Heather Morris (5)Recensioni

This is another holocaust story based on a true story. I think it's mostly true but classified as a novel because the author had to fill in some blanks. It was amazing that Lale was able to do all he was able to do, but I suppose his language abilities and smart wit got him farther than a lot of prisoners. I'm glad everything worked out for him, but if it really didn't happen I would be wondering if it was too good to be true.

Prachtig verhaal, bizar slecht geschreven.

I loved The Tattooist of Auschwitz, the character Cilka in the story was riveting and I greatly anticipated Cilka’s Journey. That being said, I find that sequels, even ones that are not necessarily typical, such as this one, often fall flat compared to the first in the series. Cilka’s Journey would fall into that category.

The book was very good, very well-written, about a subject I can never get enough of; WW2, and more specifically, life in and around the encampments of that time - such as Cilka’s Journey.

Cilka spent three years in Auschwitz (true story) where she met the tattooist written about in that book. She then was committed to a Siberian prison for fifteen years for war crimes ‘she’ committed as a prisoner in Auschwitz - the girl was raped by the leaders of the camp for her entire term and because she survived, it was misconstrued that she aided the Nazis.

Cilka’s Journey was written from conversations had with the tattooist, his recollections of the stories, and those told to the author by others in the camps with Cilka, others who were her neighbors before and after her time in Russia. While I have no reason not to believe everything written, it felt a bit contrived, perhaps showing Cilka as too good, too innocent, too something - perhaps not intense enough given the multiple years, over a dozen, spent imprisoned.

Perhaps if I would have read this book first it would have felt more genuine. I still give this a 5-star rating as it was wonderful, beautifully written, and deserves to be read. You will enjoy it and not regret the time spent learning about Cilka’s Journey.

I couldn't put this book down. It had me hooked! Don't get me wrong, this is a hard story to read (because of the awful things that happen), but it's a story of strength and courage and one that will stick with my the rest of my life. Reading this book, I felt like I knew this man so well he was family. That shows me how brilliant written this is and how enthralling it was. I really commend this author, this is absolutely brilliant. One of my all time favourites.

Wow! I had put off reading this one because I thought it was going to be depressing and hard to read. While it was at times depressing, overall it was a fascinating read. A quick read - I read it in one day.

This is a love story that starts in Auschwitz. It tells the true story of Lale and Gita. Lale is the tattooist because he can speak several languages. While performing his job one day, he falls in love with Gita. He vows to her that they will get out of the camp alive. He is very enterprising and finds ways to ensure that they both (and some of her friends) stay alive.

This is a beautifully written love story during the horrors of Auschwitz.

I received this book as an unedited, advanced reader copy. There were lots of errors in this version which I hope were fixed when the book was published.

This tells the story of Cecilia Klein (Cilka) after she left Auschwitz-Birkenau. She was briefly in the story of Lale Sokolov (The Tattooist of Auschwitz) but this is her own story. The author used information she received from discussions with Lale for his story as well as his wife, Gita. She also conducted extensive research to fill in some of the blanks.

Cilka was accused of "sleeping with the enemy" and sent to a prison in Siberia. She is in a hut with several other women who become close. Cilka figures out that if she can get certain items it will help her stay safe. She ends up working in the hospital at the prison and is quickly befriended by a female physician there who looks out for her. She starts out as a janitor of sorts, then works her way up to a nurse and then goes out on ambulance calls.

The book was well-written and the story was told well, despite the errors in the text.

Great Historical Fiction based on accounts of a survivor of the Auschwitz Death Camp. A beautiful story, well written of the life of Lale Eisenberg (Sokolov) and his eventual wife, Gita. I read it with my 13 year old daughter and we both loved the book which was hard to put down.½

In 1942 Lale was transported to Auschwitz, the very name sending a shiver to all who know of it. He manages to gain the job of the tattooist to new arrivals which gives him a relatively better situation.

He comes across a female prisoner and is immediately taken by her.

There follows the most unlikely love story. We go through all the terrible situations with him. Violence, starvation and illnesses are never far away.

