Lilac Girls: A Novel

A wonderful first novel by Ms Kelly. Well researched and written in the first person. We flip back and forth between three women and their experiences in a German concentration camp for women during world war. I look forward to her next novel.

Fantastic and amazingly
,written
My heart and times skip a beat ,from feeling the pain and sorrow , the author surely took into the life's and places of the characters. What an amazing real life story. How does this book want me to go and visit and research more about the rabbits ordeal.now I can only think and dream of visiting Poland more than ever.can't wait to see for myself and let my mind,if it is possible imagine how can it possible to live in those terrible times.

Best book I have read this year! Absolutely intriguing and insightful. I learned a piece of history I never knew about while reading this very well written and researched book. It is written around actual events. This novel follows three women, Caroline Ferriday, Herta Oberheuser and Kasia Kuzmerick, starting in 1939. What an amazing story! It's about how these women are impacted by World War II and how their lives intersect. Martha Hall Kelly masterfully wrote from three perspectives. After the first few chapters I was totally hooked. A total page turner!!! I'm so glad I read this book...

An extremely well written book but not an enjoyable read because of the horrific nature of some of the content. We all know of the atrocities committed by the Germans on prisoners in concentration camps, but because of the personalisation of the horrors I found it hard to read at bedtime. Having said this, it is a subject we should all be aware of and pray we will never see the like again.

Lilac Girls was mostly about the women's "Reeducation Center", Ravensbrouke, Poland. In reality it was a concentration camp for women where Nazi doctors performed experimental surgeries.The chapters alternately were about 3 women. Two whose lives crossed at the camp, a young Polish girl,and a German doctor, and one was an American socialite. None of them were Jewish. The connection between them wasn't drawn until after the war. I was truly into their stories. The violence was more cruelty than blood and gory

At the beginning of the book, it was difficult to follow the storyline as the author was introducing the three main characters individually. However, the reader needs to stay engaged because the story tells about the girls from Poland, who were incarcerated in a Nazi Concentration Camp, Ravensbrück, during WWII. The author did a great job of researching this novel. The story is based on diaries, letters, manuscripts written by the girls, newspaper articles and court room documents. The author used the real names of two of the main characters.

Martha Hall Kelly has provided us with an excellent fictional account of a true nightmare. Her very thoroughly researched novel brought new information to me about the horrors of the Holocaust. The details she provided about the experiments perpetrated on the Polish political prisoners in the Ravensbruck all-female Concentration camp were gruesome yet compelled me to read on. Man's inhumanity to man is an awful thing to read about, and yet if we allow history to be forgotten it may repeat itself.

If you like WW II historical fiction, based on true stories, as I do, you will love this book. It's the story of 3 different women coping with life and survival, (both as victims and perpetrators) at the Ravensbruck concentration camp; the only one for just women. I read this as we traveled in eastern Europe; seeing the Auschwitz-Birkenau camps, and the legacy of wartime destruction. A moving and memorable read.

I understand that this is Ms. Kelly's debut novel and it is very good. She interweaves the stories of three characters experiencing World War II from three different perspectives and the concept is very good. Most of the time the execution of the story is good as well. Perhaps because the stories are so compelling by themselves, I sometimes found the interruption of one story to resume the story of another character occasionally annoying-I suppose one could see this as both a criticism or a compliment. What is really amazing is that the stories are true. A good read.

More historical fiction than novel and that made it even more poignant, painful and eye-opening. I learned things I had never known about certain populations of Holocaust victims (don't want to give away any spoilers) and this book's method of telling the story from several character's viewpoints, knowing in the end they will all somehow intertwine, kept the pages turning quickly. Highly recommend!

Beautifully written. The shift between the 3 women was expertly handled. You got to know each character so well. The events were so real that I relished the author's note at the end learning how she pulled the fact and fiction together. Loved the entire novel!

An exceptional historical fiction book based on very real events of Nazi persecution of Polish women during WWII. One of the best I have read yet this year - I am passing it on to avid reader friends as a must read. The author skillfully weaves the lives of three women with very different backgrounds and perspectives, highlighting the heights and depths of humanity and the will to live and triumph over unspeakable evil.

I was totally captivated by this story that is based on three women whose lives were interwoven during WWII. The author has a true gift for bringing the characters to life in this moving story. It was one of those books where you are eager to get to the next chapter to see what is happening with each of the women but yet....I was sad to get to the end because it was just such a good read. Definitely one of the best books I have read in awhile.

A must read! Outstanding reminder of the human spirits ability to endure unimaginable hardships and survive. I had no knowledge of Caroline Ferriday before reading this book and the truth behind the Rabbits of Ravensbruck. The characters came alive and the story was told with compassion. I thought Herta was a victim too. I keep wondering how I might have felt had I been in her shoes. I hope I would have done differently but fear for yourself and family and brainwashing are a powerful combination. Read this book!

