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nlyssy99's review
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Violence, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Rape, War, Medical trauma, Death, Forced institutionalization, Torture, Antisemitism, and Religious bigotry
tiffyb's review
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
4 stars(?)⭐️
This was a GOOD book! Everyone loves a WWII book, and this one was no exception. The writing was simple, not noticeable, but in a good way. It wasn’t eloquent but also wasn’t stilted. Scattered throughout were quotable truths and statements, words of inspiration and strength. The story itself causes you to wish you had a way to do something powerful and meaningful in the world. I loved that Lilac Girls brings to light some previously untold stories about the concentration camps and “the rabbits”. You could feel the author’s passion for sharing these rich and heartbreaking tales.
I would note that this book stares some brutal history in the face. It feels like it should come with a warning because there were at least three scenes that caused physical reactions in me.
The reasons Lilac Girls isn’t a five-star book for me are these- (a couple of spoilers included in these reasons)
1. Lilac girls slows down to a crawl about 65% through. I still was interested, but the story became progressively less compelling and slower paced after the war ends. One example of how slow it gets is a chapter around 90% that describes a wedding in great detail- the entire wedding party and what they all wore, all the traditions practiced during and after the ceremony, and everyone’s feelings. This was especially boring considering that the love story of the happy couple is entirely skipped over, and we literally know nothing about the groom (additionally, the book has already covered ANOTHER wedding, also in great detail. So the traditions are being repeated for a second time!!)
2. Dr. Greta. She simply isn’t written hatefully enough. You know that what she does is horrible, but she not a character that you truly dislike. She’s almost written as morally neutral. In the beginning, it seems that the author was aiming to humanize her and make her seem like a sympathetic character, but then we skip over her good-to-evil arc with little to no explanation of why she chose to stay and perform the killings and experiments. Furthermore, her narrative just petters out and never shows up again. I would have been interested to see how she experienced prison, why she was let go, how she started her new life, and her response to meeting Kasia. Im not sure of the author’s intention, but I don’t understand writing a truly evil character as neutral: either make a serious effort to show us why we should feel sympathy or else make them as evil as possible! And finish out her story if you’re going to have her as one of the narrators!
2. Caroline is SUCH an inspiring person, but her chapters are written in such a way that you occasionally wonder why she’s in the story until very close to the end. Her love story feels distracting at times, undermining who she was as a woman, and at other times just a bit flat. You don’t really understand why she makes ANY of the decisions she made in that relationship. Start to finish. In the same vein as my last point, it seemed that the author wasn’t sure what to do with the story- make Caroline lovesick, unfettered, and desperate; or upstanding, cold, and unmoveable? The author’s epilogue/postscript did a better job of showing Caroline’s incredible character than the entire book.
3. Most of Kasia’s decisions after escaping the concentration camp felt off. Again, was the author showing Kasia move on with her life and encourage others to do so, or was she having her be bogged down in fear and anger? I wondered why she stayed in Poland, especially with her dad and step mom, and also why she didn’t do anything to fight back if she was so angry. It feels that Kasia was maybe the literary combination of several real-life women.
When I finished the book, the authors note highlighted what was real and what wasn’t. It seemed to me that the parts based on the real story were the parts that were written well. The author’s passion was poured into those narratives, but the stories that were fiction seemed to be the areas of the book that dragged or didn’t click for me.
I think overall, the author of Lilac Girls is presenting a realistic view of people- some aren’t quite good or bad, some make decisions that aren’t logical, some waste their lives with anger they don’t act upon. This is why I didn’t rate the book lower in spite of spending much of the book slightly puzzled. But I do think the author could benefit from finding a way to make it clear that she is intentional with these nuances (meaning that I couldn’t tell for sure if she MEANT to write the stories this way).
Overall, Lilac Girls was a times painful and at times inspiring. I was riveted and I had no desire to do anything except return to reading until i finished. I learned so much and loved the sections at the end, telling the true history of these women (and I was also so touched that the author was able to tell the story that these women tried to tell themselves- and were ignored and turned away). Since I enjoyed reading it so much, I really can’t give it less than four stars, but I do find myself a bit hesitant to do so, given the reasons above.
((Also petty PS, but I hate the cover and it DOES NOT match what in contained inside!! I avoided this book for so long bc of it!!))
This was a GOOD book! Everyone loves a WWII book, and this one was no exception. The writing was simple, not noticeable, but in a good way. It wasn’t eloquent but also wasn’t stilted. Scattered throughout were quotable truths and statements, words of inspiration and strength. The story itself causes you to wish you had a way to do something powerful and meaningful in the world. I loved that Lilac Girls brings to light some previously untold stories about the concentration camps and “the rabbits”. You could feel the author’s passion for sharing these rich and heartbreaking tales.
I would note that this book stares some brutal history in the face. It feels like it should come with a warning because there were at least three scenes that caused physical reactions in me.
The reasons Lilac Girls isn’t a five-star book for me are these- (a couple of spoilers included in these reasons)
1. Lilac girls slows down to a crawl about 65% through. I still was interested, but the story became progressively less compelling and slower paced after the war ends. One example of how slow it gets is a chapter around 90% that describes a wedding in great detail- the entire wedding party and what they all wore, all the traditions practiced during and after the ceremony, and everyone’s feelings. This was especially boring considering that the love story of the happy couple is entirely skipped over, and we literally know nothing about the groom (additionally, the book has already covered ANOTHER wedding, also in great detail. So the traditions are being repeated for a second time!!)
