The Child of Auschwitz: Absolutely heartbreaking World War 2 historical fiction

by Lily Graham

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

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'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.

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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.

Readers are captivated by The Child of Auschwitz:

'This hauntingly heart-breaking story is one of pure, instinctual survival. It is a story of fierce friendships, unbreakable spirits, and the most powerful love possible. In the terror of their world fallen into darkness, these women found the smallest cracks where the light came in and stepped into to it with their lives. I was so spellbound by this captivating, riveting read that I could not put it down until I read every last word. Highly recommend The Child of Auschwitz as a must-read' Goodreads Reviewer, *****

'The Child of Auschwitz is a beautiful, emotional story of friendship, family, hope and love. I love reading historical fiction, so I had high hopes; Lily Graham did not disappoint! I love the way the story is written. It's hard to adequately put in to words how amazing this book is' Netgalley Reviewer, *****

'This book grabbed me from the first sentence and didn't let me go for the entire journey. I had goosebumps while reading . . . It is a beautiful story' Goodreads Reviewer, *****

'What a beautiful emotive book . . . I couldn't put this book down and while it is all about people suffering at the hands of the Nazis it also shows the love and friendship that can be found' Goodreads Reviewer, *****

'Hope and Promises in the most dire circumstances . . . What a tragic and realistic story this has been. Through all the evil there was hope, friendship and love. I highly recommend this book' Goodreads Reviewer, ?????
'Sensitively told, it's the story of heartbreak, suffering, starvation, cruelty and injustice but it's also the tale of the most amazing resilience, hope, determination and love . . . A most compelling read that will bring tears to your eyes and realisation of how lucky we are today' Goodreads Reviewer

'I have always loved a good historical fiction book, and this one did not disappoint! From the opening line of the book through the end I was hooked . . . The characters were well written and very relatable, and you found yourself rooting for Eva, and even crying at various points of the book' Goodreads Reviewer

'A deep and thought-provoking novel. It's remarkable in so many ways and heart-breaking in equal measure. A unique Holocaust read' The Book Trail

'The Child of Auschwitz is an emotional roller coaster of a read. Parts were horrific, saddening, shocking, heart warming, I think I went though every emotion possible whilst reading it. Even though fiction, for me, the author gives a very real account of what life was like in the camps as well as what took place inside them. An absolute must read' By the Letter Book Reviews

• ISBN10: 1838880690
• ISBN13: 9781838880699
• Publish Date: 8 November 2019
• Publish Status: Unknown
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Bookouture
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 242
• Language: English

Reviews

[elysium]

3,5

The book is about Eva and Sofie who first meet at the Theresienstadt concentration camp. They end up on the same train to Auschwitz, each with her own agenda. Eva wants to find her husband and Sofie wants to find her cousin who hid her son.

When Eva realizes that she is pregnant, everything changes. It’s not safe to be pregnant in a place like Auschwitz. Not the best start to life and I guess it’s down to a certain amount of luck too.
The friendship between Eva and Sofie was a great thing to see in a place like that.

The book has two timelines: the present which is 1942 and the past in 1938. The past chapters weren’t necessary in my opinion and skipped those a bit but otherwise, I really enjoyed the book and it’s well written.