The Keeper of Hidden Books by Madeline Martin

Book Synopsis:

All her life, Zofia has found comfort in two things during times of hardship: 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 and persecution intensifying, 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.

But the closer Warsaw creeps toward liberation, the more dangerous life becomes for the women and their families—and escape may not be possible for everyone. As the destruction rages around them, Zofia must fight to save her friend and preserve her culture and community using the only weapon they have left—literature.

My Review:

"There was power in literature. Brilliant and undeniable."

4.25/5 stars. This was the second book I've read by this author. I enjoyed it, but it had a pretty slow start, which is why it's not a 5-star book for me. I loved the characters and the overall themes, though.

Right away, I was compelled by the main character, Zofia. She had such a strong heart and sense of injustice. And I loved her character growth throughout the book. Although it was under sad circumstances, she gained confidence and drive. I liked the other characters, too. The parents and other adults could've been fleshed out a bit more, but overall, they were all good.

My biggest critique of this story was that it took a while to get going. It was a lot of setup and "calm before the storm" moments. Even once the plot got more interesting and intense, at times I still felt like I was waiting for something bigger to happen. There were a lot of different things happening but none of them were major enough to be a defining plot.

While the first half was slower, the last third or so of the book was really good. As the war got more dangerous, the characters took more action, and that was exciting to see. And the action wasn't super edge-of-your seat battles, but it was still good. It was subtle, fighting back through defiance in small ways.

The best part of the book was its themes. As expected, it was all about literature—the joys of reading, the power of a good story, the hope books can bring in dark times. There were a lot of good quotes that fit that theme, like the one at the beginning of this review.

Content:

Language: h*ll, God's name taken in vain

Sexual Content: kisses that aren't described much

Violence/Gore: death, gunshots, fires, air raids, fist fights, people held at gunpoint, people getting shot, descriptions of the horror of the ghettos, sickness, starvation, dead bodies, a mention of drowning, mentions of public executions, bullet holes, wounds, blood

Drugs/Alcohol: a mention of people being drugged so heavily they can barely walk