2. Dr. Greta. She simply isn’t written hatefully enough. You know that what she does is horrible, but she not a character that you truly dislike. She’s almost written as morally neutral. In the beginning, it seems that the author was aiming to humanize her and make her seem like a sympathetic character, but then we skip over her good-to-evil arc with little to no explanation of why she chose to stay and perform the killings and experiments. Furthermore, her narrative just petters out and never shows up again. I would have been interested to see how she experienced prison, why she was let go, how she started her new life, and her response to meeting Kasia. Im not sure of the author’s intention, but I don’t understand writing a truly evil character as neutral: either make a serious effort to show us why we should feel sympathy or else make them as evil as possible! And finish out her story if you’re going to have her as one of the narrators!
2. Caroline is SUCH an inspiring person, but her chapters are written in such a way that you occasionally wonder why she’s in the story until very close to the end. Her love story feels distracting at times, undermining who she was as a woman, and at other times just a bit flat. You don’t really understand why she makes ANY of the decisions she made in that relationship. Start to finish. In the same vein as my last point, it seemed that the author wasn’t sure what to do with the story- make Caroline lovesick, unfettered, and desperate; or upstanding, cold, and unmoveable? The author’s epilogue/postscript did a better job of showing Caroline’s incredible character than the entire book.
3. Most of Kasia’s decisions after escaping the concentration camp felt off. Again, was the author showing Kasia move on with her life and encourage others to do so, or was she having her be bogged down in fear and anger? I wondered why she stayed in Poland, especially with her dad and step mom, and also why she didn’t do anything to fight back if she was so angry. It feels that Kasia was maybe the literary combination of several real-life women.
When I finished the book, the authors note highlighted what was real and what wasn’t. It seemed to me that the parts based on the real story were the parts that were written well. The author’s passion was poured into those narratives, but the stories that were fiction seemed to be the areas of the book that dragged or didn’t click for me.
I think overall, the author of Lilac Girls is presenting a realistic view of people- some aren’t quite good or bad, some make decisions that aren’t logical, some waste their lives with anger they don’t act upon. This is why I didn’t rate the book lower in spite of spending much of the book slightly puzzled. But I do think the author could benefit from finding a way to make it clear that she is intentional with these nuances (meaning that I couldn’t tell for sure if she MEANT to write the stories this way).
Overall, Lilac Girls was a times painful and at times inspiring. I was riveted and I had no desire to do anything except return to reading until i finished. I learned so much and loved the sections at the end, telling the true history of these women (and I was also so touched that the author was able to tell the story that these women tried to tell themselves- and were ignored and turned away). Since I enjoyed reading it so much, I really can’t give it less than four stars, but I do find myself a bit hesitant to do so, given the reasons above.
((Also petty PS, but I hate the cover and it DOES NOT match what in contained inside!! I avoided this book for so long bc of it!!))
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism, Death, Death of parent, Racism, Medical content, Murder, Rape, Confinement, Deportation, Excrement, Genocide, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Violence, and War
jdonner's review
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Racial slurs, Rape, Gore, Murder, Torture, Death, Medical content, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Medical trauma, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Genocide, Hate crime, Kidnapping, and Slavery
bethsbooketlist's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 - I needed a book to get me out this slump I have found myself in, and boy WHAT A BOOK! Devoured in 48 hours, I was hooked by this historical fiction epic circling around three women and their experiences of WW2 - two of them real people. Their stories could not be more different, and I was especially interested in the perspective of Herta Oberheuser, camp doctor of Ravensbrück. I have heard stories from many survivors but not from the other side, and her perspective just fascinated me in how she could show such plausible deniability. The writing was emotional and raw, and sucked me in completely from page one. The plot flicking between New York, Lublin and Ravensbrück kept you on your toes and added variety - I was intrigued how these stories would eventually connect but it was done incredibly well. Overall, I adored this book that's been on my TBR for so long, and I can't wait to read more from Kelly
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Violence, War, Genocide, Murder, and Slavery
Moderate: Cancer
beabates's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Torture, Child death, Death of parent, Animal death, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Racial slurs, Murder, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Hate crime, Infertility, War, Xenophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Miscarriage, Death, Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Cancer, Antisemitism, Grief, and Genocide
claudiamacpherson's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Based on the true story of the “rabbits” of Ravensbruck, this book followed the alternately heartbreaking and inspiring story of three women during and after the Second World War. Caroline Farraday is a wealthy New York socialite working for the French embassy and dating a married French opera singer. Kasia Kuzmerick is a teenager in Poland who decides to join the Polish resistance movement. Herta Oberheuser is a rare female doctor, and when she struggles to find a practice willing to take on a woman, she decides to respond to a posting at a government facility—Ravensbruck. The lives of the three women weave together as the war puts them in situations they could never have imagined.
A few years ago, I visited Auschwitz, one of the largest concentration camps from WWII. It was not (and should not be) an enjoyable visit, but it feels important to go and witness the place where such atrocities were committed, to mourn those who suffered and were killed there. Similarly, this story felt important to read and understand. I have trouble reading stories with graphic violence and cruelty, but I am glad to know the story of the women upon whom the Nazis performed their experiments. It is not a story I have read about or seen in movies or TV shows before. One of the reasons I love historical fiction, particularly when it focuses on women’s lives, is because they are often overlooked or seen as less important in the face of other, “bigger” historical catastrophes. If you have any interest in this period of history, I think this book did a great job of telling the story, especially because it did not end with the end of the war but continued, following the journeys of the three women and how their lives were affected.
Happy ending meter (no specific spoilers, just the vibe of the ending): I don’t know that a story like this could ever be said to have a happy ending, but this ending is probably about as close as it gets. It was inspiring and, for the most part, very cathartic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Antisemitism, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Medical content, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Torture, Violence, Vomit, and Xenophobia
Minor: Ableism, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Cancer, and Panic attacks/disorders
soshereads_'s review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism, Torture, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Antisemitism, Child death, Slavery, Sexual assault, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Physical abuse, Murder, Medical trauma, Medical content, Gun violence, and Genocide
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