What an amazing book ... what an amazing story .... I don’t recall the last time I cried so much reading a novel ... it is a book that should be mandatory reading in schools... that man can be so cruel to each other .is not something I can comprehend .... but this novel based on a real story provides some hope for the human race ....

Have you ever wondered what you would do, if you were put in an extremely difficult situation? How would you survive? What sort of compromises would you be willing to make in order to pull through? Lale finds himself interned in a German work camp during the war, and quickly learns what it will take to survive. Lale will do anything to survive, even if it means making nice with German commanders in order to work the system that is breaking his people. This is the story of strength under persecution, and how one must sometimes twist their ethics in order to help themselves and the people around them. In doing so, Lale finds the love of his life, Gita, who is also a survivor above all else. This is a true tale of love and life, lived out under the direst circumstances. Sometimes the world is not as clear cut as it seems, and living in the gray area is the only way to make it through. A must read.

The true story of Lale - transported to Auschwitz in 1942. He became the person that tattooed the others who arrived there. This was how he met Gita - when he had re-tattoo her number. A story of horrible atrocities but above all love and survival.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

4.5 stars! My heart opened up and welcomed Lale in from the first page of this powerful story.

This is a truly unforgettable story of one man’s journey of survival through one of the most horrendous and appalling times in our history – Nazi concentration camp, Auschwitz. Lale Sokolov survived the brutal hell known as Auschwitz for over two years where his “job” was to tattoo prisoners with their identifying number. What he endured and witnessed is nothing short of horrific and devastating.

The author, Heather Morris, did an outstanding job giving Lale a voice. I will not ever forget reading this life changing and emotional story. How wonderful that Lale’s legacy will live on through the wonderful work of Heather Morris. It is so important that stories like this are not forgotten.

A big thank you to NetGalley, Bonnier Zaffre and Heather Morris for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was sent a copy of The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris to read and review by NetGalley
The Tattooist of Auschwitz is a heart breaking but hope filled true story. It is written in an accessible and quite matter of fact way, somehow without sensationalizing the horrors of the concentration camps Auschwitz and Birkenau, but quietly telling the tale of the survival of two people who met and fell in love in the most unlikely of places.
It is almost more horrifying to read Lale’s story within the context of his day to day life knowing that for everyone in those camps the despicable horrors that occurred had to become the norm of existence. This true account of the Holocaust is a very humbling read and needs to be read and remembered for all time.

Lale Sokolov was the tattooist of Auschwitz, a Slovak Jew he was taken there and given the job of tattooing the new arrivals and it was here that he fell instantly in love with Gita his wife to be. He was an incredible man who used his unique position to try and help his fellow inmates in any small way that he could, no doubt saving many lives in the process and then surviving , marrying Gita and making a life for himself in Australia

This is such an amazing true story, I could not put it down until I had finished it, the subject matter is obviously harrowing but so interesting I am visiting Auschwitz later this year and I am so glad that I have read this book beforeI go.

The Tattooist Of Auschwitz by Heather Morris is a true story. It is a powerful story. It is a harrowing story. And it is a story that needs to be told in memory of the six million innocent men, women and children who perished in the holocaust.
Auschwitz was hell on earth. It was physical torture. It was mental torture. A place of unspeakable horrors. It was a place where people did what they had to in order to survive. "Choosing to live is an act of defiance, a form of heroism." Every man, woman and child in there was a hero. They must not be forgotten.
There were individual acts of bravery. People who did try to ease suffering. And people who would give their lives for the sake of another. "To save one is to save the world."
Auschwitz was the place where Dr Mengele was. His inhumanity to man knew no bounds. "Mengele, a doctor... who will cause more pain than he eases."
The Tattooist Of Auschwitz is a difficult read. It is not pleasant but we need to read it in memory of the six million. May we never forget them.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

This book was so raw, emotional and powerful. It was a struggle at times to continue reading, and I had to put it down and have breaks from it sometimes because it just made me feel so much. It really is amazing, but be prepared when you read it.

This was such a great book for me. I loved the characters especially and sped right through it.

I loved that, for the most part, the gas chambers, crematoriums and the other human atrocities were scenery. Not to say that it wasn't prevalent, but it wasn't the gist of the story.

The story was about a man who did everything he could to save himself and still be able to live with himself. And, also what he could do for the people around him. He was responsible for saving many lives by sneaking in food, hiding people, etc., whatever it took.

