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The Last Rose of Auschwitz: A Gripping and Heartbreaking World War 2 Historical Novel Inspired by a True Story
Jurek never believed love was possible in a brutal place like Auschwitz.
1940. Jurek, a young Polish idealist, was only nineteen when he was imprisoned at Auschwitz for trying to join the Polish resistance. But years of imprisonment have shaped him into a survivor, a camp veteran who knows how to use his resourcefulness and charm to get what he needs.
When Jurek is assigned to work at the camp’s warehouse, he is immediately drawn to a girl with beautiful dark eyes and raven hair. Jurek finds a kindred spirit in Clara, who, like him, also used to be a romantic daydreamer, before the war.
Using his influence around the camp, Jurek smuggles Clara food and even flowers, a sight she never thought she’d see again. And as their love begins to blossom in the darkest place imaginable, a glimmer of hope ignites in him. Determined to keep his precious rose alive, he must do the unimaginable - and get Clara out of Auschwitz.
Knowing no one has ever successfully escaped the camp and lived to tell, can he risk their lives for a chance at love and freedom?
Perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz and The Keeper of Happy Endings, readers will be instantly captivated by Clara and Jurek’s tragic romance, based on an unbelievable true story.
1940. Jurek, a young Polish idealist, was only nineteen when he was imprisoned at Auschwitz for trying to join the Polish resistance. But years of imprisonment have shaped him into a survivor, a camp veteran who knows how to use his resourcefulness and charm to get what he needs.
When Jurek is assigned to work at the camp’s warehouse, he is immediately drawn to a girl with beautiful dark eyes and raven hair. Jurek finds a kindred spirit in Clara, who, like him, also used to be a romantic daydreamer, before the war.
Using his influence around the camp, Jurek smuggles Clara food and even flowers, a sight she never thought she’d see again. And as their love begins to blossom in the darkest place imaginable, a glimmer of hope ignites in him. Determined to keep his precious rose alive, he must do the unimaginable - and get Clara out of Auschwitz.
Knowing no one has ever successfully escaped the camp and lived to tell, can he risk their lives for a chance at love and freedom?
Perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz and The Keeper of Happy Endings, readers will be instantly captivated by Clara and Jurek’s tragic romance, based on an unbelievable true story.
338 pages, Hardcover
Published May 11, 2025
385 people are currently reading
191 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
July 6, 2025
An extraordinary story about an extraordinary couple, who did the unbelievable and fought for their love against all odds during a dark period in history.
What I loved the most was that amidst all the drama and beside the story, which is full of upheavals, the author managed to pay attention to the small details, to the intricacies of the heart, as well as to the renewing nature around and the beauty that lies in falling leaves in the fall.
I couldn't put the book down.
What I loved the most was that amidst all the drama and beside the story, which is full of upheavals, the author managed to pay attention to the small details, to the intricacies of the heart, as well as to the renewing nature around and the beauty that lies in falling leaves in the fall.
I couldn't put the book down.
June 21, 2025
A haunting, beautifully written story of love and survival.
The characters stay with you long after the final page.
Tenenbaum brings the past to life with sensitivity and depth.
A powerful reminder of hope amid unimaginable darkness.
The characters stay with you long after the final page.
Tenenbaum brings the past to life with sensitivity and depth.
A powerful reminder of hope amid unimaginable darkness.
July 3, 2025
A MUST READ BOOK
I don’t usually connect with books in this genre, but The Last Rose of Auschwitz completely swept me away from the very first pages. I was absolutely hooked — I couldn’t put it down.
I cried more than once while reading it, got deeply emotional, and found myself hoping with all my heart that they would somehow make it. The love story, the bravery, the quiet moments of humanity in the middle of such horror — it all hit me so hard.
I’m a third-generation descendant of a Holocaust survivor — my grandmother survived the Holocaust. Growing up with her, a woman who was deeply traumatized but at the same time joyful, full of life, and a loving, giving soul, made this story especially meaningful to me. Reading about a real love story in a place built on death and pain touched something deep inside.
This book isn’t just powerful, it stays with you. I kept thinking about it for days after I finished. It’s one of those rare stories that breaks your heart and lifts it at the same time. Truly unforgettable.
I don’t usually connect with books in this genre, but The Last Rose of Auschwitz completely swept me away from the very first pages. I was absolutely hooked — I couldn’t put it down.
