Recently out in paperback, ereader, and audio if you or your
book club missed it you can easily catch up. It’s Martha Hall Kelly’s debut
novel Lilac Girls.
This bestseller was based on the true life of several World
War II heroines. First New York socialite Caroline Faraday a
dilettante appearing do-gooder who shows her true essence as Hitler’s army
invades Poland in 1939 with courage, determination and a strong sense of
justice.
Kasia Kuzmerick, a
Polish teenager, senses her carefree youth disappearing as she is drawn deeper
into her role as courier for the underground resistance movement. In a tense
atmosphere of watchful eyes and suspecting neighbors, one false move can have
dire consequences.
For the ambitious
young German doctor, Herta Oberheuser, an ad for a government medical position
seems her ticket out of a desolate life. Once hired, though, she finds herself
trapped in a male-dominated realm of Nazi secrets and power.
The lives of these
three women are set on a collision course when the unthinkable happens and
Kasia is sent to Ravensbrück, the notorious Nazi concentration camp for women.
Their stories cross continents—from New York to Paris, Germany, and Poland—as
Caroline and Kasia strive to bring justice to those whom history has forgotten.
Lest we never forget, this harrowing fictional tale, based on well researched
facts and real people, not only
illuminates a dark page in human history it gives us a fresh female point of
view. . . Although read either non
fiction or fiction about the Holocaust is not for the faint hearted it is
necessary. Though parts of the book, like life in high New York society left me
uninterested or unanswered questions where character develop was lacking in
depth frustrated, overall this story was
riveting. Perhaps it was the little
known aspect of Ravensbruck being the
only Nazi concentration camp solely for women that made it so….. In any case it’s been a while since I read
Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See that I’ve read one so interesting….
For more book reviews click link below....:)
For more book reviews click link below....:)
ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE is my favorite of all the recent holocaust books. NIGHTINGALE was good too.
ReplyDeleteA good selection for my summer reading list. Four more days of school left!
ReplyDeleteSounds like one I should read Thanks TB:)
ReplyDeleteSounds interesting but... I read a couple of books about that terrible time period when I was young and I am still sad about them.
ReplyDeleteI heard someone talking about this book and I was interested then. I must see if I can buy it.
ReplyDeleteI've been keeping an eye on this one, so I found your review particularly interesting. Holocaust books are hard to read and I have been avoiding them for a while now, after reading a lot about WWII and the Holocaust when I was younger. They were hard to read then.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of the view from three entirely different stations in life. Holocaust books are hard but we must never forget. I will check this one out. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review. I put in a request at the library.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard about the the women's only camp. Reading is so educational and enlightening. - Margy
ReplyDeleteI've looked at this book a dozen times and passed. Now I will definitely pick it up. I watched a PBS series "A Place to Call Home" and the heroine had been two years at Ravensbruck. I had never heard of it before and read a good deal about it. One of their most heinous practices was to harness a woman to a giant stone wheel which she was forced to pull until she died of exhaustion. Painful reading but such an important part of history.
ReplyDeleteWow, this does sound like a great book club book. I loved ALL the Light We Cannot See.
ReplyDeleteA great review, dear Trout. Thank you so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteA similar book would be Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein, historical fiction set at women's concentration camp. I loved All the Light We Cannot See and this book sounds intriguing too. Thanks for sharing!
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