Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I love reading historical fiction and prior to reading this story I’d never heard of Holodomor-the great famine. The descriptions will make you sad as well as shock you. It’s about loss, love and traditions, as well as family.

Finding it hard to cope her mother asks to go and stay with her grandmother Bobby. Finding a journal of hers, Cassie didn’t know anything about what happened in her past, what she went through, that is until she’s worked out what was written. Cassie decides to share what’s written with other people so that they too can know about what others endured.

A must read, beautifully written.

You'll probably enjoy this book if:

- You like dual timeline historical fiction.
- Romance subthemes rock your boat.
- You're interested in learning more about Ukrainian history

This is a nice change-up from the more prominent WWII historical fiction. Litteken, a descendent of Ukrainian immigrants, is personally invested in telling the story of the Holodomor occurring under Stalin's rule.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary ebook in exchange for an honest review.

With all that's going on in Ukraine in the news this year. I knew I needed to read this book to better understand the resiliency of the Ukrainian people. This story follows the Holodomor in the 1930s. With Stalin's regime and decimating the Ukrainian people.

We are introduced to Katya & Alina beginning their lives in Ukraine. All the atrocities that the Russian officers did to the Ukrainian people is heart wrenching. Have tissues near by.

Reading this book changed me and made me extremely grateful for my privileged life.

When I chose to read 'The Memory Keeper of Kyiv' to understand the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine better, I clearly wasn't expecting such brutality and gut-wrenching history. The horrendous acts and their long lasting consequences made me weep like a baby. Erin deserves so much praise for the whole project. This masterfully crafted novel depicting the harrowing, traumatic past is such a valuable asset to spread the truth about the man-made Ukraine famine, also known as Holodomor that took place during 1932-1933, under Joseph Stalin's reign. Everything Katya and her family went through, oh my goodness and still kept pushing to survive another day. It shows how much people can endure when they have hope or a purpose in life. The story isn't told as it happens. Rather it is revealed little by little as Cassie, Katya's granddaughter, translates her diary with help from Nick where she wrote religiously about her daily struggles. I like how the past and present were connected and the similaries between thee situations. Nothing I say will justify its greatness, I can only hope that you will read it for yourself and find out. Highly recommended!

"Everyone wants Ukraine's fertile soil for their own, and nobody wants to let Ukranians rule it"

This is not the invasion of Putin on Ukraine that we (at this time) are watching unfold with horror, death and enforced deportations of residents to Russia. This is a story - based much it seems on the author and her family of a strong girl/ woman Katya/Bobby who wrote it all down and is passing on the legacy to future generations.
I sometimes find the use of two different timelines annoying especially spanning many years and cultural differences. But here in this novel the situation with Cassie and her silent daughter Birdie who we meet sill in trauma from the death of their husband/father moving to live with Cassie's Ukranian grandmother in Wisconsin.

The discovery of her journal as Bobby is struggling with health and dementia give hints of her past in Ukraine and soon we are immersed in the horrific years of Stalin in the early 1930s. The Holodomor (famine) was something I had not heard of although was aware of Stalin's collective across Russia which turned peasants into slave labour and many into 'kulaks' as a class that were seen to steal from the State farms and fellow villagers.
Stalin wished to 'liquidate the kulaks as a class' which has a terrifying link to Hitler and his Nazi progress nearby in Germany.
The descriptions of famine and terror are visceral with despair. Families -including Katya's destroyed through hunger, murder or deportation.
Yet some still had strength, belief in survival and a willingness to overcome the most cruel of regimes. Grain quotas little allowed to the poor peasants working the fields for the state as they fed off the land and raped, murdered and tortured thousands across the country.

I grew to love Cassie's little family and Nick (her love interest) rebuilding and repairing lives of sadness alongside the food of their homeland and the flowers of their fields. No wonder the sunflower is the national symbol of Ukraine. Its face of brightness brings sunshine to lives and collectively the Ukranians flourished once again to pass on their heredity to a new generation for whom they had fought death to live.

No wonder Putin cannot defeat Zelensky and all those other brave people in Ukraine today.
This is a must read.
Genocide was not just of the past. It continues today.

A sobering book on about an overlooked part of important history, the Holodomar. Stalin cruelly and sadistically starved millions of Ukrainians into submission and yet the story is not well known.
Litteken based the story on her own family’s experiences. It’s a sobering read. The book flashed back and forth between the early 1930s and 2004. I was most intrigued with the Ukrainian part in the early 20th century.
The brutally and viciousness shouldn’t be forgotten, in light of the Ukrainians current fight against yet another sadistic despot.

