The author keeps the pace up and she never lingers too long on any one scene. This helps the reader as some of the issues Cilka faces are graphic and disturbing. If i was rating this book on the morals of this author i would give it one star. If i was rating this book on what people endured during the holocaust and the years afterwards I would give it five stars. I am therefore giving this book three stars. Cilka was only 16 years old when she was taken to Auschwitz Concentration Camp. She grew fast and her instincts told her there were two choices for her: to let them do whatever they wanted to her body or to die. She chose to survive and paid it her sacrifice being judged as prostitute who was sleeping with enemy. And her knowledge of more than three languages helped them convict her as a spy.

I didn’t hear you... One man, several men … how many different men have raped you since we’ve been here?” She then becomes a nurse and has a little bit of freedom. She begins to tend to the ill in the camp, struggling to care for them under brutal conditions. Of course, people whose relatives were shot, beaten, raped, hung, disappeared would see enemies everywhere, even in little starved girls who happened to have a German (not necessarily Jewish) family name - Klein - and knew how to speak German and were reported to have been 'consorting' (what an ugly word!) with the hated Nazi death camp supervisors.

I don’t know what love is. If I was to allow myself to fall in love with someone, I would have to believe there was a future. And there isn’t.” (c) I'm pleased that I took a chance reading/listening to Cilka's Journey. This was a most enjoyable and unique story in the historical fiction genre! Many people were involved in the functioning of the concentration camps. But I think Josef Mengele was the worst person among them. He was also known as Angel of Death. Considering "The Tattooist of Auschwitz" is a harrowing true story, it was truly compelling and utterly unputdownable. It's without a doubt one of only a few books that will stay with me a very long time, it's that unforgettable and one that keeps you thinking about the story well after you've put it down. Cilka ends up in another place where power is essential for survival. She wonders how she can possibly go on. There are times when the despair overwhelms her, but there is a fire inside her that helps her to keep going.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz" by Heather Morris is based upon the harrowing experiences of Lale Sokolov in Auschwitz and Birkenau. The chilling accounts of total disregard for life are occasionally tempered by selfless goodness and sacrifice without which Lale and Gita's love story could not have been told. This slim tome documents less familiar aspects of Holocaust literature. A must read. The narrative was incredibly tense because death was never far away. All it took was one annoyed guard to raise his rifle and pull his trigger, and that’s it: it’s all over. Death came randomly. There was no system, just merciless killing at the whim of the oppressors. Doctor Mendel (Doctor Death) was the best example. He was an evil man, cold and fear inducing. Whenever he entered a scene the trepidation of the characters was palpable. It’s like the temperature dropped. Morris did wonders to capture the presence of such a callous man. A vivid, harrowing, and ultimately hopeful re-creation of Lale Sokolov's experiences as the man who tattooed the arms of thousands of prisoners with what would become one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust, The Tattooist of Auschwitz is also a testament to the endurance of love and humanity under the darkest possible conditions.Lale was obviously a charming rogue who managed to survive all those years in Auschwitz despite bringing himself to the attention of the authorities repeatedly and in very serious ways. It was amazing that a life long love affair could have begun in such a place, and even more amazing that they both survived and found each other again after the war. Obviously it was meant to be. Yes, it’s just what happens here. It’s what happened there to me. I was kept hidden away so the officers would not be seen to be polluting themselves. Do you know what that is like? For you and your family and friends, your whole race, to be treated like animals for slaughter?” (c) Again, as she has experienced over and over in her young life, she finds herself with two choices, one, the narrow path opening up in front of her, the other, death." The story is devastating in the horrors humans inflict on other humans. Despite it all, it does end up with a sense of hope that all is not lost. This is an emotional tale which gives a glimpse into one woman's life and experiences in both Auschwitz and a Siberian Labor Camp. The cold and snow also become characters in this desolate landscape where the only warmth comes from the close friendships the characters have with others.

star - glossed over Nazis, embellished Soviets. I seriously dislike that on principle. I know that's the new fashion. And I can't help wondering for what purpose the Overton's window technique is being used to make the Nazis into the new superheroes and the Red Army into the antiheroes. A thinking person can't help asking 'For what end?' Who benefits from retrospective review of the WW2 now, today, in 2019, more than half a century after the war against Nazis was won by the Soviet union?I felt so sad for Cilka, and everything she went through. I also felt sad for Leon. There are some scenes that are graphic but this is the Holocaust, a horrifying time and as I mentioned before this is a safer read than other Holocaust books.

I received a copy of this book from Bonner Publishing Australia and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. A huge thank you goes out to St. Martin’s Press for sending me a galley of this novel to cherish always. I had not known about these Siberian prison camps prior to reading this novel. I was devastated to learn that these dreadful prison camps continued existing after the liberation of Auschwitz. The charges that Cilka faced were so extremely unjust. Had Cilka denied the commandant what he requested, she would have been killed. What other option did she have? My mind was spinning with this situation throughout the entire novel. What options did these prisoners have other than to accept what was demanded of them? Unfortunately, as much as I wanted to love this book, it fell quite short for me. Perhaps it was the expectation I always harbor for a book about the Holocaust, or perhaps the book contained things that I just had a hard time believing. I wasnt overly surprised to then read that book had already drawn stinging condemnation from the Auschwitz Memorial, which said in a detailed report earlier this year that the book “contains numerous errors and information inconsistent with the facts, as well as exaggerations, misinterpretations and understatements”.On a side note, I believe a large part of what made me truly connect to and love this book so much was that I had been advised by a wonderful friend (who read this novel before I did) that not everything that happens to Cilka is based on fact. As with any historical fiction book, fact and fiction are weaved together to paint a broad picture of the time period/situation being examined. Although Cilka was a real person who endured much of what happens in this novel, not every single circumstance is her personal story. I think knowing that ahead of time really enhanced my connection to the story as it stopped me from looking too deep into the reality of each scenario. As the author mentions in the Note at the end of the novel, “There is a mix of characters inspired by real-life figures, in some instances representing more than one individual, and characters completely imagined.” I urge you to keep this in mind when reading this harrowing and unforgettable book. The author does a phenomenal job incorporating much detail into this gripping and emotional storyline.