---
product_id: 47046289
title: "The Kommandant's Girl (The Kommandant's Girl, 1) Paperback – September 27, 2016"
brand: "pam jenoff"
price: "€ 21.09"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 7
url: https://www.desertcart.hr/products/47046289-the-kommandants-girl-the-kommandants-girl-1-paperback-september-27
store_origin: HR
region: Croatia
---

# The Kommandant's Girl (The Kommandant's Girl, 1) Paperback – September 27, 2016

**Brand:** pam jenoff
**Price:** € 21.09
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

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- **What is this?** The Kommandant's Girl (The Kommandant's Girl, 1) Paperback – September 27, 2016 by pam jenoff
- **How much does it cost?** € 21.09 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.hr](https://www.desertcart.hr/products/47046289-the-kommandants-girl-the-kommandants-girl-1-paperback-september-27)

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## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    "The surprise of who or what might be around the corner, it's what keeps us going."
  

*by J***E on Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2009*

Eighteen year-old Emma Gershmann, meets Jacob Bau while she is working at Krakow University as a librarian. The two almost immediately strike-up a conversation, which is unusual for Emma, a quiet young women from an Orthodox Jewish home. But Jacob looks kind and honest, and obviously possesses a lively sense of humor. He is pursuing studies in physics, but his real passion is politics, and he is involved in many activist's groups. He has written several articles about "Germany's unfettered dominance" over its neighbors." Jacob is the son of prominent socialist Maximilian Bau. "Emma was surprised that a student from a wealthy secular family would be interested in her, the daughter of a poor Orthodox baker." However, Jacob never seems to notice the differences in their class status. He is apparently falling in love with this fair-haired blue-eyed Jewess. He asks to court the lovely young woman, and they wed shortly after gaining permission. The couple had only been married for three weeks when the Nazis invade Poland.Jews were obliged to take part in forced labor almost immediately after the conquest. In November 1939, all Jews 12 years or older were required to wear identifying armbands. All Kraków, synagogues were ordered closed and their relics and valuables turned over to the Nazi authorities. The Kraków Ghetto was formally established in 1941. Fifteen thousand Jews were displaced from their homes and crammed into an area previously inhabited by 3,000 people who used to live in a district consisting of 30 streets, 320 residential buildings, and 3,167 rooms. As a result, one apartment was allocated to every four Jewish families, and many less fortunate lived on the street.Young leftists, including Jacob Bau, who had undertaken the publication of an underground newsletter, joined forces with other Zionist to form a local branch of the Jewish Fighting Organization and organize resistance in the ghetto, supported by the Polish underground. The group carried out a variety of resistance activities including the bombing of the Cyganeria cafe, a gathering place of Nazi officers.Jacob disappears soon after the formation of the ghetto, after explaining to Emma that he has a moral obligation to fight their oppressors. She remains behind with her parents as the situation worsens on a daily basis, i.e., poverty, starvation, typhus, homelessness, Nazi violence and random murders. She begins work in a ghetto orphanage where she meets other young activists who work with Jacob. Marta Nederman, one of these people, becomes Emma's close friend and introduces her to other like-minded people.Jacob has Emma smuggled out of the ghetto and finds a place for her in a small village near Krakow with Krysia Smok, his Catholic aunt by marriage. Krysia is a member of Krakow's social elite, despite her waning years, and is a warm, welcoming woman who loves her nephew by marriage. Emma is given a new name, Anna Lipowski, and a new history. She is now an orphan from Gdansk and a Catholic. Krysia has also taken in a little boy, three year-old Lukasz, the only remaining descendant of Rabbi Iszakowicz, the great rabbi of Lublin. Emma is to pose as the child's older sister and protect him with her life.Krysia, as a doyenne of Krakow society, believes that the best way to hide from the Nazis is to act normally, right underneath their noses. Therefore she invites a small group to a dinner party, including Nazis, Polish sympathizers, and the charismatic Kommandant Georg Richwalder, second in command to Nazi Governor-General of Poland, Hans Frank. Emma/Anna is terrified, but Krysia reassures her, coaches her for her role, and makes the young woman a beautiful dress for the occasion. Richwalder is a striking man. Anna knows she should hate him on sight, but nevertheless is drawn to him. Unfortunately the Kommandant is also drawn to Anna, and he asks her to work as his special assistant in Nazi headquarters. The underground encourages her to take the job in order to spy for them  But the situation between the Nazi and the Jewess becomes much more complex. Ann finds herself awake at night, racked by guilt.I found this novel to be riveting. Not only does it portray Jewish life in Krakow before and during the Holocaust, but it also deals with Jewish guilt...survivor guilt. Written in a first person narrative, Emma/Anna tells her story. She is a very human, yet a flawed character, quite sympathetic and well developed, as are many of the novels other personages. However, she becomes strong and resilient as the plot progresses. The emotional growth she experiences, moving from a sheltered Jewish girl to a more worldly professional woman, working for both a Nazi Kommandant, in the belly of the beast, and also for the resistance, is part of what makes this book so special. As for Kommandant Richwalder, he frequently comes across as a sympathetic figure, and the reader, just like Anna, must continually bear in mind that the man is a Nazi, who perpetrates, although from afar, the worst of war crimes. "The Kommandant considers himself a gentleman, a man of music, art and culture. In his twisted way of thinking, service to the Reich is something noble and patriotic, and the Jewish question is an ugliness to be tolerated from afar. He has sequestered himself in Wawel (Castle), ruling his dominion from a great height, shielding himself from the killing. From where he sits the ghetto is just a neighborhood where Jews are forced to live." Right! He only has to sign a piece of paper to end millions of lives, he doesn't need to shoot Jewish children, add gas to the chambers, or stoke the crematorium fires.I so enjoyed, "The Kommandants Girl," (if one can enjoy, a book like this), that I am reading the sequel. "The Diplomat's Wife." Highly recommended!Jana Perskie
  
