When I wasn’t reading this book, I often found myself wondering what Birdie and Cassie and Bobbie were up to. The characters in this book go straight to your heart from the beginning. This book is an investment, but the reader is rewarded with beautiful storytelling. The timing of this novel is something that cannot be overlooked. I have a new appreciation for the Ukrainian people and the fight they still face today to preserve their homeland and their beautiful culture. If you loved Kelly Rimmer’s “The Things We Cannot Say”, this book is for you. It will stay with you long after you close its cover. I don’t think I will ever be able to look at a sunflower again without thinking of this book.

This book goes back and forth between 2004 in the US and 1930’s in Ukraine during Holodomor. I actually didn’t even know what Holodomor was before this book. It’s an absolutely horrifying part of history, but a part that is incredibly important we learn about so that it is not repeated. I appreciated going back and forth, since the content in the 1930’s is so heavy. This book is about love, loss, survival, and moving on after loss. I couldn’t put it down. I was so drawn into the book by the characters. I highly recommend this book, especially if you like historical fiction.

This is an incredibly important and timely novel, one that was clearly a labour of love and intense research. While the pacing was a little off, I loved the characters. They were well written and developed and I almost found myself annoyed when the timeline would change, I feel like I was just getting into the storyline of each seperate timeline and they’d switch. Regardless, a solid historical fiction and one that’s so important to readers.

A timely and emotional read. Beautifully written. This book will move you to tears and stay with you forever.

This book is very well written and it’s about the Holodomor, the great famine in Soviet Ukraine during the early 1930s and a woman and her family’s struggle to survive. It’s a story of strength and resilience, as many historical fictions seem to be, but about a time period that is often not discussed. I would recommend this book to anybody who is curious about it!

As usual in my reviews, I will not rehash the plot. Instead, I would urge you to read this for yourself.

This was a very difficult read for me - in the sense that it invoked a feeling of deja vu for the current situation in Ukraine, once again at the mercy of Russia.

The novel is split into two timelines - one set in Ukraine during the Holodomor, and the other set in the USA in more recent times - which works well. Although it's a novel, and the characters are fictional, the historical background is based on real events.

Although I had vaguely heard of the Holodomor, I had no idea of the sheer scale and horror of it. I was moved to tears more than once by the descriptions of the terrible hardships inflicted on the people of Ukraine, being wilfully starved to death by the evil Stalin and his minions - whilst they grew food that they were not allowed to eat. I was deeply angered to learn of the way these atrocities were deliberately kept from the world (particularly as a New York Times journalist won an award for his denial piece - unbelievable!!) as at the time, the West needed Russia to fight with them against Hitler.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

The Doctor’s Daughter is World War II fiction at its best. It shows how families can be divided by war and by political beliefs—even misconceptions. The point of view alternates between the two protagonists, Sophia Amsler and Isaac Cohen. Sofia and her mother are Jewish, but her father isn’t. He is recruited by the Nazis to care for their soldiers. He complies, thinking his efforts will enhance the status of his “Privileged Marriage” and increase the likelihood his wife and daughter will survive the war. Isaac is a young man who is separated from his father and mother in a Warsaw ghetto when he and his sister are taken to Auschwitz.

Sofia and her parents live a rather posh existence on a farm while Isaac and his family are starving in the ghetto. When Isaac and his sister are sent to Auschwitz, he is forced to be slave labor on Sofia’s family farm. As she watches the Nazi guards mistreat their prisoners, she determines to save them and recruits her parents into this daring plan.

Ryan doesn’t avoid the atrocities committed by the Nazis or the blind adherence to Hitler’s many grievances against Jews, Romani, and other ethnic groups he feels are inferior to Aryans. Instead she walks a fine line between describing and overplaying them. Because of the grotesqueness of the subject matter, it’s hard to say I enjoyed this book, but it does provide a well-researched, well-written description of life as a Polish Jew in the 1940s. It is also a story of the perseverance of hope during the most dreadful of conditions.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Erin Litteken for the chance to read this novel.

It is timely (its May 2022) and for that reason incredibly poignant and heartbreaking in the way that Russia again exerts an effect on Ukraine.
I had heard of the Holodomor but had no idea of the reasons, why it was invoked and the terrible effects it had. The thought of a manmade famine seems unreal in this day and age but actually was only 90 years ago .

The book is written in a dual time line format - and the two strands work together well - though I felt that it could have made it clearer exactly who Bobby was and where her Americanised name came from.

It was an incredibly hard read - not the style of writing but the descriptive prose and the picture painted of the incredible hardship. tragedy, betrayal and sheer cruelty and brutality of the Stalinists.

It has been a long long time since a book moved me like this one has - I wish that lessons had been learnt and that history didn't appear to be repeating itself

Thank you again

A timely read that moved me to tears, The Memory Keeper of Kyiv provides rich context for the power of culture and tradition and just what the modern world stands to lose.

