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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
I enjoy historical fiction and this book was divided into 3 parts, Henryk, his daughter Miriam and letters written to Henryk by someone named Frieda. The sections with Miriam weren't as strong as the sections with the letters from Miriam describing her time in the concentration camp nor Henryk's telling of his life prior to the war. I thought the story was pretty good but found that i wished the Miriam would stand up for herself more and that she wouldn't let her husband take advantage of her.
Trigger warnings for sexual assault, self-harm, violence, childbirth, miscarriage, domestic abuse.
A beautiful yet tragic book about the concentration camps during the second world war. Set in 1989, when the Berlin wall is being torn down, Miriam finds letters hidden amongst her parent's belongings; letters written from a woman in the Ravensbruck concentration camp. Her father is dying and she is desperate to translate and unravel the letters and find out what happened to their author before her father dies.
A beautiful yet tragic book about the concentration camps during the second world war. Set in 1989, when the Berlin wall is being torn down, Miriam finds letters hidden amongst her parent's belongings; letters written from a woman in the Ravensbruck concentration camp. Her father is dying and she is desperate to translate and unravel the letters and find out what happened to their author before her father dies.
I typically love dual timeline historical fiction but unfortuately this one didn't really work for me.
We follow Miriam in 1989 as the Berlin Wall comes down. When she returns home to see her dying father, Miriam discovers that he had been a prisioner in Auschwitz and she finds letters written by a woman in Ravensbrück, a women's concentration camp. The second story line follows her father and this mystery woman, Frieda, during the war.
It was evident that the author spent a lot of time researching Ravensbrück - I was listening to a nonfiction book about Ravensbrück at the same time I was reading "The Rabbit Girls" and her historical account of life in the camp was spot on. She included information that I hadn't read in other fiction books about Ravensbrück before, and I always appreciate a different take on a story.
The 1989 storyline read more as a psychological thriller and I found myself wondering which story our author wanted to tell. I think I could have really loved the WWII storyline, had I not constantly been pulled out into this second convuluted story. I also think I could have appreciated Miriam's story more, had I not been so eager to get back to Henryk and Frieda. I found myself skimming through Miriam's sections, and even put the book down for a few days before finally coming back to it. I did have to see how Frieda's story ended!
We follow Miriam in 1989 as the Berlin Wall comes down. When she returns home to see her dying father, Miriam discovers that he had been a prisioner in Auschwitz and she finds letters written by a woman in Ravensbrück, a women's concentration camp. The second story line follows her father and this mystery woman, Frieda, during the war.
It was evident that the author spent a lot of time researching Ravensbrück - I was listening to a nonfiction book about Ravensbrück at the same time I was reading "The Rabbit Girls" and her historical account of life in the camp was spot on. She included information that I hadn't read in other fiction books about Ravensbrück before, and I always appreciate a different take on a story.
The 1989 storyline read more as a psychological thriller and I found myself wondering which story our author wanted to tell. I think I could have really loved the WWII storyline, had I not constantly been pulled out into this second convuluted story. I also think I could have appreciated Miriam's story more, had I not been so eager to get back to Henryk and Frieda. I found myself skimming through Miriam's sections, and even put the book down for a few days before finally coming back to it. I did have to see how Frieda's story ended!
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry
I chose this book for my August Amazon prime first reads.
At first I found it very difficult to get into as it was quite slow and not really what I expected. The only reason I stuck with it was due to the reviews on Goodreads.
I very quickly changed my mind. The book is one that is hauntingly beautiful. The reader is introduced to two amazing stories one of Henryk and Frieda's love and the other to Miriam's awful marriage.
I found at times I no longer wanted to read the book as the descriptions felt so real. I think this book is not one I will easily forget.
At first I found it very difficult to get into as it was quite slow and not really what I expected. The only reason I stuck with it was due to the reviews on Goodreads.
I very quickly changed my mind. The book is one that is hauntingly beautiful. The reader is introduced to two amazing stories one of Henryk and Frieda's love and the other to Miriam's awful marriage.
