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A review by jenwestpfahl
Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly
4.0
This is a thoroughly researched piece of historical fiction about two real life women and one semi-fictional woman.
The strongest parts of the novel were about the experiences of Polish women during and after WWII, at the hands of the Nazis and then the Soviets, something I didn’t know much about. This includes descriptions of the sulfa experiments and of the women’s resilience and resistance.
The weakest parts of the novel were about Paul and Caroline. I understand Caroline as the thread that ties all the storylines together, but what does her (fictional) relationship with Paul have to do with the rest of the story? I guess it’s a way of showing Caroline’s motivation - that she becomes a caretaker to these women as a single, childless, heartbroken woman. But it seems like more time was spent on that relationship than needed for that purpose, especially if the relationship is not to come to any fruition.
The strongest parts of the novel were about the experiences of Polish women during and after WWII, at the hands of the Nazis and then the Soviets, something I didn’t know much about. This includes descriptions of the sulfa experiments and of the women’s resilience and resistance.
The weakest parts of the novel were about Paul and Caroline. I understand Caroline as the thread that ties all the storylines together, but what does her (fictional) relationship with Paul have to do with the rest of the story? I guess it’s a way of showing Caroline’s motivation - that she becomes a caretaker to these women as a single, childless, heartbroken woman. But it seems like more time was spent on that relationship than needed for that purpose, especially if the relationship is not to come to any fruition.