This book was amazing. Based on real people and events, it broadened my knowledge of the holocaust. The format of the book grabbed the reader to follow the lives through war time of 3 young women and their families. This book follows Christians butchered and tortured by the Nazis. Typically books of this type detail the Jewish population but this book approached the horrors of war from a different angle. Highly recommend.

Excellent book for all to read about 2 wonderfully strong ladies and one who was a Nazi butcher in the guise of a doctor. It will make you smile, weep, and imbue you with utter rage. Don't miss this one.

This book deserves 5 stars. I loved reading about what went on in the concentration camps. Mrs. Kelly made her readers feel compassion for the women who were political prisoners and who were treated in such inhumane ways. Having lived in Germany in the 70's, visiting Berlin,as well as Dachau, I was touched by the plight of the characters. The strength of these women was amazing. Caroline Ferriday deserved much more recognition. I am so grateful to have had the pleasure of reading this book. It deserves to be recognized as I enjoyed it as much as The Nightingale, and The Lost Wife.

I was hesitant to read yet another WW2 book about the Nazi atrocities, but this was very well researched and written from the perspective of women who were all unwittingly pulled into the war as victims, perpetrators, helpers, heroines.... begging the question what would we do today if we were pulled into a situation like this?
It is a great book, and while there are difficult passages in the book, there are lighter chapters in-between to give one an out-breath from the heavy
and yet necessary scenes that resolve beautifully in the end. It is still difficult to imagine that humans lived through this, and managed to forgive and move on, to have a productive meaningful life. We are resilient after all! It is also still incomprehensible that humans continue to create situations on this planet that cause incredible pain, trauma, grief and suffering - these stories need to continue to be told, lest we forget.

A riveting novel. I was touched by the stories of the rabbits which this novel was inspired by, who before this book I had never heard of. Well written and researched, I now look forward to learning more about these ladies who were all but lost to history.

A great read for lovers of historical fiction.

This was an incredible book. I give it five stars and two kleenex boxes - very emotional. But also, hopeful in its way, showing how beauty, love, hope, selflessness can all come out of something dark and unspeakable. People either sink to join the muck or rise above it to the heights of true humanity and this book illustrated both types of people. It was especially disturbing to read from the female doctors' point of view (not to give anything away) but I was shocked by her personality, to say the least. Beautiful book, a must read for everyone.

My 40 year old daughter-in-law highly recommended this to me. It took some real concentration on my part to keep all the characters straight as it changed back and forth between the 3 main character's stories to the other @ almost every chapter. Once I got the characters straight I really enjoyed the book. It is difficult to read about the horrors of holocaust and World War II but we should never forget how one deranged leader (Hitler) brought out the worst in his people and what they did to innocent people in following him.

At first, I thought the book rather amateurish and predictable. As it went along, I liked it better and better. I will say that the editing could have been better, but what stories. As a complex telling of WWII and its aftermath of Germany, Poland, and the U.S. it was excellent. Iron Curtain was a nonfiction book that gave the history of postwar USSR to critical acclaim, but this book made it so much more interesting. Another one on the same vane was Michener's Poland. I would exort everyone to be cognizant of this part of history as so much of it has in recent years become declassified with the change of Russia.

It was difficult seeing this book come to an end. I savored every word...every sentence. Beautifully written...with an almost poetic prose...the genuine caring...the struggles...the freedom from ghost from the past. Kudos to you, Martha Hall Kelly! Your gift to me is that I get to carry the memories of your masterpiece with me...forever!! ?

Compelling and not just another World War II concentration camp story. Based on actual people and events the author explores the feelings and the tragedies surrounding the experiences of Germans and Polish women at Ravensbruck. I could not put it down and I actually wanted to learn more. So often these stories are told in graphic detail they become difficult. She writes just enough so the reader grasps the horror of the circumstances but she is not gratuitous. An emotional story that will draw you in.

Well written story of a woman who suffered and survived the Holocaust. It was all the more interesting because I had met and talked to my friend's family members who also had survived the terror of those times in Poland, Germany, and Russia. They are now dead, but their stories were what made the Holocaust real for me. This book reveals much about the courage and strength it took just to live each day.

A masterpiece! Beautifully written and inspired by actual events, the author's research is evident throughout the novel as she weaves historical facts into her characters' lives. The novel led me to actually read more about these brave women. I was drawn in from the very beginning and found pictures and stories of actual events that were detailed in the book.

