2.5, rounded up to 3. While I enjoyed this book something was missing for me. It did not read like historical fiction to me and I felt it lacking in the detail images come to expect from the genre. The premise was there, but was not as well executed as I would have hoped. I ended up skimming parts of the book because of pacing as well.

The Seamstress of Auschwitz by C.K.McAdams
I don't usually give 5 out of 5 stars, but this one deserves it.
This heartbreaking historical fiction novel about a young Jew and her talented seamstress family enduring the horrors of the Holocaust will leave readers sniffling with a deeper understanding of a new angle of these camps. I've literally taught students about the Holocaust and have been to Dachau (another camp) and didn't know about prisoners who were forced to make beautiful gowns for officer's wives while being starved, beaten, and being treated only mildly better than the other prisoners. This was the fate of Sara and her family, at least those who lived long enough to make it to the barracks of the camp. This heart-shattering story starts right before the beginning of the war in Germany where Sara lived with her large, loving family full of life and hopeful futures as well-respected tailors learning their trade from their kind, patient father, as he had learned from his. Rumors of war and what it means for Jews start swirling and before Sara knows it, her family is caught up in the horrors of what is now known as the Holocaust. Her story of survival, friendship, and even love will tear at your heart in this extremely well-written novel.
Well done, K.C.McAdams.

This book is, in my opinion, appropriate for all ages and an important addition to any library.
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I feel sick after reading this. I read a lot of WWII books fiction and non fiction and they never fail to leave me feeling so sad and empty.

A powerful and unforgettable book that lays it all out there. I finished this one crying, like a lot of historical novels, I would like to have a hit of a longer ending post camp. The start of this book did drag a bit, I understand that the background story was just as important however, I believe it wasn’t until at least 20% in when the story really began.

Weird but I loved the font, all ebooks should have this font, I did also notice a few spelling mistakes. I feel like I can’t judge such a devastating book much more as this was a reality for many people.

Poignant and inspirational, heartrending and tragic, The Seamstress of Auschwitz grabbed me from the first page and never let go. In 1932 Germany, Sara and her sisters are living their lives when the Nazi's come to power and everything changes. First Sara's father is killed outside their doorstep, then the family (Sara, her mother and her sisters) are taken to a camp. A whispered warning that people with a desired skill fared better in the camps leads Sara and her sisters to become seamstresses. Separated from her mother and youngest sister who are feared dead, Sara, her sisters and the other seamstresses find themselves sewing evening gowns and uniforms for the wives of the camp commandant and other camp officials. It's a horrific situation and one by one the remaining family disappears and it seems that Sara is all that is left.

The Seamstress of Auschwitz is a story of tragedy, resilience, heroism and determination in the face of conditions that can only be described as hellish (and even that word is much to mild). But it is also inspirational and you can't help but be deeply immersed in Sara's story. An absolute must read!

Living in the growing extreme unrest of Nazi Germany, Sara and her family are perpetrated due to their religion. Her father, described as a kind and gentle man, is murdered, their shop and home burnt down, and the discrimination against Jews in Germany only heightens from that point onwards.

Sara and her sister are taken to Ravensbrück, before shortly being joined by the rest of the females in their family, where they are forced to sew uniforms for the Wehrmacht. Later, they are deported to Auschwitz, where the older and younger members of her family are murdered, leaving Sara and her two sisters, Alice and Helene, as the sole surviving members of the family. They work as seamstresses for the commandant’s wife, designing and creating stylish dresses to suit her fashionable tastes.

Soon, Alice gives birth to a baby girl, conceived with her husband before their deportations. The pregnancy and birth is hidden from the SS by the Jewish doctors’ in the infirmary, but Alice makes the difficult decision to smother her baby - to stop her from being experimented on. Later, Alice develops an infection, coupled with her depression and grief, she passes herself.

The “fashion salon” is shut down when the commandant is caught fraternising with the prisoners, and the sisters are re-assigned to “Kanada” - a sorting area for the belongings of incoming prisoners. Soon after, the commandant is back and the salon reopened, they are requisitioned to better accommodation (single straw mattresses) and allowed to wear civilian clothes - albeit stolen from other prisoners on their arrival.