Such a great, great book! I loved it!!! A really strong feel good read, despite the atrocities, that had me speeding right through this one.

Thanks to Bonnier Zaffre and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

This novel tells the true story of Lale and Gita Sokolov, 2 Slovakian Jews who survived Auschwitz.
This is an incredible novel which tells a beautiful story of the strength of love to survive against all odds, and the lengths that people will go to survive against the horrors of the Holocaust.
The courage that both Lale and Gita show during this novel is astounding, and the courage and strength that Lale showed in retelling and thus reliving this story after Gita's death in order that this novel could be written is so inspiring to read about.
This is an extremely harrowing topic for a novel, but the novel has moments of such light and beauty that it never becomes overwhelming, and the underlying current of the love between Lale and Gita is something beautiful to be privy to.
I actually learnt quite a lot about the Holocaust from this novel. It covers a lot of aspects of the concentration camps that I don't think are really covered in general discussions about it, and it definitely gave me a greater insight.
I would definitely recommend this novel to everyone, I would confidently label it a "must read". It is compelling and unputdownable, and so engaging. A special shout-out must be given to the author who has done a brilliant job of writing/telling Lale's story. Her compassionate and sensitive writing makes this narrative emotive and thought provoking, and ultimately adds to the overall power of the novel.
I enjoyed the way this novel made me think. It questions exactly what a human will do to survive a place like Auschwitz? And how does one deal with the guilt of being a survivor?

Wow what a brilliant book...enjoyed it from the first word to the last. Such a great insite as to what went on in the concentration camps.....A love story, a story of heartache, death, and every emotion you can think of.....Loved it couldn't put it down.

Moving, sad, and an emotional rollercoaster ride. A truly amazing and original story of survival during the Holocaust.

This book stayed with me for several weeks after I finished it and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Oh wow! I’d heard good things about this book but I don’t always share other people’s views so I started this book with an open mind. I found a tender, beautifully told, love story set in the harshest of situations.

I very rarely give a 5 star rating to books, saving that honour for the very best. This book is one of those.

I cannot recommend it highly enough & know that you will also fall in love with Lale & keenly feel his passion for Gita.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz, by Heather Morris, is a novel that I have been struggling to write a review for. How can a true, harrowing story be rated? The novel follows Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, as he lives his daily life Auschwitz and struggles to protect the love of his life, Gita, whom he meets in the camp. I really did appreciate it was inspired by the true events of a couple; both humbling and heartbreaking, I was captivated by their love story.

I felt like this point of view was incredibly original. Lale was not just a typical prisoner of Auschwitz concentration camp- he was the tattooist. I have never read any WWII fiction with this type of perspective and I was in awe of the atrocities he experienced were explained. The lengths that Lale goes through to protect Gita were astonishing and their will to survive was fascinating. I am always in awe whenever I read a Holocaust story.

Now, although I loved the general story, I did struggle with a few things. Something about this novel just felt very “young”. I’m not sure if it is supposed to be categorized as Young Adult but it really felt as if it was written with this audience in mind. This became a little bit distracting for me, especially since I struggle with YA. I also found the novel to be a little bit long; bits of the story became to feel incredibly redundant. I realize that, obviously, the Holocaust was filled with routines but for the sake of the written story, I felt like parts could have been shortened.

I also had a couple of issues with my actual copy of the novel which I realize are no fault of the author. I received an advanced reader’s copy of this novel through Netgalley and there were some issues about my actual copy that made it difficult to be completely engrossed in the story. Many of the paragraphs were repeated throughout the novel and some of the paragraphs were out of order (for example, in one chapter, a few paragraphs appeared at the beginning, the middle and the end of that chapter). This became distracting and took me out of the moment. However, this is just something to note with my general experience of the novel and I know that this should be fixed by the time the book goes to print.

Overall, I felt like the story was worth the read and any historical fiction fans will enjoy!

*thank you to Netgalley and Bonnier Zaffre for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*

4 stars.

Wow. Such a powerful story. Concentration Camps stories are always hard to read about, knowing that what happened, really happened. It is the worst type of horror story and yet, Lale and Gita somehow managed to fall in love and hold out hope for just another day, for a better time, going through unimaginable suffering. This story is so so heartfelt. The ending will have a few people in tears as it's really rather emotional but this is one story not to pass up. It needed to be told and I am so thankful that it was. This is one story that will be remembered.

