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4.32 AVERAGE
4.32 AVERAGE
Such a heartbreaking story. I'm happy she got out and got to marry her husband
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
emotional
informative
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Cilka's Journey is the sequel to The Tattooist of Auschwitz and a continuation of the horrific story of the evils people endured during and after the Holocaust. While this is historical fiction, the book is based on the real life of Cecília Kováčová.
Heather Morris, you have done it again!!! You have written a beautifully passionate, moving and powerful book showcasing an evil by the Nazi's and later the Soviet Union we will never understand in our lifetime and a courage and bravery by the men and woman and kids in those camps and prisons to survive. It's a story we should never forget.
I thought her first book was brilliant. Morris writes about jobs and decisions Jewish people had to do just to live to see another day. In Cilka's Journey, she alternates between three different timelines to weave Cilka's story, her journey together. We get to see a glimpse of what Cilka's life was like before she was taken to the concentration camp, her time at Birkenau and then her time at the labor camp in Siberia. Cilka was unfairly sentenced for war crimes while at the concentration camp. She was 16 years old and had no choice in the activities she was forced to do. Yet she paid the price in more than one way - from the loss of her family, to the end of her childhood and innocence to extreme survivor's guilt.
I had often heard of survivors never wanting to talk about their experiences or tell their story and never really knew why. While I understand these two books are works of fiction based on true stories, they paint a very realistic picture why that is. I had a hard enough time reading the horrible atrocities these people endured, much less be able to tell someone about it without hysterically crying. The horror, the pain. I just can't even put it into words. It makes you question humanity. These are stories we need to read and understand this happened in history. Real people endured and survived this. Real people had to make extreme sacrifices and hard decisions just to get food to eat, air to breathe and the ability to see tomorrow. Real people lost their families in the most horrific ways we could ever imagine, and many never found out what did happen to their loved ones.
It's an extraordinary story about an extraordinary woman. Cilka found strength and bravery inside her to live even when she had nothing left. While we don't know how much of this story is the true part of Cilka's real journey, I am in awe of her. War brings out the best and the worst in people. And Cilka's ability, even at 16, to continue to see good somehow inspite of being in a real life version of hell is simply inspirational.
This book, as in the first book, will have you questioning what would you have done in her shoes? But more importantly, none of us have a right to judge any of the decisions, choices or sacrifices these people were forced to make. It's a powerful and thought provoking book.
Both of her books can be read as stand alone books, but I encourage you to read them together. These are excellent choices for book clubs, and I hope someone picks up the movie rights to these. Additionally, I hope Heather Morris will continue on with this story.
My thanks to Heather Morris, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Heather Morris, you have done it again!!! You have written a beautifully passionate, moving and powerful book showcasing an evil by the Nazi's and later the Soviet Union we will never understand in our lifetime and a courage and bravery by the men and woman and kids in those camps and prisons to survive. It's a story we should never forget.
I thought her first book was brilliant. Morris writes about jobs and decisions Jewish people had to do just to live to see another day. In Cilka's Journey, she alternates between three different timelines to weave Cilka's story, her journey together. We get to see a glimpse of what Cilka's life was like before she was taken to the concentration camp, her time at Birkenau and then her time at the labor camp in Siberia. Cilka was unfairly sentenced for war crimes while at the concentration camp. She was 16 years old and had no choice in the activities she was forced to do. Yet she paid the price in more than one way - from the loss of her family, to the end of her childhood and innocence to extreme survivor's guilt.
I had often heard of survivors never wanting to talk about their experiences or tell their story and never really knew why. While I understand these two books are works of fiction based on true stories, they paint a very realistic picture why that is. I had a hard enough time reading the horrible atrocities these people endured, much less be able to tell someone about it without hysterically crying. The horror, the pain. I just can't even put it into words. It makes you question humanity. These are stories we need to read and understand this happened in history. Real people endured and survived this. Real people had to make extreme sacrifices and hard decisions just to get food to eat, air to breathe and the ability to see tomorrow. Real people lost their families in the most horrific ways we could ever imagine, and many never found out what did happen to their loved ones.
It's an extraordinary story about an extraordinary woman. Cilka found strength and bravery inside her to live even when she had nothing left. While we don't know how much of this story is the true part of Cilka's real journey, I am in awe of her. War brings out the best and the worst in people. And Cilka's ability, even at 16, to continue to see good somehow inspite of being in a real life version of hell is simply inspirational.
This book, as in the first book, will have you questioning what would you have done in her shoes? But more importantly, none of us have a right to judge any of the decisions, choices or sacrifices these people were forced to make. It's a powerful and thought provoking book.
Both of her books can be read as stand alone books, but I encourage you to read them together. These are excellent choices for book clubs, and I hope someone picks up the movie rights to these. Additionally, I hope Heather Morris will continue on with this story.
My thanks to Heather Morris, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
medium-paced
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Great follow-up to The Tatooist of Auschwitz! Learned more about Cilka and her terrible journey through Auschwitz and beyond.