I cried more than once while reading it, got deeply emotional, and found myself hoping with all my heart that they would somehow make it. The love story, the bravery, the quiet moments of humanity in the middle of such horror — it all hit me so hard.
I’m a third-generation descendant of a Holocaust survivor — my grandmother survived the Holocaust. Growing up with her, a woman who was deeply traumatized but at the same time joyful, full of life, and a loving, giving soul, made this story especially meaningful to me. Reading about a real love story in a place built on death and pain touched something deep inside.
This book isn’t just powerful, it stays with you. I kept thinking about it for days after I finished. It’s one of those rare stories that breaks your heart and lifts it at the same time. Truly unforgettable.
July 2, 2025
The Last Rose of Auschwitz is, first and foremost, a love story. one that flourishes in the very place designed to extinguish every trace of hope. Clara, a Jewish prisoner consigned to the women’s barracks, and Jurek, a Polish Catholic political prisoner toiling in the men’s camp, share nothing at first glance but the striped rags on their backs. Yet a fleeting exchange—an extra crust of bread, a whispered word in the roll‑call line—blooms into something fierce and undeniable. Their romance is never sugar‑sweet; it is raw, urgent, and carried out under watchtowers and rifle barrels. Theirs is a devotion measured in stolen seconds and guarded glances, where every heartbeat might be the last.
Jurek emerges as a real‑life knight with no armor but his conscience. His moral compass never wavers: he smuggles medicine, bribes guards with the meagre cigarettes he earns, and secretly maps the camp’s blind spots. His decision to stake his own life on Clara’s survival is not the stuff of fairy tales, it is gritty, exhausting heroism, the kind that leaves his hands shaking and his faith bruised yet unbroken. Knowing men like him truly walked this earth is a reminder that humanity’s best instincts can outshine its worst atrocities.
Clara, however, is the novel’s quiet star. Though the world reduces her to a number on her forearm, on the page she shines with grace and iron resolve. She refuses to let the camp strip her of tenderness: she comforts bunkmates, memorizes the names of the dead so they won’t be forgotten, and still finds room in her battered heart to love Jurek back with equal ferocity. Her resilience doesn’t roar, it resonates, the steady pulse that propels the story forward.
The narrative never shies away from brutality, but it refuses to wallow in it. Instead, it shows how love becomes both shield and compass, guiding two souls through barbed wire and blizzards toward the faint promise of freedom. The pacing is swift, chapters end on breath‑catching turns, and the prose is clear enough to pull you in yet lyrical so it lingers in your memory.
Yes, terrible things happen in these pages, but the novel’s lasting impression is one of incandescent hope: that even in a world bent on destruction, two people can choose defiance, compassion, and above all each other. The Last Rose of Auschwitz is a beautiful, unforgettable testament to the power of love to illuminate even the darkest night.
Jurek emerges as a real‑life knight with no armor but his conscience. His moral compass never wavers: he smuggles medicine, bribes guards with the meagre cigarettes he earns, and secretly maps the camp’s blind spots. His decision to stake his own life on Clara’s survival is not the stuff of fairy tales, it is gritty, exhausting heroism, the kind that leaves his hands shaking and his faith bruised yet unbroken. Knowing men like him truly walked this earth is a reminder that humanity’s best instincts can outshine its worst atrocities.
Clara, however, is the novel’s quiet star. Though the world reduces her to a number on her forearm, on the page she shines with grace and iron resolve. She refuses to let the camp strip her of tenderness: she comforts bunkmates, memorizes the names of the dead so they won’t be forgotten, and still finds room in her battered heart to love Jurek back with equal ferocity. Her resilience doesn’t roar, it resonates, the steady pulse that propels the story forward.
The narrative never shies away from brutality, but it refuses to wallow in it. Instead, it shows how love becomes both shield and compass, guiding two souls through barbed wire and blizzards toward the faint promise of freedom. The pacing is swift, chapters end on breath‑catching turns, and the prose is clear enough to pull you in yet lyrical so it lingers in your memory.
Yes, terrible things happen in these pages, but the novel’s lasting impression is one of incandescent hope: that even in a world bent on destruction, two people can choose defiance, compassion, and above all each other. The Last Rose of Auschwitz is a beautiful, unforgettable testament to the power of love to illuminate even the darkest night.
May 23, 2025
Holocaust Historical Fiction at Its Finest...
