Devastatingly real, this is a book that will stay with me for a long time to come. Not an easy read, but a beautifully written and haunting one that I highly recommend.

A heartbreakingly moving 5 stars.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz is the true story of Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew held during WWII in Auschwitz. This beautifully written book tells Lale’s harrowing true story of survival during the most unimaginable atrocities. There are very few words one can use to describe their feelings towards what happened to the innocent millions during WWII at the hands of the most ruthless and evil Nazi’s, but throughout this book Lale’s determination and hope was a shining beacon.

The romance and love between Gita and Lale was heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal measures and proves that the human spirit can’t be crushed by evil and that despite the horrors they witnessed and the violence they experienced during their 3 years at Auschwitz, they were able to help and provide comfort for many others.

This book really needs to be read by EVERYONE as it’s a wonderful reminder of survival, hope and love.

Zaffre Books and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of The Tattooist of Auschwitz. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Based on the true story of Ludwig "Lale" Sokolov, The Tattooist of Auschwitz details the young man's harrowing experiences in Auschwitz. With a talent for languages, Lale is forced to ink numbers into the arms of the new arrivals to the camp. Full of despair over the job he must perform, Lale meet the girl of his dreams and vows to do whatever it takes to survive. Able to access goods from the outside, will Lale put himself needlessly into harm's way for the love of Gita?

As The Tattooist of Auschwitz details the horrific view of life in a concentration camp, I expected the novel to be more emotionally charged. The details were all there, but I did not get the feeling that the characters contained within the book were actually real. The novel reads more like fiction, as the author was never able to capture the real life persona of Lale or Gita. Lale's extraordinary story was flat, as a result, and I never formed a connection. In a genre filled with many emotionally charged accounts of life in concentration camps, The Tattooist of Auschwitz unfortunately falls short.

This book is all the more moving because, at the heart of it, there is an essentially true story - one told to the writer by the central "character." No doubt there is some poetic licence but the main events happened as written. The book is profoundly moving because the central character is so matter of fact about all the ways in which he was mistreated, and all the ways in which he sought to make the camp a better place for others.. It is also a love story, and an eulogy. It tells you everything you need to know about the brutality at the heart of the |Nazi regime, and the humanity that existed even in the most horrific of circumstances.

Lale is the Tetoverier, the Tattooist. Lale is the Tetoverier at Auschwitz-Birkenau. This is not a story of how one human can treat the other worse than an animal, this is a love story and a story of triumph over the greatest adversity there can ever be. This is the true story of the Tattooist of Auschwitz.

I loved this story from beginning to end. I loved Lale and Gita and all their friends and the story of how they survived the most terrible genocide of the last century and how they came out at the end of it all with each other to live a long and varied life.

Although this is a true story, what happened to Lale and Gita and the camp is such an amazing story that it's hard to stomach why it is that he can remember what happened in such minute detail, such is the terrible nature of the Nazi's treatment of their captives. Heather Morris handles an amazingly difficult subject with such sensitivity that the last few pages left me with tears in my eyes and an enormous smile on my face all at the same time.

This isn't a story of the horrors of Auschwitz, although i could just as easily have been. This is the story of Lale and Gita and how their love for each other conquered it all.

Their story will stay with me forever. I am glad Heather Morris was given the chance to tell it on their behalf as it needed to be shared. Thank you NetGalley.

An exceptionally moving book,very emotive and you will not forget it for a long time,superbly wrotten

Overall opinion of the book:

I finished this book in the first few days of January and wrote up my review of it shortly afterwards. After reading through my review, I couldn't bring myself to publish it. I felt that anything I said about this book wouldn't do it justice. I still don't think I have the words to review this book and to explain how deeply it moved me, but I'll try my best.

Firstly, I want to thank the author, Heather Morris, for putting Lale's story together so well. This book I'm certain will move so many people and stand the test of time. I'm so grateful that Lale agreed to share his incredible story of love and survival with the world. The holocaust is such a hard hitting topic that can never be forgotten by society. As the last generation of people who will have the oppourtunity to speak with survivors, it's crucial we share their stories and the reality of what happened with the world, so it can never be forgotten or denied in the future. It's of utmost importance that the memory of those who suffered are kept alive to stop this from ever happening again in the future.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz is a book that moved me in a way no other book ever has before, even though I've read many books about the holocaust. It resonated with me so much and was a book I reflected on for many days after reading it. Although it's harrowing for the most part, the ending made me cry happy tears knowing Lale and Gita survived the horrors of Auschwitz. As the story is closely based on Lale's experiences of Auschwitz it makes the story far more powerful. It really makes you question how the Nazi's ever thought they could justify even slightly the things they did.

