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corriejn's review against another edition
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Police brutality, Violence, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Torture, Medical trauma, Medical content, Murder, Antisemitism, Confinement, and Death
Moderate: Child death, Vomit, Death of parent, Self harm, and Rape
billcbentley's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Murder, War, Genocide, Death, Death of parent, and Torture
kiwi2745's review
challenging
dark
sad
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Torture
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Antisemitism, Xenophobia, Death, Death of parent, Rape, and Genocide
Minor: Animal death, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, and Self harm
emeister3's review against another edition
dark
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
If you watched “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” and you still want to cry over true-story-inspired WWII trauma, then this book is for you. I can’t say that it’s for me, per se - it was my book club’s pick this month. I can say the following:
The second half of the book is much better than the first. The first 50% of the book alternates between 3 different female POVs and, as a result, I kept pinging between 3 different feelings - boredom, sadness, and shock. It had me feeling so downtrodden that I didn’t want to finish it. However…these atrocities are a part of history. They happened to real humans and, tragically, were committed by real humans. And their stories deserve to be heard, then to never happen again. As Norman Cousins wrote, “…what is told here is not a glimpse into the bowels of an imaginary hell but part of our world.”
The second half of the book is much better than the first. The first 50% of the book alternates between 3 different female POVs and, as a result, I kept pinging between 3 different feelings - boredom, sadness, and shock. It had me feeling so downtrodden that I didn’t want to finish it. However…these atrocities are a part of history. They happened to real humans and, tragically, were committed by real humans. And their stories deserve to be heard, then to never happen again. As Norman Cousins wrote, “…what is told here is not a glimpse into the bowels of an imaginary hell but part of our world.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Hate crime, Antisemitism, Cursing, War, Death of parent, Death, and Genocide
Moderate: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Rape, Torture, Xenophobia, Sexual assault, and Suicide
Minor: Car accident, Rape, Medical content, Child abuse, Alcohol, Child death, Animal death, Cancer, Infidelity, Racism, Infertility, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Incest, Medical trauma, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Abortion
ariparip's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
There were unnecessary romantic subplot(s). I understand why the author wanted to use this device for one character (and she explained it in the author's note) but not the other; certain details felt like they detracted from the story and made a character less likable/relatable. In one instance it felt disrespectful. Having Caroline throw a months-long tantrum after her lover's presumed-dead Jewish wife showed up on the doorstep (of their marital home!) left a sour taste in my mouth. Would that be emotionally complex? Of course! But it was already difficult to relate to a socialite.
Even worse was having the Nazi doctor and a Polish prisoner have an implied queer moment, though I assume it was supposed to be one-sided. It just felt really disrespectful and as a queer Jewish reader with Polish ancestors that died in the Shoah it didn't sit right with me.
The weird anti-communism shoehorned in towards the end was also bizarre, especially considering how much of the Polish resistance was comprised of socialists and communists. Other than aaaall that lol the book was well-researched, with vivid descriptions and characters that were properly fleshed out rather than just copied from historical texts.
Even worse was having the Nazi doctor and a Polish prisoner have an implied queer moment, though I assume it was supposed to be one-sided. It just felt really disrespectful and as a queer Jewish reader with Polish ancestors that died in the Shoah it didn't sit right with me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, War, Self harm, Racism, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Genocide, Confinement, Death of parent, Violence, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Infertility, Torture, Pandemic/Epidemic, Rape, and Cancer
keeyoh's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Confinement, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Death, Grief, Deportation, Death of parent, and War
pagesfromhome's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This is a tough one to review because once again it is fictionalizing real people and real events, but since it was presented clearly as a novel, I went ahead and star-rated it based on simply the writing (not the events or people).
There were moments of this book that were completely shining and did an incredible job of transporting and teaching me, but unfortunately, so much of it read like the author had wanted to write a non-fiction book but instead wrote a fiction one. There were three POVs, all of which could have had a single book to themselves, and it spanned almost 20 years in these characters' lives (from just as WWII was starting to just before 1960), meaning that you had to fly through sections of their lives in mere sentences to try to get through it all. But it still felt like the story dragged through other sections so it was simultaneously fast and slow.
It also felt like every character was written with the same style and voice so, while the dialogue and how they literally spoke to other characters separated them, everything else just felt like it was written in the same, rather flat tone despite the vast differences between each character's experience and the use of first-person narration.
I think a story that only covered Caroline's or Kasia's lives would have been far more impactful, or even one dedicated to Herta's although she was despicable, would have been a more stable way to tackle the story of Ravensbruck. That said, this is a challenging story to take on and the author clearly took time and care to tell the story.
There were moments of this book that were completely shining and did an incredible job of transporting and teaching me, but unfortunately, so much of it read like the author had wanted to write a non-fiction book but instead wrote a fiction one. There were three POVs, all of which could have had a single book to themselves, and it spanned almost 20 years in these characters' lives (from just as WWII was starting to just before 1960), meaning that you had to fly through sections of their lives in mere sentences to try to get through it all. But it still felt like the story dragged through other sections so it was simultaneously fast and slow.
It also felt like every character was written with the same style and voice so, while the dialogue and how they literally spoke to other characters separated them, everything else just felt like it was written in the same, rather flat tone despite the vast differences between each character's experience and the use of first-person narration.
I think a story that only covered Caroline's or Kasia's lives would have been far more impactful, or even one dedicated to Herta's although she was despicable, would have been a more stable way to tackle the story of Ravensbruck. That said, this is a challenging story to take on and the author clearly took time and care to tell the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism, Death, War, Genocide, Medical trauma, and Death of parent
Moderate: Self harm and Rape
bookishauntie's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
I learned about a group of women, (The Rabbits), I'd never read or heard about before so that was interesting and disturbing.
I felt that the author tried a bit too hard to give the doctor a voice that one could empathize with although I read it as being someone who embraced the nazi ideology wholeheartedly. I found the perspective disturbing and wish it were simply not included.
Other than that it was an interesting read with interesting characters.
I felt that the author tried a bit too hard to give the doctor a voice that one could empathize with although I read it as being someone who embraced the nazi ideology wholeheartedly. I found the perspective disturbing and wish it were simply not included.
Other than that it was an interesting read with interesting characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Genocide, Torture, War, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, and Xenophobia
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
meg_elyse's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Body horror, Death, Genocide, Suicide attempt, Antisemitism, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Deportation
Moderate: Sexism, Racial slurs, Child death, Hate crime, Racism, Self harm, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Cancer, and Colonisation