There are books about concentration camps and then there is this book about Auschwitz. The others I've read can't even come close to comparing! In 1942 all Slovakian households are told they need to send one male household member 18 years of age or older to a concentration camp. He volunteered himself since his older brother was married and had children and he didn't want to break up the family. The journey starts out in a cattle cart where the men are so crowded they can't sit or lay down. They smell of urine and feces and sweat from fear,they were in these cattle carts for days being transported with no food or water. Unknown to them they are on their way to Auschwitz. The language is rough in the book as I am sure it was realistically . The torture is something that when describes just breaks your heart. The guards think nothing of shooting you for no reason and keep your eyes lowered . Lale manages to get the job of ‘Tetovierer’ or ‘Tattooist, he tattoos the incoming prisoners. In this harsh environment Lale does his best to give his extra portion of dinner to those needing it. When a group of women prisoners arrives he meets Gita and through the horror going on around them they manage to meet and get to know each other. He vows to marry her and eventually does. After escaping he returns home and realizes his parents were taken and killed shortly after he left,his brother has died but his sister is still living. Lale and Gita eventually make their way to Australia where they raise a son and have a successful life. After Gita's death Lale can no longer bear the weight of his life's story and he must tell it quickly before he meet's his beloved Gita again. What I didn't know when I read this story the whole way through as I was reading it is, oh my goodness it's actually based on Lale's true life story. The people in the book are not just character's in a made up fictional book, there were actual people that went through this torture for real. The author writes in such a way that you can feel, hear and see the things happening to the people.
Pub Date 11 Jan 2018
Thank you to NetGalley and Bonnier Zaffre for a review copy in exchange for my honest review.

There are only a finite number of stories that come out of Auschwitz and Birkenau, especially as one of them was designated as a killing camp, rather than just a work camp. And what makes the story so interesting is that, when placed in fiction, it allows us to consider the realities of the Holocaust through an individuals story- that of Lale and Gita.

This novel follows the true story of Lale, a Slovakian Jew who is taken to Birkenau during the mass round up of European Jews in the 1940s. During his time there, two things change for him. Firstly, he becomes the Tetovirer- the man responsible for tattooing the numbers onto prisoners at the camp. Secondly, he falls in love with a young woman named Gita and the pair attempt to conduct a relationship under the confines of a concentration camp.

There were a number of really good things about this book- mostly that it didn't try to belittle the reader or cover us in endless explicit horror, as many Holocaust films and literary texts have the habit of doing. It's very humanising to see those in the camp being portrayed as humans, rather than an anonymous mass. It also allows us to see the underbelly of the camps that are rarely touched upon by historians or history lessons in school. The writing is elegant and obviously remains incredibly true to the real story, rather than taking artistic license and making things appear more dramatic than they really are.

However, I felt like the book just ended too early. There wasn't a huge amount of time spent on Lale's time with the Russian soldiers and things appeared to be wrapped incredibly quickly for the sake of the fairytale, modern day romantic comedy ending. Personally, I also wanted to feel more of the razor sharp energy that these camps held- the constant feeling of death and fear. Somehow, that was missing with this work, but I feel like that maybe came from a need to stay close to Lale's story.

For dealing with such a difficult subject, I think this book was a really good attempt at telling one of the remaining stories of the camps.

A tough read, and not my usual type of book, but it makes compelling reading. Not something I would say i enjoyed, but it was strangely unputdownable.

REVIEW
I'd had this book on my list to read for a while and after reading another book set around the same time I decided I was ready to give this one a go. I was apprehensive as the book is based on a true story meaning the characters in this book aren't made up, they are real live people going through being in Auschwitz.

I have seen that there are two covers for this book and I have decided to describe that I should describe the coloured one which is the one for the edition I read and I have pictured that one above in this review. The covers main "colour" is an ash grey colour that becomes more meaningful as you read the book. There are faded blue stripes too, that represent the uniforms some prisoners were made to wear. At the top portion of the cover there are two clasping hands, the way arms are positioned numbers are visible on one which is also becomes even more relevant as you read the book. At the upper right of the cover is a circular "stamped" circular type design that says "Based on an incredible true story". At the very bottom section of the cover is the dark grey outline of Auschwitz in the dusky ashy atmosphere. I feel that this cover is a very strong one featuring lots of important elements from within the book. The only thing I would change on this cover is the position of the arms, as on the different cover I have seen the arms are in a slightly different position meaning the tattooed numbers are visible on both the female and male arms.

