Reviews

Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris

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maddiea247's review against another edition

3.0

i think it's hard to rate these books. acknowledging that both the tattooist of Auschwitz and Cilka's journey are based off true stories inclines me to rate higher, but after reading some of the controversy surrounding the author's publishing of the books, i'm leaning towards rating lower. so we sit at a 3 star.
i think that despite the author claiming a clear distinction between what is factual and fictional, there isn't one, and so it does feel like the characters' experiences in Auschwitz and the Soviet prisons are romanticized and not taken as seriously.
i connected more to this book than to #1 because i feel Cilka's character was more developed than Lale's, but simply put i disagree with treating these terrible events without their due gravity, especially considering the family's desire to keep this book from being published and the denouncement from the Aushwitz memorial.
note, Cilka's Journey was on my book club list, and i hadn't read the tattooist of Auschwitz yet, so i read both.

marionberry314's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
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

3.75

leahcmorris's review against another edition

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dark inspiring sad tense 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

laurenisme's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective 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

5.0

kristinalh's review against another edition

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4.0

"Everyone affected by war, captivity, or oppression reacts differently-and away from it, people might try to guess how they would act, or react, in the circumstances. But they do not really know.

"They lift their glasses and toast, L'Chaim."

This was the sequel to The Tattooist of Auschwitz. It is Cilka's story, the harrowing lengths she went through in order to survive Auschwitz as well as the Vorkuta Gulag. It is a gut wrenching tale of survival and strength. The strength this woman had to keep on enduring the abuse, the secrets she had to keep, the sorrow and shame she felt. And the ending was perfect. I can't get enough of this series and am looking forward to reading the next book.