A must read. This is historical fiction. I know some people had a problem with the fact that this story deviates some from true facts, however, it is fiction. So glad I read this. I have read a lot of WWII novels, and this one included facts I was not previously aware of. I have read several books about Poland and am so astounded that this much abuse was heaped upon this population during the war years. And to make matters worse, you have a large group of women that were operated on without their approval and most scared for life.

Having read so much about the Holocaust, I was surprised I knew so little about Ravensbrück other than the fact that it existed. I knew nothing about the “Rabbits” or the existence of the remarkable Caroline Ferriday. Martha Hall Kelly does a superb job of personalizing the story by intertwining the stories of her three main characters. It was a wonderful read from start to finish.

My favorite reading is a good piece of historical fiction, and I definitely loved Lilac Girls. The stories were intriguing, the background authentic, and the characters well painted. I especially appreciated the information at the end that clarified which parts were true and which were fiction. Although I have read many books, both fiction and non-fiction, that deal with WWII, there are only a few that were especially memorable. I have just added Lilac Girls to this list.

I received this request for review within the hour of finishing the book! As a teacher of this period in history for over 20 years I was very excited to be introduced to new "characters" throughout the book. The stories were told through 3 main characters in first person so you really felt like you could get into their experiences. This is my favorite genre and favorite area of study....highly recommend it whether you are a history buff or a lover of great books!

This is a powerful historical fictionalized story of Ravenbruck Concentration camp, the only female camp during WW2 and the lives that were lost or changed forever as a result of medical experimentation. The characters were based on real characters and most names are accurate. The research done to create this story was meticulous. The Rabbits of Ravenbruck, the experiments that were performed on these women, will stick with you long after you've finished the book. A must read.

Fascinating story during WWII and the holocaust following the lives of three young girls/women interwoven during this horrendous time. The story was inspired by real people and experiences. Well written, sensitive, realistic, sad, heroic. I have read many stories about the holocaust. I am always drawn to learn more, better understand and this story was a great success in that. It is not an easy topic, but one everyone should read about and learn from.

This is a novel I totally enjoyed reading and gained some addititional knowledge about the experimentation on the "Rabbits" in the concentration camps during WWII. I appreciated the three different perspectives of Caroline who is American, Kasia who is Polish and Herta, the German doctor. Each of them experienced the tragedy of WWII differently, especially Herta who could justify what she had done for the good of Germany. There was some romance, and then the love of family that endures it all. BeUtifully written and a book that was hard to put down.

Through a strong plot and realistic, unforgettable characters, Ms Kelly has created a book I couldn't put down. I only read at night before I go to sleep, but I found myself thinking of the characters throughout the day. I was anxious to know what happened to them. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about the holocaust and how it affected people around the world.

A great read if you like stories about World War11 and the concentration camp survivors. How did they survive the horrors of experimental surgeries: How did they survive watching their friends and relatives get shot....or not fed. Gut wrenching story, based on a true story and it was written so well. Amazing to read about such strength.

Brilliant! This novel is well-researched and crafted with care to pay homage to the women on which it is based. Each chapter is told through the perspective of a specific character and ends with a cliffhanger. It was interesting to read the perspective of a Nazi doctor, and how she attempted to justify her part in the gruesome and cruel human experiments she conducted in the prison camp. A captivating read, that explores how the human spirit prevails even through the horrors of the Holocaust and how justice is served in the end.

Gripping novel, based on real life events and people during WWII. Well written with very good character development. If you think you know about the atrocities committed by the Nazis, there are even more horrors, and not only to Jewish victims. The author did a masterful job writing from the perspectives of three very different women in very different walks of life, interwoven together. The faith, strength, and bravery of these Polish survivors is awe inspiring. I was led to learn more about their stories. History is ugly and messy, and these truths are crucial to know and remember always, and not to let such things repeat.

This is a fascinating story, largely based on fact, featuring real people people caught up in tragic Twentieth Century history. How does a well meaning young woman, devoted to medicine, become a monster as a surgeon in a Nazi concentration camp? How do two young Polish women survive the horrors inflicted on them by their German captors? How does a compassionate American socialite succeed in bringing comfort and some justice to innocent victims of Nazi atrocities? These questions are poignantly addressed in this novel. Highly recommended.

This intriguing, well-written story was difficult to read at times. The truth is not always easy to face. A true story of friendship, loyalty, love and strength when these young women were faced with the horrors of concentration camp and life following that dreadful period. I never knew some things that happened under Hitler until this book. I wholeheartedly recommend it.

A difficult story well told. How any of the women survived the concentration camp is beyond me but clearly shows their courage in those difficult times. It was heartening to know that there was a women such as Caroline who cared so much to help the "rabbits" and spent a good part of her life doing so. This is an extremely touching story.