The genres I have seen listed for this book are "General Fiction", "Historical Fiction" which fit the book very well along with "Holocaust". I find it a shame that more is not being made of this book being based on a real story, maybe we should have a "based on a real story" genre.

Before I actually begin talking about the content of the book, I should explain how at the very beginning of the book there is a section about how Heather came to meet Lale. Heather was introduced to Lale as he "might have a story worth telling". Heather goes on to say the day she met Lale Sokolov was a day that changed both their lives. Their friendship grew as Lale trusted Heather with the innermost details of what he saw, did and witnessed others doing during the Holocaust.

The book begins with Lale sitting at his desk that is set up nearby the arriving transport trains at Auschwitz. Lale has a piece of paper in his hand with a number on it 34902. The woman in front of him already has a faded number on her arm. Lale starts working on her arm. He tries so hard to be gently that he doesn’t go deep enough with the needle and has to go over the number again with more force. The young woman doesn't flinch or cry out at the pain, Lale is fully aware he is inflicting. Those being tattooed have been told to say nothing and do nothing. As he wipes away some of the blood the man next to him whispers a warning to Lale urgently "hurry up". A man in a white coat approaches, looking the women over as he walks. He roughly grabs the young woman's face who Lale is in the process of tattooing and jerks her head about. The young woman looks as if she is going to say something. Lale quickly mouths “shhh” at the young woman and when the man in the white coat moves on Lale tells the young woman she is doing well. Once again Pepan urges Lale to be quicker at his job.

Then the book goes back to how Lale ended up at Auschwitz in the first place. Lale is well educated and well dressed in one of his suits hoping to impress whomever he will be working for. He is holding his suitcase which contains some clothes and a few possessions. Lale is standing shoulder to shoulder with the other men packed into a train carriage that is usually used for transporting cattle. These men are being taken "to work" for the German cause under the direction and orders of Adolf Hitler. None of the men really know where they are going or what they will be doing. They travel for two days though there are many stops none of them are to allow the men on that train food, drink or toilet & washing facilities. A young man called Aron approaches Lale and asks why he is so calm. Aron wants to organise the men to fight back against the Germans. Lale explains to Aron that men's fists, no matter how many are not a match for guns.

Finally, the train stops for the men to get off, they have arrived at Auschwitz. As Lale walks through the iron gates he glances at the words written in German above him "ARBEIT MACHT FREI" which translated reads "Work will make you free". Lale does have the advantage of speaking many different languages so at least he can understand the orders the Germans are shouting at him and his fellow travellers. Lale does his best to explain the orders to those around him to prevent them being shoved about and beaten until they understand what they are being told to do. Commandant Rudolf Hoess speaks to the men, telling them they are at Auschwitz now and they need to work hard, do as they are told and they may go free one day. But he also warns if they disobey there will be consequences!

During processing Lale has to provide his name, address, occupation and his parent's names. He is then given a slip of paper with a number on it, 32407. An SS Officer pulls off Lale's jacket, rips his sleeve and slams his arm on a table for the number to be tattooed. The actual tattooing takes only seconds. After processing the men are made to strip, shower, have their head shaved and to put on old Russian Army uniforms.

Lale and Aron meet back up having being given the same block number, 7. That night Lale needs to pee and as he approaches the designated area something holds him back when he hears soldiers approaching. The young soldiers just randomly shoot the three men that are in the process of using the "toilet facilities". Lale makes a vow to himself that he is going to survive this awful place. It is this determination and survival instinct along with his friendship with Aron that saves Lale's life when he is ill. Lale then meets Pepan the current tattooist and is taken under his wing and made his assistant.

So much happens in this book both to Lale and fellow prisoners he is friends with and to others around him. This book takes you through a whole range of emotions, anger and fury for the innocent people being sent to concentration camps, sorrow for the loss of the prisoners loved one. The fact that these people didn't know if they would ever see their families ever again. Disgust at how the Germans treat the prisoners. Then also pride in those people in the concentration camps that fought on and that survived everything and anything that the Germans could think of throwing their way.

