Once again, Heather Morris does a fantastic job of bringing to life the stories of people that experienced the Holocaust in a way that’s both devastating and inspiring. This time it’s three sisters, Cibi, Magda and Livi, hence the name of the title. Cibi and Livi are among the earliest occupants of Auschwitz and Birkenau, while their sister Magda lives at home with their mother and grandfather before ending up in the camp herself. The sisters constantly serve as a means of support for each other to survive their time in the camp and the death march that follows. The story then follows the sisters lives after the Holocaust and how they learn to live and adjust to life after being a part of a genocide. This to me is a crucial part of the story. Many stories exist right now of World War II. Morris’ decision to rebuild the stories of real people allows the reader to experience the trauma of a real person’s life. And that trauma extends beyond the end of World War II as Jewish people all over Europe dealt with survivor’s guilt, going back to a home where they weren’t necessarily wanted, and trying to start over from the scraps they were left with when they were freed from camps or hiding. Morris’ stories are sad and can be very difficult to read because of the subject matter – but they are also incredibly well done, powerful and impactful.

I was lucky to receive an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest reviews and opinions. This is a wonderful read and I highly recommend. Loved the cover and book!

Based on the true experiences of the Meller sisters, Heather Morris once again tells the stories of the survivors of Auschwitz. The Meller sisters, Livi, Magda, and Cibi, make a promise to their dying father that they will always stay together and will always take care of one another. However, Magda is called up to be transported to a German work camp and goes into hiding. When the Germans come for her, they take Livi instead. When Cibi finds out, she turns herself in and the two sisters fight for their survival. As the war is ending, Magda and the rest of the family are gathered up and also transported to Auschwitz. The sisters are reunited and keep their promises to protect and strengthen one another as they make their escape in the waning days of the war. This story recounts their experiences in the concentration camps and their endeavor to make a new life in the newly formed state of Israel.
Morris' account is based on documentation and intensive interviews with the sisters and their families. She once again makes the reader aware of the horrors of the Holocaust, how anti-Semitism raged even after the end of the war, and how survivors faced new lives with hope and determination, vowing to tell their stories so the world would not forget.
Recommended for readers of historical fiction, especially of WWII, and for those who believe in the strength of family and the human determination to live through horrors and come out on the other side. If you likes The Tatooist of Auschwitz and Cilka' journey, this book is a good follow up.

I was not familiar with Heather Morris’s work until I was asked to review “Three Sisters,” which is the concluding novel a three-part series.

I enjoy reading books in a series out of order because if the second or third book captures my attention, it is more likely I will have one (or two) more books to read. Here, we meet three sisters, Cibi, Magda and Livi. As young children, their father makes them promise to always be there for each other. A decade later, the girls find each other at Auschwitz; you do not need to read any further to know the horrors that these young women will experience, but it’s how they pull together and support each other both during and after their experiences at the camp that makes this story especially poignant. This is not an easy story to read, but that is what makes this heartfelt novel so necessary. I was not surprised to discover that events of this novel were based on real life events. Heather Morris’s ability to pull her reader into these events was quite adapt.

And now I have the first two books to read!

Thank you the author, NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel.

I had such high hopes for this book after reading The Tattooist of Auschwitz and was nor disappointed. The Three Sisters follows the story of the three Meller sisters and their families from the onset of WWII through the publication date. I am the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors and found the book to be both historically accurate AND captivating, which is certainly no easy feat. The last 1/4 of the book slightly dragged for me but I found myself still attached to the characters. I especially enjoyed the afterwards by the children/grandchildren of the sisters as well as the connection to The Tattooist of Auschwitz. The book was well-written and well researched.

Based on the true events of three sisters from Slovakia during the Second World War, but with creative liberty taken, I found myself in disbelief at times…yet it is all based on a true story. How the World let Hitler get that far and do such terrible things to so many Jewish people is beyond belief. Yet it’s true and these three girls managed to survive and tell their story.

You have to read this to understand the impact it has on you as your read it. My heart aches every time I read a book likes this, but this one also gave me a happier ending to such a horrible time. Never forget and never let this happen again.

Heather Morris has a true gift for sharing stories of survivors.

From the first page I felt connected to Cibi, Magda and Livi and the promise they made to their father. Throughout all of the horrific things the sisters experienced, what remained most important was family. As Cibi said, they saved each other and I know that they would have survived without one another.

