I loved this book! I wish I could include it in a future box- sadly there just weren't any gifts described to bring the book to life. I will recommend this touching read to friends!

I’ve said it before and I will say it again. Some books have the ability to take your breath away. The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris is one such book.

It is the story of Lale Sokolov: a young Slovakian man who survived the horrors of Auschwitz. Books with an Auschwitz setting are invariably horrific and harrowing. It is even worse when it is a true story.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz reads like a movie, every detail is crisp in your mind and you do feel transported to the same time and place. And even with prior knowledge of the Holocaust, nothing can prepare you for the verisimilitude presented in this account. What is beautiful is that even through all the horrors there is still hope. The Tattooist of Auschwitz is a beautiful read.

It may sound dramatic but it is an honour to read such a story.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz is the first book I read in 2018 and I can assure you that it will take some beating as the book of the year for me.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris is available.

For more information regarding Heather Morris please visit her website www.heathermorris.com.au.

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A quick & wonderful novel to finish up my reading year. Though I’ve read many WWII novels I never grow tired of them. They never fail to educate, amaze & inspire me. 4 stars.

A moving story of love and survival, this book is recommended for fans of WW2 history and historical fiction. One of the best things about the book is it's basis, the true story of Lale, a young Slovakian man transported to the Auschwitz concentration camp in 1942. Determined to survive no matter what, he worked a number of jobs within the camp before becoming the official tattooist, whose job it was to number the arriving men and women who had been selected for work, and therefore to live. While doing this horrific work he met Gita, the woman he fell in love with at first sight, and who was the love of his life and the main motivational force that kept him going throughout his time at the camp. Risking his life to help her and other inmates by bartering looted money and jewels for extra food , he faced death on more than one occasion, and his smart mouth sometimes got him into trouble, but was just as liable to sweet talk his way out of a situation, helped by his quick wits. Separated as the camp was broken up at the end of the war, the young couple did not give up, and eventually found each other, and lived a long and happy life together.
The basis of the book is a series of interviews conducted with Lale when he was in his late eighties, several years after Gita's death, and it's clear throughout the book that the story being told is a very personal one. Reading the authors notes at the end of the book , I learned that the original plan had been to write a screenplay, and this became the basis for the novel. This actually helps me to understand my biggest criticism of the book. I was not a fan of the writing, it seemed like a lot of details had been skipped or glossed over, and there was very little description of people and place beyond the most basic. This certainly makes sense for a screenplay as many of the omitted details would have been filled in visually, but I felt that this aspect of the book needed a little more work.
The story being told was exceptional, and with a little more detail the book could have been something truly special and outstanding.

This book tells the true story of two prisoners who fell in love while in a concentration camp during WWII. The two continue to push each other through in order to survive, eventually finding freedom and making a life for themselves. This was a very powerful book, something that everyone should read. The author did a great job of making me feel like I was right in the middle of this story at all times.

Amazing read. Didn't want to stop. Loved it waa true story

The story is that of a survivor of the National concentration camps. I loved the way the author tells the story of Lale and highlights his hope, optimizing and strength of will.

I really didn't know what I was going to let myself in for when I started this book. I suspected it would be very harrowing, but actually it wasn't. Lale goes off to 'work' for the SS in a bid to protect his family. He ends up being shipped to Birkenau with other Jewish Slovakians. In a bid for survival, he accepts a job tattooing the new arrivals at both Birkenau and Auschwitz. He befriends local Polish workers, and also the women in The Canada Building. He builds a stash of money and gems, and swaps these for food which he shares out between the men in his boarding house and the women who are helping him. He meets and falls in love with Gita. This is another side to the story with which we are all familiar, but the strength of love and a need to survive means both Lale and Gita make it to the end of the war. This is a true story, but is told in such a way that it is a good read, making the reader feel as if they are watching from a distance rather than involved in the harsh reality. I would definitely recommend it.

I found this deeply affecting and inspiring to read - a tale of the human will to survive. I cannot comprehend how they did against all the odds. I struggled to take in the Nazi horrors - even though I intellectually knew what they had done.

A book everyone should read. I will be recommending it.