To me the simplicity of the language used is one of the strengths of this book. In many ways every day is much the same as the one before and along with the prisoners we sense the tedium. Friendships blossom but then end abruptly when someone disappears and sadly we are well aware what that means

Of course the true strength of the story is knowing that it's based on truth and these people did live.

I definitely recommend it

Excellent Audible book read by Richard Armitage. It is based on the true story of Lale Sokolov and his wife?s over 3-yr confinement. Kirkus: An unlikely love story set amid the horrors of a Nazi death camp.Based on real people and events, this debut novel follows Lale Sokolov, a young Slovakian Jew sent to Auschwitz in 1942. There, he assumes the heinous task of tattooing incoming Jewish prisoners with the dehumanizing numbers their SS captors use to identify them. When the T?towierer, as he is called, meets fellow prisoner Gita Furman, 17, he is immediately smitten. Eventually, the attraction becomes mutual. Lale proves himself an operator, at once cagey and courageous: As the T?towierer, he is granted special privileges and manages to smuggle food to starving prisoners. Through female prisoners who catalog the belongings confiscated from fellow inmates, Lale gains access to jewels, which he trades to a pair of local villagers for chocolate, medicine, and other items. Meanwhile, despite overwhelming odds, Lale and Gita are able to meet privately from time to time and become lovers. In 1944, just ahead of the arrival of Russian troops, Lale and Gita separately leave the concentration camp and experience harrowingly close calls. Suffice it to say they both survive. To her credit, the author doesn?t flinch from describing the depravity of the SS in Auschwitz and the unimaginable suffering of their victims¥no gauzy evasions here, as in Boy in the Striped Pajamas. She also manages to raise, if not really explore, some trickier issuesÂ¥the guilt of those Jews, like the tattooist, who survived by doing the Nazis? bidding, in a sense betraying their fellow Jews; and the complicity of those non-Jews, like the Slovaks in Lale?s hometown, who failed to come to the aid of their beleaguered countrymen.The writing is merely serviceable, and one can?t help but wish the author had found a way to present her material as nonfiction. Still, this is a powerful, gut-wrenching tale that is hard to shake off.

Pretty amazing story but I didn’t love the writing. After finishing I saw that this began as a screenplay and I think that shows. It’s a lot of listing of facts and details but I didn’t feel as much of a connection to the characters as I’d hoped to. Without a pre-existing knowledge of everything that happened at Auschwitz I’m not sure I would have had any emotional attachment at all.

I don’t read many Holocaust books because they are so incredibly awful and depressing so at least this one has a pretty happy ending. Really glad to have the epilogue and details about how this story came to light.

The true story of Lale Sokolov and the love of his life, Gita Furman, was depict beautifully in this book. One day they thought they would never saw a future, but they managed to survived the World War Two. Only true love could do that...

This was such a beautiful story about love and survival. It is beautifully written and, though terribly sad, incredibly eye opening.

In a crowded niche the incredible research stands out, I somehow haven't read her earlier books but will definitely be reading them soon. The "hard parts" of the story were well done and not too graphic.

The story itself is interesting, but the writing is ... weird. It's an adult novel, and the subject matter is adult-ish, but the writing itself reads like a junior book. I would want to learn more about the main characters, because I like them, but I would not want to read another book by this author.

Reading a Holocaust book is always a tough read, but seeing what the three sisters endured added a whole other layer, on top of the fact that this is based on a true story. These sisters really did lose their mother and grandfather and had to deal with Auschwitz, the death marches, and antisemitism.

Cibi, Magda and Livia fight to keep the promise that they made to their father to always be together and help one another no matter what. This is a promise that is increasingly hard to keep as the sisters are separated time and time again as the war rages on and then ends with the whole continent being turned upside down. From death camps to adjusting to freedom in a new country, the sisters each have their own unique stories and experiences, which really adds to the charm and heartbreak of this novel.

As with any WWII Holocaust story I wish this wouldn’t have ever happened to begin with. I think the author did a phenomenal job of keeping the integrity of the sister’s story.