I was aware that Ukraine and Russia had a long history with each other but this book educated me about the Russian invasion in the 1930's and their attempt to kill the citizens of Ukraine by starving them to death. Almost four million people died in this man made famine. The book was published at an opportune time as the Russians are once again trying to take over Ukraine and a look back at the previous invasion made me understand better what is going on now. History IS repeating itself.

This beautifully written and well researched novel is told in two time lines. Katya gives us the first timeline in the 1930s in Ukraine. She is 16 years old, part of a happy family and in love with the boy next door. When Stalin's Army reaches her small village, they insist that everyone join the collective and they take all of the farmers grain, food and animals with the promise that the collective would take care of them if they worked for them. What really happened was that much of the grain was sent back to Russia or left to rot near the train station. After the Russians took away the food, they began to supply meager rations of food to the people. With no way to grow their own food, families began to starve to death. Many of the men were arrested and sent to Siberia to die.

The second time line is told by Cassie seventy years later in Illinois. She is a young widow and is dealing with the loss of her husband when her mother suggests that she and her daughter move in with her grandmother to take care of Bobby. Her grandmother is an immigrant from Ukraine and as her dementia worsens, she begins to talk to people that she knew growing up. She has never told any of her family what she lived through growing up but when she shares her diary with Cassie they find out about her difficult life in Ukraine in the 1930s.

This book is based on the author's grandparents. It's so well written that it's hard to believe that this is a debut novel. I was extremely impressed and expect more fantastic books from her in the future.

This book will be a real eye-opener for people who don't know about the Holodomor in Ukraine by the Russians in the 1930s. Holodomor means a man-made famine which the Russians used to try to destroy the Ukraine population. It's more than a history book - it's also about finding love and taking care of family during the darkest times and the resilience of people to survive and save their families. We still see the resilience and the bravery of the people of Ukraine as they fight to save their country from the Russians once again.

Oh wow! This is THE book of the moment. Set partly in the US near present day and partly in Ukraine in the 1930's-1940's during Ukraine's Holodomor when millions of ordinary Ukrainians were starved by Stalin and the USSr machine. There is such a parallel to what Russia and Putin are doing to Ukraine in 2022. The People of Ukraine have known very little sovereignty and peace. I hope as many people read this book which is also raising funds for Ukraine.

We don't know Ukraine history as it's something that we never heard. Books like this help us to learn something about a country, the sufference, and the historical facts like when they were starved.
It's not an easy or heartwarming book but it's one we must read in order to understand.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Ukraine 1929: Katya and her sister Alina pose for a picture with a field of sunflowers behind them before their cousin’s wedding. Within months of this moment, word spreads that Stalin’s men are forcing farmers into collectivization or else they are deported. Anyone speaking out is seen as a kulak and traitor and taken into custody. After witnessing their cousin murdered, the reality of the situation has them all on edge.

Illinois 2004: Cassie is still healing from the grief of losing her husband in an accident a year ago. On top of that, her young daughter, Birdie, hasn’t spoken since the accident. Then Cassie’s mother arrives to share news that Cassie’s Bobby (babushka) is in the hospital. Spurred by her love for her elderly grandmother and the need to escape the house she lived in when her husband passed, Cassie moves in with Bobby in hopes of healing: herself, her daughter, and her babushka. Hearing that doctors also suspect she is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, Cassie is determined to get Bobby to speak of growing up in Ukraine which Bobby refuses to take about. With the help of neighbor Nick, Cassie sets out to find her Bobby’s story, but she hits a stumbling block when Bobby reveals that once she has translated the story, it will be time for her to go.

The interwoven storylines draw parallels of the lives of Bobby (Katya) and Cassie. Great loss. Rediscovery of love in the most unlikely of places. Strength of family. Perseverance. I had not heard of the Holodomor, but I knew that Soviet occupation was not an easy time for the people of Ukraine. Now hearing in the news of a new front on the battle to save Ukraine from occupation, what a timely story to tell the determination and strength of its people. I urge you to read this book to honor the people of the land of the sunflower and the bread basket of the world. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#netgalley #arc #thememorykeeperofkyiv #erinlitteken #boldwoodbooks

4.5 stars

The timing of this book is astounding as the reader sees in real time the veracity of the maxim “History repeats itself.”

The author clearly has a heart for the people of Ukraine as well as its history and culture as evidenced on the pages of this book. It’s an impactful yet sensitively delivered tribute to Ukraine. Here is a story of courage and hope in the face of impossible defeat. A must read.

My thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Just Get Through Today, Tomorrow Will Be Better

Heartbreaking tale of the Homodor or Murder by Hunger, a man made famine that killed millions of people in Ukraine during Stalin's forced collective farms program. This was a horrible time in history and it has been covered up and forgotten. It should never be forgotten. When productive farms were taken over by the government and people killed or shipped to Siberia for simply disagreeing with the government or for trying to find food to survive. When people are reduced to eating earthworms and grain from the burrows of rats to survive and they are still dying. When a woman drops dead in a food line to receive a slice of bread. When people work all day on farms that are not their own and not allowed to work their own farms being paid only with a slice of bread for the day's work, the system is wrong, cruel and broken.

