This book ripped me to shreds. Every book I read on Auschwitz or other camps reminds me of just how strong these people had to be. How easy it would have been to give up, stop fighting, but they didn’t. Mala was such an amazing person to get to know through this book. I am certainly glad I added it to my WW2 book reading.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley

This story was well researched and thought out. It was heartbreaking. Reading about the holocaust is one of my favorite topics because there’s so much history behind it and the strength of those involved is unmatched. Great book

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The Girl Who Escaped from Auschwitz by Ellie Midwood is a historical fiction book recounting the life of Malka “Mala” Zimetbaum and Edvard “Edek” Galiński who escaped from the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Ms. Midwood is a best-selling, award-winning historical fiction author.

Inmate 19880, Mala is a bright young Jewish woman deep in the hell of Auschwitz. Due to her intellect and ability to speak several languages, Mala is put in a privileged secretarial position which she uses to help others and save many lives.

Inmate 531, Edek is a Polish political prisoner who is a member of the underground resistance, planning an escape. When Edek and Malka meet, they are convinced that their combined privilege, courage, and imagination will allow them to escape.

A particularly tragic story based on true events, memoirs, and lots of research. For me, it was interesting to read about the experience of two prisoners who were not explicitly marked for death since their arrival in Auschwitz. The author goes on to describe the horrible conditions as witnessed by privileged prisoners, the administrative office, or the political prisoner. Prisoners that altogether had access to a large portion of Auschwitz.

Mala was saved thanks to her fluency in five languages (Dutch, French, German, and Polish; other sources say she also knew English and/or Italian), she served as a runner and translator for the SS. Soon Mala became a legend at the camp, a person who was not corrupted by the harsh reality and did all she can to help other prisoners, risking her life often. We know this through collective stories of survivors. Standing up to evil, even as she faced certain death, elevated Mala from a local legend to a heroine for the ages.

I saw some other reviewers complain about the author’s soapbox speech about abortion rights. Regardless of my personal opinion, I agree that this very short section had no place in the book. Abortions in Auschwitz were a necessity. Getting impregnated was a guaranteed date with the hangman, there was no religious aspect to it – just a matter of survival.

The Girl Who Escaped from Auschwitz by Ellie Midwood certainly is an engrossing book, shining a light on brave heroes we should never forget. Even though it’s historical fiction, Mala’s bravery, as well as chutzpah in the face of pure evil shine through.
I hope I have half her courage.

It is hard to imagine that love would come about in Auschwitz. Where there was no hope. Seeing children pulled from their mothers and then sent to the gas chambers. Where men, women, and children were treated as numbers, below human and then disregarded. All these horrors were all around Marla and Edek as they fell in love and planned their escape. Their story is based on many accounts from survivors and the Germans that helped them.

What makes their story so powerful is where they got their hope. Love is a powerful tool for hope and it is powerful tool for us to see how their love survived. Maybe it was because they had nothing to loose and everything to gain. Maybe it was because they shared their love with others in helping others in need. Their love was bigger than the two of them and they knew that in order for others to survive, they had to be a beacon of hope. Highly recommend.

A special thank you to Grand Central Station and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review

Thank you to NetGalley and author Ellie Midwood for selecting me to receive an advanced copy of the novel The Girl Who Escaped from Auschwitz.

Inside this book is a harrowing tale of Mala, a prisoner in Auschwitz who, because of her knowledge of various languages, was performing duties as a runner in the camp and translator. With this title, she was able to enter areas of the camp other inmates weren’t allowed, and was allowed a few extra privileges. Still, life in the camp was grim and morbid. There was no question these holding facilities were built to become death camps to exterminate mass populations of people, and Mala knew it was only time before her number would be called upon to enter the crematorium.

Mala used her rise to a more privileged position within the inmate population to assist others less fortunate. She was courageous throughout her imprisonment, often smuggling medicine, or providing extra food or even her own clothing to help make life a little better for others. She risked her safety and life numerous times to save the lives of others.

While in the camp, she and another prisoner, Edek, meet and fall in love with each other. Both being part of the Underground resistance movement within the camp, they hatch a plan to escape from Auschwitz.

This book was very emotional for me. At times, I had to pause from reading it for a few days due to its powerful descriptions and feelings of raw emotion it evoked. I have read other books about the Holocaust and other emotionally-charged events throughout history, but I have not recently experienced a book that truly gripped me the way this one did.

A very powerful story, and I thank Ellie Midwood for acknowledging Mala and Edek for their courageous efforts while in Auschwitz-Birkenau and bringing their true story to light.

This story is about the strength of the concentration camp prisoners. There are many stories about the lengths people would go to to stay safe and alive. This is the first story I have read about an escape plan. At the end of the book the author explains what events were real and who the characters were based on.
I rated this book three stars not because the story is unimportant but because it did not capture my attention as much as I’d hoped. I struggled reading the middle of the book and found my attention wandering.