The last 1/3 of the book dragged a little bit but overall was enjoyable, and I was rooting for Cibi and her sisters to have their happy ending.

Kudos to Heather on another incredible book.

This is my favorite of Morris’ books. It was about three sisters who made a promise to stick together during the war and their story of survival. What made it so different is that the story did not end after the war. The war was actually only the first half of the book. We got to see life after the Jews were liberated from the camps and their journey to Israel. I sometimes feel as though books don’t fully capture people’s lives after the war and this one did such a great job. I also really enjoyed reading the acknowledgements section at the end where we see comments from the children and grandchildren. Thanks St. Martin Press and Net Galley for this ARC!

Thank you to Heather Morris, Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. I really appreciate it!

I am in the minority of people who didn't LOVE The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Cilka's Journey. I liked them, but didn't love them. As an avid reader of Holocaust historical fiction, I found Heather Morris' writing a little too much on the positive and uplifting side and trying to sugar coat the horrors and atrocities faced by millions. I had the same issue with Three Sisters. Although I enjoyed reading Cibi, Magda and Livi's story, the way Morris writes is just not my favourite. There were just too many times where Morris tried to make it seem like a "positive" experience the girls were having - for example, consistently getting what they wanted from guards/SS, finding food at the opportune moments etc.

This was a good Holocaust novel, and I'd definitely recommend it, especially if you enjoyed Morris' first two books, I just don't think this book, like her others, can be seen as an accurate description of the Holocaust. So read it as a book about three sisters and their loving relationship, rather than anything else.

Wow! Another great historical fiction book by the master Heather Morris. Thank you NetGalley for the arc of this book.
This is a story of three sisters who made a promise to their father to stick together. They fulfill their promise in their own ways. Heart wrenching story of love, survival, and hope. We all need to be educated on the atrocities of WW2 so they can never be repeated.
Loved how we got to read about the tattooist of Auschwitz as well as Cilka. Ties everything together.

Another wonderful harrowing story of survival during the darkest of times.

I love how Heather Morris can take such a sad subject and put together a story that not only drains your emotions, but gives you the strongest of hope. Her writing style is easy to read and wonderfully descriptive.

This book is based on a true story, which makes the events of the story that more interesting to comprehend. With story after story I read about the holocausts and the survivors that went through the most horrific of circumstances, its safe to save, many more died at the hands of their oppressors.

What really made this story special was the ending, after the end of the war. We don't always hear of the deep prejudices that still existed after the survivors were sent back home. How their homes were now taken over by squatters and their belongings not theirs anymore. How hard it was to even petition their governments for permission to relocate to Israel. Its almost as if the world forgot that these events happened once the war was over.

I appreciated this read and how it has opened my eyes to the after. A wonderful read.

My review will be live on the Book Confessions blog closer to the release date.

I felt very "meh" about this one. It's probably my fault for requesting a galley of a Holocaust book, because I am over the whole trend of WWII books. I do feel like, given how many books about the Holocaust that have been published, there really needs to be a special element that makes a book stand out or be different for it to really grab my attention. I don't feel that this book had it. I also didn't love that, even though she was telling the story of Holocaust survivors, she is not a Jewish woman and has no real-life connection to Holocaust survivors.

Three sisters. A promise given…a promise kept. Hope and Strength. A story of survival.

This is a powerful story of how three Slovakian sisters facing the horrors and death everywhere in the concentration camps, overcame obstacles to survive. As very young children, they made a promise to their father to stay together no matter what and they formed a bond that would direct their lives as their paths twisted and turned. Based on true people and true events, it is a heart-wrenching testament of the strength, resilience, faith, and luck of these women to survive. Their bond was unshakeable. Having survived years of imprisonment, starvation, and being overworked, they are able to escape during the death march from Auschwitz. However, they cannot escape their memories nor the trauma they endured. It is tattooed into their hearts just like their numbers were tattooed onto their arms. Together, they must cope to find happiness in their new freedom and new lives.

I started this book and could not put it down. Their story of courage and strength captivated me. What Cibi, Livi, and Magda and so many, many others endured was horrific. The author let them tell a story that needed to be heard. Their journey, their lives, their story, will stay with me for a long time. Hope and Strength. Heather Morris has written another note-worthy book. I highly recommend this book.

Many thanks to #netgalley #threesisters for allowing me to read and review this book.

