This book was a unique perspective dealing with WWII and the concentration camps. It was also written with an entirely different feel than any other book approaching the same topics....I waited to write a review hoping that I could adequately put into words how this book moved and effected me, but I simply can't. Highly recommend-five stars from me!!!

This was my first book by C.K. McAdam and I absolutely loved it.
Whilst it's a harrowing read at times, it shows the resilience of the human spirit, how we can overcome even the most horrifying of ordeals and rise again, like a phoenix from the ashes, and rebuild our lives.
I came to care for Sara and her family as if they were my own, so I felt their pain and confusion as well as the love they shared for each other.
We must never forget the atrocities of WWII.
Thank you to NetGalley and Paper Forest Press for the digital ARC. All opinions are my own.

The Seamstress of Auschwitz by C.K. McAdam is a heartbreaking story. The story begins with Sara celebrating her 100th birthday surrounded by her family. She is in a full time nursing facility. While Sarah’s memories are painful she know she must past the stories on the next generation so that no one will forget.

When Sara was 14 she was given a used sewing machine. Her father was a master tailor. He wanted to pass this trade down to his daughter’s so they can take over the shop. Unfortunately Sara’s father’s dream will never be realized. It was shattered by the rise of the Nazi party in Poland. Being a seamstress literally saved her and her sisters lives.

The sisters are transferred to Auschwitz. The Commandant's wife was a bit of a fashionista. She made a deal with the sisters that if they sewed her clothing they would be protected. It starts out with this Commandant’s wife and quickly spread to her wealthy friends. By the time the camp gets liberated it is just Sara left.

Her journey continues to Displaced Persons Camps. She finds herself going to Palestine in search of the man who saved her life in Auschwitz. She waits daily at his Uncles Restaurant praying for his return. The rest of the story would be a spoiler so you just have to read it.

Sarah is rich, deep character who the reader continues to cheer for throughout the story. Obviously this is a tale of survival, sisterhood, sacrifice, and love.

I would like to thank the publisher, the author and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

ARC Review ✨️

☆Amazing historical fiction♡

This story follows Sara and her family, who are Jewish and dealing with the horrid Nazi campaign during World War Two. The author wrote a beautiful, heartbreaking novel. It was definitely difficult to read at some points, but I truly enjoyed it. It sheds a light on what it was like living back then. I don't think I'll ever forget this story!

Thanks so much to Book Whisperer and Netgalley for the ARC!

The Seamstress of Auschwitz follows Sara and her family, and how their lives changed living in pre-war Germany, war-torn Germany, concentration camps and after liberation. Elements of truth were taken to create this novel but, for me, I would have preferred it if more stories had been taken from survivors. There are far too many people who survived the concentration camps and they are important stories to tell. The book did well to show the drastic changes the family went through, but I felt as though parts of the Ravensbrück and Auschwitz were watered down and almost romanticised. Perhaps this was because the book was short and so the author couldn’t write in as much detail, but this felt like a costly sacrifice.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A beautiful and tragic historical fiction tale. Such a sad story that is hard to hear. World War Two stories especially with Auschwitz’ are so sad but important.

Sara and her sisters are German Jews who are seamstresses. As war breaks out, the family is separated. Sara and her sister Helene are in Auschwitz. When the commandants wife needs seamstresses to sew her clothes and those of her wealthy friends, she enlists the best seamstresses in Auschwitz. After the camp is liberated, Sara is finding her purpose in life again.

Thank you NetGalley for the copy of this book.

Heart rending story of the Nazi atrocities and total disregard for life.
Sara Schonflies and her sisters are spared when they are sent to Auschwitz because of their
sewing abilities.. Their father, a respected and well known tailor taught them the trade and they excelled .When they were captured, along with their mother and young niece, the three sisters were sent to be seamtresses for the Nazi's commander's wife while their mother and niece were murdered by the Nazis. Their father had been killed in his shop.
The story is one of survival against all odds, and never giving in or giving up.
As Sara speaks of the horrors and total depravity of the Nazi regime, it is easy to think that this has to be a total fiction tale because your mind can simply not accept that any human being, anywhere, could ever treat another human being in such a way.
In the worst moments of her struggles to stay alive, amidst the ravages of starvation and disease, you find yourself encouraging her, right out loud, to hang on and hang in.
Great writing but totally heartbreaking.
Here's to all the grandchildren and great grandchildren who are keeping the family stories alive.
Write them down and never stop sharing them.

I love historical fiction- especially if it takes place around WWII. Something about the era really speaks to me. This book pulled no punches with the raw reality that was the horror of these concentration camps. The evil set upon these groups of people were immeasurable. As a mother my heart broke with Alice- having to endure what no mother should ever go through. My heart further broke for Helene who just wanted to change the world. For Sara, who just wanted her family. For Clara who had to endure it all alone in a foreign country. For Georg who felt helpless. For the mothers and fathers and grandparents that just wants their kids safe. And for Paul, who risked it all only to never reach his future.