I will never forget this book. Lale's story is harrowing and heartbreaking. The atrocities carried out at Auschwitz-Birkenau brought me to tears. There is a lot of pain Lale's story. There is also a lot of love as well. Lale's story is fascinating. There is a lot of detail in it and a lot of information that I did not previously know. I feel so privileged to have been able to read this book.

captivating historical fiction based on the real life accounts of Lale and Gita Sokolov, two Slovakian Jews that met and fell in love while imprisoned in Auschwitz. The novel primarily follows Lale, who becomes the camp tattooist, a position that uniquely gives him privileges and access denied to other prisoners. From the beginning Lale is determined to survive and remains amazingly optimistic. His position and charming personality enable him to help others survive. And those he helps, repay in kind when all seems lost. There are moments though, when Lale's optimism breaks, and yet the will to survive for a future life with Gita gives him strength. This is a page turner. My only disappointment was the unnecessary use of crass language, which is the only reason for my 3 star rating. The author explains how she received this story by interviewing Lale, who at the end of his life, decided he wanted his story recorded. Towards the novel's end, the plot seems rushed, but perhaps that's how Lale narrated it to the author. All in all this is an fascinating account. The author originally wrote Lale's story as a movie screenplay and then adapted it into a novel. It would make a great movie.

I never lost sight of the author's explanation that this is a fictionalised account of a true memoir rescued from oblivion by means of hours of inerviewing. I feel this made a gripping and poignant story even more intensely moving.

Among the many reports of life and death in Auschwitz and Birkenau there are a multitude of themes and many concern loss, deprivation and family love. It is surprising and uplifting to follow a tale of romantic love glowing at the heart of this tale of a young man who is always positive and always lucky. Of course he also sees cruel horrors and experiences intense fear and sorrow.

It's chilling to realise that if it were not for his serendipitous unfaltering path of business acumen and good fortune then we would never have heard of this one-among-thousands concentration camp survivor.

This is a sad story about what young men experienced as prisoners in concentration camps. However, I enjoyed reading this historical true story.

I’m sorry to be controversial but although the story has great impact reminds us what happened and what should never happen again, I felt a disconnect. It want until the end when the author revealed that the author originally intended ithe story to be a film so therefore wrote it as a screenplay that it all made sense - the lack of emotions, the inner angst which would all be revealed by the actors in their facial expressions and acting ability. For this I forgive but i would have preferred to either know this at the beginning or for the editor to have insisted on more feelings.
I am sure others will see it differently but I can give more than 3 stars which go more to the obvious amount of work that has gone into the book and not really to its execution.

I have to admit this book is one of those which is difficult to review because the author has written it so beautifully I don't want to take anything away from that achievement. Many books have been written about Auschwitz and the atrocities which happened there, yet this is a book which understands that enough has been said on the awful events and speaks predominantly of the acts of human kindness which happened there instead. The author has captured Lale's personality and his voice in the telling of his story of how he met and fell in love with Gita. It is the ultimate tale of love conquering all - and there were so many times during Lale and Gita's imprisonment when either one of them could easily have given in to the hardships they encountered. The risks that the prisoners took in order to help one another make for scary reading, and on more than one occasion I was worried that they would be discovered and become yet another statistic of the war machine.
The respectful relationship which the author and Lale clearly built up during the writing of this book shines through on every page. To say I enjoyed this book seems so wrong considering its content yet I am so glad Lale felt able to share his experiences with the world. As Lale himself stressed the world cannot allow such horrifying events to ever happen again.
Thank you so much for approving my request to read this book, the author really has done a fantastic job with such sensitive subject matter.

I had heard so many things about The Tattooist of Auschwitz and knew I wanted to read this book so was thrilled when it became available on NetGalley.

The Second World War was horrific and although I have some knowledge it is books like this that not only put what happened into perspective, but also tell the tale with sympathy and reverence.

This book is based on the true story of Lale and Gita Sokolov, two Slovakian Jews. They meet at Auschwitz where Lale has been employed as the tattooist and must tattoo a five digit number on the arm of everyone who comes through the camp entrance. These numbers were one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust.

Lale had a skill for languages and a zest for life. He also became an expert at trading contraband to help his fellow prisoners.

This is a harrowing story describing in great detail the horrors and brutality faced on a daily basis. But, there is also hope and love and you find yourself willing Lale and Gita to survive.