Hagar Tenenbaum’s The Last Rose of Auschwitz fictionalizes the true story of Cyla Stawiska‑Cybulska (renamed Clara) and Jerzy “Jurek” Bielecki, a Jewish woman and a Catholic Pole whose forbidden love sparks a daring escape from Auschwitz. Opening in Brooklyn in 1983, the novel alternates between Clara’s present‑day life, upended when her new housekeeper uncovers a wartime connection, and vivid flashbacks to Nazi‑occupied Poland. Through meticulous research on memoirs, Yad Vashem archives, and survivor interviews, Tenenbaum weaves a heart‑wrenching romance and a testament to human resilience amid unspeakable cruelty.
Translated from Hebrew by Yael Schonfeld Abel, the prose is both lyrical and stark, contrasting the Polish countryside’s fleeting beauty with camp horrors. Clara’s struggle to reconcile her past and the revelation of wartime betrayals add emotional depth. Ultimately, the novel pays tribute to courage, from the lovers’ defiant escape to the Righteous Among the Nations, celebrating the enduring spirit of survival and hope. Highly recommended. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
Hagar Tenenbaum’s The Last Rose of Auschwitz fictionalizes the true story of Cyla Stawiska‑Cybulska (renamed Clara) and Jerzy “Jurek” Bielecki, a Jewish woman and a Catholic Pole whose forbidden love sparks a daring escape from Auschwitz. Opening in Brooklyn in 1983, the novel alternates between Clara’s present‑day life, upended when her new housekeeper uncovers a wartime connection, and vivid flashbacks to Nazi‑occupied Poland. Through meticulous research on memoirs, Yad Vashem archives, and survivor interviews, Tenenbaum weaves a heart‑wrenching romance and a testament to human resilience amid unspeakable cruelty.
Translated from Hebrew by Yael Schonfeld Abel, the prose is both lyrical and stark, contrasting the Polish countryside’s fleeting beauty with camp horrors. Clara’s struggle to reconcile her past and the revelation of wartime betrayals add emotional depth. Ultimately, the novel pays tribute to courage, from the lovers’ defiant escape to the Righteous Among the Nations, celebrating the enduring spirit of survival and hope. Highly recommended. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
July 3, 2025
In The Last Rose of Auschwitz, we follow Clara, a Jewish prisoner, and Jurek, a Polish Catholic political inmate, who dare to love and to dream of freedom inside the most dehumanizing place on earth. Their escape is riveting, but what struck me even more is why they survived: because they refused to let the camp strip away their humanity. They kept loving, imagining, hoping. That inner flame is what pushed them to risk everything for a chance at life beyond the wire.
Reading this in 2025, I’m reminded how urgently we still need these true accounts: of Jewish survivors, yes, but also of the non‑Jewish allies who stood beside them. Each testimony pushes back against indifference; each name and detail reinserts real people where history’s statistics once were. Clara and Jurek’s story shows that holding on to scraps of kindness, to daydreams of a shared future, can become an act of defiance powerful enough to change fate.
If you believe that remembering the past can strengthen our present, this book belongs on your shelf.
Reading this in 2025, I’m reminded how urgently we still need these true accounts: of Jewish survivors, yes, but also of the non‑Jewish allies who stood beside them. Each testimony pushes back against indifference; each name and detail reinserts real people where history’s statistics once were. Clara and Jurek’s story shows that holding on to scraps of kindness, to daydreams of a shared future, can become an act of defiance powerful enough to change fate.
If you believe that remembering the past can strengthen our present, this book belongs on your shelf.
July 20, 2025
Gripping tale of a young Polish partisan who was sent to Auschwitz, meeting a beautiful Jewish girl whose entire family was wiped out. In constant fear, he goes to great efforts to help her escape by dressing himself through bartering as an SS Nazi. Accomplishing this, they spend a week or more on the run until they come to a town where his family lives. Intending to wed, the family puts up all kinds of roadblocks, even lying to indicate each one died when Jurek rejoins the partisans and was injured, and Clara departs for Warsaw in attempt to find any kin. Heartbroken, they go on and marry others, only for Clara to discover 29 years later that all was a lie. Well-written heartbreaking story that keeps one mesmerized as they thwart one danger after another for a future together. The only info missing concerned Jurek's family life during his adult years to complete one's curiosity. Otherwise, a must read portraying the worst of humanity during this terrible time in history.
