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La lettera perduta di Auschwitz
Una storia d’amore tenuta nascosta per oltre cinquant’anni
Berlino, 1989. Mentre il muro crolla, Miriam Winter si prende cura di suo padre Henryk ormai in punto di morte. Ma rimane sconvolta quando scopre, sotto il cinturino dell’orologio di Henryk, il tatuaggio di Auschwitz, tenuto segreto per molti anni. Come è possibile che le abbia nascosto una parte così terribile della sua vita? E chi è Frieda, il nome che suo padre invoca quando è incosciente? Alla ricerca di indizi sul passato dell’anziano genitore, Miriam trova tra gli oggetti della madre un’uniforme da detenuta del campo femminile di Ravensbrück. Tra le cuciture ci sono decine di lettere destinate a Henryk, scritte da una donna di nome Frieda. Le lettere rivelano l’inquietante verità sulle “ragazze coniglio”, giovani donne vittime di sperimentazioni disumane durante i loro giorni al campo. Attraverso quei racconti di sacrificio e resistenza Miriam scopre, lettera dopo lettera, una storia d’amore che Henryk ha custodito nel cuore per quasi cinquant’anni.
«Il potente debutto di Ellory […] rivela la scomoda verità su queste donne e sulla loro forza, il sacrificio e la resistenza. Vi commuoverà.»
Heat Magazine
«Un romanzo straordinario e toccante che mi ha catturato ed emozionato fino alla fine.»
Mary Chamberlain, autrice di La sarta di Dachau
«Un lato dell’Olocausto di cui si parla raramente. Un’opera di debutto potente che rivela la disturbante verità sulle protagoniste, mettendo in luce la loro forza, il loro sacrificio, la loro capacità di resistenza. Preparate i fazzoletti!»
«Una storia di sofferenze e forza di fronte a terribili avversità.»
«Una grande storia di speranza in tempi bui, di solidarietà e forza contro ogni barriera, di amore che tutto sconfigge e conquista.»
Anna Ellory
vive a Bath e ha appena conseguito un master in Scrittura Creativa alla Bath Spa University.
350 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,245 reviews
September 27, 2019
Well, this was a terrible conglomeration of infidelity, hidden letters, domestic abuse, the Holocaust, and a dying father all rolled into one book that I absolutely would have DNF'd if I could. I did not intentionally read two books about the Holocaust back to back, unfortunately both book clubs I am in happened to pick a Holocaust book this month (the other book was The Tattooist of Auschwitz). And out of the two I would recommend reading neither, but I would kind of recommend burning this one.
Spoiler book summary:
Spoiler book summary:
December 20, 2023
THE RABBIT GIRLS was an interesting WW2 story told across dual timelines. Miriam is caring for her dying father, Henrik, shortly after the fall of the Berlin wall. She’s also in an abusive marriage. When she discovers a prisoner’s uniform, and a collection of letters she realizes are from her father’s mistress from decades before, she sets out to unravel the story of what happened in the last days of the war. Poignant and tragic. Without getting into spoilers, this had some interesting historical tidbits, some unexpected twists, and was overall a nice debut that I enjoyed reading. I found Frieda’s perspective the most captivating overall.
Trigger Warnings:
Trigger Warnings:
August 3, 2019
This centers around Miriam who is the present day character, more so than focusing on the past and Henryk. Miriam is not only given more chapters than Henryk, but her chapters are also notably longer. The dictation of Miriam's chapters typically either focus on her repetitive inquiry into the letters she found that are related to her father (Henryk) -or- her personal life and the problems that she has with her abusive husband. Henryk's chapter's typically focus on his own marital problems rather than the historical context that he experienced.
This being said, only about 15% of the story was of historical relevance. There was nothing historically integrated that was new information. The "rabbit girls", or the guinea pigs who were experimented on, have been given voices through other novels. The details about them were not elaborate either.
The beginning was very slow to start. The story only starts to pick up around 40% of the book, but still Miriam's chapters continued to hold back the story.
The story starts out with Miriam's father, Henryk, calling out an unknown name "Frieda" on his deathbed. So, Miriam makes it her goal to find this person before her father dies. (An overdone opening scene in my opinion.)
Nevertheless, I only kept reading to see the mystery unfold about Frieda, which is why I gave it 2.5 stars instead of 2 stars. Unfortunately, Frieda's story was overshadowed by Miriam's narratives.
This being said, only about 15% of the story was of historical relevance. There was nothing historically integrated that was new information. The "rabbit girls", or the guinea pigs who were experimented on, have been given voices through other novels. The details about them were not elaborate either.
The beginning was very slow to start. The story only starts to pick up around 40% of the book, but still Miriam's chapters continued to hold back the story.
The story starts out with Miriam's father, Henryk, calling out an unknown name "Frieda" on his deathbed. So, Miriam makes it her goal to find this person before her father dies. (An overdone opening scene in my opinion.)
Nevertheless, I only kept reading to see the mystery unfold about Frieda, which is why I gave it 2.5 stars instead of 2 stars. Unfortunately, Frieda's story was overshadowed by Miriam's narratives.
February 27, 2021
This was an amazing read.
I’m probably one of the last to read this.
I listened to this on Audio and the two narrators were great.
The chapters alternate between two main people, each narrator taking on each persons voice.
I wasn’t expecting the author to be interviewed after the audio book and I didn’t realise this was based on historical event with the author inventing a personal slant on it. So wonderfully done.
It was emotional. It was enthralling so much so I had to put my Bluetooth headphones on whilst doing chores or cooking. I didn’t want to wait to see the outcome.
It wasn’t until the last few chapters I had a hint of what maybe.
And even so, it still brought a lump to my throat.