A beautiful book based on the true story of three sisters that experienced the worst days imaged. Every time I read stories and these experiences, I wonder how any of us can complain. Such good detail of their experiences and how the sisters promised to always be there for each other to fulfill that promise to their father. I really enjoyed the acknowledgements at the end where the children or grandchildren commented. It’s a really good story from beginning to end. Some parts will tug at your heart and make you cry and others will make you smile. Thanks to St Martins Press for offering me the ARC.

Like the previous two books I’ve read from Heather Morris this book is written amazingly. She has a way with words that crafts a difficult subject in a way that makes you feel a part of it, does well with the subject matter, and feel for the people living within it. Definitely a part of history we should all remember so it does t repeat again.

All of Heather Morris’s’ novels stand out for the richness of historical detail that is not always pleasant to read, however brings truth to the atrocities that WW2 inflicted on generations.
The Three Sisters is another true story that is filled with beautiful and horrible moments that could only be written from first person accounts.
You will fall in love with the sisters and they will remain with you long after the last sentence of the novel.
Add this to your shelf fit an authentic, haunting, fascinating story of the three sisters represented by the famous sculpture.

I was thrilled to receive a link to this ARC. I love this genre of books and am so glad that Heather Morris has continued this story and characters. The tender relationship of the sisters is so endearing and their strength is unimaginable. I highly recommend Three Sisters (and the first two books of the series as well). Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this unforgettable story.

4.5 Stars

This is a work of fiction, as it states clearly, but many of the characters included in this story were real people whose stories are shared through the creativity of Heather Morris.

As this story begins, it is June of 1929 and the setting is Vranov nad Topl’ou in Slovakia where three sisters, Cibi, Magda and Livi are sitting in their backyard with their father. Livi is only three years old - the wild one, Cibi is the oldest at seven and has a fiery temper, and Magda is five, the beautiful and gentle one. He knows he will be having a surgery the next day, and wants them to promise him one thing, a promise that they will always take care of each other, no matter what happens. It is a promise that they will never forget, and perhaps be the thing that both unites them, and ultimately saves them.

Years pass, and Livi is now 15, and has been ordered to Auschwitz, Cibi will follow her. Magda hides, but is eventually discovered, and the three sisters will be reunited in a place where death and horrifying conditions are all around. Though traumatised by their experiences, they are together. When one begins to falter, the others are there to protect her, to nurse her back to health, or to remind her of their promise. They must find a way to endure the nightmare, the horrifying conditions, the sickness, watching others being forced to walk to their death.

We all know that the stories of the holocaust are horrifying. This story does include some moments sharing a brief glimpse of the horrors to come, but this is mainly the story of those who survived, based on the real stories that were shared with the author. What gave them the incentive, the courage to have hope, to believe that there was reason for hope even when the circumstances offered them no obvious reasons to continue to believe - in this case, it was the promise they made to their father.

Hope is the promise of tomorrow.


Pub Date: 05 Oct 2021

Many thanks for the ARC provided by St. Martin’s Press
#ThreeSisters #NetGalley

Three Sisters by Heather Morris is touted as the third book in The Tattooist of Auschwitz series. The first two were a little more entwined but this one could be read as a stand-alone book. There may be cameo appearances from the other books but not a major part of the story.

I did enjoy all three books in this series. Three Sisters shows the bond of sisters and resilience of people. We all know horrid things happened in the concentration camps. This book shows how the human spirit can come back to life and thrive after so much sorrow and loss. The book also taught me about how some Jewish people relocated to Israel after the camps to start a new life. I have read my fair share of WWII books and this is the first I have read that talked about a life in Israel which provided an interesting perspective of history.

I would like to thank #NetGalley for an advanced copy of #ThreeSisters. I hope #HeatherMorris keeps writing interesting historical fiction for us to enjoy!

This book is wonderful! This is the true story of 3 sisters, Cibi, Magda and Livi, who made a promise to their father before he died that they will always protect one another. Years later, when all three were reunited in Auschwitz, this promise would be put to the test again and again. Will they be able to survive the cruelty, heartbreak, near starvation and so damn much more!?

Three Sisters moves along at a good pace and then you get to the end of the story to the Epilogue, Author's Note and the Afterword. I am gutted! God bless the author's that can tell these stories and more importantly, God bless those that were not able to survive and those that did.

EDIT to add: This could be a stand alone and I would not say that it is book 3 of a 3 book set. The two previous book characters were only mentioned once throughout the course of this book and it really didn't need to be there for this story.

Many thanks to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for this advanced readers copy. This book is scheduled to release on October 5, 2021.