Reviews with content warning for Deportation - The Tattooist of Auschwitz

Reviews tagging 'Deportation'

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

27 reviews

writer_in_the_dark's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

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

Since this is a book based on a true story, I will not give it a rating and rate the characters. However, in terms of writing style, there was a huge scope for improvement. While the premise had potential, I wish that it had been handled by an author with a penchant for both historical accuracy (I've read about the controversies surrounding this book) and moving readers through mere words.

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vedpears's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

Echoing other reviews of low rating, the characters have nearly zero personality and the book is written in such a way that it is rushed and lacking in the prose department. A novel should immerse you in the moments and happenings. This book didn't explain why this all came to be and glosses over what was happening at the facilities to instead make this a romance novel. A ROMANCE NOVEL. SET IN AUCHSWITZ. This felt more like a PowerPoint presentation on paper that missed the point.

I understand that this was a retelling of what she was told by the real-life Lale. I suspect the 80 year old didn't have the most reliable memory and his stories morphed over time to become more tolerable for himself to recall. The treasure troves of jewels and having enough chocolate to share on multiple occasions was very unbelievable and credibility was shaken from it.

That being said, it is a quick-paced read and I do feel bad for the people who had to live this. I was hopeful for a miraculous outcome for certain people because of what I know from outside this book. Unfortunately, the author did a poor job bringing depth to most characters presented and seemingly a poor job doing basic research beforehand.

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ashybear02's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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angelofthetardis's review

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challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-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? No

3.5

I've been meaning to read this one for a while, and was finally prompted to do so by Holocaust Memorial Day, and that I keep seeing people reviewing in on The Book Hangout Spot. This is based on the true story of Lale Solokov, with the author having spent a lot of time getting to know him and his story intimately before his death in 2006.

The whole thing is very sensitively portrayed; while it doesn't shy away from the horror of the camps, nor does it go into gratuitous detail or overload you with the myriad of despicable and disgusting actions that were taken by the guards. When these scenes do occur, it feels like a very matter of fact, simple recounting of events, and yet the emotion comes from the reaction of our protagonist. You feel what he feels, rather than the overall debilitating defeat of the camp population.

I think I would have preferred the story to have been told more as a non-fiction biography than in novel form; it is truly fascinating to me how people managed to hold on to hope while in these places, and Lale's story is a prime example of this. However, where it is on my fiction shelf and is 'based on' true events, it naturally begs the question, just how much is fictionalised? Just the day to day interactions? Or are some of the key moments inventions? There are a few things that may well be factual, but are in the 'stranger than fiction' category, so I'd have liked some straight answers!

Something I found slightly difficult to place was the food situation. Again, I'm sure it's based on Lale's experiences and so I don't doubt its veracity, but the ready availability of chocolate, sausages, nylons etc to be traded for jewels snuck out of Canada just seems so at odds with the accepted wisdom of the period (although I am probably basing that on my knowledge of British rationing - I have no idea about the German/Polish equivalent, or even if there was one!). The fact that Lale just happens to get to talk to a person who can seemingly magic up anything he requests... I'm intrigued more than anything else!

I feel that perhaps the writing style 'softens the blow' of the extreme situation somewhat. While it is beautifully written and very easy to read despite the subject matter, it only feels like it skims the surface of Lale's experiences to tell the tale the author envisions, rather than the full story.

Definitely worth a read, but I'm just not getting the same 'wow' factor that everyone else seems to, which is a shame.

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