The Memory Keeper of Kyiv comes at a time when the Ukraine continues to fight for their country, their people and their land. The Ukraine is not a stranger to illegal invasion and attack on their innocent people., but as this book demonstrates the people have a strong constitution and the tenacity to never give up.

Following a dual timeline, this historical fiction compares and contrasts the lives present day and family members of the past. A a past family who faced the forced famine on the people of the Ukraine and those who survived. A part of history most know little about. This was enlightening for me, as I had not heard of Homodor until this book.

Although this book is historical fiction, the facts are true, and it leaves the reader completely moved by such tragic events, especially when they are parallel to the current events people are facing,

The characters are well developed and the imagery was believable. It was a slight bit difficult to keep track of the multiple characters of dual time lines, but this book is an important read. It sheds light on things most did not know and also reminds us of human resilience.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book for review

Thank you, NetGalley, Boldwood Books, and Erin Litteken for the opportunity to read this book. It releases on May 16th, 2022! And a portion of the proceeds will be donated to DEC’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.

The Memory Keeper of Kyiv by Erin Litteken is a deeply personal and emotional novel about generational trauma. The book introduces Cassie in 2004. She is in a deep depression. Her husband was killed in a car accident and her daughter still bears the scars from it as well. Her mother insists that she needs to move on with her life and has her move in with her grandmother, Bobby. Bobby never talked about her past, but now that she is getting older, the memories are resurfacing. In flashbacks to 1929, Katya lives in Ukraine with her family. Stalin begins the collectivization in Ukraine. At first, they are able to resist joining the activists, but then there is the rise of starvation and killing. Katya must do everything in her power to survive and ensure the survival of her family.

Trigger Warnings: death, loss, child death, parent death, starvation, war, cannibalism, and more

While this book does not take place in the present day, it is heartbreaking that we are witnessing history repeat itself with Russia invading Ukraine. I was actually not familiar with The Holodomor and the atrocities that were committed. Let me tell you now, it is horrifying. It is also called the Terror Famine and millions of Ukrainians were killed. What I really appreciated about this book is how this book is deeply personal to the author. Her grandmother also endured these terrifying events. In the book, Bobby keeps her past a secret but still bears the scars. When her daughter and Cassie finally discover her past and the trauma she endured, that pain is also inflicted on them and the readers will see the effects of generational trauma.

I actually enjoyed the two different timelines. Cassie is enveloped in depression and is having difficulty working through her grief. However, it is learning about Bobby’s life that is able to help her work through it. Throughout Cassie’s perspective, she gets to learn more about who she is and where she comes from and who her people are, and what they have endured. The love story aspect did feel a little bit forced at first but then I noticed that there needed to be a little lightness in this very heavy story. But I cannot stress enough how important this story is. There are so many people who have had their stories covered up and ignored. Telling these stories will bring awareness to what is currently happening today. I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.

Wow. I was completely swept away by this read. This emotional novel was devastating at times, heartwarming at others, and extremely well crafted all around.

The Memory Keeper of Kyiv is the unfolding of the horror that was Ukrainian genocide in the 1930s through the eyes of Katya. The book seamlessly switches between a young Katya’s POV in Ukraine during the famine, and a present-day, Illinois perspective from her adult grandchild, Cassie.

Cassie is a recently widowed mother who moves in with her grandmother (who we find out is Katya), and begins to discover the past that was never spoken about in her family. Completely unaware of even her grandmother’s true Ukrainian name or the horrors that the Ukrainian people faced at the hands of Stalin, she sifts through Katya’s diaries (with the help of a handsome neighbor) and begins transcribing the hardships her grandmother endured during The Great Famine.

Both POVs are compelling, and seeing Katya’s “senile” behaviors through Cassie’s eyes in light of the past terror she lived through is that much more heartbreaking. As Cassie begins to uncover this part of her heritage and family, she is also processing her own trauma of losing her husband while raising their non-verbal daughter alone. There is a “second chance at love” connection with this neighbor, and she has to decide whether to move forward and choose happiness, just like her grandmother must choose whether to confront her past.

The story of the grandmother going through The Holodomor as a young adult was especially moving and tragic. It is very much a story of strength and bravery, and the portrayal of her trauma felt so real I was moved to tears at times. This is historical fiction, but as the author notes, much of the experiences described during the genocide was very real to millions of Ukrainian people. I absolutely recommend this book; I had never heard of these tragic events in history, and I am glad to be made aware- especially in light of current times.

