The Goddess of Warsaw: A Novel

by Lisa Barr

Overview

“Utterly gripping, The Goddess of Warsaw is a transformative and immersive story so powerful and captivating that I could not put it down. Rarely does a protagonist leap off the page and win over the heart like the unforgettable Bina Blonski. Truly one of the best books I’ve read.”—Liv Constantine, bestselling author of The Last Mrs. Parrish

“Lisa Barr's new historical fiction, The Goddess of Warsaw, gifts the reader with jaw-dropping moments worthy of a Tarantino film, a story that could not be more timely, and a heroine whose ferocity and valor knows no bounds. Bina Blonski is forced to lose and remake her identity time and time again, both to survive the Warsaw Ghetto and to carry out her secret mission years later as a Hollywood actress. Unrelentingly immersive and suspenseful to the very end, The Goddess of Warsaw spins a haunting tale of the cost of survival, sacrifice, and the long-denied secrets of the past.”—Natalie Jenner, author of the instant international bestseller The Jane Austen Society

The Goddess Of Warsaw is an enthralling tale of a legendary Hollywood screen goddess with a dark secret about her life in the Warsaw Ghetto. When the famous actress is threatened by someone from her past, she must put her skills into play to protect herself, her illustrious career, and those she loves, then and now.  

Los Angeles, 2005. Sienna Hayes, Hollywood’s latest It Girl, has ambitions to work behind the camera. When she meets Lena Browning, the enormously mysterious and famous Golden Age movie star, Sienna sees her big break. She wants to direct a picture about Lena’s life—but the legendary actor’s murky past turns out to be even darker than Sienna dreamed. Before she was a Living Legend, Lena Browning was Bina Blonski, a Polish Jew whose life and family were destroyed by the Nazis.

Warsaw, 1943. A member of the city’s Jewish elite, Bina Blonski and her husband, Jakub, are imprisoned in the ghastly, cramped ghetto along with the rest of Warsaw’s surviving Jews. Determined to fight back against the brutal Nazis, the beautiful, blonde Aryan-looking Bina becomes a spy, gaining information and stealing weapons outside the ghetto to protect her fellow Jews. But her dangerous circumstances grow complicated when she falls in love with Aleksander, an ally in resistance—and Jakub’s brother. While Lena accomplishes amazing feats of bravery, she sacrifices much in the process.

Over a decade after escaping the horrors of the ghetto, Bina, now known as Lena, rises to fame in Hollywood. Yet she cannot help but be reminded of her old life and hungers for revenge against the Nazis who escaped justice after the war. Her power and fame as a movie star offer Lena the chance to right the past’s wrongs . . . and perhaps even find the happy ending she never had.

A gripping page-turner of one of history’s most heroic uprisings and an actress whose personal war never ends, The Goddess Of Warsaw is filled with secrets, lies, twists and turns, and a burning pursuit of justice no matter the cost.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063296619
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/28/2024
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	28,822
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Lisa Barr is the New York Times bestselling author of Woman on Fire, The Unbreakables, and the award-winning historical thriller Fugitive Colors. She has served as an editor for The Jerusalem Post, managing editor of Today's Chicago Woman and Moment magazine, and as an editor and reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times. She has appeared on Good Morning America and Today for her work as an author, journalist, and blogger. Actress Sharon Stone is set to produce and star in the film adaptation of Woman on Fire. 

