Good WWII HISTORY and fictional story of a group of Polish women who were used in experiments in concentration camps. The narrative tension was very compelling and kept me reading. The American story was kind of boring but the split perspectives kept the story suspenseful. I like the fact it’s basically based on a true story.

This book... ohhhh this book. First, I must apologize to the author and the publisher- I received an advanced copy of this in 2016 via NetGalley and I never read it until now. I don't know why, but oh, I am so glad I finally did read it. Based on actual people and events, it is the story of three very different women and the effects World War II had on them, and how eventually their paths intertwine. Caroline (one of the real people represented in this book) was a former actress, working at the French Consulate in New York City. Kasia, a Polish teenager, and Herta, a German doctor(the other real person represented.) The author, Martha Hall Kelly, did extensive research for this book and it shows. It is a window into that time and such a moving story. This is a book that will stay with you long after you've finished it.

One of the best World War II books written this year! Don't miss out!

Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly tells the harrowing account of the experiences of three women - Caroline, Kasia, and Herta - from different countries during World War II as their lives become intertwined in ways they never could have imagined. It was the first time I've read a novel from the horrific perspective of a female Nazi. Be forewarned. The book was hard to stomach at times, particularly during the scenes of human experimentation. Nevertheless, it was very well written and highly recommended.

This book was amazing. I had a hard time putting it down, very interesting characters, and lots of history about WWII that I didn't know about. Thrilling at times, poignant, and just a great literary novel! Highly recommend.

Despite the spate of novels recently published dealing with the topic of WWII, the subject matter never gets boring. There are so many facets to the war that each book can easily tackle a new concept to explore. In Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly the author utilizes the lives of three intersecting characters to explore the Holocaust, two based on real people and one a fictionalized version representing true events.

Caroline Ferriday is a New York socialite devoting her life to helping the orphans in France. Working full time as a volunteer at the French Embassy in New York City, she assisted individuals in securing visas in order to escape France before the war began. In German occupied Lublin, Poland, Kasha Kuzmerick and various friends and family members get swept up as political prisoners. Sent to Ravensbruck, Kashia and her sister Zuzanna, end up the subjects for a medical laboratory experiment involving battle wounds, which leaves Kashia with a permanent limp. The surgery is performed by Herta Oberheuser, one of the few female doctors in Germany, who was recruited to work at this Women's Concentration Camp and assigned to perform the operations which permanently maimed or killed the Polish "Rabbits". Her attitude is fascinating as Herta convinces herself that working for the Nazis is a positive position which furthers the aims of the Fatherland. Yet before the Allies take control, she is involved in a plot to hunt down and murder these covertly hidden patients in order to remove the evidence of her actions. Even at the Nuremberg Trials, Dr Oberheuser still refuses to accept blame for her inhumane behaviors and resents her prison sentence.

The Lilac Girls also explores the after effects of WWII, both immediately following the war and ten years later. Unfortunately, society wanted to move forward and forget the atrocities, but luckily there were many philanthropic individuals ready to help the afflicted integrate back into a somewhat normal life. While this was possible in parts of Europe and the United States, the countries taken over by the Soviet Union, including Poland, went from one oppressive state to another. Caroline, with her connections, is able to find a way to coordinate medical treatment for the "Rabbits" in the United States and encourages the bitter Kashia to find closure.

Alternating between the three female characters, Kelly integrates fiction with information from historical documents to create a realistic scenario. It is heartwarming that women such as Caroline and her mother were able to use their influence for the public good with a focus on those suffering abroad. At the same time, one wonders how Herta could reconcile her actions with her conscience. There is evidence that her outward bravado covered a guilty heart when her visit with a psychiatrist revealed a predisposition for self mutilation (cutting her arm). The fictional sisters were an astute representation of the Polish girls who survived the "Rabbit" experience. While it was heart wrenching to read about their treatment in Ravensbruck, it is a reminder that war can bring out the evil in people, especially when dealing with prisoners of war who are viewed as subhuman. This is definitely not a book for those with sensitive stomachs.

I have several confessions to make. First, I did not necessarily read the chapters in order. Kelly often left a cliffhanger at the end of a chapter and then jumped to one of the other women, but I was impatient and skipped over to the continuation of that particular plot point, then went back to pick up the storyline. I also thought the entire book dragged at times. I didn't mind the fictional romance for Caroline, but for a book close to 500 pages, I thought some of the irrelevant details could have been eliminated. There was plenty of subject matter without adding fluff. The most compelling part of the book was the girls' daily trials in Ravensbruck which were both difficult to read and, at the same time, hard to put down. While the therapeutic visit to the United States was anticlimactic, the concluding chapters seemed a fitting way to wrap up the loose ends. I appreciated all the specifics in the author's note which indicated the amount of research (including interviews and traveling to the various locales) necessary to blend real events with her imaginings, although to get further details about the inspiration for this book you need to go to Martha Hall Kelly's website. Ultimately, the entire reading experience was worthwhile, especially since I learned something new about the Holocaust. Four stars.