My favorite part was the afterwards at the end of the novel that share notes from those that lived this story, the sisters themselves. There were so many moments that I was reading that I was trying to wrap my mind around the fact that this was based on a true story, but reading these notes really brought it all home. So many didn’t live to tell their stories, but I am so thankful that Cibi, Magda and Livia made it through and lived to tell the tale.

*I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book which I received from the publisher through NetGalley. All views and opinions expressed are completely honest, and my own.

After reading The Tattooist of Auschwitz I immediately started reading Cilka’s Journey as I had to see how this story would continue. This novel felt more sinister to me than The Tattooist of Auschwitz for some reason. Maybe because in the first book you had this blossoming love story to keep your spirits buoyed but in Cilka’s Journey it feels like as soon as you are gifted a small sliver of hope it gets taken away from you, leaving you with this heavy foreboding feeling the entire time you’re reading. Those slivers of hope do shine so bright in the mire, especially when the baby joins the mix. The joy of new life, even in such horrendous situations, is still a bright light in the darkness. This was such a sweet moment and showed just how close the women had grown in the few years that they’ve lived and worked together. How could you not grow closer to those who share in your misery?

Sharing memories and twisted dreams along with what is going on in the present keeps this story interesting. We learn more about what Cilka has to go through at Auschwitz, as well as how she deals with her new reality, a different kind of nightmare. I felt like this novel is somehow more violent than The Tattooist of Auschwitz and this invisible pressure weighed heavy on me the whole time I was reading. The ending was as satisfying as it could possibly be and as soon as I was done, I immediately started reading the final book in the trilogy.

Even though this is such a hard series to read it is also a story that must be told, lest we are doomed to repeat the unimaginable horrors of the Holocaust.

*I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book which I received from the author/publisher through NetGalley. All views and opinions expressed are completely honest, and my own.

Truly one of the best books I've read in a while, but also one of the most heart-wrenching. Love is stronger than even the most difficult times in a person's life...and Lale and Gita were proof of that. I could not imagine falling in love while at Auschwitz, knowing that, at any moment, your one reason for living could be taken from you, or see the cruelties they endure right in front of you. But thankfully the survived, and their love was unbreakable. (On a side note, about a week or so of finishing this book, I began to watch the TV show "Hunters" on Amazon Prime Video and during their flashback to explain everything, the story was very similar to Lale and Gita's. Maybe just coincidence.)

I was very impressed with author, Heather Morris's writing style throughout the book, and also enjoyed some personal reflection from Lale and Gita's son at the end of the book. Thank you for a very well written story.

Having children sent away, being on a boat sunk by the Japanese, taken prisoner, and living without decent health care or food is where we meet all those who survived from the Vyner Brooke merchant ship and others as they endure the hardships in a Japanese POW camp.

The main characters were nurses who tried to keep the residents healthy and spirits up.

The nurses were the saving grace for everyone because of their resilience and positive attitudes.

They started a voice orchestra, put on plays, and did anything to keep the boredom and despair at bay.

You will love Nurse Nesta and her crew of lovely ladies.

SISTERS UNDER THE RISING SUN is based on true events and real women.

Heather Morris brings to life another WWII book telling us of the survival of women being prisoners of war. I had never heard of these sisters, their imprisonment, nor this POW camp.

You will cheer on the women when they defy their captors and feel every emotion they are feeling.

I enjoyed her other books more, but this is still a good read. 4/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Fascinating, uplifting and harrowing story of a concentraion camp inmate, based on a real life experience

Fleeing from Singapore in February 1942, caught between two fighting forces, with bullets raining down, it is a wonder that anyone survived. But many endured. This story tells of the fortitude and strength of these incredible people.

However horrible it was to survive near drowning it did not compare with the dreadful conditions that these brave folks lived through from February 1942 till they were liberated on September 11, 1945. Five different POW camps, all of which left more starving or dead.

This book is one everyone should read, to learn that one can survive, if you have friends around you. Received through St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley, these impressions are my own and were in no way solicited.

