Book Review: Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly /Women's Fiction /NETGALLEY ARC

Hello dear Readers,

Below my book review of Lilac Girls: A Novel by Martha Hall Kelly. 

Title: Lilac Girls: A Novel

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Genre: Women's Fiction

Author: Martha Hall Kelly

Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: April 5, 2016

Language: English

Hardcover: 496 pages
Meet the Author: Martha Hall Kelly
Buy Me: Amazon

Book Description

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.

In Lilac Girls, Martha Hall Kelly has crafted a remarkable novel of unsung women and their quest for love, freedom, and second chances. It is a story that will keep readers bonded with the characters, searching for the truth, until the final pages.

My Thoughts

It is always hard reading books about the World War II, the Holocaust and all the horrible things that happened in that moment in history and even harder when the stories are presented in such detail as Lilac Girls does. This book intrigued me even before started reading it because of the fact of being based on real people, the main characters in the story, the women in this book so that gave me one and really an enough reason to read it. I loved the writing and how real and believable the characters felt to me. The situations that are described are hard and very painful at. A beautiful story, well written but like I said it was very difficult and sad to keep reading. One of these books that are wonderfully crafted and well put together but because of the subject in question is very difficult to read, to digest but that being said, I could not put it down, such a fantastic read. And again, one thing I always appreciate from Authors, I can tell Martha Hall Kelly did the proper research and care enough to write and deliver a story where all the elements work together, that we can trust her and the story.

Overall, a wonderful story, which I totally recommend if you love reading about this period of time or are just looking for a great piece of Historic Fiction.

Thank you Ballantine Books and Netgalley for sending the ARC copy, in exchange for an honest review.

Wendy