Thank you to NetGallley and Boldwood Books for the e-ARC.

#BookRevew: THE MEMORY KEEPER OF KYIV by Erin Litteken

“Just make it through today, and hope tomorrow will be better.”

When I first saw this book, I knew I wanted to read it. I enjoy historical fiction and this would be something different. I’m glad I read it but it was a very hard read. There were two POV’s. One for Katya in 1930’s Ukraine and for Cassie in 2004 USA. Katya endured Holodomor, known as the Great Famine, in Soviet Ukraine. There was fear, violence, suffering and so much death. The battle against the activists became exhausting. It was narrated in a way that felt very raw. Katya lost many family members, some even right in front of her. Everything was taken away from them.I suggest you read the author’s note.

Cassie also had her share of loss and trauma. She’s just an okay character to me. While moving in with her grandmother, she would have to learn to move on and to look forward to tomorrow. Birdie was so cute though and It was nice that she enjoyed the company of her great-grandmother. Though it was a difficult read, it was still interesting and I liked the fast paced events of the 1930’s better. But I also liked how things tied up in the end with Cassie.

I liked learning about the culture of Ukraine. I looked up the different food names like varensky and nalysnyky. But like Cassie I found it a bit strange that they talk to their dead family members. Bobby would say, the old world had a different relationship with the dead.

This is not a Christian fiction but there were some things in the story that point to them having faith. “It is God’s will that this is so.” The hope in Katya’s mom when she said that even after everything they went through was inspiring.

This book is not perfect but I liked the new setting in history. I just wished it wasn’t this bad but we now know the truth. The world has to know and that part of the proceeds will go to DEC Ukraine. I look forward to reading her next book.


Rating: 4 stars
Pub date: 16 May 2022

Thank you Boldwood Books and #netgalley for the complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

To say this book is timely is an understatement. The Memory Keeper of Kyiv tells the story of Katya in the 1930s and Cassie in the early 2000s. While this is a work of historical fiction, it is based on Stalin's Holodomor (death by hunger) on Ukraine. Reading of what Russia did back then, and knowing what they are doing now is an eerie parallel. The forced famine was mainly swept under the rug in order to have a better chance of beating Hitler. Russia is currently downplaying the devastation they are causing in Ukraine, although the truth still seems to be coming out. This is a debut novel, and the writing does reflect that. I feel that it could have used another round of editing to cut back on repetitive phrases and a little more emotion put into the characters. That said, this story is important to tell. I can look past some minor flaws to see the important message that needs to be shared with the world. And an added bonus is that a portion of the proceeds of this book will go to DEC Ukraine.

So enjoyed this title! Like so many, I’d never heard of the Holodomor and its impact on the people of Ukraine. The author brought it all searingly to life. Heartbreaking and yet life affirming. As with many dual timeline books, one timeline or the other will appeal more to different readers. I found the historical timeline more intriguing than the contemporary one. But in the end appreciated the balance they both provided. Highly recommended.

"It’s the same story every time, for centuries. Everyone wants Ukraine’s fertile soil for their own, and nobody wants to let Ukrainians rule it." The irony of this ringing true even today is not at all lost.

Dual timelines take us through the pure terror of the Holodomor and the process of them being rediscovered about seven decades later. Cassie has always been curious about her grandmother’s life in Ukraine. Reluctant to recall the fondest family memories that went on to become painful and depressing, Bobby had never divulged any of her story to anybody before now. At 92, Bobby’s memory was failing her and her mind kept going back to the 1930s and her grief and guilt eventually made her want her story to be known.

This is the story of Cassie finally knowing what horrors her grandmother witnessed and somehow lived through. While there are plenty of painful horrifying incidents, there are also moments where love and hope shine through all the death, deportations, and starvation to ensure that life goes on. The description of the wonderful Ukrainian food, their traditions, heritage, and their spirit, all comes together beautifully in this devastating and heartbreaking tale of survival.

"Share my story, our story, with everyone, so what happened to us never happens again."

Before reading this book, I had absolutely no idea about the horror that was Holodomor. But since this is essential knowledge, a couple books suggested by the author are Anne Applebaum’s Red Famine and Miron Dolot’s Execution by Hunger. No matter how horrific the accounts in these books are, this sure is something that everyone should be curious about and courageous enough to read through, just so we can ensure that such a past is not repeated. Just maybe. Though in a way we’ve already failed.