I’m so glad I finally got to this book.
I’m probably one of the last to read this.
I listened to this on Audio and the two narrators were great.
The chapters alternate between two main people, each narrator taking on each persons voice.
I wasn’t expecting the author to be interviewed after the audio book and I didn’t realise this was based on historical event with the author inventing a personal slant on it. So wonderfully done.
It was emotional. It was enthralling so much so I had to put my Bluetooth headphones on whilst doing chores or cooking. I didn’t want to wait to see the outcome.
It wasn’t until the last few chapters I had a hint of what maybe.
And even so, it still brought a lump to my throat.
I’m so glad I finally got to this book.
August 3, 2019
If you've just picked this one as your August 'Amazon Prime First Read' then you are in for a treat - eventually. The first quarter of this book is slow - really slow - and I wondered if I'd made a mistake in choosing it. That said, once it gets going, it's as if it's a completely different book.
Two characters tell their stories directly - Miriam and her father Henryk - and a third tells hers via letters hidden inside the seams and pockets of an inmate's uniform from one of Germany's concentration camps.
The book opens in Berlin with one of the most important 'liberations' of Germany's 20th Century - the destruction of the Berlin wall and the eruption of Eastern Germans rushing into their divided city It's focus though is on the abuse and eventual liberations of the death camps at the end of the Second World War and the life of people in those camps under the administration of the Nazis.
Oppression of all sorts is to the fore throughout the book although we're just getting stuck into life under the Nazis both outside and inside the camps when we realise that the more modern story of oppression is Miriam's domination by her husband Axel; a classic case of what we now call 'coercive control'. The juxtaposition of the two forms of menace is very powerful. As readers we can hope for nothing different from the past but we can continue to hope for some kind of redemption in the present tense of the book.
Miriam finds an Auschwitz tattoo on her father's wrist, under his watchband and he starts calling out for 'Frieda'. I nearly gave up at this point as I've seen a lot of photos of Auschwitz tattoos and they were never neat little wrist tattoos. More typically they were sprawling characters on the outer or inner forearm. This had me doubting the likely veracity of the rest of the book but once things got moving, I soon forgot. The point of the revelation of the tattoo is that we're supposed to believe that Henryk NEVER told his daughter that he'd been in the camp. He wasn't a Jew or a gypsy so Miriam wonders why he was there. As readers, we know because we're reading Henryk's thoughts about Frieda, the girl he loved and for whom he risked his marriage and lost his career.
Enlisting the help of an elderly woman called Eva, Miriam gets her to translate the letters she finds in the dress which have been written in French. Oddly, the book presents all of these letters - both the French and German ones - in chronological order which seemed rather 'convenient' to me. Clearly, Eva is controlling the release of the information to Miriam and to the rest of us.
Meanwhile, as Miriam learns about the woman her father once loved, she's trying to escape from the man she no longer loves - her husband and abuser, Axel. He's a controlling and violent man who has built a network of lies to support the image of his wife as weak, insane and unable to look after herself. Can learning of the courage of others so many years before help Miriam to find her own courage to say "No" to Axel?
Not everything rings true - the watchstrap incident in particular - and I had a lot of doubts about how the dress came to be in Henryk's possession with the letters still hidden after 45 years. The ending ties everything together very nicely though and is very well done.
One thing I don't agree with at all is the positioning of the book (via the blurb and the title) as being about the 'rabbit girls' of the concentration camps. These women were experimented upon by doctors in the camps who gave them less respect or care than a vivisection rabbit. And yet, from the point of view of the story, they are a really tiny aspect of a much broader discussion. Anybody with a morbid interest in the abuse of inmates in that way should probably find another book and I consider it a shame that the book is being promoted in this way. Perhaps we're supposed to view Miriam as a rabbit girl in her own right, abused by her husband for 20 years, but I suspect I'm attempting to force-fit a title to a book.
It's a love story and a story of somebody finding her strength to fight back with the help of an unexpected friend just as her father's once-lover finds the strength to survive in the camps through the comradeship of other women. Once I'd got through the first 25-30% of the book, I found it really interesting and put everything else 'on hold' to get the book finished.
Two characters tell their stories directly - Miriam and her father Henryk - and a third tells hers via letters hidden inside the seams and pockets of an inmate's uniform from one of Germany's concentration camps.
The book opens in Berlin with one of the most important 'liberations' of Germany's 20th Century - the destruction of the Berlin wall and the eruption of Eastern Germans rushing into their divided city It's focus though is on the abuse and eventual liberations of the death camps at the end of the Second World War and the life of people in those camps under the administration of the Nazis.
Oppression of all sorts is to the fore throughout the book although we're just getting stuck into life under the Nazis both outside and inside the camps when we realise that the more modern story of oppression is Miriam's domination by her husband Axel; a classic case of what we now call 'coercive control'. The juxtaposition of the two forms of menace is very powerful. As readers we can hope for nothing different from the past but we can continue to hope for some kind of redemption in the present tense of the book.
Miriam finds an Auschwitz tattoo on her father's wrist, under his watchband and he starts calling out for 'Frieda'. I nearly gave up at this point as I've seen a lot of photos of Auschwitz tattoos and they were never neat little wrist tattoos. More typically they were sprawling characters on the outer or inner forearm. This had me doubting the likely veracity of the rest of the book but once things got moving, I soon forgot. The point of the revelation of the tattoo is that we're supposed to believe that Henryk NEVER told his daughter that he'd been in the camp. He wasn't a Jew or a gypsy so Miriam wonders why he was there. As readers, we know because we're reading Henryk's thoughts about Frieda, the girl he loved and for whom he risked his marriage and lost his career.