July 18, 2025
Jurek, the hero of The Last Rose of Auschwitz, was a real person: a Righteous Among the Nations who risked his life to save the woman he loved. His courage is undeniable, and his story alone would be worth reading.
According to the author’s note, Clara is loosely based on the real woman Jurek fell in love with. As there was little documentation about her, much of her character was imagined. And yet she feels incredibly real. Her grace, her quiet courage, her fierce capacity to care for others… these things make her unforgettable. She embodies the quiet strength of Jewish women who survived the camps with dignity, compassion and resilience. Women who also dedicated themselves to protecting others as much as they could: family, friends, fellow prisoners. The book as a whole is gripping, emotional, and beautifully written.
According to the author’s note, Clara is loosely based on the real woman Jurek fell in love with. As there was little documentation about her, much of her character was imagined. And yet she feels incredibly real. Her grace, her quiet courage, her fierce capacity to care for others… these things make her unforgettable. She embodies the quiet strength of Jewish women who survived the camps with dignity, compassion and resilience. Women who also dedicated themselves to protecting others as much as they could: family, friends, fellow prisoners. The book as a whole is gripping, emotional, and beautifully written.
May 25, 2025
Until I read this book, I had no idea anyone had ever successfully escaped from Auschwitz and survived. It turns out there were a few such cases—but this one is, in my opinion, the most moving. What makes this book truly stand out is that it’s not a typical Holocaust story. At its heart is a sweeping, once-in-a-lifetime love story that spans decades. The young protagonists are larger-than-life, unforgettable heroes whose journey will resonate not only with those interested in World War II history but also with young readers around the world. This is a real-life story where love triumphed in a place ruled by death. Highly recommended!
July 7, 2025
I just finished this book, and it was quite the journey. I knew it was about a successful escape from Auschwitz, but I quickly realized the question wasn't just whether they would survive, but whether their love would survive. It’s not a fairytale, and that’s what makes the story so powerful. Clara and Jurek's relationship feels real, fragile, and deeply human. The ending moved me to tears, because it seemed really honest.
Highly recommended for anyone who loves immersive, emotionally rich stories with characters you can truly fall in love with, not just for those interested in Holocaust fiction.
Highly recommended for anyone who loves immersive, emotionally rich stories with characters you can truly fall in love with, not just for those interested in Holocaust fiction.
July 5, 2025
Some books you read with your mind. The Last Rose of Auschwitz - I read with my heart.
From the moment Clara and Jurek met, I was all in. I needed them to make it. I needed them to survive and I wanted them to be together at the end, to have the life they dreamt of. Every chapter had me holding my breath, hoping that love could somehow win against everything stacked against them.
It’s not an easy story, but it’s full of hope. And when I turned the last page, I didn’t just feel like I’d finished a book, I felt like I’d said goodbye to people I knew.
From the moment Clara and Jurek met, I was all in. I needed them to make it. I needed them to survive and I wanted them to be together at the end, to have the life they dreamt of. Every chapter had me holding my breath, hoping that love could somehow win against everything stacked against them.
It’s not an easy story, but it’s full of hope. And when I turned the last page, I didn’t just feel like I’d finished a book, I felt like I’d said goodbye to people I knew.
July 7, 2025
Gripping and moving
What makes The Last Rose of Auschwitz so powerful is the incredible bond at its center: between Clara, a Jewish prisoner, and Jurek, a Polish Catholic political prisoner. Against all logic, in the hell that is Auschwitz, they fall in love.
Their relationship is tender, brave, and completely absorbing. The emotional tension doesn’t end with the escape; the world beyond the camp brings new challenges, new dangers, and their love continues to be tested.
This is a beautifully written book, highly recommended
What makes The Last Rose of Auschwitz so powerful is the incredible bond at its center: between Clara, a Jewish prisoner, and Jurek, a Polish Catholic political prisoner. Against all logic, in the hell that is Auschwitz, they fall in love.
Their relationship is tender, brave, and completely absorbing. The emotional tension doesn’t end with the escape; the world beyond the camp brings new challenges, new dangers, and their love continues to be tested.
This is a beautifully written book, highly recommended
August 14, 2025
A book I fully recommend
What a wonderful thoughtful book in fact one of the best books I have read in connection with WW2 I couldn’t put it down it was very sad but magical.
True love always shines through as it did with Clara and Jurek.
They missed a lot in their lives but the ending was amazing.💕
What a wonderful thoughtful book in fact one of the best books I have read in connection with WW2 I couldn’t put it down it was very sad but magical.