The Memory Keeper of Kyiv is out today! Thank you @bookandtonic and @netgalley for approving an advance copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

"Just make it through today, and hope tomorrow will be better."

3.5 Stars

I recently read Red Famine: Stalin’s War on Ukraine by Anna Applebaum (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2022/03/review-of-red-famine-stalins-war-on.html), a book which Erin Litteken recommends in her Author’s Note at the end of The Memory Keeper of Kyiv. As I read Litteken’s novel, I felt like she had taken note of all the tragedies Ukrainians experienced during the famine (as described by Applebaum) and had all these tragedies happen to the novel’s Shevchenko family or people close to them.

The novel has two storylines which are narrated in alternating chapters. In September 1929 in Ukraine, 16-year-old Katya is living happily with her family (Tato, Mama and sister Alina) and falling in love with Pavlo, a neighbour. Then Stalin’s activists arrive to persuade villagers of the advantages of collectivization. From then until July 1934, various of Katya’s relatives are arrested and deported or executed or starved. In 2004 Illinois, 31-year-old Cassie is grieving the death of her husband. Anna, Cassie’s mother, convinces Cassie and her 5-year-old daughter Birdie to move in with Bobby, Cassie’s 92-year-old grandmother, to help care for her. Bobby gives Cassie a journal she kept when she was a young girl; because it is written in Ukrainian, Cassie enlists the help of Nick Koval, a handsome neighbour, to translate it with her. Cassie learns about her grandmother’s experiences during the Holodomor.

Katya’s sections are compelling. They are not an easy read because people suffered in unimaginable ways. If I had not read the non-fiction book Red Famine, I might have thought that some of the events described in the novel are exaggerated and unbelievable.

Cassie’s chapters are much less engrossing. She is in mourning, but compared to Katya and what she endures, Cassie seems so whiny and full of self-pity. Her story has so many characteristics of a Hallmark movie: a dead spouse, a single mom, a perfectly behaving child, and a handsome, single neighbour. Cassie’s chapters do provide a break from Katya’s heart-breaking story, but after a while, I just became impatient.

Part of the problem is that Cassie is irritating because she is so clueless. She studied history in university and mentions trying “for years to interview Bobby for different research papers”; however, when her grandmother didn’t co-operate, she never bothered to research life in Ukraine during the time her grandmother would have lived there? Cassie doesn’t know that Katya is Bobby?! Cassie never heard the Christian name of her grandfather? (And Anna didn’t know her father’s Christian name?!) When Cassie is given Bobby’s journal, she doesn’t seem so anxious to learn what is in it.

There are a number of issues that bothered me. Cassie’s narrative really slows down the novel’s pace. Then, because readers learn Katya’s story before Cassie does, there is needless repetition when she catches up. The present timeline is very predictable; from the moment Nick is introduced, the narrative arc is obvious. Another problem is that secondary characters appear and then disappear; they’re used only to advance the plot and are then dismissed. Olha’s wedding opens Katya’s story, but her fate is never mentioned. Vasyl appears, disappears, and then reappears at a convenient time. Prokyp is another such plot device. Is the sentimental Epilogue really needed? Finally, how many naps do Birdie and Bobby take? To remove them from events, the author has then constantly taking naps.

The theme is clearly stated: “’people can move on from loss. You can still have a life, even when you think there’s nothing left, because there is always something to live for.’” This is the lesson Bobby learned and the lesson she tries to teach her granddaughter.
Despite its literary weaknesses, this is an important novel because it shows the horrors of the Holodomor in a more emotionally compelling way than non-fiction might. It also provides a perspective on the relationship between Russia and Ukraine, and may give one reason why Ukrainians are fighting so bravely and so determinedly against the Russian invasion.

Note: I received a digital galley from the publisher via NetGalley.

This is a book set in the 1930's, a story of a girl and what happens when you go from the normal life of a 16yo to suddenly have such an uncertain life of war, hardships and terror.

I just couldn't put this book down, from start to finish this book keep me on my toes, it kept my heart pounding. This is not only a story from the past but so much a story of the now as well. It delves into the hard realities of war, the evilness of some people. It really gets into your heart and your head. This is a great book and I highly recommend it.

Set in Kyiv during the 1930s, we learn of Katya’s story, and the love and hardships she experiences during that time. Flash forward to 2004 in Illinois, Cassie experiences her own struggles after the death of her husband. She and her daughter, Birdie, move in to help Cassie’s sick grandmother Bobby. Cassie finds hope and purpose in translating Bobby’s journals from her life in Ukraine.