I guess it's not a case of favourite "characters" as these are real people so the following part of my review is me mentioning these people and how I felt about them whilst reading the book. Of course, there is so much I could say about Lale, I admire his selflessness, the way he makes the decision to be the "one child to work for the Germans" so that his older brother who is married with children can stay at home with his family and that his parents will be left in peace to continue to live in their own home. I also admired his first small act of defiance setting fire to his clothes. Lale goes on to secretly defy the Germans when necessary. As the tattooist he has his own room, he has the privilege of eating slightly better food elsewhere from the bustle of the main food line, he also receives larger rations. Lale does not forget those friends he made back in Block 7 as he hides some of his bread and shares it with them. Lale makes friends easily, and later in the book he has a couple of the young women who work in Canada (which is where all the prisoner’s possessions go to be sorted through) smuggle him money, jewellery etc, to barter/pay to the outside building contractors he has made friends with. In exchange for the money, jewels etc, one of the builders and his son bring in whatever Lale and the prisoners need from chocolate, other food, and medicines. Lale uses the chocolate to bribe Kapos (those prisoners who work for the Germans by keeping eyes on all the prisoners in their block.) He treats Gita his girlfriend to chocolate. Lale to me, represents hope throughout the book. Gita is younger than Lale and has been held elsewhere. Lale is besotted with her from the moment he sees her and re-tattoo's her number. They snatch moments together on Sundays when no prisoners in the camp work except the tattooist if there are incoming prisoners. They quickly fall in love with each other. Lale shares his extra rations, and uses chocolate to bribe the kapo in Gita's block to get them some time alone. Gita tells Lale only her first name, she refuses to give him her surname or talk about what has happened to her.

I felt shock and horror on the behalf of Cilka. When she arrived at Auschwitz she was singled out by "The Commandant" and was allowed to keep her beautiful long hair. But there is a price to pay for everything in Auschwitz and Cilka's price is becoming the sexual plaything of "The Commandant". Cilka plays an important part in ensuring Lale lives at one point in the book, without her asking a favour in return for all what has been repeatedly taken from her. I was also angry whilst reading a certain part of the book where Cilka is labelled a collaborator and is actually punished! Surely her treatment at the hands of The Commandant was enough punishment for a lifetime.

The next person that kind of played a little on my mind after finishing the book was SS Baretski, it's strange as during the book you see many sides to him. The young fairly innocent boy, writing to his girlfriend and asking Lale's advice on gifts to send her. Then there's the cruel, sadistic side when he is punishing the prisoners. Or when he toys with Lale, sometimes being friendly and passing on a note to Gita. The banter he has with Lale the advice that Lale gives SS Baretski on how to treat his girlfriend and how Baretksi feeds back to Lale if his suggestions worked. It's almost as though in different circumstances they could have been friends. At times you think SS Baretski is also a victim of Adolf Hitler, as he doesn't really have a choice in being at Auschwitz either. Though of course he is living in a much better position, is well clothed and well fed too.

My immediate thoughts upon finishing this book was that it was an amazing, eye opening real-life tale of survival against the odds.

Heather Morris does a fantastic job with her writing style. As you read it is the voices of Lale and Gita that you hear telling you their story of how they got through the darkest days of their lives.
Gary Sokolov must be so proud of the brave yet kind Lale & Gita who strove to survive in the harshest of conditions yet still tried to help others around them.

The epilogue was incredible, I honestly loved the extra input about "After". After reading the horrors that happened to these people it was kind of soothing to the mind to know some people did survive despite the Germans best efforts to work them to death. It's difficult to say much about the epilogue without giving anything major away. To be honest I would have been left irritated and upset not knowing what happened to certain people. Though I would have liked to know how things turned out for Leon as he did have the horrendous Dr Mengele experiment on him.

This book gave me the same stunned, sorrowful emotional feelings at how on earth one human can treat another in the way the Germans did during the Holocaust as I had a similar reaction to reading the book Surviving the Angel of Death written by Holocaust survivor Eva Kor. These are amazing books, to read about what happened to these brave individuals and how they dealt with it all. I think it is so generous and courageous of them to take the time to re-live what they went through to tell everyone the truth about what happened during that horrific era known as the Holocaust. The suffering these people went through should never be forgotten. This is in my opinion another book that should be read in schools to teach about the Holocaust and how it affected the people then and how it should teach us lessons for the future. The survivors and those that lost their lives deserve for their stories to live on. One last thing I need to say, have the tissues at hand and be prepared to read late into the night and have this book take over your mind and thoughts from the very beginning to the very end.

Fantastic book, a fantastically wrote book that made me cry and smile. Lales story is deeply moving and fantastically written I was hooked from the first page.