This is a must-read. Ms. Kelly wrote with such depth and sensitivity. I read a lot of Holocaust literature and knew about Ravensbruck but did not know about the unspeakable horrors that were perpetrated there. Ms. Kelly's novel has spurred me to learn more.
Interesting historic read This book is written from the perspective of three women and covers the period from just before WW2 through to the 1960s. Two of the women, the Nazi doctor and the New York socialite are based on real people. The third, is based on a Nazi "rabbit" - a Polish woman who was medically experimented on during WW2 at Ravensbruck Concentration Camp.
The story follows the war and the aftermath of the survivors by swapping between the three women. I enjoyed the way the book did this, and the way the three stories became connected over time.
The experimentation at Ravensbruck can only be described as horrific and although I had read about it, it was the first time I had read about the difficulties faced by the survivors.
I did not find the character of Caroline very "true" and tired of her continual trite parties and the socialite scene. I have no doubt these happened, but instead of being written true to life, it seemed to be a little cliched and included an unbelievable love story as well. This was a shame as it detracted from the main story, especially as she was a a real person.
And not enough time was spent on the doctor's life either. Once the camp was liberated, we heard little more about her until the very end. Again, I would have liked to see more on this character.
But overall, it was a good read and I enjoyed it.
A must read. Three lives intertwined during and after WWII. Wonderful but tragic historical fiction.
Lilac Girls No matter how many holocaust stories I read, I still find them disturbing, shocking and heart wrenching. Surviving such a devastating experience brings with it a lifetime of horrors. For no one truly forgets and nor should we.
3 women from 3 different geographies as WWII erupts - Each doing what they can towards the war effort.
Caroline in NYC. Putting care packages together for orphaned children. Going one step further and helping rebuild the country. Falling in love with a foreigner who is forced to return to Nazi occupied France.
Kasia in Poland. The Nazis have invaded and she has been caught working for the underground movement. She's been sent to Ravensbrück and now is infamously known as one of the 'rabbits'. Even with liberation, the polish people were forced to live under communist rule with Stalin's iron fist -from one radical leader to another never experiencing freedom. The losses suffered and the pain endured would be enough to lose hope. But hope is all they had and gave them the strength to survive.
Herta in Germany. A medical doctor working at a concentration camp doing experimental surgeries on inmates. A doctor whose purpose is saving lives is practicing unethical surgeries and murder. Aka The rabbit surgeon. The nazi code so fundamentally f**ked up.
The structure of the narrative told from the 3 perspectives gives a global scope. I would have preferred locking onto one character, but overall this was beautifully written and an amazing story of character, courage, redemption and resilience. 5??
Lilac girls EXCELLENT READ. A great lesson on what
did happen to soooo many during the war.
Sad, brutal and sometimes hard to really
image that the Germans could have done what they did. A good lesson in history. Be sure to read the last chapter by the artist. More info to research