Continues the story of Cilka, a character in The Tatooist of Auschwitz. Her story is heartbreaking and difficult but her character and integrity shine through.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Cilka’s Journey follows the friend of Lale and Gita after the concentration camps were liberated and Cilka was subsequently sent to the Gulag in Siberia. It is a fictionalized account of stories related by Lale and Gita. Once again, Heather Morris has done an amazing job with research to give us a realistic depiction of this terrible time in history.

After the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau by the Russians, a former prisoner points Cilka out as a collaborator of the Nazis because she was forced to sleep with two commanding officers of Auschwitz-Birkenau and required by the SS to be the prisoner who herded other female prisoners onto the death cart that led them to the gas chambers. For this, Russian authorities unjustly imprisoned Cilka in a Soviet gulag located in SIberia in the Artic Circle for over eight years.

Heather Morris' portrayal of Cilka Klein's fictionalized life in the gulag (and briefly afterwards) is a harrowing and at the same time poignant read that brings out what it means to survive in the most desolate conditions when Cilka's struggle to control her fate is a battle with not only the elements, her oppressors and at times, other fellow prisoners. The writing has a lyrical feel that immerses the reader into daily camp life. .

3.5 stars. I preferred this one to the first book, but it had its faults. Review to come.

Due to being a high school teacher, I have been falling behind on reviews. Here are my initial thoughts.

This was a heart-tugger. It was from a perspective I'd never known about, and it drew me in. If you liked tattooist of Auschwitz, you'll likely appreciate this gem. 4 stars

"Cilka’s Journey"
By, Heather Morris
Cecelia "Cilka" Klein was 16 years old when she got on a train with her sister, Magda, to help work for the German war effort in Poland. She was from a loving Czech-Jewish family. Prior to this date, Germany had recently annexed Slovakia, hence the honor most of these young women felt at being chosen to help their country.

Cilka and Magda had no idea they were being transported to Auschwitz, a Nazi work/ death camp. The atrocities that occurred at Auschwitz were beyond what the world could comprehend.
We first met Cilka and her friends in "The Tattooist of Auschwitz", also by Heather Morris.
On admission to the camp, Cilka was immediately singled out by a German SS officer who took advantage of her youth and fear. She was forced to become his personal sex slave. Rejecting him in any way would have meant certain death.
Cilka, a bright and well-educated girl, was fluent in several Eastern European languages. When Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated by the Russians, the survivors were all questioned. Anyone thought to be in alliance with the enemy was imprisoned.

Cilka was suspected os being a collaborator due to her knowledge of multiple languages and because of her physical condition. Being "kept" by a German officer had prevented her from being as sick or emancipated as the others.
So, despite all that she had to endure in order to remain alive in a Nazi death camp, at 19 years old, Cilka was sentenced to hard labor at a Siberian Gulag for the next fifteen years.
After losing her family and witnessing all of the demoralization, destruction, and death, Cilka’s heart had hardened. A surprising friendship with a young girl, Josie, became very important to her. She took Josie under her wing and tried her best to protect her from some of the dangers of their new surroundings.
Cilka did her best to keep her experiences at Auschwitz a secret. Those memories she intended to bury forever. Alas, a woman named Hannah, who was assigned to her hut, remembered her from Auschwitz. She let Cilka know she remembered and intended to use it to hurt her unless she provided her with things she wanted.
As years passed in Siberia, Cilka encountered both experiences and people who helped her to learn to love herself and trust again. One thing she truly wanted, that she thought would evade her forever, was a life and love with a man who would love and respect her.
This book is about the real Cilka Klein. It is based on truth about life in Siberia, in a gulag. Having read this book has reminded me how incredible the human spirit can be.

A story of a beautiful young Jewish women who is liberated from a concentration camp at the age of 18 and then charged with assisting the nazi’s and is sent to a labor camp. This book had something for everyone, an engrossing story with an amazing heroin, historical fiction, drama, tragedy, suspense. You are engaged right from the beginning and through the end. Cilkas story is one of resilience, survival and hope.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book. My reviews can be read on my GoodReads account here: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1335387-kelly

I loved The Tattooist of Auschwitz. I could not stop thinking about the characters. So when Morris continued Cilka’s story where not only does she survive Auschwitz Birkenau but then does ten years in a Russian Gulag in Siberia, I knew I had to read it!

Cilka Klein is a real person who survived Auschwitz where she was sent at just 16 years old. She molds herself into sex object for Nazi officers who repeatedly rape her. She endures unspeakable humiliation and abuse, but every time I started feeling sorry for her in the first book her job as the kapo, Jewish guard, in the barracks.