We meet Paul, a male prisoner also based in “Kanada”, who also acts as a courier around the camp. Paul, Sara’s beau, helps sneak medicine to Sara when she is taken to the infirmary and suffering from typhus.

Helene is discovered conspiring with the underground network, attempting to come up with plans to escape, she is executed in front of the camp, Sara is also in the audience.

Sara survives the evacuation of the camp by remaining in the infirmary, where she is sick with pneumonia, her fellow prisoners play dead when the SS enter to destroy documents. Afterwards, the camp is deserted and it is only a matter of time before the camp is liberated, it is just a matter of survival.

Sara eventually makes her way to Palestine, to the address Paul gave her. Whilst she doesn’t reunite with Paul (who unfortunately was shot on a death march), she does meet the man he saved in the process, Claude. Together, they make their way to her remaining family in America.

Whilst I enjoyed that this book was short in nature, I felt disheartened by the lack of detail and how hard I found the passage of time in the book. Things seemed to happen one after another with no space in between, and whilst it may have been months or years in the book, it felt significantly shorter. I enjoy historical fiction because it brings to life the stories of those that came before us, but in this case, I feel other authors have achieved this in a better way.

I give the book 4.5 stars. I received a free ebook from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review. I'm Jewish. I have read books on the holocaust. I think this is the first historical fiction book I have read on the holocaust.

Holocaust books are always difficult to read. You know what happened. I feel it's more important than ever to read and talk about the holocaust. Antisemitism is on the rise. Holocaust denial is on the rise

The book is fairly easy to read. The chapters aren't too long. I would need breaks from the book because a holocaust book is horrifying.

The book talks about the horrors of the Holocaust. It, also, talks about family, faith, and friendship. These themes made the book relatable. These parts of the story, made me want to continue to read. It made the story and the characters human and likeable.

I encourage others to read this story. I look forward to the authors next book. I am thankful to Netgalley and the author for the opportunity to read this wonderful book.

Thank you Netgalley for the read!
I finished this book pretty quickly. Beautifully written story about two sisters being captured by Nazi's during WWII and being taken to concentration camps to become seamstresses. Like most WWII books this one is also a heart grabber and had me crying. I'd compare it to the Tattooist of Auschwitz. Very well done and highly recommend.

I absolutely loved The Tattooist of Auschwitz and this book is just as good as that book

C.K. McAdam has crafted a powerful and unforgettable novel that pays tribute to the resilience and strength of the human spirit.

Though difficult to read, this book is powerful and I felt all the emotions including their anguish and hopelessness.

This is an incredible story and one I won't forget soon. It is a definite recommend

Thank you publisher and netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own and isn't influenced by anyone else

Such a bittersweet story that was beautifully told! I experienced every emotion while reading it which is something I love about historical fiction. Great book! Thanks to Netgalley, publisher, and CK Mcadam for the read!!

From a Jewish family of seamstresses and a tailor father, Sara and her sisters are affected deeply by the brutality of the Nazi regime. From concentration camp Ravensbruck to Auschwitz, their talents sewing dresses for Nazi wives saves them from death in the ovens, but at a high cost...well written historical fiction.

I have never cried at a book so much in my life!

This story was so sad, shocking, yet incredibly inspiring.

The story follows a young girl who has followed in her families footsteps to become a seamstress.

During the war, Sara, is forced into a concentration camp and is forced to work long, painful hours. with a sewing machine in order to make uniforms and dresses or she will be killed.

During her time in the camp, she suffers loss after loss and loses those closest to her. Sara eventually becomes incredibly ill. Her sister, Helene, tries to come up with a plan to get them out of the concentration camp but it’s too dangerous and they must think of another plan.

Sara’s story is incredibly sad and honestly, I cried so much during this book. She is such a loveable character who has so much determination and courage.

