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The Best WW2 Historical Fiction About the Resistance
By: Angela & Melissa
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As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, we may earn a referral fee from qualifying purchases.While the books on this list are all historical fiction set during World War II, many are based on real stories and real heroes who risked everything for the greater good by joining the Resistance.
We love the reminder that even when evil is trying to prevail, we can choose to see the good and even become the good.
Historical Fiction Books Featuring WW2 Resistance Workers
The Secret History of Audrey James
Book Summary
In 2010, Kate left London after a tragic life event. She ended up living in a guest house near the Scottish border, hoping she’d be able to heal in the peaceful surroundings. But the mysterious elderly proprietor seems to have secrets.
In 1938, in Berlin, Audrey was weeks away from graduating from a prestigious music school. During her time at the school, she lived with her best friend Ilse Kaplan’s family and dreaded having to return home to her own father.
Before Audrey has to face her father, Ilse’s parents and brothers disappear. High-ranking Nazi officials confiscate their upscale home, and Audrey must quickly hide Ilse in the attic. Audrey then pretends that she is a housekeeper so she’ll be able to remain in the house.
While Ilse remains a prisoner in her own attic, Audrey becomes part of the anti-Hitler movement. Her group is part of the resisters working to bring down the Nazis from within Germany itself.
The Book Girls Say…
This novel from the author of Looking for Jane was inspired by true stories.
Book Summary
Based on Nancy Wake’s real life, Code Name Helene introduces you to four different names of this unlikely Australian helper.
As Lucienne, she smuggles people across the border to safety. Her success in those efforts leads to a bounty on her life and a new nickname, The White Mouse.
After training with Special Operations Executives in Britain, she was assigned the code name Hélêne. When she returned from training and became an influential leader in the French Resistance, she became Madam André.
The Berlin Sisters
Book Summary
In 1943, the Müller family seems like the model Nazi family, with Ava working for Joseph Goebbels alongside her father, a high-ranking official in the Reich. Her sister, Hanna, is a nurse for German soldiers.
When Ava visits the family’s country home, she is shocked to discover that Hanna and her parents have been secretly working for the Resistance. Not only are they hiding childhood friend Eliana and her parents in the attic, but their work has a wider reach. Once Ava’s eyes are open to the truth about the regime, she begins the dangerous job of undermining the Reich from within its own headquarters.
The Librarian Spy
Book Summary
Ava lives a quiet life as a Library of Congress librarian. Her world is turned upside down when she gets a new job offer from the US military. They want her to work undercover as a librarian in Lisbon, but her real goal would be acting as a spy.
In France, Elaine is an apprentice at a printing press run by the Resistance. As Nazis search for the press to shut them down, Ava and Elaine are connected through the coded messages they send. These book lovers find unexpected hope and friendship through their work with each other.
The Book Girls Say…
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The Girl from Guernica
Book Summary
In April of 1937, Seventeen-year-old Sibi and her family are caught up in the horror when bombs drop from the sky in Guernica in Basque Country. She is saved by Griff, an American military attaché. While Sibi saw Nazi emblems on the planes, Germany claimed no involvement in the attack. Griff wisely instructs Sibi to lie to the Nazi officials about what they saw.
As the war expands, Sibi joins the Resistance and works to pass information to Griff while maintaining the facade of a Nazi sympathizer. This false support of the enemy becomes even more complicated when the scope of Germany’s ambitions is revealed.
The Book Girls Say…
Guernica was inspired by Picasso’s famous work of the same name.
Karen Robards has another highly rated Resistance-themed novel, Black Swan of Paris, about a beautiful singer in Paris who is being used by her manager, Max, as a smokescreen for his work in the Resistance.
The Winemaker’s Wife
Book Summary
In Champagne, France, Michel has the perfect storage space in the Champagne House, Maison Chauveau, to assist the Resistance by hiding munitions. His new wife fears they’ll be caught, but the risk is even higher for the half-Jewish wife of their head winemaker.
In 2019, New York City, Liv is surprised by a visit from her grandmother and her insistence that they travel to France together. Her grandmother is ready to share her tragic wartime history, and eventually, they end up in the cellars of Maison Chaveau.
The Book Girls Say…
Several other Kristin Harmel books also feature Resistance work and they are all extremely highly rated.
The Paris Assignment
Book Summary
Londoner Madeleine met her husband Giles, a French journalist while studying at the Sorbonne. They are raising their young son, Oliver, as war breaks out across Europe. Giles sends Madeleine and Olivier to the relative safety of England while he stays behind to join the Resistance.
Sadly, a terrible twist of fate causes her to lose her son despite their efforts to protect him. Madeleine then bravely accepts a request from the ministry to aid in the war effort. She returns to France, desperately hoping to find Giles and do everything she can to stop the Reich and get revenge for the death of her son.
