Judy Batalion’s The Last Woman of Warsaw follows two very different Jewish women in pursuit of a common goal

The Jewish Standard Magazine
April 4, 2026

Native Montrealer Judy Batalion, the critically acclaimed author of several non-fiction books, most recently the New York Times bestseller The Light of Days, has published a powerful debut novel called The Last Woman of Warsaw. While writing The Light of Days, the story of Jewish women who fought the Nazis from the ghettos in Poland, Batalion became obsessed with the cosmopolitan society that had created these extraordinary young women. Her novel shines a light on the rarely explored world of inter-war Warsaw, a city filled with theaters, cabaret, and nightclubs with revolving dance floors. It follows two very different Jewish women in the vibrant, stylish city (the “Paris of the North”) in the late 1930s, as they unexpectedly come together in their search for love, meaning, and a sense of home—while grappling with the storm clouds gathering around them.