Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris

46 reviews

jade_allkins's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, and Death of parent

edinaakerekes's review against another edition

emotional inspiring sad tense fast-paced

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

A very powerful story, beautifully integrated into fiction. Truly heart wrenching.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Torture, Vomit, Antisemitism, Grief, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and War

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.'" 

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Content Warnings

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

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

Minor: Addiction and Pregnancy

stillbirth

jamiejanae_6's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Medical content, Murder, and Pregnancy

nathanmcgarry's review against another edition

emotional sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse and Sexual assault

bexwalsh's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad medium-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Medical content, Grief, and Pregnancy

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

alvenb00's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

Heater Morris tells the amazing stories of survivors and she does a great job capturing the pain and reality of what happened during and after WWII.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Sexual harassment

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

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Content Warnings

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

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.

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Content Warnings

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

punnypenguin's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

I read this book cover to cover in less than 12 hours, it is so gripping. I highly recommend anything written by Heather Morris

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Infertility, Rape, and Violence

Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Gun violence, Self harm, Sexual assault, Vomit, and Suicide attempt