BLOG TOUR - The Child of Auschwitz

Today is my stop on the Blog Tour for The Child of Auschwitz by Lily Graham.


DESCRIPTION:

‘She touched the photograph in its gilt frame that was always on her desk, of a young, thin woman with very short hair and a baby in her arms. She had one last story to tell. Theirs. And it began in hell on earth.’

It is 1942 and Eva Adami has boarded a train to Auschwitz. Barely able to breathe due to the press of bodies and exhausted from standing up for two days, she can think only of her longed-for reunion with her husband Michal, who was sent there six months earlier.

But when Eva arrives at Auschwitz, there is no sign of Michal and the stark reality of the camp comes crashing down upon her. As she lies heartbroken and shivering on a thin mattress, her head shaved by rough hands, she hears a whisper. Her bunkmate, Sofie, is reaching out her hand...

As the days pass, the two women learn each other’s hopes and dreams – Eva’s is that she will find Michal alive in this terrible place, and Sofie’s is that she will be reunited with her son Tomas, over the border in an orphanage in Austria. Sofie sees the chance to engineer one last meeting between Eva and Michal and knows she must take it even if means befriending the enemy…

But when Eva realises she is pregnant she fears she has endangered both their lives. The women promise to protect each other’s children, should the worst occur. For they are determined to hold on to the last flower of hope in the shadows and degradation: their precious children, who they pray will live to tell their story when they no longer can.

A heart-breaking story of survival, where life or death relies on the smallest chance and happiness can be found in the darkest times. Fans of The Choice and The Tattooist of Auschwitz will fall in love with this beautiful novel.

Link to purchase the book

MY THOUGHTS:

Title:   The Child of Auschwitz

Author:  Lily Graham

Genre:   Historical Fiction

Publisher:  Bookouture

Format:  Kindle ARC
No. of Pages:   255

Date of Publication:  November 8 2019
My Rating:  4.5 Stars

Eva Adami is in Prague. But then the story goes back to 1942. She survived a very long and grueling train ride, with the worst possible treatment imaginable, Eva is about to begin yet another tragic chapter in her life.

Eva is one of thousands of Jewish people being lined up for extermination. Dragged out of her home, her life, and the happiness she knew, her life will forever be changed. This story, and that last couple that I have read, have focused on what women suffered during that time. The Child of Auschwitz is one such story.

For readers of this genre, or about this time in history, there is no need to repeat the many horrors these women experienced. Another woman highlighted in this book is Sofie. The story goes back to her past life occasionally. We read of her falling in love, mothering a child, Tomas, then losing her husband and all contact with Tomas. Eva and Sofie become very close and offer a tremendous amount of support to one another during their horrific trials.

We meet other women who are forced to live together on the block. They did manage to become part of Kanada, a special camp, and thus were spared gassing. They had a lot of advantages, but were not spared much of the suffering and humiliation.

Before Eva was dragged off to the camps she met and married. Blessedly she finds her love again, and they even manage to create a life between them. Eva struggles to keep her child alive, all while Sofie hopes to see her son again. Both Eva and Sofie are forced to face even more brutal and tragic trials.

Despite the sadness... Despite the tragedy...This is a story of survival, of hope, of friendship, and of love. I cried more than once but I was left with a very full feeling in my heart at Eva's perseverance through it all. This was an amazing read, and as always, Lily Graham has done a stellar job.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lily Graham grew up in South Africa, and is a former journalist. She lives now in the Suffolk coast with her husband and English bulldog, Fudge.

She is the author of six novels, published by Bookouture, including the bestselling, The Paris Secret and The Island Villa. 

Her latest novel The Child of Auschwitz will be out in 2019. 

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