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Book 63 of 2022! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wow. I am going to have to digest this one for while.

Needed something to break up my fantasy fiction streak so I picked up this short and easy read. It really only opens a slither of what really happened in that time but you get the image. Mostly focuses on the true accounts of an unpredictable and unlikely love story.
“Forever is a long time, or it could be tomorrow”.

Just heart wrenching! I love that Lale and Gita found love in the most awful of circumstances. And, that their love and friendship gave them just enough hope to keep them going day to day in the midst of the nightmare they were living.

10/10

Having just toured Auschwitz- Birkenau this book was clearly relevant to me, but everyone should read about this time, this place - and then take a good look at what is going on today. People are the same then as now. Where there is evil there is kindness, which should empower us to get out of our own problems and fight for the rights of all people.

A fine, but very romantic concentration camp novel. This is a novel that skates along the surface of this atrocity, the worst is unseen and in the background. As a historian this just didn‘t do enough for me. That being said, it‘s probably an interesting read for people who are looking for less.

3.25 out of 5

Such a good book! I love this book SO much! Raw view of the holocaust though the eyes of a young Jewish man. We follow him thorough his story: the love, the pain, and the joy of reunification with loved ones. I would 100% recommend.

A grueling tale of love found in the midst of the Holocaust.

This was a hard book to listen to, several times I wanted to stop because of the harsh realities that they had to face.

Hope and love. The very fact that love could exist in such a place as Auschwitz shows that there can be a glimmer of light in the darkest of times. The hope and the love–that‘s how these people survived.
I greatly admired Lale. He never gave up on trying to help others. He risked so much to help other prisoners within the camp. One recurring quote in the book really stuck with me: “Save the one, save the world.”

A beautifully written book. #20in4 @Andrew65

I couldn‘t put down this compelling and surprisingly hopeful story. It had originally been written as a screenplay about the experiences of Lale Sokolov at The Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp. I think some criticism of this book has to do with the fact that it still feels a bit like a screenplay — somewhat rushed as a novel, breaking the rule of ‘show don‘t tell‘. Still, it‘s an extraordinary, moving story well worth reading.

Mine was The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris. What was yours?

The Tattooist of Auschwitz is the true story of a Polish Jew deported to Auschwitz in 1942. Thanks to his skill with languages, he is made the Tätowierer (tattooist), and falls in love with a fellow inmate, vowing to survive his time in Auschwitz and live to marry her. My only complaint about this book would be that at times the story-telling felt somewhat rushed, but it is a beautiful story of love and survival that I can honestly recommend.

In this book, Lale Sokolov takes us through his life in the time of WW2, when he was a prisoner and the Tätowierer in Auschwitz-Birkenau, due to being a Slovakian Jew. His experiences are horrific and brutal, but he still keeps room for compassion and love in his life. In the concentration camp, he meets the love of his life, Gita, which gives him hope that they will survive.

This book caught my eye because it is based on a true story. I saw a lot of people didn't care for it because of a "lack of prose." But I listened to it which probably made that less noticeable. This has romance and heartbreak but does not read like your typical romance or tear jerker, the story is worth it though.

I LOVED this book. Picked it up and couldn‘t put it down until I finished it. Heather Morris paints a great picture of Lale & Gita and tells their story in such a compelling way. The book was heavy at times, as you would expect given the subject matter, but was a surprisingly quick read still. When I finished, I saw she wrote a book about another individual she writes about in this story. Can‘t wait to read that next!

I did a book swap with a friend who normally doesn‘t read this type of story and had me intrigued… I thoroughly enjoyed this story of endurance and love which was inspired by a true story. Total recommend!!!!

The Tattooist of Auschwitz is a harrowing account of the atrocities committed during WWII that is beautifully told. I can‘t say it was an enjoyable read because of the subject nature but it‘s certainly an important, immersive and engaging story. Whilst the tale is poignant, moving and sad, there are elements of kindness and courage that really shine through proving humanity was still prevalent during one of our darkest times.

Book 129

In 1942, Lale arrived at Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. He became the Tatowierer, marking the numbers into the arms of fellow prisoners.
There he meets Gita.

Lale spends the next few years trying to survive, to ensure the survival of his love Gita, and to try to keep as many other prisoners alive as he could with the meagre help he could provide.

I chose this book for #4Horsemen #War

Finished this at lunch on a picture perfect day on the bay. Of course, I feel guilty for enjoying my day while reading about Lale, Gita, the Romany, Cilka... but I think they'd be happy that I could enjoy this time. I wish I had a different story to read about that time.