Heather's writing style is great. She explains Lale's story well and it's clear that she really thought about how to best tell his story. The spelling, punctuation and grammar is flawless and the switch occasional switch in narratives was clear and concise. It was easy to differentiate between who was narrating. This is a fairly short book and a quick read, but if it was double the length I would still happily read it.

In the book, Heather Morris explains that Lale felt a deep guilt for carrying out his job as the tattooist of Auschwitz. She explains that he originally declined her offer to share his story because he felt that he would be judged for what he did. He thought he would be seen as guilty and a Nazi collaborator. In my opinion, Lale was not this at all. He was a victim of circumstance, and through his job and slightly more "privileged' position of receiving extra rations etc, he saved so many prisoner's lives. He helped and saved so many people.

Lale sounded like such a warm-hearted and cheeky soul and Heather has done so well to translate this through the book. Although I only know Lale and Gita through what has been written about their lives, they've both definitely left a footprint in my heart.

If you read any book this year, I would recommend that it's this one. Even though this was the first book I read in 2018 it's still the best so far. In fact, it's one of the best books I've ever read, and I'm not exaggerating. Although I received an ARC of this book, I'm definitely going to be purchasing a physical copy of it in the near future.

Final thoughts:

I would definitely recommend that you read this book. Although it's harrowing in parts, there is a light at the end of the tunnel in this instance. This is a completely extraordinary, real life story of survival and love. Heather provides the reader with the right balance of facts, the reality of the death camps, emotions, humour and most importantly, love. If you're anything like me when reading it it will make you feel every emotion possible and you'll cry both sad and happy tears. 

All I can say is even if you don't have an interest in reading books relating to World War Two and the Holocaust, please give this book a read because it's deeply moving and Heather has retold Lale's story brilliantly.

I hope that one day this book will be made into a film as it was originally intended to be. If would be amazing if Lale and Gita's story is able to reach an even wider audience and I think it would translate into a film very well.

If you're interested in reading this book and want to find out some more information about the author, Heather Morris and who this book is about, Lale and Gita then I'd suggest taking a look at Heather's website here: https://www.heathermorris.com.au/. She's included some photos of Lale and Gita and some more information about this book.

What an incredible book that I devoured in a day. Every time we read about the atrocities of what went on - it still manages to break my heart all over again. A truly inspiring story about what extents people went through to survive

Extraordinary story of the human spirit to survive. I am speechless. Thank you Lale for having the courage to tell your story and to Heather Morris for writing this book.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz is an emotional tale based on the true story of Lale Sokolov, a concentration camp prisoner who ends up working in the fairly privileged position of Tätowierer, responsible for tattooing the numbers on the wrist of the other prisoners.

At the heart of the tale is an unlikely love story - that people such as Lale were able to fall in love with a fellow prisoner is remarkable. Gita is his love interest, with Lale's attraction instant. Lale uses his relative privilege to arrange time together, as well as helping others that have been imprisoned. Perhaps the true value of the novel is this picture of what life inside a concentration camp was truly like. Reading stories about the horrors of Auschwitz is gruelling but so necessary. I learnt a lot. These stories are vital.

One of the most striking elements of the novel is the way that it deals with death. Prisoners come and go - we often don't know where they go or how they've died, but we have to confront this stark reality. This happened less than 100 years ago to real people.

Hanging over the entire text is the obvious question: will Lale and his love interest survive? Is there a happy ending for this couple amidst the horror? It's this tension that will inevitably hang over any Auschwitz novel, but it's the answer that compels us to read on.

A simple story laced with hope and horror in equal measure. I would definitely recommend reading this.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

 
Title - The Tattooist of Auschwitz 

Author - Heather Morris 

Published - Jan '18

Publisher - Zaffre

Pages - 288

Price on Amazon - Paperback - £8.99 Kindle - £1.99

ISBN - 1785763644

 
Its 1942 and Lale Sokolv has been taken to Auschwitz, he has been given the job of tattooing the prisoners of Auschwitz with their prisoner numbers on their arms. These numbers would become one of the most infamous symbols of the holocaust. 

Lale meets a girl who he's meant to tattoo, for Lale its love at first sight and he's determined to make sure they both survive. 

I wasn't able to finish this book as I found it very slow going and it didn't grab attention. To be honest I found this story to be rather boring. It is for these reasons I am unable to give this book a full review. 

