Barrack Two: A Holocaust Story

The Barracks #4

by Elyse Hoffman

Can a parent ever go too far when protecting their child…?Vilém Rehor is about to become a father, and he wants nothing more than to be a good one. A good father and a good man, but as he sets about fulfilling Joseph Klammer’s final wish, he soon learns that sometimes it’s impossible to be both.Eager to memorialize the heroic Doctor who helped Klammer free four hundred Jews bound for Auschwitz, Vilém begins investigating the history of Doctor-Rabbi Yosef Doubek. He is shocked to discover that his tyrannical boss, Alica Doubek, is the daughter of the supposed hero...and she has done everything in her power to make sure he and his shameful past is forgotten.As Vilém encounters the Doctor’s ghost and learns of the Faustian bargain he made with the Architect of the Holocaust, Reinhard Heydrich, he is confronted with a barrage of impossible questions. How far would he go to keep his child safe? How much would he betray? And is Doctor Doubek worthy of seeing his daughter smile again?Barrack Two, the sequel to Barrack Three, is a heartbreaking tale of the Holocaust.

Genres: Holocaust, Historical Fiction

65 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 28, 2020

About the author

Elyse Hoffman is an award-winning author who strives to tell historical tales with new twists. Having studied WWII since the age of thirteen and with interests in fantasy and Jewish folklore, she loves to combine them in her writing. Elyse started writing novels at fourteen and finished her first historical fiction work at fifteen. She has published eight books: five in a series called The Barracks of the Holocaust, and three novels, including The Book of Uriel, Where David Threw Stones, and Fracture. In her spare time, she loves to read, work on pretty keyboards, and hang out with her co-authors - her Goldendoodle Ari and her ex-feral cat, Echo.

Reviews

[Kimmylongtime · Rating 5 out of 5]

So remember when I said I had a problem?

This is book four in the Barrack Series and Vilem keeps getting tasked with impossible feats. This time he is tasked with locating the Rabbi’s spirit and solving his problem. The problem is the person who he is supposed to get involved with is his evil boss. She doesn’t want the world to know about her father and neither does the evil spirit that is haunting the barracks. With surprises we don’t expect a miracle baby and lots of patience Vilem may do it again.

I did recommend this to a friend me and my bestie are racing to the finish line because this is just too good.

PS a little warning this book is filled with triggers (children related). If this bothers you please skim over those parts and still read the book. It is absolutely worth it and if you are already this far what are you waiting for.

I received an advanced copy from BookSirens and I am leaving a review voluntarily.

[Carolyn Scarcella · Rating 5 out of 5]

The shortest and second saga series is called “Barrack two” by Elyse Hoffman. I continue to like this series because the writing is emotionally strong, most intense, between father and daughter. Vilem boss Alicia never smiles ever. He is very determined to find out why she hated her rabbi father who is also a doctor, he did to protect her from the Nazis. How far would he go to keep his child safe? How much would he betray? And is Doctor Doubek worthy of seeing his daughter smile again? You can decide.

[Sofe · Rating 5 out of 5]

EBook Review: BARRACK TWO by Elyse Hoffman

(B) reaking
(A)
(R) ule
(R) eaps
(A) nger
(C) ancels
(K) indness

(T) ruth
(W) ins
(O) ut

BARRACK TWO housed sorrow.
Eventually won't see tomorrow.

Her father tried hard.
To keep her alive.

At expense of others.
Was forced to lie.

Living with the guilt.
In atmosphere of shame.

His daughter didn't appreciate.
Heart filled with hate.

Story filled with horror.
Requiring hard decisions make.

In end made sacrifice.
To save her life.

A time has come.
To bring back smile.

This is powerful story.
Not to right wrong.

To show father's love.
During time of extermination.

Bringing the light back.
Into a soul lost.

Doing best he could.
In no win situation.

Don't rush to judgment.
Without all the facts.

Thank you once again.
For sharing with us.

***************************************
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
***************************************

[Lee Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

A marvelous continuation of the Barracks series, this time from the perspective and story of the Doctor.

