This is a beautifully written book which had me in floods of tears. It’s gritty, and while a tale of fiction it’s tastefully done, and well researched.
I shall definitely read more by this author and have recommended it to friends

#netgalleyarc #nospoilers I really enjoyed this book. I liked that it was told from two perspectives, and that the two perspectives didn’t clutter or overwhelm the story. I won’t give any spoilers, but I can’t decide if I’m happy with the ending or disappointed by it. I very much know that the topic that inspired this story didn’t create happy endings but I had hoped that this story would have ended slightly different than it did. It’s not a book I can see my students reading and enjoying, but I enjoyed it.

Thank you Netgalley, Bookouture and Anna Stuart for this touching yet horrifying book.

This is a historical fiction set in Łódź, Poland - back in WWII time. A midwife Ana and a Jewish nurse Ester were sent to concentration camp. It’s difficult to imagine there were lots of babies (more than 3 thousands) being born in the concentration camp.

As both Ana and Ester had the medical experience, they were able to work in the maternity ward. They worked very hard to keep delivering hope, secretly tattoo the same number as the mother to their babies etc.

I highly recommend this heart-broken and aching story to you all.

Ana, a Polish midwife, and Ester, a young Jewish girl, have known each other for Ester's entire life. In pre-war Poland, Ana delivered baby Ester as a new midwife. Now they are being pushed in Auschwitz, Ester because she is Jewish and Ana as part of a local Resistance. Ana immediately announces herself as a midwife and declares that Ester is her assistant, saving both their lives. As midwives, they are placed in an infirmary to help the prisoners deliver babies. While most babies are not allowed to live, Ana discovers that some are perceived as German looking enough to be removed from the camp and devises a way to mark them in the hopes of reuniting them with their mothers someday.

Now, if the book is marketed as WW2 women's fiction, I'm probably going to read it. And I'm so glad that this is my policy because The Midwife of Auschwitz is definitely worth the read. Based loosely on a true story of a Polish midwife who really was imprisoned at Auschwitz, the novel shows another side to the camps that most people would not think of. Both women who were married and women who would be assaulted were sent to the camps. Births would likely be an inevitable part of camp life and some babies would at least survive that process, so what next?

In general, I find most books on WW2 a valuable read for anyone. The Midwife of Auschwitz shows the darkest parts of humanity as well as a glimmer of hope.

https://www.rockymountainreads.com/2022/05/the-midwife-of-auschwitz-by-anna-stuart.html

As harrowing and devastating as it always is to read books based on peoples experiences of the holocaust, Auschwitz and everything it entailed, they are also so very interesting, heartfelt and thought provoking. This book was all of them and more.
What I found particularly interesting, was things I'd never read about before. The experience of Ester and her family living in the ghettos, how the Jews were segregated into a place of their own, a horrible degrading brutal world. That so many people were kept there, living alongside, albeit on the other side of a wire fence, with non Jewish people and families, while the camps began to fill up.

It was nice to read about new life coming into this hateful place in the world and so very many of them too. But sadly the majority didn't survive. To read about how some babies were picked for Germanisation. Taken from their mothers and given to German families. These poor mothers who have no choice, but what a choice, either their newborn babies are taken from them or they slowly die!
You always read about the adults held in the camps who are tattooed with numbers, but never about these innocent little babies. How utterly cruel, but yet hopeful, in that some day, as a result of this tattoo, they may be reunited with their mother and families.

The aftermath of people returning from the camps is always haunting, trying to return to a world that is different and you are forever changed, the horrific things they went through. It's not all happiness on returning, family have died and others missing.
But there's hope for those returned. They managed to survive, they are the lucky ones.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.

I normally enjoy reading WW2 novels however this one has so much description and not enough dialogue. I couldn’t get into the book.

I always struggle with reviews on books that are so deep and heavy but all set-in truth. This is my first book I have read by Ann Stuart and I was drawn in as a NICU Nurse who has been to 1,000s of deliveries. I have never heard the true story of Stanislawa Leszczynska, the midwife who, despite all the odds stacked against her and the mothers she helped, delivered over 3,000 babies during her time as a prisoner in Auschwitz II Birkenau.