A thank you to Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Very nice, hits all those tones you look for in a war story!

I'm not sure why my original review never posted, so I'm doing this again in hopes that it goes through. I really, really enjoyed this novel. I appreciated how each woman's story was told from her perspective. As a historical fiction, I feel the author did a great job of including just the right amount of details. I have already suggested this book in both of my book clubs.

“Lilac Girls” by Martha Hall Kelly is one of those books that is hard to read because of some of the subject matter and riveting because of the subject matter. The story begins in 1939 and tells the story of three women: Caroline, a society girl in New York and a Francophile, who loves all things French, Herta, a German doctor and supporter of Hitler, and Kasia, a Polish Catholic girl, trying to stay under the Nazi radar.

Caroline is desperately trying to help French immigrants as they flee before war starts. She is hampered by the current immigrant quotas imposed by the American government, which is trying to stay neutral in the conflict.

Herta is a doctor when female doctors are not respected and finds that she is only available to help dermatological patients. She is eventually sent by the regime to Ravensbrück “Reeducation Camp” for women. Here, against her principles, she does things that are totally against the Hippocratic Oath. As time moves on, she is desensitized to what she is doing, hardens her heart and ignores the plight of the prisoners she is in charge of.

Kasia, a young Polish girl, lives with her mother, father and older sister, a doctor in the Polish town of Lublin. She knows some of her friends are in the resistance movement, since the Nazis have overrun her country, and she wants to help too. Unfortunately on her second mission, she is noticed and she and her mother and sister and friend are arrested and sent to Ravensbrück.

This novel, based on true stories of the “Ravensbrück Girls”, combines the lives of these three women and their stories during this time of conflict and after. Even though parts of this novel were very hard to read, I felt that the story needed to be told. After all this time, man’s inhumanity to man is difficult to understand. Because of the way the writer has treated this story and because of the in-depth research that preceded the writing of this story, I have to give it five stars. Wonderful book!

I received a Kindle copy of this book from NetGalley.com, but was under no obligation to post a review.

I've read a number of books about WWII, but this book covered a story I hadn't read about before, so I enjoyed learning about the "Rabbits" of Ravensbruck and their tragic story. It was also interesting to learn about Caroline Ferriday and her efforts to help the women affected by the medical experiments at Ravensbruck and also French orphans.

Unfortunately, there were some things about the book that I didn't enjoy, hence the 3 star rating. When I read a historical fiction book about a real person, I prefer that the major events in the story are all based on facts of things that actually occurred. I understand that it sometimes makes a better story to combine events or make other small changes to historical events, but I feel that the main plot elements should be kept true to life so the reader has an accurate depiction of history.

The author of Lilac Girls added a romance between Caroline Ferriday and a fictional actor named Paul Rodierre, which never happened, but was a large part of the story told about Ms. Ferriday. The romance was necessary to the plot.

The best historical fiction stories pull you in so you feel like you're actually reading a book written during the time covered in the story and you're actually involved in the events taking place. While Lilac Girls was an interesting story, I didn't feel like I was reading a book that would have fit the time period.

There was minor vulgar language, which felt appropriate to the events taking place. There was violence associated with war and concentration camp internment. There was some non-explicit sexual content.

This is a story that lingers in my mind. Once I picked it up I couldn't put it down. Drawn to the characters, their story is one I never knew and part of me wishes I didn't but knowing it only enriches my soul. If only I could have an ounce of their strength and preserverance... I am weak in comparison.

An unusual take on WWII, The Lilac Girls tells the stories of three women during WWII: one in the US, one a concentration camp inmate, and the third the camp doctor who conducted experiments. Their lives intersect and at war's end, they all are forced to rebuild their lives and deal with the way the war impacted them all.