This book is by far one of the best books I’ve read this year. I started it late Sunday evening and finished it by Monday afternoon. From the first page I was drawn in and eager to follow Lale and Gita on their journey. A very worthy 5 star read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bonnier Zafre and the author for the chance to review.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz is based on the true story of Lale and Gita Sokolov. In April 1942, Lale finds himself on a train being transported from his hometown in Slovakia because the Germans needed men to work for him. Lale wasn't supposed to be on this train. His older brother should have been. But Lale sacrificed himself as his brother was married and had children.

What Lale doesn't know, is that his final destination will be the concentration camp of Auschwitz. It's incredibly confronting to think of Lale in his suit and tie, completely oblivious, while the reader knows perfectly well where he's heading. But even when Lale arrives at his destination, he holds his head up high, is kind, positive and determined to survive. Especially when he meets Gita, the love of his life. Lale meets Gita in his job as the tattooist of Auschwitz. He's the person who inks his fellow Jews with the number on their arm by which they will be known from then on. 

There are many stories out there about life in the concentration camps, some of which will never be told. Lale deserves the utmost admiration for telling his story, a harrowing and haunting tale of cruelty and inhumanity, a part of history that should never be forgotten. Lale sees opportunities everywhere and does what is necessary to survive. As the tattooist, Lale "enjoyed" a privileged position, able to get away with a bit more than his fellow prisoners did. But it's also here where I had some issues with the novel as some events seemed a tad too far-fetched, or even impossible, for me. 

It's really rather incredible to think that amidst all this horror, a beautiful love story blossoms. A love that will endure all the vile things that's thrown at it. Despite everything, Lale continues to give Gita hope, determined that they will both survive and live a long and happy life together. It's moving and at times quite emotional but also full of hope, uplifting and inspirational. 

But for me, the writing lets this book down. It all felt rather matter-of-fact to me, lacking sympathy and Lale and Gita's story deserved so much more.

Of all the Holocaust books I have read this book was probably the best. The descriptions of every detail were incredible.
Lale was so inspiring and his story is just so distressing but heart warming at the same time if that is possible.
The book is written beautifully. The topic is never easy but Heather managed to tell us Lales story amazingly.

In 1942, Lale Sokolov arrived in Auschwitz-Birkenau. He was given the job of tattooing the prisoners marked for survival - scratching numbers into his fellow victims' arms in indelible ink to create what would become one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust.

Waiting in line to be tattooed, terrified and shaking, was a young girl. For Lale - a dandy, a jack-the-lad, a bit of a chancer - it was love at first sight. And he was determined not only to survive himself, but to ensure this woman, Gita, did, too.

So begins one of the most life-affirming, courageous, unforgettable and human stories of the Holocaust: the love story of the tattooist of Auschwitz.

This book is by far the best book I have read this year and in my top 10 for all time!!!!!
A very sad, heart warming book about love and the thirst for staying alive. I didn't want the book to finish.
It tell a story of the journey of one man and how he survived the terrors of a war camp.

3.5 stars

I don't read a lot of historical (romance) books that are set in the WW2, because I am just a too emotional person and the stories are 100% of the time so heartbreaking. However, sometimes the stories are calling me to read them and not forget what happened to millions of peoples back then. After reading the blurb of The Tattooist of Auschwitz and learned that it was based on the true story of Lale and Gita Sokolov, two Slovakian Jews who survived Auschwitz, I knew I wanted to know their story. Unfortunately, it didn't meet my expectations. I was expecting a very passionate and somewhat epic love story, but in my opinion the story was too short and rushed for me to feel this. So much was packed into the last 10% of the book that it just didn't do justice to Lale and Gita's love. These two go through such horrific things and find good in a place that is so evil. They were meant to be together, and I am really happy that Heather could write this book so that others can read about their journey.

The author doesn't go into depth in regards to the war. It is really focused on two characters and what they go through in Auschwitz. However, I think there was so much more to tell about how their relationship developed. That was just a major thing that I was missing from the story. I wanted more. I needed to know more. Especially Gita was a mystery to me, but Lale is the one who told the story so we don't know what was going on inside Gita's mind. I am still glad that there were a couple of scenes told from her POV. Regardless of my rating, I still recommend people to read this book. Because besides the love story there is also story of hope, friendship, and not giving up. I am very happy that Lale and Gita survived, otherwise this book would've been even more difficult for me to read.