Enlisting the help of an elderly woman called Eva, Miriam gets her to translate the letters she finds in the dress which have been written in French. Oddly, the book presents all of these letters - both the French and German ones - in chronological order which seemed rather 'convenient' to me. Clearly, Eva is controlling the release of the information to Miriam and to the rest of us.
Meanwhile, as Miriam learns about the woman her father once loved, she's trying to escape from the man she no longer loves - her husband and abuser, Axel. He's a controlling and violent man who has built a network of lies to support the image of his wife as weak, insane and unable to look after herself. Can learning of the courage of others so many years before help Miriam to find her own courage to say "No" to Axel?
Not everything rings true - the watchstrap incident in particular - and I had a lot of doubts about how the dress came to be in Henryk's possession with the letters still hidden after 45 years. The ending ties everything together very nicely though and is very well done.
One thing I don't agree with at all is the positioning of the book (via the blurb and the title) as being about the 'rabbit girls' of the concentration camps. These women were experimented upon by doctors in the camps who gave them less respect or care than a vivisection rabbit. And yet, from the point of view of the story, they are a really tiny aspect of a much broader discussion. Anybody with a morbid interest in the abuse of inmates in that way should probably find another book and I consider it a shame that the book is being promoted in this way. Perhaps we're supposed to view Miriam as a rabbit girl in her own right, abused by her husband for 20 years, but I suspect I'm attempting to force-fit a title to a book.
It's a love story and a story of somebody finding her strength to fight back with the help of an unexpected friend just as her father's once-lover finds the strength to survive in the camps through the comradeship of other women. Once I'd got through the first 25-30% of the book, I found it really interesting and put everything else 'on hold' to get the book finished.
January 28, 2022
Miriam Winter is caring for her dying father Henryk and she still feels very guilty that she didn’t see her mother Emilie prior to her death. Her husband Axel is controlling, he stopped her from visiting her parents for years and he physically abuses her. Miriam discovers an Auschwitz tattoo hidden by her father’s watch strap, a secret he’s been keeping for decades, Miriam starts questioning things about her childhood and her relationship with her parents.
Henryk keeps calling for a woman called Frieda, Miriam starts looking for clues about her father’s past, she finds an old uniform from Ravensbruck women’s camp in her mother’s wardrobe, and hidden in concealed pockets are letters written by the mysterious woman. Miriam’s not sure if Frieda was a guard, or a prisoner at the camp and when were her parents married?
The letters reveal what happened at Ravensbruck, barbaric and experimental surgery was performed on young women and they were called the ‘Rabbit Girls.' Fifty years later Miriam's trying to put the story together, it’s one of terrible suffering, friendship, hope, love and survival.
I received a copy of The Rabbit Girls by Anna Ellory from NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK in exchange for an honest review, I started this book on a previous occasion and I couldn’t get into the story. This time I persevered, I wish the narrative concentrated more on the Rabbit Girls and what happened at Ravensbruck, less about Miriam's troubled marriage and three stars from me.
https://karrenreadsbooks.blogspot.com/
Henryk keeps calling for a woman called Frieda, Miriam starts looking for clues about her father’s past, she finds an old uniform from Ravensbruck women’s camp in her mother’s wardrobe, and hidden in concealed pockets are letters written by the mysterious woman. Miriam’s not sure if Frieda was a guard, or a prisoner at the camp and when were her parents married?
The letters reveal what happened at Ravensbruck, barbaric and experimental surgery was performed on young women and they were called the ‘Rabbit Girls.' Fifty years later Miriam's trying to put the story together, it’s one of terrible suffering, friendship, hope, love and survival.
I received a copy of The Rabbit Girls by Anna Ellory from NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK in exchange for an honest review, I started this book on a previous occasion and I couldn’t get into the story. This time I persevered, I wish the narrative concentrated more on the Rabbit Girls and what happened at Ravensbruck, less about Miriam's troubled marriage and three stars from me.
https://karrenreadsbooks.blogspot.com/
August 29, 2019
This book was barely enjoyable. I started reading it because it was supposed to be a historical fiction about the Rabbit Girls during WWII. Unfortunately, this is not accurate. The author tries to fit too many genres in one book, making it busy an unenjoyable. The plot jumps around quite a bit, which is usually not a problem, but in this case the story became confusing at points and predictable throughout.
August 4, 2019
The book had a slow start and I found the plot was convoluted and difficult to follow at times. Towards the end things moved fast and it started to make more sense. The isolated moments began to fit together.
January 18, 2020
I didn't hate it, but this book is very confused about what type of book it wants to be.
Is it a psychological thriller about a physically and emotionally abused woman being gaslit by her abusive husband while she cares for her dying father? Yes, but it resolves so abruptly (after both rape and attempted murder) that it didn't really feel very realistic. (The '80s era German police being very, "whatever, you probably brought this on yourself" did feel pretty realistic though, based on what I know of the German legal system and how it treats rape victims even today.)
Is it a (poorly executed) historical fiction "romance" between a (really horrible) man and his mistress when they get separated by the holocaust? I guess so, but I didn't really have the sympathy for Henryk that I think was the author's intent (seriously, the way he treated his wife Emilie was awful, and I had a lot of sympathy for her, but none for him). Also, when your wife and your mistress are both telling you to GTFO of Nazi Germany before it's too late and you get arrested and set to a death camp, stop being such a whiny, naïve asshat and listen.to.them. (This was several years into WWII, so they all knew about the camps, it wasn't brand new information.)
Is it about an East German translator as she finds her way in West Germany after the Berlin Wall comes down? No, but Eva's story would have been a lot more interesting! The backdrop of Berlin after the wall came down is a great setting that was really squandered.