After reading Heather Morris’ previous book ‘Three Sisters’ (loved) and hearing so much about ‘The Tattooist of Auschwitz’ (haven’t read but definitely will), I couldn’t request this book fast enough. I knew very little about the Japanese invasion of the Pacific and the POW camps.

This book follows a group of Australian, English and Americans trying to leave Singapore to escape capture. Highlighted are the difficult decisions faced by families on sending their loved one ahead hoping they will be safe, being torn apart. The dedication of the nurses, putting themselves in harms way, to administer to others. The brutal massacre of innocent people. These woman are held prisoners for over 3 years. Their resiliency is amazing, as is any POW story. Unfortunately, somewhere along the line, this story was flat for me. I didn’t feel the pain, horrors as deeply as I did in her past book. It seemed almost to be glossed over. Yes, it is an important story to tell, I just felt the true story was lost. I appreciated the research and the Author’s Note. Would I read this author again, definitely. If you are someone who enjoys historical fiction but cannot handle the graphic atrocities, this book might be for you.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC. This is my honest opinion.

Nesta and Norah terrifying escape from Singapore is almost over…or so they think. They are on a cargo ship leaving this horrible situation when their ship is bombed from the air. They spend 24 hours in the ocean when they finally reach a remote island. They are then captured by the Japanese and held in their notorious POW camps.

It is so hard to believe this happened and it is amazing, as brutal as it was, that any of the women survived. These women were put through hell on earth but by sheer luck, determination, intelligence and compassion, they withstood all this brutality.

This is not my favorite Heather Morris book. That would be Cilka’s Journey . But, I did learn a lot in this book. It is very well researched. It is just slow in places.

The narrator, Laura Carmichael, did an incredible job. As most of you know, a big trigger for me is when a narrator has to sing. Most narrators are not singers. Laura did an pretty bang up job on that part. Still not my favorite when a narrator has to burst out in song. But this one handled it like a champ.

Need a novel of resilience…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

Intens verhaal... Goed, om nooit te vergeten!

Thank you NetGalley for an Advanced copy of Sisters Under the Rising Sun.

I, like many others would ready anything that Heather Morris writes. Like The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Sisters Under the Rising Sun is based on the true story of the women and nurses attempting to flee Singapore to safety during WWII. Singapore was a stronghold for the British army during World War II with many British families living there, along with a large port for both merchant and army ships. When Singapore fell to the Japanese, many families attempted to flee along with Australian nurses from the Red Cross....and unfortunately fleeing straight into the hands of the enemy when multiple ships are sunk in bombings. This story tells of the survival of these amazing women imprisoned in the jungle for over 3.5 years.

This book focuses heavily on characterization and descriptions of events. Although the number of characters is many, Morris develops them so well that it is not overwhelming. It is also hard not to become super invested in each of them.

The narrative was also very interesting. I have read many stories about WWII from a variety of sides, however, this story is not one I had heard or ever read about before. I had never heard of the Vyner Brook (the ship which many of the characters originally sailed on), nor have read anything about Japanese POW camps for prisoners other than soldiers, so this was a very fresh perspective of the atrocities of war.

The main theme of this story is hope in the darkest of times, and how hope above all else is the key to survival. These women were so inspiring in how they banded together to keep both themselves and their friends/neighbors alive.

That being said, there were a couple things I wasn't so keen on in this book. The writing at times seemed impersonal and disjointed. Some of the sentences at the end of paragraphs seemed almost thrown in to summarize, but read as detached and choppy. It was not my favorite book by Morris.

In all, this was overall an incredible story and I would recommend it to anyone that loves a WWII saga- especially one rarely told.

Heart rendering, tear jerking brilliant read.
Made all the more hard hitting knowing it is a true story, and amongst all the hell these poor people endured love still shown through.
Even if war books are not your normal reading material I do honestly think you should give this book a read and you will not be disappointed that you took a chance on it.
Just have some tissues to hand as you will undoubtedly need them!