I read a lot of reviews with harsh criticism of the style of writing and inconsistencies. I don‘t care about any of that. It‘s a story told about one man‘s experience and I absolutely loved reading it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I have a feeling this book is going to make me cry. I heard it is a good book though!

A very sad and poignant memoir of two people who fell in love whilst prisoners at Auschwitz.

As I have read other memoirs similar to this I did feel the author had softened the cruelty that had happened during this time - but I suppose some readers wouldn‘t necessarily want to be exposed to the true horrors of what went on during those years.

Overall it was a love story, and two people who found hope where there wasn‘t any ❤️

So I missed two books on my #bookspinbingo and one of them was a book I needed for one of the spins so I may try to read it next month but not sure it didn‘t appeal to me this last month so we‘ll see!

I count 6 bingos ❤️

@TheAromaofBooks

Wow what an interesting read, I never go into a Holocaust book expecting much happiness but there were some joyful moments and definitely some feelings of fate in this one.

My #doublespin pick for #bookspinbingo

@TheAromaofBooks

"If you wake up in the morning, it's a good day."
- Lale Sokolov

Amazing, simply amazing! It‘s remarkable how adversity reveals humanity's worst — and its best! They found love where it wasn‘t supposed to be, in the mists of history‘s most awful atrocities!

I tend to listen to most of my books these days and this particular one was superbly narrated. A harrowing tale of the human spirit triumphing in adversity it is uplifting whilst being sombre. I highly recommend it to those not looking for a light read!

I loved reading the book; I was invested in the love story and really could not keep the book down without knowing if they end up together. But the other plot of the book is that it is, set in Auschwitz concentration camp and something was lacking in the author's description of the horror and torture the prisoners went through. It was lacklustre and did not invoke the empathy that such a reading should generate.

Almost done with this one on audio. Review to come.

This book was compelling, well written, heart wrenching, and so so wonderful. My heart is heavy knowing that it was true and that Lale held onto his stories until his wife died because he didn't want her to know everything that he went through. 💔

Real tears with this one.

I am never coming home. 🌊📚☕

This is my stack that I'm bringing to the Oregon Coast next week! Lucas and I rented an airbnb on the ocean for a much needed, socially distanced vacation.

I asked the clerk at HPB for a "light read" and she recommended The Tattooist of Auschwitz. ? This was after she'd brought over like 3 stacks of books that I already owned, so I just grabbed it because I felt bad. ?

This is such a beautiful, moving story. I have simply no words. It was an emotional roller coaster and really makes you stop and think of the trauma these poor people had to survive through all those years ago.

I just finished my very first audiobook and really enjoyed it! I never thought I would be able to pay attention but it was very relaxing while I worked on this. It may be a new thing. 😊

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟. This book is a reality check. 2020-2022 really not that hard. Real, raw and mind-blowing that this happened not to long ago. Read it.

I hate saying this book was so-so but it kinda was. I enjoyed the story but it felt empty. There was none of the emotion I expected to feel. It read like a screenplay and not like a novel, very sterile and lacking in intimacy. Then at the end of the book it says the author originally wrote as a screenplay and then reworked it into a novel. Makes sense! Honestly it would make a great movie I think but as a novel it fell short to me.

Given my grandma‘s family‘s history with the Nazis, this was a difficult read. Too many moments that had real family connections. I powered through it because I thought the happy relationship that resulted from a concentration camp would be a light in the dark, but it wasn‘t enough to light that much darkness for me. I‘m glad they found each other despite the Holocaust, but too much tragedy to stomach.

Is how you treat women the way you want other men to treat your sisters?...just something to think about.

My Rating: 5/5
I was conflicted at first reading this and realizing it was a love story set during the holocaust. I was worried that in some way it was exploiting such a tragic time. Of course, I didn't realize until I got to the afterword that it is based off of a true story. I'm glad I didn't know until the end. There really is something to this blind read thing that I'm trying. This story is hope amidst tragedy.

During my first year of teaching, about 14 years ago, I had the privilege of hearing a holocaust survivor (Philip Riteman) speak about his unimaginable experience. Reading this book has been like hearing him all over again. It is at once hard to believe that such evil can exist in the hearts of mankind, and yet unsurprising with the frequency of proof we have seen throughout history. My heart breaks.

A novelization of a true story told by the character to the author. Originally meant as a screenplay, and it reads that way. The writing wasn‘t my favorite and it was a clunky read, the flow didn‘t work particularly well.
⭐️⭐️ out of 5 stars.
Read date: 2/6/2021