the days of Nazi-occupied Poland. Her story is of a courageous young Jew who would do anything to save her captured family and her husband serving in the resistance. Her insight into Anna's (aka Emma's)thoughts and feelings are so real that the book seems like an autobiography. Her descriptions of war-time Krakow, Poland helped me imagine what it must have been like for the Jews--a paranoia like no other. It is an amazing story. I can't wait to read her next book.

In Pam Jenoff's novel The Kommandant's Girl, newlyweds Emma and Jacob have only been married for three weeks when Nazis invade their homeland of Poland. Jacob soon disappears to aid the resistance and Emma is left to pack up and move back in with her parents in the Jewish Ghetto.



Emma is awakened in the middle of the night and smuggled out of the Ghetto to reside with her husband's Catholic cousin, Krysia, in Krakow. Emma takes on the persona of Anna Lipowski, a gentile woman recently arrived to visit Krysia. Soon after arriving, Anna is introduced to Kommandant Richwalder, a striking man she knows she should hate, but is nevertheless drawn to.



Kommandant Richwalder offers Anna a position as his personal assistant. In order to keep up appearances as a gentile and Nazi supporter, Anna accepts the position. She earns the Kommandant's trust, providing information she gleans as his assistant to the resistance.



Anna is then asked by the resistance leaders to get even closer to the Kommandant to learn what plans are in place for the Jews of Krakow. Will Anna put her safety -- and her marriage -- in danger for the cause of the greater good?



The Kommandant's Girl is a riveting tale of what life was like for the Jewish population of Poland during the Nazi occupation. Jenoff is a gifted writer who brings the character of Emma/Anna alive, develops a sympathetic character in the Kommandant and weaves a tale that won't let the reader put it down.

I was leaning towards rating this book 3+ stars, but
the fact that I was still thinking of it the next day,
and the fact that I'm writing a review at all, tipped
me towards four stars. I agree with the previous
writers who said that it reminded them somewhat of the
movie The Black Book. The subject matter is also
similar to a book called The Kommandant's Mistress, which
I read several years ago, but the treatment is entirely
different.

Ms. Jenoff hooked me with her overall plotline,
characters, and story development. I found the book to
be very readable, engaging,and at times I found it
difficult to put down. As some of the other readers
mentioned, I also found that there were instances when
the coincidences were just too farfetched to be believed,
but because I was so enjoying the story, I ended up
thinking, "oh well..." and trying to ignore them so that
I could continue with the story.

The other thing that kept me from giving
The Kommandant's Girl five stars, aside from the
annoying coincidences, was my feeling that Ms. Jenoff
could have developed her characters a little more and
given them a little more depth. I think that would
have added even more tension and pathos to an already
solid story. The only other niggling, nitpicky comment
I have to make is that sometimes some of Anna/Emma's
responses and descriptions could get repetitive,
i.e. "my stomach twisted...", "my heart sank..." etc.,
but why be small minded about it? The character is,
after all, only nineteen, so perhaps that's actually in
keeping with how a nineteen year old might express
themselves.

The fact is that aside from those things, I still enjoyed
the book, and I think that all in all, Ms. Jenoff has
written a moving, heart-felt book about a difficult and
fascinating time of history, and I would like to commend
her for her work. I also liked the questions at the back
of the book which, for me, brought home the fact that
although we have left the characters, there is still so
much of the story that remains untold, and so many emotions
that remain unresolved. We really don't know how it ends.

This book reminded me of the movie Black Book, which has a similar plot line -- Jewish girl falls in love with Nazi officer she's spying on. And yet that's way too simplistic, of both this book and the movie. THE KOMMANDANT'S GIRL is beautifully written and keeps you turning pages far into the night. I loved it and didn't want it to be over. After I read it, I sent it to my sister, who is also an avid reader, and she loved it, too, then passed it to her daughter, who felt the same way. The story is entertaining and meaningful, bringing to life an era that should never be forgotten. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

I really loved this novel. Although a horrible time in history I love novels that are set in this time period. It reminded me a lot of Danielle Steele's The Ring from way back when. When her books were good, lol.

The Kommandmant's Girl was suspenseful and full of realistic characters. It really brings to life just what these people went through. A very emotional read.

What a beautiful book, i litterly could not put it down, I read it in 2 days, its just one of those books that have you mesmerised! I was sad when it ended, but I can't wait to read the sequal 'The Diplomats Wife'! I really felt for Emma and Jacob, they adored one another but had to part for fear of their lives, and even through the horror and torment, their love remained as strong as it was before they parted! 'The Kommandant's Girl' is a must read, just be prepared for a wonderful journey!

Imagine you were a married Jewish girl and all of a sudden you had to assume the identity of a single Catholic Polish girl. And if this identity would be given away you and your family could be executed.
This is what Emma Bau, the heroine of The Kommandant's Girl had to face in this historical fiction novel. If you like to read about the Holocaust then I recommend this book for a good read.
This is Pam Jenoff's first novel. For Ms. Jenoff, this novel is the result of a chance train ride with an older couple that survived the Holocaust. This chance meeting allowed her to form the basis of The Kommandant's Girl.
The setting of this book takes place in Krakow, Poland, between 1939 and 1940 during the invasion of Poland by Germany. Families and friends are split up as Jews are forced to live in the ghetto. Emma's world is changed overnight as she discovers her own family was forced to go to the ghetto.
The story unfolds as Emma enters the ghetto on her own free will to be with her family, and then escapes with the help of the resistance. Under her new identity as Anna Lipinski, she goes to live with Krysia, her husband's aunt who is a Catholic woman. This wonderful woman takes care of Emma and a young Jewish boy that has also assumed a new identity.
Krysia hosts a welcoming party for Anna and we meet Kommandant Richwalder who immediately is taken by Anna's beauty and offers her a job as his personal secretary. Anna, who shyly notices these sparks but remembers that she is married to Jakob, unfortunately cannot refuse this job as she is afraid not to take it would raise some suspicion. She is also interested in helping the resistance efforts in any way she can. There is a part of her that is attracted to the Kommandmant also.
On several occasions, Anna risks her identity and her life to find out German secrets for the resistance. She has to be very alert at all times not to let her guard down while around the Kommandant.
The heroine of the story had to make some not so easy choices. She had to live as a Catholic woman, which meant she had to go to church, pray on her knees, and cross herself which was absolutely forbidden for her Jewish background. She also had to decide if she would make other hard choices that could compromise her marriage.
This novel would be an interesting book for someone that enjoys a romantic setting and learn about history at the same time. Some books written about the Holocaust are very disturbing and depressing, but because the author uses a romantic type of setting for the novel, the opportunity is not there to write about many of the real atrocities of the Holocaust.