Sara Schönflies, a young Jewish woman from a line of gifted tailors and seamstresses, finds her world shattered by the rise of the Nazi regime in 1932. When Sara and her sisters are transferred to the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp, their talent becomes a lifeline. Their survival hinges on sewing beautiful dresses for the wives of SS officers and Nazi dignitaries. Amidst the horrors and suffering, Sara's determination, her sisters' unwavering courage, and defiance, and the unexpected friendship with a member of the Sonderkommando become beacons of hope. Once released from the concentration camp, Sara's journey continues as she searches for the man who had once saved her life. From displaced persons camps to the distant shores of Palestine, Sara's heartrending journey continues as she searches relentlessly for the man who had once saved her life.

This is a gripping tale of survival, sacrifice, sisterhood, and unbreakable love inspired by actual events. The author is an amazing writer and her descriptions of the events and the camps are very vivid. I have read many historical fiction books about Auschwitz, but this one ranks with the best. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for introducing me to this author. I will be looking for other books that she has written. I highly recommend this to anyone who reads about WWII.

A thoroughly engrossing book..wan’t to read it quickly but controlled myself. Well written. The horrendous accounts of what people went through was unbelievable. Thought I would have already read most of them but found out not. This is a must read for those who like to read historical fiction. I am anticipating her next book.

Not what I expected. Did not like it as much as I wanted to. Some camp scenes unbelievable for the situation. Little character errors (character name changes in text) It was just okay. I expected better. However, this may be because most homicides books I read are non fiction true accounts.

I finished it but there were a few times I wasn't sure if I really wanted to push through... I found the style very similar to 'the tattooist of Aushwitz', which I thought was hot garbage and DNF but if you liked it then you'll probably like this. There really was a fashion salon in Auschwitz so it's unfortunate that this book missed the mark in telling that story.

It reads like a watered down romanticized version of what the camps were actually like.

Sara was really hard to relate to and feel empathy for. She vehemently objects to sending her younger family members (one only a niece meanwhile the child's father is part of the resistance and would have taken any opportunity to save the kid) on the kinder transports but doesn't grasp the ramifications of her opinion until years later.

She somehow has all this freedom to run around the camp at all hours and has wild ambitions to sneak out her sister in a pile of corpses(?!) like WTF.

She declines a sure trip out of the country because she wants to try and meet up with a guy she only met a few times...

I have read several books with this genre and all of them have touched me in some way, this was no different, the story of Sara and her family, her loves and her losses and the cruelty endured daily. As a read it was quite a short book and I think it became obvious what was going to happen but that did not distract from the story. The subject matter is awful as we all know what happened in these camps and it’s by storytelling that we continue to remember those that didn’t return.

A beautiful, but sad novel. It is the story of Sara, the daughter of a tailor and sister of seamstress’, who tells the story of her harrowing life in Ravensbruck and Auchwitz. Only through learning her father’s trade as a young child did she stay alive. There are many details of the horrible life in these concentration camps, but this book also shares her love of family, their strong bonds, and how she ultimately survives. A tearful ending, but a beautiful story.

This story was beautiful and heartbreaking.
Although it wasn't 100% based on a true story, the events and base line are historicaly accurate. Sarah's story had me in tears more than once and my heart was completely on the floor. Especially at the loss she suffered again and again.

I encourage everyone to read these stories and share them, we need to honor all the fallen and victims each day.

I have read many books focusing on WWII, but I have never heard of this author. The book description compared this book to The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris and The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel, both of which I LOVED, so I thought I’d take a chance on a “new to me” author.

The book focuses mostly on Sara, the daughter of a German Jewish tailor, and her struggles through a very horrific time. When Sara and her family are separated and sent to camps, she quickly had to learn how to survive the beatings and starvation that occurred. Sara’s bond with her family seemed very strong, so I just couldn’t understand why her youngest sister, who was sent to live with her brother in America, wasn’t mentioned more often. It would have been wonderful to also tell the story from their points of view.

On a side note, I found it interesting that the book didn’t include any actual dates, as most novels about this time period do. I found myself often wondering what the year was and how long Sara was actually in the camps.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion/review.

To say that you enjoy a book about the holocaust seems a bit macabre. To say that you enjoyed a book about hope, faith and the resilience or the human spirit feels far more fitting.

I've read a lot of real accounts of auschwitz aswell as some of the bigger known fictional retellings and have even visited the camp with my mother (who I can honestly say sobbed the entire time and didn't even want to visit Birkenau)
But this book captured the heart and spirit of those who endured what noone should ever have to endure under the most dire of circumstances.

I truly felt for Sara and her family in this novel, and at points almost felt as if this was a real account.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book

I love historical fiction books. The Seamstress of Auschwitz was the latest historical. Read that I have read. It was definitely worth the read, five star book.

This story spans from 1932 and continues through the British pulling out of Palestine. Sara’s journey immerses us into the horrors of Auschwitz and gives us a glimpse what life was for the displaced persons in camps around Europe. Through the eyes of Sara a lot is said including the obstacles Jews faced in trying to enter Palestine.

All stories during this time are heart-wrenching and compelling this one is no exception. Apart from giving us a large timeline, this version of events recounts and rehashes the same experiences endured by the prisoners. We can find numerous books recounting these events. Nothing new here for those who are a fan and have read books of this era before.

Having said this “The Seamstress of Auschwitz “is nevertheless a very well- written and well-paced story and reading it you won’t get bogged down with unnecessary details. Even if I read many stories covering the camps in the past, I still had a hard time leaving my emotions in check flipping through the pages.

Ms. McAdam’s version is well crafted and powerful but to my eyes did not bring anything new.