In this book the war is over. Since she was seen as a Nazi associate she is sent to the Siberian Gulag by the Russians. Of course there are all of the same horrible things in Siberia-rape, hard labor, and despair. Once again she uses her beauty as a survival tool. A female physician, Yelka, becomes an unknown ally. There are interspersed recounts of Cilka’s time in the concentration camp. She finds love and goes on to live her life. These elements make the story uplifting. A read all around read!

A heartbreaking but inspiring story of courage, sacrifice and hope. I found this little known period of history fascinating. While much has been written about the German concentration camps I knew very little about the Siberian Gulags. Cilka is a remarkable character and the fact that this is based on a true story makes it even better. I liked it just as much as The Tattooist of Auschwitz and it was interesting to see how the story continued. Very well written and kept me interested throughout all of Cilka’s experiences.

I know I'm in the minority but I didn't LOVE this book. This is the sequel to the Tattooist of Auschwitz. The characters were really well developed but this book felt too long. I appreciated the historical elements but the best parts of this book were its human connection.

4.5🌟

This was an incredible story I had a hard time putting it down. Cilka was so brave in the face of everything she encountered. She even did her best to protect others as well. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who has an interest in reading WWII stories.

I was genuinely surprised that the NetGalley gods granted me an advanced reader copy of Cilka’s Journey several months prior to its publication in October 2019. I hadn’t read its predecessor, The Tattooist of Auschwitz, but I had heard how beautiful and moving the writing was. But the thing about beautiful and moving writing is that it has the power to break your heart. This book destroyed me before I was even halfway through with it. I just couldn’t bear it, so I put it down to give myself a breather. But I was so distraught that, no matter what else I polluted my mind with, I just couldn’t return to my galley before it was archived. So, when the book was finally published, I waited for my turn in the reserve queue at my library. I tried to finish it, but only lasted a few pages before I was overwhelmed by emotion again. So I let it linger on my Currently Reading list for over a year in hopes that I would be brave enough to restart it some day. Today, I am resigning myself to the fact that I just can’t face such trauma and sadness.

To be clear, this book finds itself in my Dust Bin because of how vividly and wonderfully rendered it is. I just lack the courage to continue through the brutality presented in order to see the beauty at the end. A reader with more intestinal fortitude than I have is bound to find this book a rewarding experience.

While I enjoyed The Tattooist, I was even more moved by Cilka’s Journey. The will to survive is amazing. I am blown away by the strength of the characters. I am often shocked by the way that humans treat one another. The reasoning for the imprisonment of Cilka was jaw dropping. I continue to read these stories so that these atrocities are not simply forgotten. Thank you for telling Cilka Klein’s story.

Late to the game on this book, and this review -- but wow. I read Tattoist of Auschwitz and Cilka's Journey back to back.

It was impactful to read this after Tattooist....Cilka was a memorable side character and I am so glad she got her own story, even though it was difficult to read given the content.

This was an extremely powerful historical fiction piece by an author I have grown to love. We first met Cilka in The Tattooist of Auschwitz and her storyline captured, terrified and mesmerized me. It was such an immersive and eye opening experience to deep dive into her story through the author’s incredibly gifted way of writing such descriptive language that transports you right there alongside the characters. I love books that make me feel so strongly and root for the protagonist and this one nailed it. 4.5 stars!

I cried all the way through The Tattooist of Auschwitz, so it's no surprise that I cried all through Cilka's Journey. It is hard to even put a review in to words as this story is beautiful and heart breaking all at the same time. The pain and suffering is felt at the same time you feel the love and bravery of Cilka and all of the people she comes in contact with. The flashback to her time in the camps left me speechless. Myheart broke when she thought about her family. But oh, what an ending. I was expecting the worst because it's a horrible piece of history, but Heather Morris managed to tell this story beautifully. You think to yourself this happened so long ago, but then you read the epilogue and learned that Cilka passed away in 2004. I just kept reading and reading until there were no more pages to turn. I didn't want to let Cilka go.

Cilka's story is emotional and heartbreaking. Her horrific journey didn't end when she left Auschwitz. She most definitely is one of the strongest women I have ever read about. I know I will be thinking about this story for a long time after finishing this book.

This book is for anyone who loved The Tattooist of Auschwitz. This book takes us on a journey with Cilka who is featured in the first book. We get to know her on a deeper level and really connect with her story.
Being a fan of the first book I knew I had to read this one as well, I found it completely devastating and heartbreaking. Based on true events I found myself having to pause and put it down and be so grateful for the life I have but also have respect for those who suffered during this time. I was visualizing all the awful things the poor people in Cilka’s life (including herself) witnessed and experienced. This included physical abuse, unbearable working and living conditions and being robbed of their humanity.
I appreciated all the research that went into this book and found it to be very well written. Some parts were quite graphic and unsettling, so be prepared for that. Overall amazing book about history.