Monday, April 19, 2021

Review: The Medallion

The Medallion The Medallion by Cathy Gohlke
My rating: 💛💛💛💛

I’ve come to know Cathy Gohlke as an author who provides a deep profound story on a difficult part of history and this was no different.

This story was sad, heartbreaking and sometimes just depressing as you follow all the different Jews in Poland beging targeted and seeing how circumstances worsened as the war prolonged. There was a particular scene with a father and son which was purely devastating.

But even though through Sophia and Rosa’s stories, you experienced heartbreak, you also experienced sacrificial love, strangers going the extra mile for others in need and at the end you are also left with a bit of hope.

We have only to confess—to turn away from our darkness and confess whatever it is He already knows—and He waits, ready to help. We weren’t made to walk alone, to live alone, to grieve alone.

If you enjoy WW2 stories, this author should be high on your TBR list.

View all my reviews

About the book:

For fans of bestselling World War II fiction like Sarah's Key and The Nightingale comes an illuminating tale of courage, sacrifice, and survival, about two couples whose lives are ravaged by Hitler's mad war yet eventually redeemed through the fate of one little girl.

Seemingly overnight, the German blitzkrieg of Warsaw in 1939 turns its streets to a war zone and shatters the life of each citizen--Polish, Jewish, or otherwise. Sophie Kumiega, a British bride working in the city's library, awaits news of her husband, Janek, recently deployed with the Polish Air Force. Though Sophie is determined that she and the baby in her womb will stay safe, the days ahead will draw her into the plight of those around her, compelling her to help, whatever the danger.

Rosa and Itzhak Dunovich never imagined they would welcome their longed-for first child in the Jewish ghetto, or that they would let anything tear their family apart. But as daily atrocities intensify, Rosa soon faces a terrifying reality: to save their daughter's life, she must send her into hiding. Her only hope of finding her after the war--if any of them survive--is a medallion she cuts in half and places around her neck.

Inspired by true events of Poland's darkest days and brightest heroes, The Medallion paints a stunning portrait of war and its aftermath, daring us to believe that when all seems lost, God can make a way forward.


About the author:

Cathy Gohlke is the four-time Christy Award–winning author of the best selling and critically acclaimed

novels Night Bird Calling, The Medallion (Christy Award), Until We Find Home, Secrets She Kept (Christy Award; Carol Award; INSPY Award); Saving Amelie (INSPY AWARD); Band of Sisters; Promise Me This (listed by Library Journal as one of the Best Books of 2012); I Have Seen Him in the Watchfires (Christy Award, American Christian Fiction Writers Award and listed by Library Journal as one of the Best Books of 2008) and William Henry Is a Fine Name (Christy Award).


Cathy writes novels steeped with inspirational lessons from history. Her stories reveal how people break the chains that bind them and triumph over adversity through faith.

Cathy has worked as a school librarian, drama director, and director of children's and education ministries. When not traveling to historic sites for research, she and her husband, Dan, divide their time between Northern Virginia and the Jersey Shore, enjoying time with their children and grandchildren. Visit her website at www.cathygohlke.com and find her on Facebook at CathyGohlkeBooks. Follow her on BookBub.

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