Lilac Girls
Ratings32
Average rating4.1
15
Ratings32
Average rating4.1
Inspired by the life of a real World War II heroine, this debut novel reveals a story of love, redemption, and secrets that were hidden for decades.
New York socialite Caroline Ferriday has her hands full with her post at the French consulate and a new love on the horizon. But Caroline’s world is forever changed when Hitler’s army invades Poland in September 1939—and then sets its sights on France.
An ocean away from Caroline, Kasia Kuzmerick, a Polish teenager, senses her carefree youth disappearing as she is drawn deeper into her role as courier for the underground resistance movement. In a tense atmosphere of watchful eyes and suspecting neighbors, one false move can have dire consequences.
For the ambitious young German doctor, Herta Oberheuser, an ad for a government medical position seems her ticket out of a desolate life. Once hired, though, she finds herself trapped in a male-dominated realm of Nazi secrets and power.
The lives of these three women are set on a collision course when the unthinkable happens and Kasia is sent to Ravensbrück, the notorious Nazi concentration camp for women. Their stories cross continents—from New York to Paris, Germany, and Poland—as Caroline and Kasia strive to bring justice to those whom history has forgotten.
Featured Series
3 primary booksLilac Girls is a 3-book series with 3 primary works first released in 2016 with contributions by Martha Hall Kelly.
Reviews with the most likes.
I'll admit, I was skeptical coming into this book. Maybe it was the hyper-feminine cover that screams, “chick lit, read me at the beach!” Or just the fact that my mom bought this on a whim with 3 other books at the Target checkout because it was 20% off (the last time I fell pray to this, I ended up reading Fifty Shades of Grey...). It is certainly not what I would consider a timeless literary great, or particularly innovative, or particularly challenging. I won't read it again or rave about it to friends. And while I hate to so flippantly call it a good beach or plane read...it is (I actually read most of it on a plane). And being about 3 women, the narration intimately close to their consciousness - I would consider this “chick lit.”
But who said chick lit can't be expertly written, and as tender and heart-warming as it is devastating?
The 3 unique perspectives of each of these women (an wealthy but righteous American woman aiding in war-time relief efforts, a Polish woman who gets sent to a concentration camp, and a German, brainwashed doctor working at that camp) provide real insight into the experiences of women during WWII. There just aren't enough war books out there showing the perspectives of strong women, so I truly appreciate that. And the author is clearly well-researched. A plot-driven narrative, the way the women's stories come together is page-turning and ultimately haunting. Of course, a book about the Holocaust is always sad... but on the whole, the book was a very sweet, easy read - like dessert. Not nourishing, but tastes good and is fun to enjoy while it lasts.
This got better as it went on. It was a bit jarring to go back and forth from such different perspectives but this is a strong novel that i would definitely recommend.
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Dit boek past totaal niet in mijn gebruikelijke genre. Ik ben meer van het escapisme en ik vermijd dan ook vaak te realistische boeken over dingen die echt gebeurd zijn of kunnen zijn. Daarom dat dit boek dus meer dan een halfjaar onaangeraakt bleef liggen eer ik er mij durfde aan wagen. Mijn verwachtingen waren dan ook dat ik er niks aan ging vinden. Fout van formaat, dat kan ik wel stellen.
Jawel, Lilac Girls is pijnlijk, bruut en wreed, maar het is ook aangrijpend, ontroerend en aandoenlijk. Het is realistisch, echt, krachtig, boeiend en zo verder en zo voort. Hartverscheurend en hartverwarmend tegelijkertijd.
Echt, ik heb dit boek enorm graag gelezen, ook al waren er een paar passages die ik diagonaal hebben moeten lezen wegens te gruwelijk en ook al heb ik het boek een paar keer aan de kant moeten leggen om niet en plein public in tranen uit te barsten. Voor mij getuigt dit alles van de uitmuntende schrijfstijl dat je steeds weer naar binnen zuigt en weet te raken.
Een heel mooi, sterk verslag over het leven van deze vrouwen tijdens deze donkere tijd in onze geschiedenis, alsook nadat het ergste voorbij is en het normale leven weer moet worden opgepikt. Echt heel schoon en prachtig gedaan, zonder al te somber te worden.
Een dikke dikke aanrader voor wie van historische romans houdt. En oh ja, lees zeker het eindwoord van de schrijfster, want haar onderzoek voor het schrijven van dit boek is echt interessant om te lezen!
This book left me with many emotions. The evils and injustice that were the narrative of the lives of the prisoners during Hitlers reign are enough to snap breath from you. I confess that it took me a minute to get into this book. Felt it challenging to follow the characters at first although that may have been more my issue than the authors. But as I got going, I spent every free moment reading. My favorite part of this book is the hunger it gave me to know more. To look up the real-life bios of the characters that the author spoke of. I agree with one reviewer that Caroline could have had a little more depth in the novel as she was an amazing woman. The high society topics were my least favorite yet I came away from the book wanting to know more about the woman in the midst of it. To think that this was a first-time novel is mind blowing at best. So well done. I can't wait for the next one! I liked that this gave me a good experience with historical fiction because I have a hard time with the genre and this book made me more interested and curious so it was a win win for me.