These stories are elegantly told, in the words of the ghost of the character, and each book contributes more to the reader’s understanding of the historical situation.

Set in the present with an eye for the future, these stories reconcile a horrible past to the lives of the survivors and descendants of the perpetrators.

Another excellent progression in this tale of the Holocaust with at least one more chapter yet to come.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great sequel from Elyse Hoffman. This time the main theme was parental loyalty and morality. Such great insight into character motivations and again a different ghosty character from the rest portrayed so far. Pulls on the heartstrings for many different reasons and I cannot wait to read the next (and last *sniffle*) book in the series.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[karin whitehead · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barack Two

And the story continues....Vil'em is communicating with the Rabbi, who is telling him the story of his daughters hatred, even all he did to protect her from the Nazis. A wonderful, heart breaking, story of the Rabbis sins. Well written, characters that come alive, making the tale so vivid. Onto the next book!

[Kerrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fourth installment did not disappoint! I didn’t see the connection between the Rabbi and Vilem’s boss, Alica, coming, but I liked the somewhat heartwarming ending with respect to Alica. What I appreciate in these short stories is Vilem’s ability to convey the message from the dead to the living eloquently.

Thank you BookSirens for the free copy in return of an honest review.

[Yifat Cestare · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was heartbreaking. So interesting yet a tear jerker. At this point I not only want to know more, I NEED to know more. This book leaves you with questions and an eagerness to read the next one. While I received an ARC in return for an honest review, I have purchased the book.

[Julia Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm working my way through the Barrack Series and I found Barrack Two as poignant as the other three. More so in that Vilem now fulfills the wish of a former ghost to discover the story of Doctor-Rabbi Doubek and his unacknowledged heroism at the camp. Vilem must also find out why his boss Alica never smiles.
This story asks a difficult question and that is how far will a person go to protect a loved one. I'm not talking about sacrificing one's life for the loved person, but is it ethical to sacrifice the lives of others too. A dreadful dilemma which many of us will never have to face.
Barrack Two is well-written and I love the way Vilem's private life is entwined with the ghosts he encounters in each barrack.
Although the stories are short, they are very enjoyable and I'm pleased to give five stars for Barrack Two of the series.

[Candace Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't put this series down since I started it this morning part of me is dreading reading the last book but the other part of me can't wait to see what happens next. It was strange seeing parts of the story from book three from a different point of view.

[Shirley McAllister · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Rabbi

The fourth book in the series deals with the Rabbi. When the Nazi’s came he was given special treatment by Heydrich for the Ghetto and the Jewish people within if he would talk the people into going along with the deportations.

When Heydrich was assassinated he along with his daughter was sent to the concentration camp. He made a deal with the camp commander that he would care for his sick son if his daughter was allowed to be kept alive. You see the Rabbi was a doctor and the commanders son was ill.

When Vilém heard his spirit the Rabbi didn’t want to be recognized for his help in saving the 400 Jewish on the train, but his daughter who is living a sad life to laugh and smile and enjoy life.

I love how Vilém accomplishes this and the evil encounter at the end with another spirit. This was a good story dealing with hard choices and guilt. I enjoyed the story, and will await Barrack One, the end.

Thanks to Elyse Hoffman and Book Sirens for allowing me to read a copy of the book for an honest review.

[Debbie Lawrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a sad series of books.
The lengths you go to protect your family without thinking about the consequences.
I love that we get some snippets into Viliem's life and how he perceives the situations.
We cannot judge unless we have been in their shoes. A classic case of being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

[Joanne Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a huge fan of this series but read this one out of sync of the others. I'm not sure if that made a difference but having caught up with Barrack Four and Three, this one is probably my least favourite, although I'm struggling to put my finger on why.

In Barrack Two, we return to the concentration camp where this time the main character is visited by the ghost of the Rabbi. The links between the past and the present reveal themselves gradually and provide an interesting insight into why Vilem's boss behaves as she does.

The ending was extremely poignant.

With thanks to BookSirens and the author Elyse Hoffman for the ARC.