This is a fictional account based on Stanislawa’s story. This novel follows Ana, a catholic midwife who is sent to Auschwitz for aiding the resistance in Poland and Ester, a Jewish nurse who Ana declares is her assistant. Upon arrival at Auschwitz, they are tattooed and ordered to the maternity hut. After the horrors of what is really happening in that hut are revealed, Ana and Ester soon begin to secretly tattoo babies with their mother’s numbers in hopes one day they will be reunited.

Heavy, heavy read but oh so well written. You follow Ana and Ester from the very beginnings of the German occupation in Poland, to the Jewish ghettos, their arrival at Auschwitz, and their eventual liberation. It was also very apparent that a lot of research went into this book. Anna has written a beautiful but heartbreaking story that is true to the history of this time period and setting. I was drawn in from the very first few action packed chapters. I found myself wanting to know more about this remarkable woman this story is based on and have spent quite a bit of time researching her myself after reading this book. Even though this is a heartbreaking story, it is also one that showcases beautifully the strength and perseverance of the WWII time period.

I am touched by this story and will definitely be keeping my eye out for other work from this author.

I have read a lot of books on WWII and the Holocaust, but I generally reach for them because I think it's important to remember our history, so we can recognize it if/when it happens again. I think we are heading dangerously close now, so it's more important now than ever.

This is a heartbreaking story that spans from 1939 to 1945 and covers the stories of two women who lean on each other through the horrible things they go through when both are sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau. I liked how the author weaved real events into the story (like Mala and Edek and their capture).

I thought the author did a great job of capturing the daily horrors that the prisoners faced under the Nazi reign. The story felt very real all the way through, and I was glad the ending worked out as it did.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc of The Midwife of Auschwitz.

Ana, a well-known Polish midwife and loved by all. She works hard with her family to help all the Jewish but is taken into Nazi custody on suspicions of her ties to the rebellion. Ester, a nurse and Jew, also a family friend takes Ester under her wing and the two help deliver over 3,000 infants, what they witness is heartbreaking and they have to fight to save these innocent woman and children whilst staying strong for each other.

Heartbreaking story and a real page turner. The story is so beautifully written it really pulls you into the sadness of this terrible torturous life they were put through just because of their religion. Extremely heartbreaking.

Fantastic read and highly recommend.

Utterly heart breaking.

A very emotional, well researched, hope-provoking, bitter-sweet read.

TMOA was one of the best researched books based around The Holocaust I have read in a long time.
It brought out every emotion you could have when it comes to the Holocaust, anger, sadness, helpless, broken, dehumanised, hope, strength love and life.

I think like many readers, we hoped for a different ending. But I think that our ending would not have been true to many survivors.

The Midwife of Auschwitz is a work of fiction, however alot of it was closely based on accounts of the incredibly strong survivors and Stanislawa Leszczyńska, the real life midwife of Auschwitz-Birkenau (not a memoir).

Special thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.

Reading this book was so incredibly hard, not because it was bad, this book is an absolutely amazing, but because it was so heartbreaking. Reading about the absolute nightmare that real people have actually gone through is not an easy thing. As a mother there were parts of this book that were so hard to read and I could feel my heart aching for these women. There were times when I would put the book down, go over to my kids and just hold them. But this story isn't just heartbreak, it mostly is but not all. This is also about the incredible strength and resilience that was shown. Ana and Ester fight every day to stay strong for not only themselves but the women they were helping and also holding onto hope that they would one day be reunited with the ones they love.
This book was really hard to put down, every page and chapter had me wanting to keep reading. Anna Stuart did a beautiful job at portraying this story. Her writing and ability to express the pain and heartache was done so well and respectfully. Her characters she created, Ana and Ester were based on the real midwife Stanislawa Leszczyńska and her daughter Sylwia who was a medical student. Anna Stuart should be applauded for how beautiful she represented their relationship through her own characters and how she showed their strength and bravery. This book was so week written, I want to reread it again and again.
If this is a book that has peaked your interest, or even if it's not, I highly recommend getting a copy and reading it as soon as you can.