Thank you so much Boldwood Books and NetGalley for offering me the true privilege of reading this book in advance of it being published. I’m thrilled to be able to rave about it in hopes others will read it too ☺️

This is an incredibly moving story that although is fiction, could for sure have been true. Its filled with strong female characters, and really shines light on what women endured to keep their families safe during the Stalin era. I was struck by how eerily familiar events of the past are to what Ukrainians are living through today.

There, of course, are a few love stories in this book, but what I loved most was how the author portrayed the symmetry between them in the past and present. At the heart of this book are men and women experiencing love after loss. This book showcases the beauty of second chances perfectly.

Can you tell I loved this book? I highly recommend it the next time you’re in the mood to get lost in historical fiction.

This story alternates between 1929/early thirties and 2004. The earlier time frame chronicles the experiences of Katya during the Holodomor in Ukrainia, while the latter introduces her in later years with her daughter, grand daughter, Cassie, and great granddaughter, Birdie.

The Holodomor (literally death by hunger) was another horrific time in the history of Ukrainia. It was a time of famine, terror, deportation, and death. The famine was manmade by Stalin and the Soviets as they stripped the country of its food. As the author said “everyone wants Ukraine’s fertile soil for their own, and nobody wants to let Ukrainians rule it.” In the author’s notes, Litteken reports that 1 in 8 Ukrainians died during this time and the country lost almost 13% of its population. And yet, the famine/terror was denied by the Soviets and even by western journalists for years.

Written before the present atrocities in Ukraine, this is a tough book to read, but it needs to be read. Litteken is a good story teller and she portrays the horrors without being overly graphic.

Some reviews have suggested that the book should have only included the earlier story and not the later one involving Katya’s granddaughter, herself a widow trying to rebuild her life as she learns about her grandmother’s past. I thought, though, that it gave a nice balance and coda to the earlier horrors.

I give this book five stars because it is something that needs to be read. How can this genocide be happening again less than 100 years later?

Erin Litteken's The Memory Keeper of Kyiv became available for review on NetGalley at an interesting time with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Looking for more information regarding the two countries, I began searching. Finding this title and the term Holodomor in the description sent me down a Google rabbit hole; a genocide of forced famine and collectivization of Ukraine that seems to have never even been whispered about here in the West.

This historical fiction is written in a split timeline between two characters and settings:
-Cassie and her family focused on healing from the loss of her husband while living with her ill grandmother, Bobbie in present-day America.
-Katya and her family in Ukraine from 1932-1933.

This book is relatable and emotional, bringing history, trauma, aging, and healing to the forefront. There were times it was difficult to read without tears, yet I did not want to put this book down. Erin Litteken has done well in describing what so many families have experienced with aging grandparents and the memories that surface; the history they have witnessed and never spoken of. Litteken closes the book with resource information on this period in Ukraine, and how it has been denied in the past. I highly recommend this book, and would love to see it added to a world history or literature curriculum.

What’s a brilliant and heart rending read this is. Not least because of the current atrocities taking place in the Ukraine. The author has written a book that’s part fiction and part fact, drawing on her own family’s memories. Written in two timelines, the 1930s during the Holodomor, or “murder by starvation”, a state-engineered famine in Soviet Ukraine in 1932–33 which killed an estimated 3.9 million people. And the 2000’s in USA where we meet a survivor of the Holodomor.

Briefly, Katya is a 16-year-old girl living on a farm in the Ukraine when Stalin’s activists arrive in her village to set up the collective. Her idyllic childhood is soon shattered as friends and family are killed or deported to Siberia. 70 years later Cassie is living in Wisconsin with a young daughter Birdie, who hasn’t spoken since her father was killed in a road traffic accident. Cassie‘s mother Anna persuades them to move back to Illinois to take care of Anna‘s mother Bobby.

Although I have heard of it before the true horrors of the Holodomor are told here in heartbreaking and at times graphic detail, I don’t think I have ever realised quite the scale of this forced famine. How anybody survived it is totally beyond comprehension. The story told in the 2000s is Cassie’s translation of Katya’s diary as she comes to understand just what her grandmother lived through and the strength of spirit she, and others, showed to just to survive. There is a love story in both timelines, and a loss of a love, but a message that you can start again without forgetting your first love. This was an enthralling read and I’m not ashamed to say I had a tear at the ending. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is an emotionally riveting story and a brilliantly evocative sketch of Ukraine during WWII
Thank you to Erin Litteken, NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an arc of this book