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Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly

Lilac Girls

Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly

Lilac Girls crop

I had to keep my wits about me, since French men were my Achilles’ heel. In fact, if Achilles had been French, I probably would have carried him around until his tendon healed.

Based on a true story this book accompanies three women whose lives intersect during and after the Second World War.

The author’s extensive research is evident and her soft, subtle, understated way of storytelling spins a comforting and nostalgic cloak around the reader. But don’t be fooled into thinking this book doesn’t pack a punch, the tranquility only emphasises the enormity the impact of war has on humanity.

None of us knew how wrong we were that morning as we stepped put of the train and fell headlong into hell.

The realistic characters and the portrayal of their environmental influences, such as the propaganda and indoctrination, allows a deep connection between the reader and the story. Each character is portrayed with such complexity that I found my opinion of, and feelings towards them constantly evolved over time.

Recommended age: 15+4 Star

 

Title: Lilac Girls
Author: Martha Hall KellyLilac Girls
Publication Date: 5 April 2016
Publisher:  Ballantine Books
Source: ARC

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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.— Extract from Goodreads.com

The fact that I received a free advanced copy of this book does not influence my policy to write an honest review.

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