Loved it and would give the book 4.5 stars. Ana wasn't sure she even wanted to be a guest at Ester's wedding, but the women end end becoming family and lean on each other during the difficult times. Their unlikely friendship turns into so much more and Ana and Ester give each other the strength to survive in such horrid conditions. It's hard to believe how many babies Ana helped deliver at Auschwitz-Birkenau. It's heartbreaking with the conditions that the babies ended up being born into, with the threat of only surviving a few hours, drowned in a bucket or stolen from their mother's arms to be "Germanised." Ana showed each of the women compassion. I wonder if all the babies born in the Camps and adopted by German families ever found out their true lineage? Enjoyed the story and couldn't wait to see if Ana and Ester ever reconnected with their family. Love the ending and I hope Ester eventually finds what she is looking for. After reading the historical notes at the end, I realized the book was inspired by Stanislawa Leszczyńska and her family, which makes me love the book even more.

Definitely recommend the book. Loved the characters, story and writing style. Look forward to reading more books by the author. Love the cover of the book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bookouture through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

loved this book based on a true story, keep tissues handy, could not put the book down. hightly recommend

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

Inspired by the incredible actions of Stanislawa Leszczyńska, THE MIDWIFE OF AUSCHWITZ primarily follows two women, Ana and Ester. This is a story set in one of the darkest times of humanity, and it does not shy away from the horrors prisoners endured while in Auschwitz. But at its roots, this story is one of hope and perseverance.

Ana, a well-known Polish midwife, is taken into Nazi custody on suspicions of her family's ties to the rebellion. She takes Ester, a nurse and Jew, under her wing and the two help deliver over 3,000 infants in a hellish maternity "ward".

I would highly recommend this book to any fan of WWII historical fiction-- or books such as "The Alice Network", "The Tattooist of Auschwitz", or "The Nightingale".

Wow! What a haunting but inspiring story - based on a true story.
Ana Kaminski is a midwife in Lotz in Poland and has delivered many babies in her career, including Jewish nurse Ester Pasternak many years before. Delivering babies and being with her family of husband and three sons are her life until suddenly she finds herself being thrown out of a railcar, along with Ester, at the Auschwitz camp.
Ana and Ester manage to persuade the guards that they should run the maternity hut, and over the years manage to survive the cold, the hunger, and the brutality of the guards - who think nothing of dunking and drowning a newborn baby. But when babies start being taken away to live with German families, they hatch a plan, and every child is now tattooed with their mother’s number.
After a few months Ana notices that Ester is showing signs of pregnancy - what will happen?
I couldn’t put this down. A real page turner!

This book was good, I’m glad I got to read it early and can’t wait to tell others about it .
I think they are gonna enjoy it just as much
Thank you

This book will break you heart but I promise you will leave feeling hopeful.

I have read many books about the Holocaust. Memoirs and fictional stories that share the horrific recounts of lives lost and fought. I have never read any that talked about babies being born in the camps. I appreciate this book/author shedded light on a less talked about area.

The characters are so beautifully written. You fall in love with each of them. Which means your heart is constantly torn in pieces with each tragic event. When you read a book about the Holocaust, you know what you are getting into. It is very heavy, dark material. But I find it to be something that everyone should learn more about. We should all be enraged that an event like that could ever take place and that an event like that should never happen again.

I enjoyed the author’s writing and would definitely read other books by her. Thank you NetGalley for sending me a copy. I have written this review voluntarily.

Four stars. I have a hard time giving any book about the Holocaust anything less than four stars. This work was based on true events/people, and was an emotional read, I felt at the first half was a bit drawn out and could have been shortened easily without reducing the overall information needed to tell the story. The story is about two women, one that is Jewish, and how both of them being midwives helps give women and Auschwitz hope. Horrors of Auschwitz were shared, but the story provided insight of how relationships were built despite these horrors.

Thanks NetGalley for the early release of this book.

Lover of WWII will fall in love with the characters!
Rooting them on as they move thru their time at Auschwitz. The ladies lives they make a impact on and their own stories of hardships.

Highly recommend.

The Midwife of Auschwitz - Anna Stuart

This is a great story about a heart-wrenching topic. The book starts and ends with a love story.

We follow Anna, a midwife & her assistant, Ester through World War II. In a twist of fate, they are sent to Auschwitz together. It is a beautiful tale of friendship. Having each other and delivering babies gives them purpose in an otherwise horrific situation.