Reviews tagging 'Antisemitism'

Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris

42 reviews

kelly_e's review against another edition

emotional informative 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

3.25

Title: Cilka's Journey
Author: Heather Morris
Series: The Tattooist of Auschwitz, #2
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 3.25
Pub Date: October 1 2019

T H R E E • W O R D S

Heartbreaking • Triumphant • Well Researched

📖 S Y N O P S I S

At the age of sixteen, Cilka was sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. While there she catches the eye of one of the commandants and is given special living arrangements to ensure she's available to him as needed. Upon liberation, Cilka is charged with collaboration for sleeping with the enemy, and is sentenced to fifteen years in Siberian prison camp. Based on a true story, it is a story of survival and determination, of friendship and love in the face of such atrocities.

💭 T H O U G H T S

Having met Cilka in The Tattooist of Auschwitz, a book I absolutely loved, I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy of this book. It may have been my expectations but I felt a bit let down. I'll start out by saying Heather Morris' research of the Siberian Gulags was extremely well done. This is an aspect of WWII that I knew very little about, and I appreciate learning about it. Cilka's character is truly a strong and inspiring woman, her courage and determination in the face of such horrific circumstances are what makes this book emotional. However, I did feel myself questioning what was fiction and what wasn't, because throughout this book fact and fiction are weaved together.

With that said, the subject matter was compelling, but I felt as though the author faltered in the execution. There just wasn't anything that stood out for me. And at time it even felt as though the author was looking to add shock value. While I normally enjoy alternating timeline narratives, this one wasn't as strong for me.

Overall, Cilka's Journey was an unsettling and difficult read due to content, and I wanted to love it, but it ended up just being okay for me. This is a follow up to The Tattooist of Auschwitz however it could just as easily be read as a standalone.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• WWII historical fiction fans
• readers looking to learn about post-WWII camps

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"'Hannah,' Olga says sharply, 'finding a little hope in the darkness is not a weakness.'" 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Genocide, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Death, Grief, and Medical trauma

Minor: Addiction and Pregnancy

stillbirth

rhianafreeman's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad 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? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, and Antisemitism

bexh's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Medical content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, and Vomit

tdowner's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I first met Cilka in The Tatooist of Auschwitz.  As a prisoner at Auschwitz-Berkenau, she was "saved" from the gas chambers by one of the camp leaders who chose her as his concubine. When the camp was liberated by the Russian army, Cilka was tried and convicted as a Nazi collaborator because of this forced relationship, and sentenced to 15 years in a Siberian labor camp.  This book follows Cilka's journey to the camp, and her survival there, in conditions that were almost as brutal as the Nazi concentration camps. Cilka was pragmatic...do what you must to survive...but never lost her humanity as she built relationships with her fellow hut mates, and used what few privileges she earned to help them survive, too. 

Cilka's Journery, like The Tatooist, are fictional but based on real people and real events.  Cilka was a survivor of Auschwitz-Berkenau, and was imprisoned in Siberia. Some of the people she met in the book are real, some are compilations of people and some are fictional.  Likewise, the specific events are a mix of fact and extrapolation.  In the Afterword, Morris explains where she filled in missing details.  Her books are the result of personal interviews and research, and are a well written mix.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Antisemitism, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Rape

danni_chambers67's review against another edition

dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

I loved the book. It was emotional and inspiring. It was a look on the effect of WW2 and the holocaust that I hadn't ever read or personally heard about.

It was certainly heart-breaking hearing what she had to go through. And I thought the writer did really well job of portraying everything and making you feel for not only the main character but also many of the side characters. I thought it was wonderfully written.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Violence

Minor: Drug abuse

saramschacht's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Blood, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Medical content, Rape, and Sexual assault

nelia's review against another edition

inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism

Moderate: Rape and Genocide

lucys_library's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, and Violence

alomie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book is extremely sad, it's a fictionalised novel about the life of a real woman who. Survived Auschwitz as a young woman, but while there is raped and works for the Nazi's to keep herself alive, and then once liberated is sentenced to 10 years in a Russian Gulag for "sleeping with the enemy". 
It was tough to get through and I had to stop and come back several times, it's hardly believable. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Xenophobia, Violence, Trafficking, Torture, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexism, Self harm, Rape, Racism, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Medical content, Infertility, Hate crime, Genocide, Forced institutionalization, Death, Death of parent, Confinement, Cursing, and Antisemitism

waterbridge147's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Such a horrible and terrifying topic has been written so beautifully and respectfully. Very thought provoking 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Blood, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Grief, Hate crime, Medical content, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Torture