The Diplomat's Wife







  
  
    
  
Those Who Save Us







  
  
    
  
People of the Book







  
  
    
  
Almost Home: A Novel







  
  
    
  
Defiance: The Bielski Partisans

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Riveting
  

*by B***N on Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2017*

I love Pam Jenoff’s books - all of them.  “The Kommandant’s Girl” is the latest that I have read.  Ms. Jenoff’s portrayal of the Jewish situation in World War II is fantastic.  She makes their plight known and their struggles to stay alive during this harrowing time so palpable that reading the story not-stop to the end is a necessity to the avid reader.I this novel, Emma Bau has been married to a young Jewish man for only a few months when the Nazis invade Poland.  Jacob is very political and decides that he must be a part of the resistance movement, which means leaving Emma alone.  She finds her way to her parents in the Jewish ghetto in Krakow and stays with them for a time.  Friends of Jacob find her, get her out of the ghetto, give her false papers and take her to Jacob’s aunt, a Gentile.  She is there with a little Jewish toddler whose mother has been killed and whose father has been taken away by the Gestapo.  Hopefully, they will be safe there during the occupation.Krysia, Jacob’s aunt, is also a part of the resistance, but also a known socialite in Krakow.  She had many links to the resistance along with seemingly accepting the Nazi regime.  At a party where she is presenting her “niece and her little brother” to the Gentile community, Emma (now known as Anna) is noticed by the Kommandant.  He asks her to work for him as his personal assistant.  She has to say yes.  The resistance leaders can now use her to ferret information from the Kommandant’s office and relay this to the resistance.  In becoming closer to the Georg, she must make a personal decision whether or not to compromise her marriage vows for the greater good of the movement.Ms. Jenoff’s writing is addicting.  I was unable to put this book down and after I finished it I could not stop thinking about the story.  I was unable to help myself, but I found that I was sympathetic to the Kommandant and to Anna in her dilemma.  I wonder how I would have handled the situation were I in their shoes.  I felt that the horrors of war and the circumstances surrounding the occupiers and those fighting against them were almost understandable.  The Kommandant had to follow orders and Anna was bound to honor her husband and parents in finding out information that would save her people.  I read this book with mixed emotions which have really made me think about those times and the people who lived them.I highly recommend this book, especially if you are interested in stories about World War II.  I purchased a Kindle copy of this book from Amazon.com and was under no obligation to post a review.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    A lovely read, however lack of consideration towards the Polish language. :-(
  

*by W***. on Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 18, 2016*

The story is very interesting and of a unique relationship that would also be rather controversial. It is nicely written and well researched, however what really annoys me is the poor attempt at Polish words and names. If a writer has enough time to gather so much research to write a historical novel, she should also have enough time to respect the language and research basic things such as differing pronouns for men and women. For example, in the first few pages, the main character, Emma (not a Polish name at all, especially for those times, but I'll let that go because of her Jewish origin) calls the boy she is looking after "kochana", which means "loved one" when translated directly, however is also a term of endearment similar to "love/sweetheart". That's all cool, except the child is a boy, so it should be written "kochany". Jenoff doesn't use the accents required on some of the Polish words she chooses to use, and sometimes spells street names and such incorrectly. Another problem is the way she presents names. Some of them are Polish, but a lot of them are not, which is pretty silly for a book about Polish people's experiences during the war. Then when giving us the surnames of Polish women, rather than putting "ska" at the end, Jenoff writes "ski"- you must be aware of these things. It really doesn't take up much time to pay attention (especially if you've been to Poland and spoke to Polish people about their experiences, for goodness sake) and definitely does make one enjoy a book more. I would not write a book about an Iranian woman and bastardise her name and language because I couldn't be bothered to take a few minutes to make sure I'm using that language correctly.Other than those annoying bits, I'm enjoying this book very much. I just wish writers would give more consideration to the language they are butchering in an attempt to make it more exotic or something. :-) detail is everything in writing!

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*Product available on Desertcart Croatia*
*Store origin: HR*
*Last updated: 2026-02-01*