When I first heard there was a sequel to The Tattooist of Auschwitz, I was both excited and nervous. The first story was so complete--how would you add to it? However, Cilka's Journey is more like a companion novel, instead of a sequel. Cilka is a minor character in the first novel, but this second novel is her complete story.
First, I enjoyed that her story took us to a new setting; I feel like it's becoming more common to review and write about the Soviet labor camps when writing WWII fiction. This story follows Cilka as she is liberated from the German concentration campus, only to be sentenced to a labor camp--all for doing what she had to to survive her first prison.
Cilka's Journey is heartbreaking at times, uplifting at others. But overall, it follows a woman as she continues to use her charm, wit, and smarts to survive and inspire others to do the same.
First, I enjoyed that her story took us to a new setting; I feel like it's becoming more common to review and write about the Soviet labor camps when writing WWII fiction. This story follows Cilka as she is liberated from the German concentration campus, only to be sentenced to a labor camp--all for doing what she had to to survive her first prison.
Cilka's Journey is heartbreaking at times, uplifting at others. But overall, it follows a woman as she continues to use her charm, wit, and smarts to survive and inspire others to do the same.