Is it about the titular Rabbit Girls of Ravensbrück and the evil medical experiments they endured? Also no. Freida interacts with them while she's in the concentration camp, and their story is sad, but the overall plot doesn't really justify naming the book after them (or even including them in the blurb).
Is it about how the Nazis sent political dissidents and academics to concentration camps? Nope. Another missed opportunity. I think everyone knows how the Jewish population was targeted, but the other groups that were killed sometimes get glossed over. I would have rather seen more about the activities sending Henryk and Frieda to the camps over the abuse endured by Miriam.
Throw in some really odd dialog*, an unnecessary and confusing prologue, an unnecessary and confusing epilogue, a "twist" that could be seen coming a mile away, and phrasing that made me regularly think Miriam had reached the last letter when there were actually several more to go, and it was just a mediocre reading experience.
*There is no translator listed, and as far as I can tell the author is most likely British, so... yeah... not sure what's going on there. But some of the conversations just didn't sound like how real people talk to one another.
Is it a psychological thriller about a physically and emotionally abused woman being gaslit by her abusive husband while she cares for her dying father? Yes, but it resolves so abruptly (after both rape and attempted murder) that it didn't really feel very realistic. (The '80s era German police being very, "whatever, you probably brought this on yourself" did feel pretty realistic though, based on what I know of the German legal system and how it treats rape victims even today.)
Is it a (poorly executed) historical fiction "romance" between a (really horrible) man and his mistress when they get separated by the holocaust? I guess so, but I didn't really have the sympathy for Henryk that I think was the author's intent (seriously, the way he treated his wife Emilie was awful, and I had a lot of sympathy for her, but none for him). Also, when your wife and your mistress are both telling you to GTFO of Nazi Germany before it's too late and you get arrested and set to a death camp, stop being such a whiny, naïve asshat and listen.to.them. (This was several years into WWII, so they all knew about the camps, it wasn't brand new information.)
Is it about an East German translator as she finds her way in West Germany after the Berlin Wall comes down? No, but Eva's story would have been a lot more interesting! The backdrop of Berlin after the wall came down is a great setting that was really squandered.
Is it about the titular Rabbit Girls of Ravensbrück and the evil medical experiments they endured? Also no. Freida interacts with them while she's in the concentration camp, and their story is sad, but the overall plot doesn't really justify naming the book after them (or even including them in the blurb).
Is it about how the Nazis sent political dissidents and academics to concentration camps? Nope. Another missed opportunity. I think everyone knows how the Jewish population was targeted, but the other groups that were killed sometimes get glossed over. I would have rather seen more about the activities sending Henryk and Frieda to the camps over the abuse endured by Miriam.
Throw in some really odd dialog*, an unnecessary and confusing prologue, an unnecessary and confusing epilogue, a "twist" that could be seen coming a mile away, and phrasing that made me regularly think Miriam had reached the last letter when there were actually several more to go, and it was just a mediocre reading experience.
*There is no translator listed, and as far as I can tell the author is most likely British, so... yeah... not sure what's going on there. But some of the conversations just didn't sound like how real people talk to one another.
June 26, 2023
How does one find out the truth about ones’ history when her father lies in Hospice care, and all he can do is say the name of a woman she does not know – and it is not her mother’s name?
And what happens when she discovers he has the tattoo of the concentration camp on his wrist – and she never knew he was ever in a concentration camp during the war?
And when she discovers these letters from another woman, not her mother, hidden amongst her father’s things?
Who was her father?
What was his past?
What was the past of her mother?
And was there more to discover about herself?
So many questions!
This is an interesting story, a different way of looking at another angle of another side of WWII history. Which I would rather not share – because quite frankly, it is key to the story/plot.
This, is a mystery of sorts.
And Miriam, the daughter, has a lot to unravel here – in her personal life, besides trying to figure out who her Dad was.
It is neatly told in different voices between Henryk (Dad) and Miriam.
Care to try it out? Find the answers on your own?
And what happens when she discovers he has the tattoo of the concentration camp on his wrist – and she never knew he was ever in a concentration camp during the war?
And when she discovers these letters from another woman, not her mother, hidden amongst her father’s things?
Who was her father?
What was his past?
What was the past of her mother?
And was there more to discover about herself?
So many questions!
This is an interesting story, a different way of looking at another angle of another side of WWII history. Which I would rather not share – because quite frankly, it is key to the story/plot.
This, is a mystery of sorts.
And Miriam, the daughter, has a lot to unravel here – in her personal life, besides trying to figure out who her Dad was.
It is neatly told in different voices between Henryk (Dad) and Miriam.
Care to try it out? Find the answers on your own?
August 4, 2019
I picked this book as my ‘Amazon first reads’ for August, not really expecting too much and then not able to stop reading.
It’s a story that will stay with me.
It’s a story that will stay with me.
September 6, 2019
Beautiful
The trauma of a country gone insane. The trauma created by those who prey on others. The trauma of those who bear witness. The trauma of those who survive. The strength of the human spirit despite evil in this world. This novel covers it all.
The trauma of a country gone insane. The trauma created by those who prey on others. The trauma of those who bear witness. The trauma of those who survive. The strength of the human spirit despite evil in this world. This novel covers it all.
October 8, 2019
Whiplash and Incongruity
I would need to read the book description again in order to see what I can write without giving any spoilers but I failed to see how a book that was VERY loosely connected to Mengele’s rabbits could be related to domestic abuse. Or how a prisoner in a concentration camp would waste space on sparse paper to write in vague, poetic prose rather than saying what she needed to say. The connections, even within the same story and timeline were far too tenuous and gave me whiplash. Last, but not least, the whole infidelity and the way it was framed is simply unbelievable. No mistress would be so selfless. Evidence: She’s stealing another woman’s husband.
