Wow.
Ok, backstory: My book club read The Tattooist of Auschwitz back in April and it inspired quite a bit of discussion. It was generally agreed that the book was well written and fascinating and inspired a desire to learn more about the key players in the book. There was some dissension because of the creative license that the author took with this generally true story, although that didn't bother me because it was marketed as fiction. There were also the rumblings: But what happened to Cilka?! More than a few of us tried to find out what happened to her - a small blurb at the end mentioned that she'd been imprisoned, but little else was said.
Fast forward a few months and imagine my surprise when I learned that her story would be continued - and shortly after that, learning that I won an ARC of the new book! I couldn't wait to read this book and I tore into it as soon as I got it.
All the things that I loved about The Tattooist of Auschwitz are here: it's well written, engaging, highly readable. The characters come to life and you can feel their experiences as if they are happening to you and your friends. It made me want to learn more about this bit of history in particular - there are tons of books out there about WWII experiences, but this is the first I'd heard of the Siberian prisons. I had no clue that these were things that some of the Jewish people continued to experience after the horrors of the war. That was another thing that I loved - it was an entertaining (I hate to use that word about this topic, though) book that taught me something I didn't know, that made me want to learn more. I found Cilka just as fascinating and inspiring as I did in the first book and I was so glad to continue following her story. I recently heard an author speak about writing historical fiction and she described how the research she carried out for her initial book instructed the books that followed - each topic revealed itself as her next tale. I am so glad that Cilka revealed herself to Morris during the writing of her previous novel. It is unfortunate that she did not survive to discover how much her story would inspire readers.
Having said all that: if you had issues with the first book in this series, you will likely have the same issues here. The author clearly states that this is a fictionalized version of events, and might arguably be even more so than in The Tattooist. Again, since Morris is so clear about that fact, I don't mind it at all, but word of warning since it was an issue for some people I know the first time around.
Thanks to Bookish for the ARC! One of my happiest wins!
Ok, backstory: My book club read The Tattooist of Auschwitz back in April and it inspired quite a bit of discussion. It was generally agreed that the book was well written and fascinating and inspired a desire to learn more about the key players in the book. There was some dissension because of the creative license that the author took with this generally true story, although that didn't bother me because it was marketed as fiction. There were also the rumblings: But what happened to Cilka?! More than a few of us tried to find out what happened to her - a small blurb at the end mentioned that she'd been imprisoned, but little else was said.
Fast forward a few months and imagine my surprise when I learned that her story would be continued - and shortly after that, learning that I won an ARC of the new book! I couldn't wait to read this book and I tore into it as soon as I got it.
All the things that I loved about The Tattooist of Auschwitz are here: it's well written, engaging, highly readable. The characters come to life and you can feel their experiences as if they are happening to you and your friends. It made me want to learn more about this bit of history in particular - there are tons of books out there about WWII experiences, but this is the first I'd heard of the Siberian prisons. I had no clue that these were things that some of the Jewish people continued to experience after the horrors of the war. That was another thing that I loved - it was an entertaining (I hate to use that word about this topic, though) book that taught me something I didn't know, that made me want to learn more. I found Cilka just as fascinating and inspiring as I did in the first book and I was so glad to continue following her story. I recently heard an author speak about writing historical fiction and she described how the research she carried out for her initial book instructed the books that followed - each topic revealed itself as her next tale. I am so glad that Cilka revealed herself to Morris during the writing of her previous novel. It is unfortunate that she did not survive to discover how much her story would inspire readers.
Having said all that: if you had issues with the first book in this series, you will likely have the same issues here. The author clearly states that this is a fictionalized version of events, and might arguably be even more so than in The Tattooist. Again, since Morris is so clear about that fact, I don't mind it at all, but word of warning since it was an issue for some people I know the first time around.
Thanks to Bookish for the ARC! One of my happiest wins!