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A review by ashdawn
Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This one was hard to rate, but I decided to go ahead and give it a 4⭐ because overall, I enjoyed it and it will stay with me longer than other books I've read this year. And does involve some spoilers
What it did well:
- It's very well written, and done in a way that stands out and is memorable (which is really hard to do with WW2 novels, since so much has been written about it). It dives into the atrocities and emotions, which is what makes it memorable and haunting.
- There is discussion on a lot of WW2 that most authors are not brave enough to touch, like the Nazi medical experiments and trials.
- A good portion of the book takes place after the war has ended, and the recovery/life goes on/PTSD. That's not something I see often but needs to be talked about more.
But:
- I really only liked the characters on ONE of the three stories being told simultaneously.
- Herta's rape, and the rape she witnessed, were graphic. But they seemed more written to try to get the reader to have pitty for her than actually contributing to the story.....or as fan service as a pre-karma for her actions as a Nazi doctor, and it just felt really gross and unnecessary.
- Caroline seems like she was written just to break up the atrocities of war, and wasn't really motivating or interesting.
- The multiple story lines that rush to converge at the end and tie everything together felt really messy.
What it did well:
- It's very well written, and done in a way that stands out and is memorable (which is really hard to do with WW2 novels, since so much has been written about it). It dives into the atrocities and emotions, which is what makes it memorable and haunting.
- There is discussion on a lot of WW2 that most authors are not brave enough to touch, like the Nazi medical experiments and trials.
- A good portion of the book takes place after the war has ended, and the recovery/life goes on/PTSD. That's not something I see often but needs to be talked about more.
But:
- I really only liked the characters on ONE of the three stories being told simultaneously.
- Herta's rape, and the rape she witnessed, were graphic. But they seemed more written to try to get the reader to have pitty for her than actually contributing to the story.....or as fan service as a pre-karma for her actions as a Nazi doctor, and it just felt really gross and unnecessary.
- Caroline seems like she was written just to break up the atrocities of war, and wasn't really motivating or interesting.
- The multiple story lines that rush to converge at the end and tie everything together felt really messy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Medical trauma, Death of parent, War
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Self harm, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Deportation