Editorial Reviews

★ 04/29/2024

In the moving latest from Barr (Women on Fire), a Jewish woman survives the Warsaw ghetto to become a Hollywood legend. In 2005, 85-year-old Lena Browning, known for her mid-century femme fatale roles, is approached by young movie star Sienna Hayes, who wants to make a biopic of Lena’s life. She agrees to cooperate under the condition that the last segment of the film will be shot in real time with Lena playing herself. In a parallel narrative set in 1943, Lena, whose real name is Bina Blonski, lives in the ghetto with her husband, Jakub, and his brother, Aleksander. Once a celebrated actor and daughter of a prominent Jewish architect, Bina is now destitute and nearly starving, though that doesn’t stop her from joining Aleksander in his resistance activities. But when she uses her Aryan looks to charm and then assassinate the collaborator overseeing a ghetto sweatshop, the Nazis retaliate, sending Jakub to Treblinka. Bina suffers more loses and betrayals in the run-up to the ghetto’s dramatic uprising, which is memorably staged by Barr. The depictions of ghetto residents finding the strength to fight back are chillingly realistic, raising the novel’s emotional stakes to excruciating heights. Fans of WWII historical fiction won’t want to miss this. Agent: Stephanie Abou, Massie & McQuilkin. (May)

Publishers Weekly

With strong female characters and telling historical details, Barr’s powerful novel of Bina’s evolution to Golden Age movie star will resonate with historical fiction fans.” — Washington Post

"[Barr] writes the best heroines. You will be rooting for [Bina] and you will be guessing until the last page." — Today Show

“The moving latest from Barr . . . . Chillingly realistic, raising the novel’s emotional stakes to excruciating heights. Fans of WWII historical fiction won’t want to miss this.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Utterly gripping, The Goddess of Warsaw is a transformative and immersive story so powerful and captivating that I could not put it down. Rarely does a protagonist leap off the page and win over the heart like the unforgettable Bina Blonski. Truly one of the best books I’ve read.” — Liv Constantine, bestselling author of The Last Mrs. Parrish

“Lisa Barr’s The Goddess of Warsaw is a riveting, heartbreaking story of survival and vengeance. This brilliantly executed excavation of one woman’s quest to overcome crimes of the past is an absolute must-read. Glamorous, glorious, and gut-wrenching, I couldn’t put it down." — Danielle Trussoni, New York Times bestselling author of Angelology and The Puzzle Master

"The Goddess of Warsaw is a riveting novel that seamlessly weaves together the glamour of Hollywood with the haunting history of the Warsaw Ghetto. The tale of Lena Browning, a legendary screen goddess with a hidden past as Bina Blonski, a courageous Jewish spy during the Holocaust, is both heart-wrenching and inspiring. With its well-crafted plot, memorable characters, and a captivating blend of history and fiction, The Goddess of Warsaw is an enthralling page-turner that keeps readers on the edge of their seats until the very end." — Jean Kwok, New York Times bestselling author of The Leftover Woman

“Lisa Barr's new historical fiction, The Goddess of Warsaw, gifts the reader with jaw-dropping moments worthy of a Tarantino film, a story that could not be more timely, and a heroine whose ferocity and valor knows no bounds. Bina Blonski is forced to lose and remake her identity time and time again, both to survive the Warsaw Ghetto and to carry out her secret mission years later as a Hollywood actress. Unrelentingly immersive and suspenseful to the very end, The Goddess of Warsaw spins a haunting tale of the cost of survival, sacrifice, and the long-denied secrets of the past.”  — Natalie Jenner, author of the instant international bestseller The Jane Austen Society

"Lisa Barr has done it again! With her signature prose and compelling storytelling, she has crafted another gripping novel about survival and courage. Fast-paced, thrilling, shocking, and heartbreaking, The Goddess of Warsaw is a tribute to women everywhere and to those who refuse to be silenced when faced with atrocities." — Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, internationally bestselling author of The Mountains Sing and Dust Child

"Utterly spellbinding and wholly unputdownable, Lisa Barr's latest historical fiction, The Goddess of Warsaw, is a dazzling tour de force that grabbed me from the first line and wouldn't let me go until I raced through its final, pulse-pounding pages. Barr has crafted not only a heart-wrenching yet soul-affirming portrait of a woman who survived the Warsaw Ghetto and reimagined herself as a Hollywood star, she's crafted that elusive thing: an honest to god TRUE femme fatale who I cannot stop thinking about. Literary magic!"
— May Cobb, author of The Hunting Wives

"For fans of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, The Goddess of Warsaw is a must-read." — Jewish Unpacked

From the Publisher