The descriptions of concentration camps, when stripped of flowery language that confused this reader, were accurately depicted as corroborated by other books I have read. Miriam’s story was superfluous. Henryk’s pining was a waste. Frieda was too wordy. A starving prisoner, exhausted and dehumanized, writes letters to her lover that includes a description of each color of the rainbow? The smell of commandant’s breath or office. It just didn’t make sense.
I would need to read the book description again in order to see what I can write without giving any spoilers but I failed to see how a book that was VERY loosely connected to Mengele’s rabbits could be related to domestic abuse. Or how a prisoner in a concentration camp would waste space on sparse paper to write in vague, poetic prose rather than saying what she needed to say. The connections, even within the same story and timeline were far too tenuous and gave me whiplash. Last, but not least, the whole infidelity and the way it was framed is simply unbelievable. No mistress would be so selfless. Evidence: She’s stealing another woman’s husband.
The descriptions of concentration camps, when stripped of flowery language that confused this reader, were accurately depicted as corroborated by other books I have read. Miriam’s story was superfluous. Henryk’s pining was a waste. Frieda was too wordy. A starving prisoner, exhausted and dehumanized, writes letters to her lover that includes a description of each color of the rainbow? The smell of commandant’s breath or office. It just didn’t make sense.
July 15, 2020
"To look back is to relive. To relive is to die a thousand deaths again."
2.5 stars
Miriam is caring for Henryk, her father, while he is sick and most likely living out his last days. While sitting by his side, Miriam hears her father call out for Frieda. Miriam does not know who this woman is and looks through the house for clues. She comes across an old and battered dress with letters hidden in the dress seams. Their content of these reveal a history that her parents kept hidden from Miriam all her life.
Books that deal with the Holocaust and all its various camps are a far cry from an enjoyable read. We read them to try to understand humanity and most importantly, to learn from past mistakes. The Rabbit Girls failed even in this regard. When we are introduced to Miriam, she appears an unstable woman. She is and not only because of her father. Miriam fled from an abusive marriage and worries about her husband constanly. This woman Frieda that her father keeps mentioning has her inttrigued and when she discovers the hidden letters in the dress, she dives full in finding out who she is. As Miriam learns of her father's past, she hopes to draw strength from it to face her future.
So this was a disapponting book. The title is misleading as the Rabbit Girls are a minor part of this narrative and quite frankly, not well represented. The majority of the story centers around Miriam, while her father has less and shorter chapters. The book did not get my full attention up until about the forty percent mark and even then, it was not because of the Rabbit Girls. I can see what the author was going for by placing Miriam's struggle with that of the Rabbits but it did not translate well. Characterization was flat and predictable. Not one character was truly likeable. Personally, I think that this narrative could have been written without the inclusion of the Rabbits. Again to me, it felt like it was there for the sake of only providing a background to Miriam rather than to be an integral part of the story. All and all, the pace and overall flow felt disjointed. If you are looking for a book where the history of the Rabbits is front and center, I would recommend Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly. Needless to say, this book did not meet expectations.
2.5 stars
Miriam is caring for Henryk, her father, while he is sick and most likely living out his last days. While sitting by his side, Miriam hears her father call out for Frieda. Miriam does not know who this woman is and looks through the house for clues. She comes across an old and battered dress with letters hidden in the dress seams. Their content of these reveal a history that her parents kept hidden from Miriam all her life.
Books that deal with the Holocaust and all its various camps are a far cry from an enjoyable read. We read them to try to understand humanity and most importantly, to learn from past mistakes. The Rabbit Girls failed even in this regard. When we are introduced to Miriam, she appears an unstable woman. She is and not only because of her father. Miriam fled from an abusive marriage and worries about her husband constanly. This woman Frieda that her father keeps mentioning has her inttrigued and when she discovers the hidden letters in the dress, she dives full in finding out who she is. As Miriam learns of her father's past, she hopes to draw strength from it to face her future.
So this was a disapponting book. The title is misleading as the Rabbit Girls are a minor part of this narrative and quite frankly, not well represented. The majority of the story centers around Miriam, while her father has less and shorter chapters. The book did not get my full attention up until about the forty percent mark and even then, it was not because of the Rabbit Girls. I can see what the author was going for by placing Miriam's struggle with that of the Rabbits but it did not translate well. Characterization was flat and predictable. Not one character was truly likeable. Personally, I think that this narrative could have been written without the inclusion of the Rabbits. Again to me, it felt like it was there for the sake of only providing a background to Miriam rather than to be an integral part of the story. All and all, the pace and overall flow felt disjointed. If you are looking for a book where the history of the Rabbits is front and center, I would recommend Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly. Needless to say, this book did not meet expectations.
September 21, 2019
The story opens with Miriam caring for her dying father, Henryk, just at the time the Berlin Wall is coming down. She finds a tattoo on her dad and realizes he was in a camp and then in a closet she finds a woman's uniform from a concentration camp with letters hidden in the seams. I would maybe give the book 2.5 stars which goes against what everyone else seems to rate it but I picked up the book after reading The Lilac Girls and hoping for more information on the Rabbit Girls of Ravensbruck. Instead I got a story told from Miriam's and Henryk's viewpoints. It read more like a psychological thriller with Miriam being an unreliable narrator and it's her word against her husband's. Miriam made references to "him" and "episodes" her father had. In most thrillers clues are left and in my head I think well that little tidbit might be important but these clues felt more like the author knows something and she just isn't going to tell you. I had already figured out the twist at the end by 33% of the book and I had no idea what was going on in Miriam's head or Henryk's for that matter.