I have read so many of Ellie Midwood's books and each one is better than the last. I would be hard pressed to pick a favorite, I love the ones that are based on real life stories. I can not get enough of them.
I knew of Mala Zimetbaum and Edek Galinski from other books I have read but had not until now have I read a book based solely on their story. I fell in love with this doomed couple, especially with Mala, this young woman, wow, what can I even say, her courageous acts of selfless giving in a place so full of inhumane atrocities is so overwhelming. All of us reading these stories tody of the men and women who lived through the horrors of WWII cannot fully understand the depth of what they went through, we simply can't. I think reading their stories when researched well and written by authors such as Ellie Midwood, we come as close as we can to understanding the horrors of those times and the high price paid by everyone touched by that war.
Midwood brings to life once again the pain and fear of living in one of Hitler's death camps and the ever present struggle just to live one more day. She also brings to the reader that glimmer of hope that lay in the souls of these brave people as they continued to fight the evil which was Hitler and his regime, without that little light that they kept shining throughout their fight we would not be where we are today. Thank you to authors like Midwood for keeping that light alive and reminding us so that we shall never let such a thing happen again.
This book is impeccably researched and the characters well developed so that they feel as if they are old friends. The story is well written and brought to life in only the way that Ellie Midwood knows how to do. I would highly recommend this book for a ll fans of historical WWII fiction. An excellent read, publishing Se[ptember 13, 2022. be sure to grab your copy.
Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and to Net Galley for the free ARC I am leaving my honest review in return.

The Girl Who Escaped From Auschwitz by Ellie Midwood
The is the first novel by this author I have read. I am excitingly waiting for the next book. She pulled me in the story from the first page. The story and characters are true to a book about the holocaust. There are areas that were hard to read, but I know that it really happened that way. The book has everything you would want in a book. There suspense, thrilling and true to history.

I will gladly recommend this book and rate it 5 out of 5.

I received this complimentary copy book from the publisher for a honest review. All thoughts and opinions are mine and mine alone.

I read a lot of books in this genre. While I enjoyed it, this book wasn't one of my favorites. It took me a bit to get into this book, especially compared to the other book I've read by this author (<i>The Violinist of Auschwitz</i>).

The cover and genre caught my eye. The characters, in general, were interesting. It took me a bit longer than expected to get into the story. It's based on facts, which made it all the more intriguing. That said, some of the dialogue felt a bit unrealistic, and there was an overuse of adverbs that really stood out at times.

The author obviously did her research, and the story she crafted is one that needs to be shared. Vivid details bring certain scenes, such as those of the gas chambers, to life, Sadly, this one didn't stick with me the same way other WWII-era novels tend to do.

THIS WAS ONE AMAZING BOOK AND THIS WRITTER TOLD THINGS JUST AS THEY WERE. IT WAS SAD THE HARDSHIPS THEY WENT THROUGH DURING THERE LIFE. i JUST COULD NOT IMAGINGE THE STRENTH THEY ALL HAD TO SURVIVE.

Definitely a must read. Based on the lives of Edek Galinski and Mala Zimetbaum based on the recollection of Wieslaw Kielar (prisoner 290 who amazingly survived 5 years in Auschhwitz-Birkenau). I fell in love with these characters and I knew that my heart would be a mess (as about 1/2 way I needed to jump to the author's notes and the end).

The Girl Who Escaped from Auschwitz provides a completely different view of the concentration camps that I've read previously and demonstrates the compassion of Mala who takes opportunities to help prisoners in whatever way she can. This book also shows one SS man who was sent for "re-training" because he wasn't cruel enough and came back from training even more lenient.

Thank you to NetGalley (for yet once again ... introducing me to an author that I was not familiar) and for providing the opportunity to review the advance read copy (ARC) of The Girl Who Escaped from Auschwitz in exchange for an honest review. Also many thanks to Ellie Midwood and the publisher (Bookouture) who approved my request to review the ARC. Publication date is Sept 13, 2022.

This was such a remarkable, haunting book.

The writing truly made me feel in the middle of the story. The Girl Who Escaped from Auschwitz is the kind of historical fiction that makes the entire genre proud. Weaving fact with fiction in a way that makes you feel as though you're truly learning about historical figures, but without the static tone of non-fiction.

Midwood tells us the story of Mala Zimetbaum and Edek Galiński, the first people to escape the horrors of Auschwitz-Birkenau. I can't believe how quickly I flew through this book. Mala was unknown to me prior to reading this, and became a hero by the end. Strength, determination, grit, and deep resistance. She's a name everyone should know.

The description of life inside the Concentration Camp is so visual and horrific, that it kept me up after I finished the book. And this story of hope, faith, and overcoming adversity will stay with me. This is my first Ellie Midwood novel, but it will definitely not be my last.

Based on a true story, this follows Edek and Wieslaw, two political prisoners who are also members of the resistance, and Mala, an interpreter in the camp, as they struggle for identity and to hold on to hope within this dark time. Edek and Mala develop a relationship, helping each other to face each new day as the horrors gradually worsen. The book will make you scream out and cry on behalf of the prisoners and their treatment. It will make you feel the tenderness that comes with any relationship, particularly one blossoming where life is as fragile as it was here. One of my favorite sections of this book was the historical information, which tells all about the true story of Mala and Edek, their tale and their tragedy. Fans of realistic fiction or just WW2 stories in general will truly appreciate this new offering.

This is the story of prisoners in concentration camps in WWII. It is a story of courage and the fight for survival in the worst conditions. It displays the worst and the best of human nature. A compelling story. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.