Lilac Girls takes the reader into a major historical event, yet finds a way to make the story new. I never knew about Ravensbruck, yet I know I will never forget it. It's amazing that, with all the World War II novels I've been reading recently, that I haven't read about this all female concentration camp sooner. Told from three very different perspectives (American, German, and Polish girls/women), you can see how each of them came to be connected by unspeakable events. I liked that Caroline Ferriday and Herta Oberheuser were two real-life historical figures. Even though Kasia and Zuzanna weren't actual Rabbits, I feel that Martha Hall Kelly did her research just as well to represent those girls affected by the Nazi experiments in Ravensbruck. My favorite part of the book is knowing that not everyone ends with a fairy tale happy ending. However, I would like to know what Paul wrote to Caroline! Why couldn't she just open one of those letters?!?!? If you're looking for a new perspective of World War II, this book will not disappoint.

I loved this book and the plethora of emotions it made me feel. I confess I knew nothing about Ravensbruck, the rabbits, or any of the horrible things that happened there before I read it. It has also left me wondering why Caroline Ferriday isn't more well known.

LILAC GIRLS by Martha Kelly Hall is the story of three women from three different countries--Poland, Germany, and the USA--who lived during the Holocaust.  Most of the book is centered around Ravensbrück, Hitler's only all female concentration camp where horrific testing and operations are performed.    The tale is often, understandably, quite brutal.  While the backgrounds of the women are completely different, they come together in a way that is both tragic and triumphant.  

The story is told through the voices of the three women, each with their own narrative and easily distinguishable.  The author has fictionalized a heartbreaking historical event and shown us what life may have been like during that time.  Parallels to current day events were startling at times.  Photos of the women featured in the story at the end of the book made me enjoy it even more.  

5 stars.

"Lilac Girls" by Martha Hall Kelly

An intriguing, moving, and well written novel about three women and their individual and joint journeys during World War II.

A captivating novel that is both compelling and raw at its core. It is realistic, honest, powerful and enervating. The plot line is so well written, the reader is transported to a time in our country when there was so much savagery via domination of one man and his belief system. The reader can relate, empathize and slip into the characters role so easily it is as if they are there themselves.

A story of dominance, segregation, humiliation, death, dehumanizing, and heart wrenching choices and actions. It is also a story of perseverance, hope, faith, determination, grit, support, and friendship.

A novel that will stay with you long after you have finished reading it, "The Lilac Girls," is a must read for any reader.

Rating: 5.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Buy Link: http://amzn.to/2sw81z3


**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this novel.

(Any links in this novel may be affiliate links which may provide me with a small commission at no cost to you)

Nope. Just...nope. The language was cringe-worthy at times. The analogies made me roll my eyes. The three narratives were annoying and poorly paced. I love histfic from this era and I know this book is beloved by many but it's a big no from me.

This book is fabulous and I highly recommend the audio version to truly bring these women to life!

I have read a lot of books on concentration camps and have even visited a few but this was a learning experience for me I had never heard of the Ravensbruck Rabbits, you hear so much about Mengele’s experiments on twins but I never knew about the experiments these women went through in Ravenbruck.

As with any book on concentration camps this one is heartbreaking; however there is so much hope in this book because a large part of the book is about the survivors and the after effects that there is hope and hope’s name is Caroline Ferriday. She truly saved these women years of pain by getting them to the US and getting them surgery to fix the atrocious things that were done to them.

I enjoyed the different storylines told by Caroline, Kasia one of the survivors and Herta one of the doctors at the camp which was an interesting storyline because you just couldn’t like her no matter if she felt bad for what she was doing or not. I also enjoyed the addition of Kasia’s sister Suzanna (sp audio) who is a doctor and also a survivor of Ravenbruck.

CAROLINE, read by Cassandra Campbell…KASIA, read by Kathleen Gati….HERTA, read by Kathrin Kana the narration on this book was so fantastic I can’t even come up with enough words to tell you to listen to the audio version of this book. These 3 narrators brought these women to life for me and I believe enhanced my enjoyment of this book.

I could go on and on about this book and I think this will be in my top books of the year this year. So I’ll just say if you enjoy historical fiction or WWII fiction you need to read this book!

5 Stars

I loved the way the author brought this book full circle. While reading it, I couldn't figure out how the characters were connected and when I finally realized it, I was blown away. I really liked the development of the characters as well. I read this for book club and when we were discussing it, we had a question. I tweeted to Martha Hall Kelly and much to our delight, she tweeted back her answer. I would highly recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this free readers edition. In exchange I am providing an honest review.

I don't know if it's me or the book or a bit of both but I couldn't get into this title. After almost a month of trying to read it and choosing other titles and things over it I decided to abandon it. I got 14% in and was not engaged, I was bored. And then every time I thought about picking it back up I felt bored. So clearly, this isn't the story for me or this isn't the time for me to read this story.