September 7, 2019
This one will get you. I normally power through books like this in a day or two, but the dark reality of the Holocaust that this book highlights made me slow down and take it in pieces. Even taking a day off in between sometimes. I’m not a crier while reading, but as a mother, this book got me a few times. An important look at the realities of the time, but a hard one nonetheless.
January 27, 2020
Emanuela - per RFS
.
Libro potentissimo e toccante in cui due storie di vita calpestate si srotolano parallele finendo per incontrarsi.
I protagonisti sono innanzitutto Miriam: tedesca, vive a Berlino negli anni della caduta del muro e si trova ad accudire il padre Henryk, ormai in fin di vita a causa di un ictus.
È una donna tormentata, dal suo racconto si evince che soffre di un disturbo ossessivo compulsivo e vive episodi di autolesionismo provocati da un matrimonio infelice con un uomo a sua volta disturbato, lui infatti l’ha violentata psicologicamente e fisicamente allontanandola dai suoi genitori e creandole il vuoto attorno. Assistere il padre malato le ha consentito di sfuggirgli e ora vive in casa con il moribondo e sopravvive con la continua ansia che l’uomo rispunti e la possa trascinare via. In un certo senso accudire il genitore morente è per lei una momentanea via di fuga e uno scopo per non affondare nella follia. Proprio mentre cura il poveretto, Miriam si accorge del numero nascosto sotto il bracciale dell’orologio e capisce che il padre è stato prigioniero ad Auschwitz: mille domande si affollano nella sua mente.
Come mai l’uomo gliel’ha tenuto nascosto? Non è ebreo… Miriam si arrovella nello shock della scoperta alla quale si aggiunge quella di una divisa da internato, nelle cui cuciture sono celate delle lettere alcune scritte in tedesco altre in francese.
Contemporaneamente alla vicenda di Miriam, l’autrice ci racconta la storia dal punto di vista di Henrik, professore universitario. Siamo nel 1942, il paese sta precipitando nella morsa nazista, gli ideologi e i dissidenti politici finiscono in campo di concentramento; l’incontro e l’appassionante innamoramento con Frieda una studentessa promettente e appassionata non fa che accelerare la rovina per lui e per la sua amante che continua a frequentare sotto gli occhi di Emilie, una moglie terrorizzata ma non rassegnata a lasciar andare il marito.
La sventura porterà Henrik ad Auschwitz e Frieda a Ravensbruck, un campo di lavoro, dove vengono compiuti orribili esperimenti su donne inermi. E mentre Frieda sopravvive giorno per giorno in quell’inferno, riesce a scrivere a Henrik tante lettere e le nasconde cucendole nelle parti interne dell’uniforme; sa che probabilmente il suo amato non le leggerà mai ma sono un modo per restare in vita e lottare per sopravvivere.
Così seguiamo sulle pagine del libro la lotta per la sopravvivenza di due donne separate da 50 anni di distanza ma insospettabilmente legate a doppio nodo: Miriam che cerca di affrancarsi dal gioco di un marito mostro e si attacca perciò a quelle lettere per arrivare alla verità e rendere un servigio al padre; e Frieda che combatte con il male assoluto scrivendo all’uomo che ama e attaccandosi alla vita in tutti i modi conosciuti.
Un finale inaspettato e una verità tenuta ben celata per anni vi lasceranno spiazzati nel finale.
Un libro commovente, scioccante e opprimente a tratti, ma pieno di speranza per il futuro, un equilibrio perfetto tra passato e attualità, tra vita vera e inventata.
Magnifico.
.
Libro potentissimo e toccante in cui due storie di vita calpestate si srotolano parallele finendo per incontrarsi.
I protagonisti sono innanzitutto Miriam: tedesca, vive a Berlino negli anni della caduta del muro e si trova ad accudire il padre Henryk, ormai in fin di vita a causa di un ictus.
È una donna tormentata, dal suo racconto si evince che soffre di un disturbo ossessivo compulsivo e vive episodi di autolesionismo provocati da un matrimonio infelice con un uomo a sua volta disturbato, lui infatti l’ha violentata psicologicamente e fisicamente allontanandola dai suoi genitori e creandole il vuoto attorno. Assistere il padre malato le ha consentito di sfuggirgli e ora vive in casa con il moribondo e sopravvive con la continua ansia che l’uomo rispunti e la possa trascinare via. In un certo senso accudire il genitore morente è per lei una momentanea via di fuga e uno scopo per non affondare nella follia. Proprio mentre cura il poveretto, Miriam si accorge del numero nascosto sotto il bracciale dell’orologio e capisce che il padre è stato prigioniero ad Auschwitz: mille domande si affollano nella sua mente.
Come mai l’uomo gliel’ha tenuto nascosto? Non è ebreo… Miriam si arrovella nello shock della scoperta alla quale si aggiunge quella di una divisa da internato, nelle cui cuciture sono celate delle lettere alcune scritte in tedesco altre in francese.
Contemporaneamente alla vicenda di Miriam, l’autrice ci racconta la storia dal punto di vista di Henrik, professore universitario. Siamo nel 1942, il paese sta precipitando nella morsa nazista, gli ideologi e i dissidenti politici finiscono in campo di concentramento; l’incontro e l’appassionante innamoramento con Frieda una studentessa promettente e appassionata non fa che accelerare la rovina per lui e per la sua amante che continua a frequentare sotto gli occhi di Emilie, una moglie terrorizzata ma non rassegnata a lasciar andare il marito.
La sventura porterà Henrik ad Auschwitz e Frieda a Ravensbruck, un campo di lavoro, dove vengono compiuti orribili esperimenti su donne inermi. E mentre Frieda sopravvive giorno per giorno in quell’inferno, riesce a scrivere a Henrik tante lettere e le nasconde cucendole nelle parti interne dell’uniforme; sa che probabilmente il suo amato non le leggerà mai ma sono un modo per restare in vita e lottare per sopravvivere.