This is a story of fictional characters based on true events during the Homodor. The characters are based on people that lived during that time and either gave testimony or wrote about it. The story is heartbreaking and tear jerking. I cannot fathom how anyone could treat people in such a manner. I also do not know how anyone survived during this time of great famine.

Before the Soviet enforcers came to the small town of Sonyashnyky in Ukraine two sisters Alina and Katya lived on a farm with their parents. They married two brothers Pavla and Kolya. Then Stalin's enforcers came. They at first tried to convince all the farmer's to join the Collective Farming system, but when they did not it was enforced upon them. Everything was confiscated, all their food, and their livestock.

Some survived, most did not. This is a story of a family that would have lived during those times and how they might have survived. It is also a story of Katya after the Homodor and how she dealt with the aftermath and survivor's guilt. A story of her daughter and granddaughter and how on her death bed she finally found peace.

This is a story that will not be easily forgotten. It will stay with you long after you read it. It is a part of history I knew nothing about. I cannot believe now the Soviets are once again terrorizing the people in the Ukraine. History really does repeat itself. I do recommend this book.

Thanks to Erin Littenken for writing a great historical book, to Boldwood Books for publishing it and to NetGalley for making it available to me to read and review.

"Ukrainians today are fighting for their country with a strength and tenacity that has captivated the world, but it is impossible to deny that history is repeating itself. It’s horrifying, and we must do better" Erin Litteken writes at the beginning of this wonderful book.
As difficult as this book was to read, I absolutely appreciated the opportunity to read it. I am a huge fan of historical fiction, especially when based on true events and people, but I have never read a book about this time period.
Erin Litteken has woven a wonderful story of love and loss, struggle and perseverance, and the ever important bonds of family. The characters were well developed, interesting and relatable. This was a book that I found difficult to put down as I felt so drawn to the characters and their stories. I highly recommend this book.

This was such a well written, heartbreakingly beautiful story. I was totally engrossed in this right until the very last page.

Received an ARC ebook from NetGalley. This was amazing! Comes out in May 2022 but at it to your list now. I always enjoy a book with storylines that connect but are from two different time periods. I am ashamed at how little I know about the Holodomor and this book makes me want to research it more. This book was a touchingly beautiful story of survival. 5 star rating given on goodreads. Highly recommend!

The Holodomor. Did you know about it? I didn't. And I'm ashamed of that, because Stalin's genocide of millions of Ukranians in the 1930s by a famine of his own creation is something the entire world should be aware of. Of course, the Soviets covered it up and the West let them get away with it, because WWII required all hands on deck. But that history is an integral part of what is happening in Ukraine right now.

Dual timelines can really trip up a novel, with one of them suffering at the expense of the other. In this case, I felt that they tied together well, with Cassie learning valuable lessons about resilience from her grandmother, but the modern timeline did lack emotional impact at times.

On the other hand, the chemistry between Katya and her betrothed was quite possibly one of the most passionate depictions of romantic love I've ever read (while still remaining PG). Katya was simply an incredible character and I found her loyalty and bravery deeply inspiring.

There are a few spots where the plot loses tension and I also found myself wanting to know more about what was happening in Ukraine outside of Katya's small village, but I enjoyed Katya's story overall, I learned a good deal about Ukrainian culture, and I was inspired to do some additional research on the Holodomor. This story depicts some of the vilest cruelty that humans are capable of, but it also serves as a reminder of just how strong we can be, and how love and compassion can serve as the key to survival.

Wow everyone needs to read this book
Totally amazing

So many things should be taught in school and this Holodomor is one of them...and when I was in school we never heard anything about this. 10 years before WWII Russia took everything from Ukraine under Stalin's orders crops, men, livestock...this book was really hard to read but I couldn't put it down. Yes it's fictional based on actual events even though Russia denies everything...after reading I had to look up Holodomor because I wanted to learn more
This book takes on a dual timeline which I'm not a big fan of but we read about what a survivor goes through after the Holodomor and the Russian takeover some 75 years later...

The writing was amazing and it kept me reading. I didn't want to put it down. I cried quite a bit reading this it is an emotional book. The book is well written and provoked quite a few emotions in me while reading anger, sorrow, more anger, and sympathy for what the characters went through.

The characters are truly amazing. The characters felt real to me especially Katya, the protagonist, who was 16 years old when Russia took food and crops away. How Katya and her family try to stay together and stay alive. It was heartbreaking what they went through...the loss of love and family.

A truly amazing and brilliant book that again everyone should read. I HIGHLY recommend this book....

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for allowing me to read an advanced copy of The Memory Keeper of Kyiv for an honest review. All words are my own and they come from the heart. Although I am not an eloquent reviewer the words are mine and mine alone.