Lilac Girls

Debut novel, historical fiction, of 3 women from 3 different countries and how their lives entwined and intersected beginning in WWII. Well-researched and presented. Told in the first person by each woman in alternating chapters. Illuminating and humanizing the women who lived through the war and it's aftermath.

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.