The historical details brings up feelings of deep sadness and pain for what "The Rabbits" had to endure. When will humans learn not to torture other human beings...and women experimenting on other women, beyond comprehension! Well written with the stories interwoven with clarity and the people's lives unfolding to teach us about our horrific past. Some details should be taught in middle and high school years to develop or deepen compassion. Hard to read, but an excellent book!

Beautiful story of the pre-war and post WorldWarII. I recommend the saga based on their entirely diverse and average lives. The three women whose lives make the story come to life and death are in the most distant places... and the war joins them in a way not predictable. IU enjoyed the many characters and their experiences. I recommend the book highly.

Wonderful book. Felt as though I was truly experiencing what it was like to be living in this era. I learned about the people in this book and what their life experiences were. Learned so much about the people of Poland and their bravery and suffering during the second world war. I hope others read this book and enjoy it as much as I did

I absolutely could not put this book down. Kelly's recreation of such a dark period in humanity reveals the horrific evil of Herta Oberheuser and her comrades. Yet, Kasia, Zuzanna, and their fellow prisoners prove that strength and resilience can overcome even the worst circumstances. I salute Kelly for her combination of accurate research and flawless narrative.

This book made makes one delve deeper into the heartbreaking, personal experience of a Polish teenage girls being used as human experiments in a concentration camp. Especially unbelievably sad is the fact that even when these women were liberated they were still under communist rule from Russia! So well written. A horrible journey but a must read.

There are not enough adjectives I could use to describe how great this book is. Did not know about the “rabbits” and that particular concentration camp. Most books talk about the Jews being exterminated along with Gypsies,mentally deficient people,gays,political and the highly educated. I hope MHK is busy on her 2nd and it’s as wonderfully interesting as this one.

This is an excellent book although a little overwhelming at times. The author's notes in the end of the book answered some of my questions about what happened to some of the characters. I was amazed to learn that Caroline's house was actually only a short distance from the place I was staying upon finishing the book. My husband and I went for the tour the next day. We were extremely impressed with our guide who was so knowledgable and the house had wonderful gardens. I would recommend this book to anyone who is curious of things that happened in WWII and in Poland and France.

Great book with fantastic story line. Even more satisfying after learning it is historical fiction based on actual persons. I really appreciate the war story developed around three women from different backgrounds who all tie together in unexpected ways. I would recommend this book to anyone who has read Sarah's Key or The Nightingale.

Inspiring, Educational, Beautiful, Heartbreaking.
During the past couple years, I’ve become very passionate (somewhat obsessed) about learning more of WWII. I’ve read several non-fiction and historical fiction works (15-20), and watched a few documentary pieces. The Lilac Girls was a wonderful addition. It gave me a U.S. and Polish perspective that I had not known before, and a clearer view of Ravensbruck. I loved this story; I loved Caroline, Kasia, Zuzanna and others; I loathed other characters; I was enlightened, moved, and absorbed by every quickly-turned page.

This is an amazing, eye-opening book about several different view points during the war. It is based on true events that I had no idea even took place. This book had me on the internet doing more research about what happened to the "rabbits" that are talked about in the story. I highly recommend this book!

This book is an interesting story with focus on Polish female prisoners of war. These stories are hard to read - we do not always welcome being reminded that people engage in horrible, inhuman behaviors to other human beings. It also sadly reminds us that the US did not offer the sanctuary so many Europeans needed during WW II. However, we apparently need to be reminded from time to time lest we forget. These stories are well written, and provide a good sense of place.

I am the child and sister of holocaust survivors. You cannot begin to understand what these survivors experienced and upon release were able to continue life. They received to treatment for their PTSD, nor funds to go on with life. They simply continued on... I have a story to tell, a writer about such survivors.

I found this book difficult to read, but equally difficult to put down. I was full of tears of both sorrow and revulsion, and admiration for the resilience of humankind in the face of physical and emotional torture. This was my book club's selection for the month of May. -----Mrs. Kenneth Blackmer

Real,gritty and surprisingly hopeful. This well written story transports you into a world that was kept hidden and secret for many years. Your are taken through a portal of pain, survival and courage that begs the reader to understand the depths of cruelty to humanity. Each woman is unveiled and it feels as if you know them. Crafted with an expertise that causes you to time travel back to a time when the world was at war.

Somehow this book missed the mark for me. The characters lacked depth. It felt shallow and never quite captured the dark and horrific aspect of the books own plot line. The conversations were so trite....thoughts and ruminations bland. This was during a period of really really dark bad events and it felt like the characters were too light and fluffy.

What an incredible story! I had never heard of the Ravensbruck "Rabbits" and although the book paints a vivid picture of the atrocities faced by these concentration camp women, the focus is on their strength, ingenuity, courage, and incredible loyalty to each other. Told through the viewpoints of different women, the author offers a robust and compelling story of a period in time we must never forget.