The Kommandant's Girl

By: Pam Jenoff

Narrated by: Nancy Peterson

In her luminous and groundbreaking debut, New York Times bestselling author Pam Jenoff shows the unimaginable sacrifices one woman must make in a time of war

Nineteen-year-old Emma Bau has been married only three weeks when Nazi tanks thunder into her native Poland. Within days Emma’s husband, Jacob, is forced to disappear underground, leaving her imprisoned within the city’s decrepit Jewish ghetto. But then, in the dead of night, the resistance smuggles her out. Taken to Krakow to live with Jacob’s Catholic aunt, Krysia, Emma takes on a new identity as Anna Lipowski, a gentile.

Emma’s already precarious situation is complicated by her introduction to Kommandant Richwalder, a high-ranking Nazi official who hires her to work as his assistant. Urged by the resistance to use her position to access details of the Nazi occupation, Emma must compromise her safety—and her marriage vows—in order to help Jacob’s cause. As the atrocities of war intensify, Emma must make choices that will force her to risk not only her double life, but also the lives of those she loves.

Wonderful and inspiring

Awesome storytelling! I felt like I was there in the struggle of this young girl.

Exciting I survived the Nazis story

I enjoyed the story and the dystopian narration was spot on. There were some places where I said, "Well, things could have happened like that I guess...but not very likely. It is a good story as long as you are willing to just go with it.

Old Favorite

I first read this book back when I was in high school and it's been one of my favorites ever since. This being the first time I've "read" it as an adult, I picked up on a lot of stuff that I didn't notice before. There are a lot of deus ex machinas in it. A lot of stuff is just a little too convenient to be believable, but I love it nonetheless. I'm sure I'll read it or listen to it many more times.

Gripping story!

The Kommandant’s Girl was an entertaining WWII story about the Jewish resistance in Poland. The young Jewish girl who posed as a Catholic girl was the personal assistant to the Nazi Kommandant and spent her time spying on him for the Resistance. The story had a great cast of characters & clearly described the situation in Poland.

Compelling

WWII has always intrigued me. I still question how humans can destroy each other. Hitler hated Jews. This story proves that 2 people with different nationalities can love each other. When German realizes he is in love with a Jew he is not able to hate her, yet his nationality dictates that he is supposed to. I believe some of the hate still prevails to this day