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4.32 AVERAGE
4.32 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
First thing I want to say is that when I rate these types of books I am not rating them the same way I would rate another book, such as a fantasy or a romance, because that is just not fair nor possible as the way these books are based on truth and are so heart-wrenching to get through, I am rating them on the writing style and the pacing as I feel that is the most just way to do it.
I have read Heather Morris' other book, The Tattooist of Auschwitz, and I read the entire thing in one sitting and was balling my eyes out. I was close to tears on multiple occasions reading this book and liked the aspect of life after Auschwitz and seeing options other than those who, after liberation, were able to start rebuilding their lives and lost connections, instead focusing on a more emotional story of a young girl being further punished for simply wanting to survive and I though the narrative was a very intriguing and informative notion. The only critical thing I have stuck in my mind with this book is that, as far as I am aware, Heather Morris was never able to sit and speak with Cilka, Cecelia, herself as she was with Lale and it just posed the question to me of is this a morally correct move to publish this book claiming to partly tell a woman's story when the woman herself was unable to in personal contribute to it or go over it? It just seems quite a grey area as there is only so far, I feel, that researching can get you when setting up the premise of this book, of Cilka's story and it's just something that makes me feel a little uneasy for Cilka's memory and her family as I am unaware of where they stand amongst this.
Other than that, I found the writing style easy to follow and understand, especially for me as someone with very little knowledge of these specific events in human history, but I did feel that the pacing felt a little off to me at times in terms of being quicker in some places than others which was just a little odd to read as I feel like certain elements of the narrative could have been expanded on.
All of this aside though, this was a very informative and intriguing book and gave me more insight, in a sense, of other versions of the liberation's aftermath that I was previously unaware of.
I have read Heather Morris' other book, The Tattooist of Auschwitz, and I read the entire thing in one sitting and was balling my eyes out. I was close to tears on multiple occasions reading this book and liked the aspect of life after Auschwitz and seeing options other than those who, after liberation, were able to start rebuilding their lives and lost connections, instead focusing on a more emotional story of a young girl being further punished for simply wanting to survive and I though the narrative was a very intriguing and informative notion. The only critical thing I have stuck in my mind with this book is that, as far as I am aware, Heather Morris was never able to sit and speak with Cilka, Cecelia, herself as she was with Lale and it just posed the question to me of is this a morally correct move to publish this book claiming to partly tell a woman's story when the woman herself was unable to in personal contribute to it or go over it? It just seems quite a grey area as there is only so far, I feel, that researching can get you when setting up the premise of this book, of Cilka's story and it's just something that makes me feel a little uneasy for Cilka's memory and her family as I am unaware of where they stand amongst this.
Other than that, I found the writing style easy to follow and understand, especially for me as someone with very little knowledge of these specific events in human history, but I did feel that the pacing felt a little off to me at times in terms of being quicker in some places than others which was just a little odd to read as I feel like certain elements of the narrative could have been expanded on.
All of this aside though, this was a very informative and intriguing book and gave me more insight, in a sense, of other versions of the liberation's aftermath that I was previously unaware of.
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
sad
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in late September.
Cilka's story continues (albeit with frequent flashbacks to events that occur in The Tattooist of Auschwitz) in this novelization/dramatization about the rest of her life. She is freed from Auschwitz at the end of WWII, then sent to a Siberian women’s prison on suspicion of espionage. Slowly, she assimilates with and slowly grows closer to the other inmates and uses her knowledge of languages to work in a doctor’s office.
Cilka's story continues (albeit with frequent flashbacks to events that occur in The Tattooist of Auschwitz) in this novelization/dramatization about the rest of her life. She is freed from Auschwitz at the end of WWII, then sent to a Siberian women’s prison on suspicion of espionage. Slowly, she assimilates with and slowly grows closer to the other inmates and uses her knowledge of languages to work in a doctor’s office.
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-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