The ending especially had me sobbing!! 😭

5 ⭐️

‼️ TW : this book does contain war, death of all ages, torture, starvation, illness and violence ‼️

Loved reading the wonderfully written story. When the Nazi's take over Germany, Sara's family send their youngest to England, Sara's father is brutally murdered, Sara and her sister are captured and taken to a camp and become seamstresses for the Nazi women, watches sisters die, her mother, aunt, and niece taken away, and other atrocities. Read the highly recommended and a must read riveting story.

Sara is a young woman when the height of WW2 broke out and she found herself in a situation of heartbreak and horror. Suddenly her neighbors and classmates become hostile, her father is brutally attacked and they are forced to send one of her sisters away for safety. Eventually Sara and her whole family find themselves in a concentration camp and the other thing that saves her and her sisters is their ability to sew and create gowns. What transpires next is a testament to how strong a person can be despite a lifetimes worth of heartbreak and sorrow.

This was a very moving book that was an easy fast read. I felt for the characters and am thankful to Netgalley and to the publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy.

“The Seamstress of Auschwitz” is a WWII historical fiction book by C. K. McAdam. In this book, the reader follows Sara, daughter of a German Jewish tailor. The story begins when Sara is older and then goes back to Sara’s life before WWII. We see Sara mature as WWII begins and tears apart her family. Sara and her sisters have learned how to sew competently - including create new fashions. While I found the idea of this book interesting, it had a rather slow pace. Things did pick up after Sara and her family is, sadly, rounded up for internment - but then slowed down again and became a bit of a love story that seemed more desperation/insta-lust than the true love Sara seemed to feel it was. I think the horrors faced in Ravensbruck and Auschwitz were conveyed with care to the readers, but I cannot say that I learned much new while reading this book. For me, it was an engaging read, but I cannot say it was my favorite WWII fiction read.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publishing company and or the author for giving me the opportunity to read and review The Seamstress of Auschwitz.

I love everything.

This book is right there with The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The Book Thief, I am Messenger.

Very compelling reading. Sara grew up in Germany but when the Nazis took over it mattered more that she was a Jew. Transported to a camp her skill as a seamstress kept her from hard labor outdoors. She still suffered from overwork and lack of food. The story follows her, and through her, her family until the end.

I have to be honest and tell you i almost dnfed it at 20 % ,it. Started out so slow. But I continued on, and the book started to touch my heart. I starten to love the Main characters, i cried and laughed with them. So i highly recommend this book.
Thank you netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion

What a moving read! I have read many books about WWII and Auschwitz, yet I had never heard of the fashion salon operating in the basement. I also knew little about the lives of Jews who escaped to Palestine after the war, so I enjoyed getting a glimpse into that. The ending brought me to tears, and I still have goosebumps! Can’t wait to read more by this author.

The Seamstress of Auschwitz is a repeat of the many stories we've all read about the horrors of the Nazi regime especially towards Jews, but somehow this story is more personalized. Sara is a 3rd or 4th generation seamstress and lives with her sisters and parents. Very quickly the brown shirts killed her father and the rest of the family was hauled away at different times. Sara, her 2 sisters and a very young niece end up at Auschwitz and McAdam describes this in vivid detail to the point that I needed to get under a blanket to keep reading.

Ultimately, Sara is alone and sick when the Russians liberate the camp. Somehow I never thought about what happened after liberation, and again, McAdam delivers evidence of the scattering of people - looking for their relatives without a lot of hope. Their homes are now occupied by Germans so they have no place to go. Sara only has a brother Georg. The rest of her family is missing - and probably dead.

And yet, her optimism is evident in spite of her experiences. This book will weigh you down with grief and yet the ray of light at the end of the book gives hope for all.

This was an interesting story of a Jewish family in Germany during the years leading to World War II and during the war years . It is very similar to other novels with the same theme and, although heartbreaking, it did not offer anything new or different. It was interesting to me since I had visited Krakow and both Auschwitz and Birkenau but it is not a book I could recommend to others.
I thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to its publication.