Victoria's War

A Novel

By: Catherine A. Hamilton

Narrated by: Emily Behr

Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

In Victoria’s War, Hamilton gives voice to the courageous Polish Catholic women who were kidnapped into the real-life Nazi slave labor operation during WWII. Inspired by true stories, this lost chapter of history won’t soon be forgotten.

POLAND, 1939: 19-year-old Victoria Darski is eager to move away to college. Her bags are packed, and her train ticket is in hand. But instead of boarding a train to the University of Warsaw, she finds her world turned upside down when World War II breaks out. Victoria’s father is sent to a raging battlefront, and the Darski women face the cruelty of the invaders alone. After the unthinkable happens, Victoria is ordered to work in a Nazi sewing factory. When she decides to go to a resistance meeting with her best friend, Sylvia, they are captured by human traffickers targeting Polish teenagers. Sylvia is singled out and sent to work in the brothels, and Victoria is transported in a cattle car to Berlin, where she is auctioned off as a slave.

GERMANY, 1941: 20-year-old Etta Tod is at Mercy Hospital, where she’s about to undergo involuntary sterilization because of the Fuhrer’s mandate to eliminate hereditary deafness. Etta, an artist, silently critiques the propaganda poster on the waiting room wall while her mother tries to convince her she should be glad to get rid of her monthlies. Etta is the daughter of the German shopkeepers who buy Victoria at auction in Berlin. The stories of Victoria and Etta intertwine in the bakery’s attic where Victoria is held - the same place where Etta has hidden her anti-Nazi paintings. The two women form a quick and enduring bond. But when they’re caught stealing bread from the bakery and smuggling it to a nearby work camp, everything changes.

©2020 Catherine A. Hamilton (P)2021 Catherine A. Hamilton

Excellent Listen!

I enjoyed this book very, very much! I finished listening to Victoria's War on Audible on my way to work the other morning. The characters all came alive—and about the narrator, she was great! I want to thank Catherine for writing this book, as it serves as a reminder to all of us, how far we can fall, and the evil we are capable of! We need constant reminders! I can’t wait to read her next book!”

Heartwrenching!

When I heard about this book, I knew I needed to read it. It took me 2 days to read, as the story was so gripping. Hamilton does an excellent job painting a picture of the scenarios the Polish women in the forced labor program endured. I appreciated the background information in the front of the book as well. Such a touching story!