Thank You to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating -  A Single Star

Would I Read Again? -  No

Would I Recommend? - No

Would I read other books by the same author? - Yes

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Incredible true story but lacking in character development and emotion for me. It's a simplistic narration of Lale's life and perhaps that is what his harrowing story warranted, no frills. It's just not my kind of book. Fascinating interview with the author at the end.

A haunting tale. I couldn't put it down.. this captures you from the beginning.

"Based on an incredible true story" this is the story of one man's will to survive in an Auschwitz concentration camp during WWII.
Lale Sokolov is an educated man, fluent in many languages and is transported from Slovakia to Auschwitz in 1942. He is offered the privileged job of tatowierer "the tattooist", which he readily accepts. When prisoners arrive he is to "mark" them with a 5 digit number that will remind them of the hell that has now become their life. Due to his position he is able to help fellow inmates, at times, and early on meets and falls in love with a young woman called Gita. Lale's devotion to Gita strengthens his resolve to survive the horrors in the hopes of having a future together.
As is often the case when we read these horrific stories of torture and death, occurring at this time, it is incomprehensible that people can do that to other people.
Lale Sokolov wanted his story recorded prior to his death so that the harrowing events he endured for 3 years "would never happen again".
Writer Heather Morris met Lale in 2003 and did an amazing job telling his powerful, moving and unforgettable story.

Thank you to Net Galley and Bonnier Publishing for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

An interesting book which I read in one go. I didn’t realise until the end that it was a true story which made me love it all the more

Based on a true story, this uncovers a quirk of the random cruelty of the death camps. If you can be killed at any moment for any reason, it's also possible to survive for no discernible reason. The Nazi machinery was powered by administration and bureaucracy and the tattooist was a part of that.

I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy reading this; I thought it might have been more like a non-fiction educational book full of facts about the holocaust. It wasn't like that at all; it was easy to read and although the topic is upsetting I really liked it.
It's April 1942 and in the small town of Krompachy, Slovakia, as in other towns, all of the Jewish families have been told to hand over one child, aged eighteen or over, to go and work for the German government. If any family refuses to do this they will be taken to a concentration camp. Lale Sokolov makes the sacrifice thinking it would keep the rest of his family safe. He boards a cattle train with hundreds of other men; there's no room to sit, buckets for toilets and they are given no food or water. Eventually, after a long journey, they arrive at Auschwitz and are put to work building the rest of the camp. The S.S soldiers are unbelievably cruel, they starve, torture and kill innocent people for fun so Lale vows to keep his head down and do what he's told so he can walk out of the camp and back to his family alive.
Not long after his arrival he becomes The Tetovierer, the job means he gets a private place to sleep and extra rations which he shares with his friends. Lale has to tattoo a number on the arm of every prisoner that arrives at Auschwitz and Birkenau and as the builders finish the crematoriums there are hundreds arriving every day. The first time a group of women arrive he feels sick to the stomach at the thought of inflicting the pain of the needle on them, but has to do it or he will be shot. One of the girls, Gita, catches his eye. In time, and among all the sickness, death and cruelty they fall in love. Gita isn't as positive as Lale, she see's no future and believes she will die in the camp like so many more have, but Lale won't let himself believe that. He tell's her they will survive this so they can build a future together so they both do what they have to to survive.
Heather Morris tells Lale and Gita's story beautifully. In such a horrific time, in a place full of human beings treating other human beings so terribly, there is also love, friendship and compassion.

This was, unsurprisingly, a devastating read. As with all books covering The Holocaust, it can at times make for really unsettling and upsetting reading.
But whilst upsetting at times, this is a truly remarkable story and a testament to the unbreakable human spirit.

This is a beautifully written, wonderfully researched novel about a Jewish man during WWII. The historical fiction novel is based on a real person who told his story to the author. He and his wife had kept their lives private after they moved to Australia after the war but after his wife died after over 50 years of marriage, he felt the need to share their story with the world.

Lale Sokolov was a young man when he decided to go to a work camp to save the rest of his family. He finds out later that this was a lie and most of the rest of his family didn't survive. He was given the role at a tattooist - the person who tattooed the numbers on the arms of the prisoners. Because he had a bit more freedom that most, he was able to get extra food to share with other people. One day he saw Gita and knew that he had to get to know her. The next several years were terrible for both of them and the atrocities that went on were horrendous. He managed to find her again after the war and they immigrated to Australia.

This is a difficult story to read due to the horrible things that were going on in the camps but Lale had decided early on that he would survive and that thought kept him alive every day. So even though it's a very sad story - it's also very uplifting and shows the very best of humanity in the very worst of circumstances.

Thanks to netgalley for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.