True love always shines through as it did with Clara and Jurek.
They missed a lot in their lives but the ending was amazing.💕
October 27, 2025
Heartbreaking
This book is extremely heartbreaking. It tells the story of Clara and Jurek who find themselves in Auschwitz. They fall in love and engineer an escape .
The book being a true story is very descriptive of the conditions the camp. Its totally heartbreaking.
Well written and deserves to be read.
This book is extremely heartbreaking. It tells the story of Clara and Jurek who find themselves in Auschwitz. They fall in love and engineer an escape .
The book being a true story is very descriptive of the conditions the camp. Its totally heartbreaking.
Well written and deserves to be read.
November 10, 2025
This was a tough read because of the atrocities in Auschwitz, but there was also hope and love!
Considering this book was translated from Hebrew, it was done well and kept flowing nicely.
One of my favorite parts was the description of nature and the eating of a juicy turnip after they escaped, I could smell and taste it!
Incredible story which had to be told.
Considering this book was translated from Hebrew, it was done well and kept flowing nicely.
One of my favorite parts was the description of nature and the eating of a juicy turnip after they escaped, I could smell and taste it!
Incredible story which had to be told.
July 27, 2025
Life and Lover
This is an amazing story of two people who lived through one of the most horrendous times in human history. With twists and turns, this couple continued to survive. Wonderful inspiration to live every day and take on whatever is behind the next open door.
This is an amazing story of two people who lived through one of the most horrendous times in human history. With twists and turns, this couple continued to survive. Wonderful inspiration to live every day and take on whatever is behind the next open door.
August 5, 2025
Heartwarming and Heartbreaking
The life in the camp was inhuman, but the human strength conquers all. I could not put the book down. The fact that it is inspired by a true story makes it more powerful.
The life in the camp was inhuman, but the human strength conquers all. I could not put the book down. The fact that it is inspired by a true story makes it more powerful.
September 3, 2025
Very emotional story
A love story among the horrible conditions of WWII. Hard to describe the sadness & terror of two young people in a concentration camp. Hard to put down. Based on a true story.
A love story among the horrible conditions of WWII. Hard to describe the sadness & terror of two young people in a concentration camp. Hard to put down. Based on a true story.
September 5, 2025
Harrowing and beautiful at the same time. Testament to human strength against adversity.
Fantastic read from start to finish I read it in one sitting couldn't put it down so so good I will miss them
Fantastic read from start to finish I read it in one sitting couldn't put it down so so good I will miss them
December 16, 2025
Exciting Story
This story makes one wonder what's wrong with Jews and why doesn't the world hate Germans. A wonder retelling of prison camps. The escape adds to the excitement. Great read.
This story makes one wonder what's wrong with Jews and why doesn't the world hate Germans. A wonder retelling of prison camps. The escape adds to the excitement. Great read.
December 28, 2025
The Last Rose of Auschwitz
The book was very interesting and described life in a prison camp with detail without being gory. It kept my interest and had a good outcome, even if it wasn't what the participants had planned.
The book was very interesting and described life in a prison camp with detail without being gory. It kept my interest and had a good outcome, even if it wasn't what the participants had planned.
July 10, 2025
This was a beautiful book, but it was also heartbreaking at times. I truly enjoyed the read, though I did shed a few tears while reading.
August 4, 2025
Heartbreaking
This WW2 book was well written, I felt like I was there with them
I felt the pain, the anguish and the losses. I will never forget 😢
This WW2 book was well written, I felt like I was there with them
I felt the pain, the anguish and the losses. I will never forget 😢
September 9, 2025
Superb read
Thrilling story...could not put down book.
Would highly recommend and share
Historical fiction at its best with a superb story
Thrilling story...could not put down book.
Would highly recommend and share
Historical fiction at its best with a superb story
October 8, 2025
Quest for freedom
Wonderfully written with great detail illustrating the struggle of this couple. I didn't want to put it down, it had me so captivated!
Wonderfully written with great detail illustrating the struggle of this couple. I didn't want to put it down, it had me so captivated!
November 16, 2025
I’m going to go in the corner and cry myself to sleep.
November 29, 2025
Great read
This is a great read from start to finish, very touching love story, with such heart felt truths behind an awful camp.
This is a great read from start to finish, very touching love story, with such heart felt truths behind an awful camp.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews