I enjoyed this and found that it dealt with some very important issues well. It was a bit information heavy at times which made me struggle to engage at times but is a beautiful story overall.

A great story and very informative account of Poland during the second world war though not executed in the best way. The narrative flips between characters but the exposition felt very forced and used lines like "Oh, I think I read about that recently" cue then reeling off info... This was awkward to read. I also understand the great level of respect a subject like this deserves but having the characters constantly refer to "it is our duty", or "I think we owe it to" felt really wishy washy and just not real. To have a character choose a very bizarre path which is not built up to in any relevant way do so because they "feel it is the right thing to do" was just strange and silly in my opinion. It could have been set up better to make this choice become solid but have better foundations. Overall a good story but I was underwhelmed by the telling.

Whilst I very much enjoyed the storyline of The Woodcarver of Krakow, and was hugely impressed by the historical details and accuracy, I did find if quite difficult to get into. Perhaps because of the density of information, or my own lack of knowledge of Poland in WW2, I struggled to grasp the pace of the story.

Once I'd persevered, I found my heart being repeatedly cracked into pieces! The love with which the sibling relationship is written is obvious and when they are torn apart it really hurt to read.

I'd recommend to people who are willing to wait a little for a strong story and perhaps who know a bit more than me about Polish history!

I received a copy of the book from Netgalley to review. Thank you for the opportunity.
A promising story with elements of folk and fairy tales. Plenty of good writing and good ideas behind the story.
On the whole, a good book.

I really wanted to enjoy this book as I though the description sounded very intriguing however I found the storyline very repetitious and I also didn't enjoy the characters

Definitely an interesting and emotional read, but I found it hard into. If you don't know much about the history of Poland during the Second World War, there is definitely quite a bit of information, about the the treatment of Jewish people specifically, but also of academics, officers in the army, and generally the country as it struggled with both the Nazis and the Russians. Clare is quite descriptive with her language and paints a picture of the settings and customs. The story follows two timelines. In 1939, Tad is a young man growing up near Zakopane in the Tatra Mountains, but when the war breaks out he leaves his home and family and finds himself in Blackpool, England. On the other hand, Anna, Sarah, and Bella are three generations of English women on a quest to find out more about their ancestry. An interesting perspective around a history that not everyone knows.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are all my own.

I was excited to read this book, because the description sounded so interesting. However, once I started it, I had a hard time delving into the story. Unfortunately, I just could not get beyond the first few chapters. Probably me more than the author, but it just was not the book for me.

Apologies but I did not finish this. It started well but I'm afraid it didn't hold my interest. I had been looking forward to this but it wasn't what i anticipated.

I was really excited with this book. To read the Polish perspective and the Blackpool training of the Polish pilots was really interesting.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of The Woodcarver of Krakow by Rachel Clare

Two brothers. Bound by a promise. Torn apart by war.
Tadeusz and Jacek Lewandowski are the closest of brothers. After the tragedy of losing their mother and with their father in the Polish army, they are raised by their grandfather, a skilled wood-craftsman. They enjoy an idyllic childhood in the Tatra Mountains.

I found the book slow to start with but persevered as wanted to read something different to the normal genre re WW2 (this is manily Polish History of the war). Book did pick up speed as i read it. Its a heartbreaking story of 2 brothers! Make sure have tissues at the ready!

Thank you to Book Guild and NetGalley for a copy of The Woodcarver of Krakow by Rachel Clare. I’m really torn on this one but I will give it 3 stars. Here’s why I’m torn, the storyline is really good. It’s full of Polish history we recently learned on a WWII History tour of Poland and German. The best I can remember it’s very accurate in the book. It’s told in a back and forth between the present family trying to find out about their past family and the telling of the past Polish family’s story during WWII. Here’s why I couldn’t give it a better rating, it was very repetitious, predictable in places and way too many unneeded descriptive details that only made the story drag. I found it an average read when it could have been a great read with more fine tuning.

This was a decent read but not my favourite. I haven't read much about Poland so enjoyed that aspect, but it was very slow to start and a bit hard to get invested in

Sorry, this was just absolutely awful. It’s incredibly twee and and I found the writing style just dreadful. I know descriptive writing is important, but for example, early on, the character thought she was having a heart attack, but then went on to explain that it couldn’t be because symptoms in women were different...and then went on to explain them like a public warning.

This happens far far too much and I often felt like I was getting taught.

The characters are boring, all of them!

This book may be enjoyable to say, the older person, I’m sure my 70 year old mum would love it...but not me...I just hated it. Sorry..

My thanks to Netgalley and Matador for the copy.

I had to grab this book since I rarely find any historical fiction based in or about Poland, I wasn't disappointed.

The start is a little rough, kind of slow going and took me a little while to get into it, however once I did I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I found myself getting pretty attached to Tad. A heart wrenching story, where you may need some tissues at hand, but a great read. Power through if you have a hard time at the beginning, it's worth it!

I hope Rachel Clare keeps exploring Poland, and I look forward to further books.

although i found it slow to start with im glad im stuck with it.. Its very different from other world war 2 novels and the characters really draw you in. Nd cant wait to see if poland is as beautiful as it comes across in this book. I would highly recommend as its well worth a read. xx

Overall I enjoyed this book and was invested in the characters from the start, and with Tad in particular. I did however find it a bit of a slow start and chapters felt lengthy at the beginning, with not a lot of story being told, particularly in the modern day timeline. The depiction of Poland was beautifully done and I'd now like to go to Krakow sometime and explore the countryside, it sounds wonderful!
For a work of fiction the characters are very believable you almost wish it was a true story.
Thanks to #troubador #netgalley and #rachelclare for the opportunity to read this ADR
#TheWoodcarverofKrakow

Although classed as another World War 2 read, this was different from the others that have recently flooded the market. Two brothers Tadeusz and Jacek are raided by their grandfather after their mother's death because their father is fighting in the Polish army. The lived in Tatras mountains, a place I have visited myself, a stunning, serene, idyllic place, until the Nazi invasion of Poland when their reality was torn apart. Tad leave Poland, forced to leave all that he knows and loves behind him. He makes it to England eventually and joins the Polish air force intent in fighting for his country's freedom, all of the time with his brother who he loves dearly in his thoughts and in his heart. This book really highlighted Poland and how it and its people suffered during the Nazi and Russian occupation, It was interesting and well written and I liked that it was different from other World War 2 novels that I've read in the past.

A beautifully done book that is heartwrenching and hopeful and checks all the proper boxes it should. I look forward to reading more from Rachel Clare in the future.
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

This novel was okay. Not the most amazing thing I have ever read. 3 stars. It was nice to read about Poland. That was probably the most enjoyable part.

When I saw that there is a historical fiction on NetGalley about Poland I wasn’t hesitating To request it. I spent some years in Poland and it’s always satisfying for me to read more about it’s history and culture.
The Woodcarver of Krakow was beginning a little bit slow for my liking, it needed some time to know more about the characters and the situation. Through a family story we saw not only the lose in Tadesz’ and Jacek’s life but as well as how hard was the life in Poland during the II World War and then in the Russian era.
This novel is a good read for everyone who wants to get an insight about life in Poland during the two eras.