The Nightingale
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Book Summary
The Nightingale tells the story of French sisters Vianne and Isabelle, who have always been at odds. Vianne is a rule follower, and Isabelle is more rebellious and willing to speak her mind. With WWII escalating, Isabelle intends to fight for France. At the same time, Vianne simply wants to survive the war with her family intact – even if it means allowing a German officer to live in her home.
Isabelle, who refuses to live passively under German authority, joins the French Resistance and guides Allied airmen out of France after their planes are shot down—work for which she adopts the codename Nightingale. As the war progresses, both sisters learn who they are and what they can do.
The Book Girls Say…
If you’ve already read and loved The Nightingale, be sure to check out our list of the Best Books Like the Nightingale.
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Best Kristin Hannah Books
Books Like The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Books Set in the 1930s
The Secret Letter
Book Summary
In Germany, 13-year-old Magda is devastated when her best friend is taken to a concentration camp. Magda secretly joins a youth resistance movement known as the White Rose movement, but when an English pilot lands near her home, she has to decide whether to save the stranger at the risk of endangering her family.
In England, fifteen-year-old Imogen is separated from her family and evacuated to the Lake District – a safe space away from the bombs and battles ravaging Europe. As she writes letters to her loved ones, little does she know that her fate rests on the actions of a girl she’s never met.
The Book Girls Say…
The true story of the White Rose youth resistance movement inspires this WW2 historical fiction. While the main characters are both young, this book is not YA—it is adult fiction with adult content.
Resistance Women
Book Summary
When Mildred Fish from Wisconsin married a German economist, they couldn’t predict what would happen in Germany when they moved back to his homeland in the early 1930s.
As the Third Reich rose to power, they committed to gathering intelligence and developing a network of women dedicated to stopping the regime. Their critical work continued for years until Nazi radio operators detected an errant signal, exposing them to the highest risk yet.
The Book Girls Say…
This book is based on true events and a great look at ordinary people doing extraordinary things to stop evil.
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The Paper Girl of Paris
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
Book Summary
Alice’s grandmother, Adalyn, just passed away, and she left the sixteen-year-old an apartment in Paris – one that’s been locked up for more than seventy years and that no one in the family knew existed.
Now Alice is spending the summer in Paris, and with the help of Paul – a Parisian student – she’s determined to find out why her grandma never mentioned the family that she left behind when she left France during WWII. The more she learns about the past, the more she realizes that her family is also hiding secrets in the present.
This dual-timeline novel also transports us back to Paris in the 1940s. It’s a city that sixteen-year-old Adalyn hardly recognizes as the Occupation brings new terrors daily. When she meets a young leader of a resistance group, she sees an opportunity to fight back, but she soon finds herself having to make more and more compromises.
The Book Girls Say…
We know that some people are hesitant to read YA historical fiction, but Angela recently finished this book and found it to be an excellent depiction of the French Resistance.
Also Featured on These Book Lists:
Lilac Girls
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
Book Summary
Lilac Girls crosses three continents and follows three women whose lives are on a collision course.
Caroline is a New York socialite working at the French consulate, Kasia is a Polish teenager and a courier for the underground Resistance, and Herta is an ambitious young German doctor who finds herself trapped in a male-dominated world of Nazi secrets and power.
The book alternates between the three stories, each providing thought-provoking insights into uniquely difficult situations as the war progressed.
The Book Girls Say…
Melissa loved Lilac Girls, although it includes tragic scenes that are tough to read. She was devastated when she learned that this historical fiction was based on the true experiences of the ‘Ravensbrück Rabbits.’
Get your tissues ready; this story is part of history that we shouldn’t ignore.
Also Featured on These Book Lists:
Books Set in the 1940s
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29 Books with a Color in the Title
Beneath a Scarlet Sky
Book Summary
Pino is a typical Italian teenager who wants nothing to do with the war. He’s much more interested in music, food, and girls. But when Allied bombs destroy his home in Milan, his innocence is lost. He joins an underground railroad that helps Jews escape over the Alps on skis.
His parents force him to enlist as a German soldier to avoid being drafted. They think this will protect him, but he is injured nonetheless. No longer able to fight, Pino is recruited to become the personal driver of one of the Third Reich’s top commanders in Italy. This new role allows him to aid the Allies from the inside as a spy.
The Book Girls Say…
The author based this novel on the true experiences of Pino Lella, whom he interviewed extensively. Since its publication, some have questioned whether Pino Lella was actually involved with the boys of Casa Alpina, who skied refugees across the Swiss border. In either event, the underground railroad described in the book did exist, whether the real-life Pino was a part of it or not.
This highly-rated novel is a bit on the longer side, coming in just over 500 pages.
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The Beekeeper’s Promise
Book Summary
Eliane tends to the bees at the beautiful Château Bellevue in France. It’s 1938, and her peaceful life is being threatened as France’s eastern border is getting closer to war. Eliane is separated from her first love, Mathieu, as the Germans occupy their town, and Eliane makes the brave choice to join the Resistance.
