Skip to main content
book cover for Finding Ida

Finding Ida

You must sign in to see if this title is available for request. Sign In or Register Now

Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app


1

To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.

2

Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.

Pub Date 28 Nov 2025 | Archive Date 12 Jan 2026


Talking about this book? Use #FindingIda #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!


Description

1930s Warsaw. Two privileged sisters: Ida — glamorous and self-assured — and Luiza, the spirited tomboy striving to fulfil the ambitions their German-born father once held for the son he never had.

At just seventeen, Luiza's world is upended when her Polish homeland is occupied. Caught between two identities — raised speaking both German and Polish — she must now decide where her true allegiance lies. Meanwhile, Ida, newly married and expecting her first child, is living under Soviet occupation in the eastern part of Poland. When she vanishes, taking her baby with her, Luiza begins a search that will span decades.

In a cruel irony, the war that destroys Ida brings Luiza both adventure and love. But her life becomes driven by survivor’s guilt — a need to live not only for herself, but for the sister she lost.

Inspired by the life of the author’s mother, Finding Ida is a gripping family saga. It explores themes of faith, loss and forgiveness, and the enduring human drive to survive. At its heart, it is a story about identity and belonging.

1930s Warsaw. Two privileged sisters: Ida — glamorous and self-assured — and Luiza, the spirited tomboy striving to fulfil the ambitions their German-born father once held for the son he never had.

...


A Note From the Publisher

Marya Burgess’s BBC career spanned almost 40 years, reporting for Woman’s Hour and PM, producing All in the Mind and For One Night Only, and finally curating The Listening Project in partnership with the British Library. Over the years, Marya has attempted to tell her mother’s remarkable story, but it was only after moving to rural Scotland that Finding Ida began to take shape.

Marya Burgess’s BBC career spanned almost 40 years, reporting for Woman’s Hour and PM, producing All in the Mind and For One Night Only, and finally curating The Listening Project in partnership with...


Advance Praise

"Elegant and illuminating" - Tim Finch, author of Peace Talks

"An absorbing love letter...' - Fi Glover, writer and broadcaster

"Elegant and illuminating" - Tim Finch, author of Peace Talks

"An absorbing love letter...' - Fi Glover, writer and broadcaster


Available Editions

EDITION Ebook
ISBN 9781835744444
PRICE £4.99 (GBP)
PAGES 320

Available on NetGalley

NetGalley Reader (EPUB)
NetGalley Shelf App (EPUB)
Send to Kindle (EPUB)
Send to Kobo (EPUB)
Download (EPUB)