I found at times I no longer wanted to read the book as the descriptions felt so real. I think this book is not one I will easily forget.
I was totally mesmerized by this book. The stories within are not something I normally pick up... domestic abuse, mental health, the Holocaust, love stories. Each was fabulous.
The biggest complaint I see on this book was that it did not include enough of the Rabbit Girls. Which I can agree with. The main story was really Miriam's. Though her story was not bad, it was not the most enjoyable of those within and the title is misleading. Again, not complaining. She was great too and really shed light on some heavy topics. Her mental health decline and self-power rise was beautiful. She gathered strength from the strength within the letters and I find that endearing. She really found her female power with the help of those who loved her and she loved back, Henryk, Eva, her mother's memory, and Frieda's letters. Destroy those demons, girl!
The letters and stories from Frieda in the camps were defiantly my favorite part. They were poetic and told a dark dark story. How awful. There are no words that truly shape the horror. The love between Henryk and Freida kept Freida going, that was a cute touch.
Overall it was a great change of pace for me in what I normally read and entertaining. More letters and more Rabbit Girls for sure! Hani too!
The biggest complaint I see on this book was that it did not include enough of the Rabbit Girls. Which I can agree with. The main story was really Miriam's. Though her story was not bad, it was not the most enjoyable of those within and the title is misleading. Again, not complaining. She was great too and really shed light on some heavy topics. Her mental health decline and self-power rise was beautiful. She gathered strength from the strength within the letters and I find that endearing. She really found her female power with the help of those who loved her and she loved back, Henryk, Eva, her mother's memory, and Frieda's letters. Destroy those demons, girl!
The letters and stories from Frieda in the camps were defiantly my favorite part. They were poetic and told a dark dark story. How awful. There are no words that truly shape the horror. The love between Henryk and Freida kept Freida going, that was a cute touch.
Overall it was a great change of pace for me in what I normally read and entertaining. More letters and more Rabbit Girls for sure! Hani too!
I loved this book. I think the author did a great job of winding various themes and timeframes together into a cohesive story. There are lots of flashbacks to WW2, the aftermath, and 1989 Berlin as the wall is coming down.
I loved just about everything about it, and the skill of the author is obvious to me.
I loved just about everything about it, and the skill of the author is obvious to me.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I rather did not enjoy this book. At first, I was excited to read this book because "uncovering family truth" type plot. I liked reading Frieda's letters from the past, though they were quite dark and graphic, which, to be fair, should be expected. However, as the book progressed, it turned more into Miriam's story than Freida and Heinrich's. I did not enjoy hearing about Miriam's troubles with her abusive husband and thought it took too much presence in the story. While it did take place in the past, this book felt more contemporary(?) than historical fiction. I did like Heinrich's character, but I did find the whole thing with Freida troubling. Overall, the characters were very irritating and I felt like the book had an interesting idea, but instead touched more on a topic that I was less interested in reading about. I'm glad I read this book, and there were parts that I enjoyed, such as the author's snippets of wisdom and imagery in the writing. But in the end, I was happy to have finished it. Oh, and a content warning at the beginning of the book could have been nice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gore, Miscarriage, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief
The Rabbit Girls was heartbreaking yet a beautifully told from the very beginning. It is told in multiple perspectives and helps the story move along at a great pace. You get perspectives from Henryk as hes living through World War 2, Miriam in present time as she is taking care of Henryk, and letters from Frieda about her time in the concentration camps. My favorite part of the story was definitely Frieda's letters. When you realize that these events that were happening during this time actually happened in real life it really puts the purpose of this story into perspective. It shows how much research Anna Ellory has put into this story. The only thing that slowed down the pace of the story for me were Henryk's chapters. I just felt like they were missing something and his story could have been more meaningful. And of course that end plot twist should be everyone's motivation to finish this story because I definitely wasn't expecting that surprise! All in all this book was important to read and should be in every historical fiction lovers TBRs.
I received this copy from net galley for review. #netgalley #therabbitgirls
I received this copy from net galley for review. #netgalley #therabbitgirls
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated