Erin Litteken’s historic novel The Memory Keeper of Kyiv is told with a dual timeline format. The novel tells the Katya’s story in 1930s Ukraine, and 70 years later when her granddaughter Cassie discovers and reads her journal. I voluntarily read and reviewed this complimentary copy of this well-written, beautiful, heart-wrenching book about secrets, the past, and family.

Goodness... when I requested this book it was prior to Russia invading Ukraine. As I read through this historical fiction story, it was heart-wrenching and made things seem more real as I watched the issues on the news with Russia's invasion. It was a bit hard to read in some aspects as realities are shown throughout history for these poor people. Definitely a must read for any historical fiction fan.

This is told via a dual timeline and alternative POVs. It is a heart wrenching story. The characters are complex and likeable. This book taught me lots about Ukraines history

The Memory Keeper Of Kyiv by Erin Litteken, a NetGalley review. At the very beginning of this book I wasn’t sure what to expect and how I felt about the story, it kind of felt like I had a kind of responsibility to like it and not to have a bad thing to say about it. At first I did find it a bit slow but wow what I book, so please keep reading it and it’s a book not to be rushed. This is a work of fiction but inspired but horrific things that had happened and I suppose it held more significance at the moment because of the horrific things happening in Ukraine currently. For me this book, this story was an eye opener about something I had no knowledge of, but like others books I’ve read recently it shows the incredible of woman and men during unexplainable and unthinkable times. In this book Katya is 16 when the story starts, Stalin’s activists arrive in her village and from then onwards things go from bad to things happening that are imaginable .
Katya although a work of fiction is incredibly strong, brave and even though she most have been scared beyond anything that we can imagine, she comes across as fearless, she never gives up, when many would have done and when many people around her died, from starvation. This is proof of we needed any that the world is an incredibly cruel and sometimes evil place. While reading this I realised why my grandparents didn’t want or speak of there time during the war, because it was just to hard to tell and this is what happens in this story Bobby (Katya) has written a journal of her life in Ukraine, she’s never spoken to her daughter or granddaughter about that life, no matter how much she’s been ask, but she finally gives them her journal yo read because the words and to hard to live through again. This is a powerful read and hats off to the author, I don’t necessarily know if I would have picked up this book if I hadn’t read it through NetGalley so I’m incredibly glad I did and the authors next book is on my wish list now. Without a doubt this book is a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ please read it, learn something new but it is triggering in parts but very worth the read. At the moment if you have kindle unlimited this book is free 📚📚📚📚

Knowing what is going on in this region right now made this book kind of difficult emotionally and mentally to read. However, it is important that we understand the calamities of war. That being said, this book is so beautifully written and I am glad I finished it. I will definitely be watching for more from this author.

This book was heart wrenching to read learning what happened in Ukraine in the 1920’s. I wasn’t aware of the history so it was interesting to hear, although extremely sad. I enjoyed the two different timelines and learning something new each time a chapter went back in time. I thought the writing was great and will definitely recommend to friends.

Haunting, emotional, heartbreakingly stunning and so so good!!
I really don't have the adequate words for just how incredibly moving this book is, the story resonates with so much in the world today and will have many a steel heart weeping - yes, this little reviewer shed a few tears!
The absolute determination, courage the constant bravery shown by this little Ukrainian family is inspiring, their journey is hard and hellish, but their story is one which needs to be read by everyone, it's compelling and riveting, I was overawed by these people and the story, an aspect of history that I didn't know about. It's not an easy read and it will tear strips off your heart, but it's well worth all the emotion.
There is always hope in the darkness, an absolutely stunning debut!!

This inspiring but very difficult historical fiction is based on the Holodomor in Ukraine in the 1930s. It is a dual timeline where Katya’s story is told through her journal. Cassie moves back home when her grandmother needs someone to stay with her. Katya had never discussed her life in Ukraine. As Cassie is reading the journal, we learn what the people endured during Stalin’s forced starvation and the deaths of millions of Ukrainians. I didn’t know about the travesties they suffered during this time. I consider this a must-read.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #BoldwoodBooks for an e-ARC in exchange for my review of #TheMemoryKeeperofKyiv

The Memory Keeper of Kyiv is not for the faint-hearted. A harrowing story rooted in the history of Ukraine, it doesn't spare the reader the gory reality of living through the Holodomor. I'd put off reading it as I suspected it would be a tough read but I'll be recommending it to others - warnings aside, its a well-crafted split timeline story with a satisfying ending and relatable characters. I particularly loved Bobby, Cassie's grandmother.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dual timeline and Historical fiction were once my main reading staple. I have, in recent years, shied away from them for several reasons. I only tend to pick one up if it features a period or war that I have not yet had a chance to read about.
This was a timely arrival. I saw it around the same time that Ukraine was in the news, and I wanted to know more. I find it easier to absorb information via this medium than any other.
What I realised after reading this was that the events occurring right now are things that played out almost similarly in days past.
The dual timeline is split between the US in the present day and 1930s Ukraine - our central protagonists are a granddaughter/grandmother pair, respectively.
The grandmother is starting to lose her memory and is more prone to accidents at home. At the back of her mind, she wants to share her past with her family, something she has not done before. The information is revealed in the form of a neighbour assisting our present narrator in reading a diary since the latter is not familiar with Ukrainian.
The story was harrowing but left me feeling like this could have been a single point of view. The current perspective did not add much to the tale except to show that even though there was a relatively happy ending after struggles, there would always be some hurdles at some point.
The story painted a picture of a country in turmoil and the suffering of the common man.
I would recommend this to fans of the genre and someone on the lookout for books based in this time and place.
I originally received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

A beautifully written story based in truth, this book has been my favourite read for 2022.
Highly recommend. Thanks #netgalley for the advanced copy.

This book was absolutely incredible and I read in almost one sitting! Un-put-downable and immersive. This harrowing fictional telling of Stalin's manmade famine in Ukraine, combined with a more modern storyline of the main character's granddaughter came together very well. This is historical fiction at it's best.

An eye-opening and harrowing account of Stalin's treatment of the Ukrainian people which is particularly poignant given the current situation in the country. The book is clearly well-researched and the picture it paints is very vivid. I remember learning about collective farming at school but it certainly wasn't from this angle. This part of history is not well known and it's a story that deserves to be told.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for my copy of The Memory Keeper of Kyiv by Erin Litteken in exchange for an honest review. It published May 16, 2022.
Holy smokes, I learned so much from this book. I had no clue just how bad things were for the Ukrainian people in the early 1930's. I am glad I learned this, as I am 1/8th Ukrainian. This book shows just how important it is to share about history with younger generation.
Well-written and researched. If you haven't heard of the Holodomor, you need to read this.

It's a Historical Fiction novel that could have been ripped from the headlines, yet centers on horrific events that transpired in the 1930s. Here's the thing though, it's not just about those hardships, those terrors, those things that they had to make it through to try to get to a better day...it's about the people. Their toughness of spirit, their courageous hearts, their willingness to take on the living you-know-where that their villages turned into, all because of the greed of a power, nay a person, that couldn't leave well enough alone. It's about a family that was use to celebrating each day with loved ones, and neighbors, who now had to second guess who they could trust. It's about the beauty that can be found in the midst of great darkness, and the forgiveness given without having ever dared asked the question. It's a story that will move you in both past and present timelines because you have a heart. I was captured fully by Katya's youthful exuberance in the face of evil, but equally so by little Birdie trying to find her voice once again. I was torn apart by the seemingly endless losses suffered by this family, let alone their people as a whole, but once again equally so by the heartache Cassie, Anne, and Bobby were trying to rise above.

I was quite literally brought to tears several times, and whether it was due to the inescapable sorrows that abounded in the past, or the remarkable revelations unfolding in the present, I couldn't honestly say because the story held me by the heartstrings from start to finish. It's one of those works that makes you sit up and take note. Though a fiction novel, it shares a time in history that isn't as well known worldwide...or at least it wasn't by me, but you can bet I'll be learning more about it, and in truth, I hope the world does too. History repeats itself when we haven't learned enough from it the first time to move forward, make amends, and try a new way. A time like this should have never existed in the first place...and yet here we are, watching updates on the current situation around the world, and I can't help but pray it ends before it gets any worse.

A breathtaking work of Historical Fiction that will echo in your heart long after the last page has turned....

This book is inspiring but also extremely difficult. It tells the story of the Holodomor
In Ukraine, from the point of view of Katya, a young woman. The story in set in the present day and Katya is an old woman, her health is declining and we see the root of some of her current behaviours in what she's been through. Ultimately this is the story of a really strong woman and really strong people. I think its important or people to know the story of the Holodomor(I didn’t before reading this book), to know how resilient the Ukranian people are and how much they’ve endured at home. Now so many people having to leave the home where their parents or grandparents fought so hard just to stay alive, it’s heartbreaking.

Unfortunately not for me. The situation the main character was in at the start was too sad and therefore not the sort of book I want to read right now

Book review:
❤️ This book is a compelling and intimate story of love and survival. Harrowing and haunting . . . yet, it is sensitive, beautiful and inspiring. A beautiful tale of a girl, Katya in 1929 in Ukraine who falls in love with the boy next door.

❤️ The story teaches about resistance and endurance and a price to be paid for each. After decades, when similar issues are faced by her granddaughter a lot of things change. The learning from her family’s past to come to grips with her future. The diaries connected brilliantly to history and how life has always been challenging.

❤️ The author has meticulously crafted the story and entangled the scenarios for a deeper insight and predict a stronger personality feature of Ukrainian people. The hardships she endeavour and the lessons she learnt in those circumstances is marvellously depicted.

❤️ I loved reading this book and learnt lot of lessons about how to survive when life puts you in trivial circumstances. I am thankful to netgalley and the publisher for gifting me this book in return of an honest review.

❤️Happy Reading!

This is a hard one. The author discusses how the book took shape way before the current events and it's just remarkable that we are once again watching a country be ravaged. It's heartbreaking to read but incredibly well researched and hopefully really highlights the resilience of the Ukrainian people.

Inspiring novel based on the true story of the forced famine that took place after Stalin invaded Ukraine. Set in the present day, with reflections into the past through the journal of a young woman who endured starvation, hardship and the loss of her family. She commits to tell her story in the journal so that she can one day share the truth with the world. Timely novel. A must read for anyone interested in the history of Ukraine.