Così seguiamo sulle pagine del libro la lotta per la sopravvivenza di due donne separate da 50 anni di distanza ma insospettabilmente legate a doppio nodo: Miriam che cerca di affrancarsi dal gioco di un marito mostro e si attacca perciò a quelle lettere per arrivare alla verità e rendere un servigio al padre; e Frieda che combatte con il male assoluto scrivendo all’uomo che ama e attaccandosi alla vita in tutti i modi conosciuti.
Un finale inaspettato e una verità tenuta ben celata per anni vi lasceranno spiazzati nel finale.
Un libro commovente, scioccante e opprimente a tratti, ma pieno di speranza per il futuro, un equilibrio perfetto tra passato e attualità, tra vita vera e inventata.
Magnifico.
January 10, 2021
Fã de livros sobre a II Guerra Mundial e o Holocausto pensei que este seria mais um sobre o tema.
Enganei-me. Partindo da premissa de umas cartas encontradas nas costuras de um vestido dos campos a autora descreve-nos uma estória de enganos, amor, auto-mutilação e acima de tudo de violência doméstica e do medo de a denunciar.
- Aceitei, como sempre faço. Fiquei ali e tentei pensar que estava noutro lado. Esperei que terminasse. Se lutar, é pior. Não importa. Estamos casados, e se calhar eu estava a pedi-las.
Desculpem se vos fiz perder tempo.
Enganei-me. Partindo da premissa de umas cartas encontradas nas costuras de um vestido dos campos a autora descreve-nos uma estória de enganos, amor, auto-mutilação e acima de tudo de violência doméstica e do medo de a denunciar.
- Aceitei, como sempre faço. Fiquei ali e tentei pensar que estava noutro lado. Esperei que terminasse. Se lutar, é pior. Não importa. Estamos casados, e se calhar eu estava a pedi-las.
Desculpem se vos fiz perder tempo.
August 27, 2019
A deeply moving and upsetting story about the suffering of the so-called Rabbit Girls in Ravensbruck concentration camp. The narrative moves between the unhappy Miriam, writing in Germany in 1989 as the Berlin Wall tumbled, the letters of Frieda, smuggled out of Ravensbruck, and the reminiscences of Henryk, father of Miriam and the lover of Frieda, who is now facing his death. Parts are more successful than most with the most memorable sections preserved for Frieda. By contrast, Miriam remains distant. Review to follow shortly on For Winter Nights.
January 30, 2021
❤️ van de afwisseling heden en verleden.
Twee goed uitgewerkte verhaallijnen met een verrassend eindplot.
Vlot geschreven
Het briefconcept (verleden) vond ik leuk
Emotievol boek
Twee goed uitgewerkte verhaallijnen met een verrassend eindplot.
Vlot geschreven
Het briefconcept (verleden) vond ik leuk
Emotievol boek
September 13, 2019
The Rabbit Girls
Anna Ellory
Lake Union Pub, Sep 1, 2019
396 pages
Historical, WWII
Purchased for Kindle app
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The cover is perfect for this book. The feather is the one Miriam puts in the door so that she can tell if anyone has been in the apartment. It took me a while to even notice the train tracks and building at the bottom, but they fit the story as well since everyone gets taken away in cattle cars. The blue is a shade that is cold and disheartening and spattered with blood. This is very fitting for this story.
The story itself starts with Miriam, a young woman trying to take care of her elderly father, who is dying. Miriam’s health is questionable. She seems to have some problems but doesn’t take the medicines prescribed for her and she doesn’t take very good care of herself. She focuses on taking care of her father. In doing so, she discovers a tattoo from Auschwitz on his wrist that she has never seen before. Further searching uncovers a woman’s uniform from the concentration camp and the seams are full of letters from a woman she’s never heard of. Some in a language she can’t read. Miriam becomes obsessed with these letters and even finds a translator for the ones she can’t read. We get drawn into the story revealed by the letters as well as the story of Miriam’s current life as both go haywire. The pace and tension of this dual story are enough to keep the reader from setting the book down. The anticipation as each small piece was revealed was almost painful at times. Sometimes you were involved in the story from the past and sometimes you were involved in Miriam’s story of the present. Both engulfed you as a reader and drew you in as so many stories from this era do.
If you are a fan of books about the aftermath of WWII and the concentration camps, this is definitely a book for you. This one gets down and dirty about some of what happened to some of the women there. Another trigger in this book is domestic violence and mental health, so be forewarned. If you can handle all of this, then this is a book for you. I highly recommend it. It was a riveting book.
Anna Ellory
Lake Union Pub, Sep 1, 2019
396 pages
Historical, WWII
Purchased for Kindle app
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The cover is perfect for this book. The feather is the one Miriam puts in the door so that she can tell if anyone has been in the apartment. It took me a while to even notice the train tracks and building at the bottom, but they fit the story as well since everyone gets taken away in cattle cars. The blue is a shade that is cold and disheartening and spattered with blood. This is very fitting for this story.
The story itself starts with Miriam, a young woman trying to take care of her elderly father, who is dying. Miriam’s health is questionable. She seems to have some problems but doesn’t take the medicines prescribed for her and she doesn’t take very good care of herself. She focuses on taking care of her father. In doing so, she discovers a tattoo from Auschwitz on his wrist that she has never seen before. Further searching uncovers a woman’s uniform from the concentration camp and the seams are full of letters from a woman she’s never heard of. Some in a language she can’t read. Miriam becomes obsessed with these letters and even finds a translator for the ones she can’t read. We get drawn into the story revealed by the letters as well as the story of Miriam’s current life as both go haywire. The pace and tension of this dual story are enough to keep the reader from setting the book down. The anticipation as each small piece was revealed was almost painful at times. Sometimes you were involved in the story from the past and sometimes you were involved in Miriam’s story of the present. Both engulfed you as a reader and drew you in as so many stories from this era do.