In the present day, Abi is also running from heartbreak as she takes a summer job in rural France at the Château Bellevue. The Château is deeply connected to the past, and Abi is drawn to the incredible tale of one woman.
The Book Girls Say…
Reviewers say this book will transport you to France and is rich with bee-related themes & language.
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Book Summary
While the French Resistance is the most talked-about underground network, it wasn’t the only important group fighting back against the Third Reich’s cruelty. Young Germans started the White Rose movement, speaking out against their government’s escalating actions. This novel is based on their stories.
Natalya had already witnessed the horror of war on the Russian front as a volunteer nurse. She’s a student at the University of Munich when she begins seeing White Rose leaflets hidden in public places. Siblings Hans and Sophie Scholl and their friends are responsible, and Natalya feels compelled to go all-in to support their efforts, even if it means risking her life.
All the Ways We Said Goodbye
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Book Summary
This historical fiction moves from the dark days of WWI and WWII to the turbulent years of the 1960s. In each era, women with bruised hearts – an heiress, a Resistance fighter, and a widow – find refuge at the legendary Ritz Hotel in Paris.
In the 1940s timeline, Marguerite “Daisy” Villon has a brave American grandmother working for the Resistance and a husband who sympathizes with Hitler’s regime. While she’s reluctant at first, she soon becomes deeply involved in her grandmother’s efforts and works as a courier for a famous document forger, Legrand.
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The Baker’s Secret
Book Summary
Emma is a 22-year-old baker in a small town on the Normandy coast of France. After her Jewish mentor is removed from his shop, she has to take over the bakery.
Throughout the years of war, under the enemy’s watchful eyes, Emma builds up a clandestine network of barter and trade, risking her life to ensure that as many villagers as possible have bread and other food. In addition to helping the villagers meet their physical needs, she also helps restore their hope.
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The Dressmaker’s Gift
Book Summary
This dual-timeline WWII historical fiction follows the lives of three young seamstresses who share a small apartment above the fashion house where they work in German-occupied Paris. While all three seem to be simply going about their daily lives, each is actually hiding a secret. Mireille is fighting with the French Resistance; a German officer has seduced Claire, and Vivienne’s involvement can’t even be revealed to her friends.
Two generations later, Claire’s granddaughter travels from England to Paris and finds herself living and working in the same building her grandmother occupied. When she finds a box of old photos and letters, she begins to investigate.
The Book Girls Say…
Warning: There are some graphic descriptions of war crimes in this novel.
The Lost Vintage
Book Summary
Kate is struggling to pass the notoriously difficult Master of Wine Exam. As she studies for her third attempt, she decides to travel to Burgundy to spend the fall working at the vineyard estate that has been in her family for generations.
While helping her cousin clean out the basement, she first comes upon boxes of family memorabilia, including a diary of an unknown relative. She then discovers a secret passage that leads to a hidden room filled with WW2 Resistance pamphlets and hundreds of bottles of extremely valuable wine.
Against her uncle’s wishes, she begins digging into the family history, hoping to uncover the truth about the diary keeper—her great aunt, who was a teenager during the German occupation. As the story unfolds, the line between Resistance and Collaboration blurs.
The Book Girls Say…
Angela just finished reading this dual timeline WW2 historical fiction and enjoyed learning about the role of the Burgandy region – near the Demarcation Line – in WW2, as well as learning a great deal more about wine and winemaking.
The Paris Library
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
Book Summary
Based on a true story, this novel will transport you to two vastly different time periods and locations. In 1939 Paris, Odile worked for the American Library. When Nazis arrive in Paris and threaten the library, Odile and her fellow brave librarians join the Resistance.
Forty-three years later, in Montana, teenager Lily becomes interested in her widowed neighbor. As they begin to form a bond, Lily tries to learn more about how her French neighbor ended up in Montana. They have no idea that a dark secret connects them.
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Books About Libraries and Librarians
Books that Span Multiple Continents
Girl in the Blue Coat
Book Summary
Eighteen-year-old Hanneke was devastated by the loss of her boyfriend, who died on the Dutch front lines when the German soldiers invaded. As a small act of rebellion, and unbeknownst to her family, she begins to smuggle black market, hard-to-come-by items, such as sugar, bacon, tea, and alcohol.
During one of her deliveries, she ends up getting pulled into much more dangerous work when one of her clients, Mrs. Janssen, asks her to help find a missing person – a Jewish teenager that Mrs. Janssen had been hiding, but who has now disappeared. Hanneke is reluctant, but agrees to help and finds herself drawn into the heart of the Dutch Resistance.
The Book Girls Say…
This YA historical fiction is based on the real Amsterdam Student Group (ASG), a WW2 Dutch Resistance organization that helped to rescue thousands of Jewish children.
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