The Resistance Daughter

An utterly sweeping and unputdownable WW2 historical fiction debut novel, based on a true story

By: Joanne Kormylo

Narrated by: David Blair, Sarah Lambie

Inspired by true stories of WWII, don't miss this emotional and poignant historical novel debut of courage against all odds, perfect for fans of Anna Stuart and Soraya M Lane.

Poland, 1942. After witnessing the destruction of her hometown in Warsaw, Anna Kowalski joins the Polish Resistance. She is tasked with smuggling as many children as possible out of the Warsaw Ghetto through the sewers and relocating them to safety.

Through her work, Anna meets Johnnie Nowak, an RAF pilot who had managed to escape from a prisoner of war camp. He's not safe in Warsaw, so Anna leads him out of the city to protect him...

But suddenly Anna is caught by the SS and sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp where she is surrounded by even more horror and despair. A female guard, known as The Beast, is renowned for her violence and aggression towards her prisoners, and she's set her sights on Anna.

When Anna is relocated to a different camp, she finds herself reunited with Johnnie Nowak, the pilot she had saved. Desperate to escape, the two of them devise a plan, that if caught, could mean a fate far worse than death.

Will Anna and Johnnie finally find freedom, and survive the war together?©2025 Joanne Kormylo

Critic reviews

An epic and powerful tour de force. Subtle in her brilliance, Kormylo writes of the resilience of love, hope and the will to survive. The Resistance Daughter is a stunning debut.

Action packed and full of drama... A must read for 2025.

Joanne writes with insight and precision. Her research is impeccable and captures the essence of her characters... An impressive debut.

Combining extraordinary research with compelling story telling, Kormylo has created a must-read story for the ages.

Never turned pages so quickly

A gripping plot

A meticulous and gripping page-turner that sheds light on an overlooked part of the horrors of the Second World War

What a Testament

I will refer. Hard book to get through due to the horrors of WWII. My only critique is I didn't like Novak's voice. It was odd ... hokey. I especially loved the author's personal comments.

The story

My father was in WWII who has passed away. I miss him every day I am sad that he was unable to share with me his experiences.
Thank you for the book. It is good.

Nice story

I liked the story but I thought it seemed to skip things. I thought sometimes it was missing emotion.

Beautifully tragic

Most of this book is based on actual information. The epilogue could have explained bit more about what became of the heroine.