Reviewer: Lori Graham
Title: The Kommandant’s Girl
Author: Pam Jenoff
Publisher: Mira Books
ISBN: 978-0-7783-2342-6
Release Date: March 2007
Genre/Sub-genre: Historical Romance
Year/Setting: WWII/Poland
Overall Rating: 4.75
Sexual Content Rating: Mildly Sexual
Language (Profanity/Slang) Rating: None
Violent Content Rating: Mild to Moderate
Pam's Website: pamjenoff.com
Emma Bau is a nineteen year old young woman living in Poland. The Nazi army is prevalent in Europe but Emma is happy in the life she is leading. She has parents she adores and is close to. They own a marvelous little bakery and while she can’t bake like her father can, she loves being in the store with him. Plus, she has met the man of her dreams – Jacob.
Emma and Jacob decide to get married sooner than they had hoped because tensions were escalating in Europe. They had three wonderful weeks together before the dream faded. Emma awoke one morning to discover Jacob was gone. She went looking for her parents only to discover they had been moved to the Jewish ghetto. While at the ghetto, she is contacted by friends of her husband’s and they have arranged for her to leave the ghetto until Jacob can come for her. While hesitant to leave her parents, they assure her they are fine and she should go.
She moves in with Jacob’s cousin Krysia who happens to be Catholic. Because of the rising tensions, the move also includes Emma becoming Anna Lipowksi, the gentile relative of Krysia’s come to visit. As Anna’s days begin in this new life, she is hired by Kommandant Richwalder as his personal assistant. She fights this hiring but is contacted again by Jacob’s friends. They convince her to go to work for the Kommandant in order to gain access to information they can use.
Emma/Anna finds over time that the Kommandant isn’t quite the devil she thinks he is and finds herself attracted to him. Yet, in spite of this attraction, she is repulsed by him being a Nazi and what the Nazi policy is becoming. Jacob’s friends keep pushing her for more information and better information and encouraging her to do whatever is necessary. Soon Emma/Anna finds herself in positions she never wanted to be in and wondering what to do next.
Pam Jenoff has created a beautifully, poignant story of a time in our history that many people want to forget happened. The Kommandant’s Girl reminded me that not every man is totally evil and we can all do things we never in our wildest dreams thought we could do. Not to mention when we are confronted with a difficult situation, how would we handle it? Anna/Emma and the Kommandant are real and raw in their illustrations of the choices made – good and bad – and how they affect us.
Truly beautifully done.
Lori
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