Sometimes, meme posts introduce you to a book you might potentially like. This happened to me last week, when the prompt for Top Ten Tuesday was Character Relationships. The friendship between the main characters of The Keeper of Hidden Books by Madeline Martin was mentioned numerous times, so naturally I had to look this book up. And I dove straight into it.

About the book

• Title: The Keeper of Hidden Books
• Author: Madeline Martin
• Publish date: August 1, 2023
• Publisher: Hanover Square Press
• ISBN: 9781335455024
• Number of pages: 416
• Genre: Historical fiction

A heartwarming story about the power of books to bring us together, inspired by the true story of the underground library in WWII Warsaw, by the New York Times bestselling author of The Last Bookshop in London. All her life, Zofia has found comfort in two things during times of hardship: books and her best friend, Janina. But no one could have imagined the horrors of the Nazi occupation in Warsaw. As the bombs rain down and Hitler’s forces loot and destroy the city, Zofia finds that now books are also in need of saving. With the death count rising and persecution intensifying, Zofia jumps to action to save her friend and salvage whatever books she can from the wreckage, hiding them away, and even starting a clandestine book club. She and her dearest friend never surrender their love of reading, even when Janina is forced into the newly formed ghetto. But the closer Warsaw creeps toward liberation, the more dangerous life becomes for the women and their families—and escape may not be possible for everyone. As the destruction rages around them, Zofia must fight to save her friend and preserve her culture and community using the only weapon they have left—literature.

My review

This is my first Madeline Martin book, so I had no idea what to expect. I’ve read several books about World War II already, but not one of them is set in Warsaw, Poland. So, that was something I was interested about, because most books about this period in history I’ve read are set in the Netherlands. Therefore, I was eager to learn about the Nazi occupasion in Poland. And books about books are always interesting, aren’t they?

I think the character development was the most intriguing part of this novel. The story starts in 1939, when war was looming. Janina and Zofia however were still innocent teenagers who never believed that Nazi Germany would actually occupy Poland. They lived their life like they should and only worried about what books they would read next for their little book club they held with their friends. It all changes when war indeed broke out, their lives were turnt upside down all of a sudden. Janina and her family were forced to move into the Jewish ghetto and tried to survive as best as they could. However, even there books play an important role. Meanwhile, Zofia does everything to hide banned books from the city libraries and keep them from destruction. She tries to help free Janina and her family in between. Their friendship is indeed one where they put the other one before themselves. This was interesting to see and the character growth of both Janina and -especially – Zofia was a delight towitness. They had to transition into adulthood quicker than they’d ever expect and soon they find out there are many more important things in the world, but books could always be their safe haven.

The plot is centered around the libraries in Warsaw. This way, the author provides an insight in the day-to-day life of a librarian and especially the effects the Nazi regime has on libraries and literature in general. Many books got banned by Hitler and they often got destroyed. The librarians rush to save as many books as they could and even start a clandestine library. It’s clear that people seek refuge in books and they always provide a safe haven in times of despair. However, it all gets quite repitive in a certain moment of time and I foudn myself less intrigued as the plot moves forward. The book was easy to read nevertheless. In case, when I picked up the ebook. I had a harder time listening to the audiobook, narrated by Saskia Maarleveld.

The Keeper of Hidden Books by Madeline Martin was my introduction to this author and it was okay. The character development was great to witness, however the plot wasn’t moving forward really. Of course a lot happened, but I found it a little repetitive at times.

In short

Things I like:

• The friendship between Zofia and Janina;
• The accessbile writing;
• Learning more about the war in Poland;
• Books are always a safe haven.

Things I did not like:

• The fact the girls had to transition into adulthood so quick;
• The story not moving forward and becoming a bit repetitive at times.