If you are a fan of books about the aftermath of WWII and the concentration camps, this is definitely a book for you. This one gets down and dirty about some of what happened to some of the women there. Another trigger in this book is domestic violence and mental health, so be forewarned. If you can handle all of this, then this is a book for you. I highly recommend it. It was a riveting book.
December 15, 2022
Dos últimos livros que li sobre o holocausto este terá sido dos mais difíceis de ler. As atrocidades que foram cometidas deixam uma pessoa de coração apertado. Custa muito até hoje pensar como foi possível que pessoas normais conseguissem maltratar outros seres humanos de forma tão hedionda. E não falo de militares, falo de médicos, enfermeiras etc etc terem pactuado com tamanha crueldade. Enfim, que estes livros sirvam para que nunca sejam esquecidos.
August 30, 2019
Really two and a half stars for this. I thought the focus would be on the women in Ravensbruck and their stories, but Miriam's story overshadowed it. I never could understand what Miriam's mental problem was, although I skimmed some parts I could've missed it. I thought she may be an unreliable narrator, in that she seemed to be delusional and seemed to have hallucinations. Why did she tolerate her abusive husband?
I just hurried through to get to the ending of this sometimes confusing and convoluted book. A disappointment.
I just hurried through to get to the ending of this sometimes confusing and convoluted book. A disappointment.
August 12, 2020
Disappointing
This book tells three stories--none of them well. The marital problems of Miriam and Axel had nothing to do with anything. The Ravensbruck thread through letters found after forty years was too hard to believe. The relationship between Henryk and Frieda was also not believable. What in the heck did the demise of the wall in Berlin have to do with the story? It was a stretch to expect any of these threads to create a cohesive whole. Terribly disappointing piece of fiction.
This book tells three stories--none of them well. The marital problems of Miriam and Axel had nothing to do with anything. The Ravensbruck thread through letters found after forty years was too hard to believe. The relationship between Henryk and Frieda was also not believable. What in the heck did the demise of the wall in Berlin have to do with the story? It was a stretch to expect any of these threads to create a cohesive whole. Terribly disappointing piece of fiction.
April 25, 2021
De afwisseling tussen de twee verhaallijnen in het heden en verleden komen in het begin wat traag op gang. Juist daardoor kon ik richting het einde het boek niet meer wegleggen. Een aantal voorspelbare gebeurtenissen maar wel ondersteunend aan een goed verhaal. De moeite waard!
March 17, 2020
Anna Ellory lives in Bath and has just completed her MA in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University. Her book is poignant, highlighting how one fictional family was affected by the Holocaust.
December 1989. The Wall between East and West Germany is open. Miriam is taking care of her dying father.
1942. Henryk is Miriam's father. He is reminiscing about meeting Frieda, a student of his. All of Henryk's thoughts are from the past. He is now dying and wondering whatever became of Frieda. He needs to find out to have closure.
The story rotates between Miriam and Henryk: Miriam's present and, at first, Henryk's past. Eventually, we hear Henryk's thoughts in the present. We hear Frieda's voice through letters that Miriam has found. In fact, it is these letters that introduce the reader to The Rabbit Girls. women in concentration camps during WWII that are used as medical experiments in the Nazi doctors 'research'.
There is a background story as well: the dysfunctional marriage of Miriam to Axel.
4.25 stars
December 1989. The Wall between East and West Germany is open. Miriam is taking care of her dying father.
1942. Henryk is Miriam's father. He is reminiscing about meeting Frieda, a student of his. All of Henryk's thoughts are from the past. He is now dying and wondering whatever became of Frieda. He needs to find out to have closure.
The story rotates between Miriam and Henryk: Miriam's present and, at first, Henryk's past. Eventually, we hear Henryk's thoughts in the present. We hear Frieda's voice through letters that Miriam has found. In fact, it is these letters that introduce the reader to The Rabbit Girls. women in concentration camps during WWII that are used as medical experiments in the Nazi doctors 'research'.
There is a background story as well: the dysfunctional marriage of Miriam to Axel.
4.25 stars
October 15, 2021
“Oamenii care au trăit aceste experienţe, nu găsesc cuvintele pentru a le descrie, iar cei din jurul lor nu vor să audă. Cuvintele au o forţă mult mai mare decât ne dăm seama (…). Chiar şi cele mai întunecate cuvinte vor descoperi lumina.”
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September 16, 2019
I love World War 2 historical fiction, and I enjoyed this book, but I wouldn’t put it up there with books like Sarah’s Key or the Lilac Girls. The book alternated between chapters in which letters were read that were written while in a concentration camp and chapters which were written about the main character’s current life in 1989 in which she was attempting to leave her abusive husband. Although some may find the chapters about Miriam’s current life to be distracting I actually felt like they added interest to the story in a unique way for a historical fiction book. The author wrote very little about the Rabbit Girls, so I felt the title may have been a marketing ploy to gain more readership. I believe a better title could have been used. I felt the book started a little slow, but by 25 percent in I was enjoying it. The ending was perfect.
September 7, 2019
This one starts off slow, and for about 1/4 of the book I was wondering why it was titled The Rabbit Girls because they weren't in it at all. When they finally made their appearance in the book their story grabbed me and the book instantly became more interesting. I wished their story had been the main focus of the book. Instead, they end up serving as inspiration for Miriam. This book is really her story, not theirs. That's too bad, because I found Miriam tiresome.
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