I've been doing a catch up on tbr books and this one though always near the top had me desperately wanting to read but also not, why? Because of the atrocities and circumstances and I needed a good headspace to go into this one with.

Poignant read, am very glad I've read it now and will remain with me for a very long time.

A book I read solely because I saw that a mini series was created and I am a stickler for reading the book before watching the movie, the show or the whatever! So I picked up this book recently and read it and what a story. I was glad that I could see someone's interpretation of it on screen and see how even the hardest of moments would be portrayed on a screen.

Based on a true story, Lale Sokolov was a Jew who went to Auschwitz and eventually became the man who tattooed the incoming Jews; he aligned himself with the SS soldiers and was able to help his fellow men and women through various ways to survive the horrors that took place in Auschwitz. Because of the way he took care of others, it saved his life so many times.

It is hard to say I loved this book because most of it took place in a concentration camp, but to see humanity still trying to take care of each other in any way possible and to see a love story emerge, it was something else.

This book -- so powerful, so unforgettable. I've truly never read a book that affected me this much. I was stunned by the unspeakable cruelty of the Nazi guards but also uplifted by Lale's story. A true testament to resilience and love. As I was reading, I kept thinking "*This* is why we read." I'm so glad for the author's note, so we could get to know Lale as he approached the end of his life.

I read this book in a day. I could not put it down. I was desperate to know of Lale's fate.. A tough read because the atrocities were real. A love story that grew throughout the ordeals faced in Auschwitz had me in tears.

This is the true story of Lale and Gita who met and fell in love whilst prisoners in Auschwitz. It is a heart warming story among the horrors of the Holocaust, and a testament to the bravery of people suffering what no human should have to suffer. I am looking forward to the upcoming television adaptation.

The holocaust was full of atrocities. This book is hard to put down. You want to help the characters in this book. It’s amazing what happens in this book and how they survive. Wonderful work and highly recommend it.

This story really should be utterly compelling, but for me Heather Morris' writing style just does not connect with your emotions enough to hit that sweet spot.

What can I say. I dislike this in the extreme. I would even go as far as to say it is offensive. It made Auschwitz sound like a holiday camp and if he had really spoken to the Nazi guards in the way it is described in the book I very much doubt he would have lived to be relating his story to the author.

Yes I’m still catching up on books I’ve longed to read.
Here’s another.

I heard all over the book community about this one, was it hyped? Yes! And rightfully so.

I borrowed the audio version from my library and got totally blown away. The narrator was so good, took parts so well.

I was hooked.

This is of course history but lies in the middle is a love story.

I especially took heed to the epilogue about the “real” characters. That hit home to me.

Such a very well told story that you just can’t imagine the atrocities.

What a read. I've read many books about the Holocaust, all of which affected me deeply. I think because this is a true account it really made an impression. Very personal account, showing an inside view of what happened within the camps. Traumatic, and how people could then live a full life back in the world, trusting people and building a family life, is humbling. #netgalley #thetattooistofauschwitz

Based on a true story this book is a heartbreaking, poignant and at time a difficult read. It tells the story of Lale Sokolov who is a prisoner in Auschwitz. Whilst there he meets Gita and he vows to survive life there and one day marry Gita. I completely and utterly loved this book . It was at time a harrowing read but one that is a must read.

I really wanted to love this book. The true story behind this novel is a heartbreaking and inspiring love story in the most difficult of circumstances. Lale and Gita’s story needed to be shared with the world and I’m better for knowing it. I’d give the truth behind the story 5 stars.

But the writing almost ruined this for me and 3 stars is a generous rating. I dare say Heather Morris is a great screenwriter but this is not a story that benefits from that experience. So many novels have been written about the Holocaust and take place in Auschwitz that do a far better job of capturing the horror and desperation. I didn’t feel a connection to the characters and if I hadn’t already read many other books about WWII and the Holocaust, I would have gained no further knowledge from reading this book. The end of the book was frustratingly short and lacking in tension and emotion. Like the rest of the book, there could have been so much more!

I wish Lale had trusted his story to someone skilled in more than dialogue. It did not have to be a novel; someone like Laura Hillenbrand could have made this an amazingly moving biography and anchored it firmly in historical context.

I read this for my IRL book club and enjoyed it. I am getting a little tired of WWII historical fiction but this was a good book. A real story of love and friendship. I highly recommend.

Excellent read on the time of concentration camps. Humanizing the struggle to live and relationships helping day to day survival.

Based on a true life story this books keeps out in the open the awareness of the suffering endured during the holocaust, although the book did seem repetitive at times.

The story of Lale and Gita is a poignant, harrowing love story set in the Hell of Auschwitz. Their love for each other is the only good thing for the years they are subjected to the camp.
This was a hard read but interesting. I felt the ending was just too rushed which was why I didn’t give it 5 stars. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Book of the Month (BOM) listen (ebook) July 2018 for Nothing But Reading Challenges group on Goodreads.
First book of Dewey's 24 Hour Summer Readathon July 2018.

For Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew in 1942, life continues as normal until the day he is forced to go to Auschwitz. From then on he is confined to the concentration camp and subjected to its punishing routines. The life he once had is a distant memory as he becomes just a number.

When he is singled out from
the rest of the prisoners to become a tattooist, he feels like luck is on his side, for he has, in part, escaped the backbreaking work the other prisoners have to do.

The queue of people is long, but there he meets Gita, who will prove an invaluable support to him during the dark days at one of the world's most notorious concentration camps as they witness the unspeakable in degrading and humiliating atrocities that form part of daily life.

All through this novel, my heart was in my mouth and shivers ran down my spine. I felt real fear for all the prisoners but especially Lale and Gita and I was glad they found each other.

Heather Morris is an incredibly talented author and I felt I was inside the concentration camp. The atrocities and conditions in this hellish place were portrayed with no strings attached which takes skill and sensitivity to show.

Huge thanks to Heather Morris and publisher for my ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

5 stars, If you liked The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, add this to your reading list! I'm eagerly awaiting book 2 in the Tattooist of Auschwitz series.

Thank you Netgalley for my review copy.

I was a little apprehensive about reading this book as many had told me what an emotional rollercoaster it was - they weren't wrong! As can be guessed from the title, it is not an easy read and will bring forth a tide of emotions.
What I didn't expect to feel though was an overwhelming sense of hope in human nature and the love they hold for one another. Despite the suffering, misery and despair throughout this age in history people still had the courage to feel those positive emotions.
The true story of the couple in the book is told beautifully and I love the fact that the authors journey is included in the book too.
I recommend this book highly but I warn that you may want to read this alone as I was a snotty mess in places. I hope this book will help people never to forget what humans are capable of, both in love and hate.

I absolutely loved this book and I can't wait for the next one. I have been recommending it to so many people!

What a fantastic book, beautifully brutal and honest and it keep me on the edge of my seat to find out what happened to the two main characters. Finding love in the darkest of places, being separated and then looking for each other. What was even better was then when I finished it I read the epilogue and found out that it is a true story. It is a raw and harrowing tale that shows that love can conquer all.