Women of War: Book 4
Publication Date: August 19, 2024
1944, Poland. ‘Take this message, keep it hidden.’ Shaking, I tuck the torn slip of paper in between the loaves of bread. I pray I can make it through the bombed-out streets and into the tunnels beneath this broken city without being caught. If this secret falls into the wrong hands, my sisters’ lives are at stake…
This heart-wrenching and unforgettable World War Two novel is inspired by the incredible true stories of the brave women who fought in the Warsaw Uprising.
Hana‘s home has gone up in flames; the little bakery at the heart of the city is no more. Smoke curls into the sky and the buildings around her burn. But Hana has already lost far more – her blue-eyed fiancé was wrenched from her arms at the start of the war and her brave father was murdered by the Nazis. She’s determined to protect her younger sisters but every day more people are being killed…
Hana realises that one person alone won’t win the war and she has to accept her sisters are playing their own part in the resistance. Fiery Zuzi is working as part of a secret all-female combat unit while gentle Orla is a nurse in the underground hospital. As the women of Warsaw plan to rise up against the enemy, Hana risks her life to navigate the dangerous streets. The torn piece of paper she clutches in her hand has the potential to save her precious family.
It’s time to fight back. But when the moment they’ve been waiting for comes, will Hana and her sisters finally win back their freedom? Or will they lose their own lives as they fight for their futures…?
An emotional and gripping WW2 story of incredible courage against all odds and of the power of love and hope in the darkest of times. Perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Orphan Train and The Nightingale.
After five years of occupation, the Polish knew it was time to fight back.
The three Dąbrowska sisters watched their beloved father killed by the Nazis and pledged to fight alongside their mother, grandmother, and young brother. Their story unfolds in The Resistance Sisters as Hana, Zuzi, and Orla use their unique talents to benefit the Resistance. Author Anna Stuartdelivers well-developed characters and aptly captures the atmosphere in Warsaw.
Known as the Warsaw Uprising, the goal was to overthrow the Germans as the Russian army arrived. However, for a number of reasons, the effort failed miserably. Although the sisters are fictional, they represent the thousands of people who rallied with inadequate weapons and a heart-breaking lack of support in an effort to be free.
The story highlights key roles, such as messengers, nurses, and those who blew up things with homemade explosives. It was especially interesting to note that women were often in these roles.
As with any World War II story, tears and heartbreak are woven into the storyline. Readers get a sense of their bravery and sacrifice, especially during the Polish surrender.
The Resistance Sisters provides a peak inside the Warsaw Uprising, where a family puts everything on the line for freedom.
Anna Stuart lives in Derbyshire with her campervan-mad husband, two hungry teenagers and a slightly loopy dog. She was hooked on books from the moment she first opened one in her cot so is thrilled to now have several of her own to her name. Having studied English literature at Cambridge university, she took an enjoyable temporary trip into the ‘real world’ as a factory planner, before returning to her first love and becoming an author. History has also always fascinated her. Living in an old house with a stone fireplace, she often wonders who sat around it before her and is intrigued by how actively the past is woven into the present, something she likes to explore in her novels. Anna loves the way that writing lets her ‘try on’ so many different lives, but her favourite part of the job is undoubtedly hearing from readers.
