This is another heartwrending story of loss and suffering by Heather Morris following her book The Tattooist of Auchswitz. What I found particularly sad was Heather's own story of growing up in a harsh, unloving family where girls were not worth much compared to male offspring. Her mother's cruelty was appalling, I'm so glad that Heather managed to get away from that environment and make a good life for herself despite her harsh upbringing. The rest of the book is very similr to Heather's previous one, stories about survivors of the death camp (where I lost numerous relatives of my own) in Poland. You need to be in a good frame of mind to tackle this and perhaps not directly related to this deathly period in European history.

‘Stories of Hope’ is a truly captivating book, in which Heather Morris highlights how important it is to listen to the people around us.
Morris chronicles the development of her relationship with Lale Sokolov, the ‘Tattooist of Auschwitz’, when he asks her to tell his story after so many years of silence. The ensuing friendship that blossoms is truly remarkable and heartwarming.
Morris also talks about other Holocaust survivors she has met, and who have shared their stories with her, as well as how listening to everyone can have a positive impact.
This book was so well written, and thought out. Also so necessary, Everyone has a story to tell, if only there is someone to listen! Heather Morris was the perfect person to tell Lale’s story, and Cilka’s, she appears to be a very skilled listener and writes what needs to be shared. I absolutely think everyone should read Stories of Hope, and her other books. It is important that this part of history is not forgotten!

Stories of Hope by Heather Morris is ostensibly about listening, not least as her childhood was blighted by the lack of communication and support from her Mother in her rural New Zealand upbringing. I say ostensibly as much of the book is the story of her 2 best-selling books,"The Tattooist of Auschwitz" and Cilka's Journey with similar treatment for her next book as well. Nothing wrong with that and she does mention the need to listen to people throughout but it seems she drifts quite often from the central premise into it being more partly autobiography ,partly a book about previous books.
Despite this I really enjoyed the book as I haven't read either of her best-sellers yet but from what I've read I will at the earliest opportunity. As I've not read either book I have no idea if the information here is a repeat of some of their content but the story of Lale Sokolov's relationship with the author, and from there her family,is very touching. There is also a bit of an update as Ms Morris tells of claims made by Lale that couldn't be verified and so were left out out of The Tattooist of Auschwitz being verified by those involved.
There's no need to have read any of Heather Morris's previous books to enjoy this one but I suspect you'll get more out of it if you have, Conversely reading it piqued my interest enough to want to read those as well.

Thanks to Heather Morris , Bonnier Books UK and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Having read and enjoyed the two previous books by Heather Morris, The tattooist of Auschwitz and Cilkas journey, I was eager to read her latest book.

The book is about listening and how by learning to listen you can see more clearly. The book starts at the beginning of 2020, the Australian bush fires then touches on the Covid19 Pandemic. She tells of her life growing up in New Zealand and tales from Gramps.

She tells how she met Lale, from The Tattooist of Auschwitz. how she listened and how he trusted her with his stories. I like how the book flits from the present to the past and how she added the stories she couldn't prove to be true in the first book but she added them to this book after being contacted by readers.

If your expecting another book that is similar to The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Cilkas Journey, this inst the same. You still get to hear stories but its more about how the author listened, she does share some stories that were not included in the books. This is a story of hope and it is beautiful!

After reading The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Cilkas journey I was really looking forward to reading Stories of Hope. Although this book was very different, as it was a personal story of Heather Morris’s life experiences it was just as thought provoking as her previous books .

In our busy lives we sometimes forget the skill of listening. So many people around us have a story to tell and if we can actively listen our own understanding and life can be enriched. Heathers skill of listening was beautifully explored in the book. Without it we would never have learned of lale Sokolov and his experiences which shed such a profound light on a time in history that should never be forgotten. I loved discovering the friendship they shared and the untold research which went into writing such a fantastic book. I also loved the personal experiences Heather shared.

We all need hope in our lives, and this book reminds us that through even the most difficult of circumstances the glimmer of hope can be what keeps us going. We can all find inspiration in everyday lives if we only take the time to look and appreciate other people and their stories. What better time than in these uncertain times to read Stories of Hope.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for my chance to read this beautiful book.

This is a very unusual subject for a book but one that is very successful. The author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz gives her readers a privileged insight into how she became the confidant of the tattooist, Lale Sokolov, late in his life and just after his wife and fellow camp prisoner died. The book then goes on to share similar experiences in the preparation of her other best seller, Cilka’s Journey. Heather Morris grew up in New Zealand the moved to Melbourne. Sokolov was there too. She shares the trauma she experienced herself in listening to the horrendous experiences which were confided to her. The nature of her relationship with Lale is beautifully told. Morris uses this book also to analyse the nature of communication and relationships and shares intimate details about her personal life and that of her family. It makes fascinating and demanding reading and will lead many readers to be introspective. Her lessons about effective communication and the nature of listening are worth reading for themselves. This book is an important background to the two books already published. It also gives advanced notice of number three! This is a brave, honest and fascinating account of Morris’s approach to her novels.

I absolutely love Heather's other books and inhaled this. Such an inspirational book to put life in perspective. Would recommend.

In Stories of Hope, Heather Morris takes us on an inspirational journey through some of the defining experiences of her life, including her profound friendship with Lale Sokolov, the tattooist at Auschwitz-Birkenau and the inspiration for her bestselling novel. Heather Morris will explore her extraordinary talents as a listener - a skill she employed when she first met Lale. It was this ability that led Lale to entrust Heather with his story, which she told as the novel The Tattooist of Auschwitz and its bestselling follow up, Cilka's Journey. Now she shares her inspiring writing journey, exploring how she learned to really listen to the stories people told her, some of which she has shared with millions of readers in her fiction. An essential companion to The Tattooist of Auschwitz and an inspiring manual for life, Stories of Hope will examine and explore Heather's extraordinary writing journey, in the form of a series of tales of the remarkable people she has met, the incredible stories they have shared with her, and the lessons they hold for us all.

Heather hopes Stories of Hope will help people become better listeners as only through listening and internalising peoples stories will we learn how to understand and empathise better with others. By listening and giving time to other peoples experiences we can hear the voices behind said stories. She explains that the reason she feels her two bestselling books became what they were was through her ability to listen to the experiences of Lale, through his own words, and of Cilka, through her friends and neighbours. Of course, writing any true story requires a great deal of intensive listening but it's perhaps even more important when it pertains to agonising and torturous Holocaust stories. She explains that through these stories we find hope in the fact that if others can triumph over such severe adversity then we can also. All in all, this is an inspiring and sincere book and a perfect gift for those who enjoyed both of her life-affirming novels. Many thanks to Bonnier Zaffre for an ARC.

Stories Of Hope by Heather Morris is a powerful read about the importance of listening to others when they are talking.
Heather Morris wrote The Tattooist Of Auschwitz and also Cilka’s Journey, both of which I have read and are excellent. Within this book Heather Morris talks about her experiences of listening to Lale as he talked about Auschwitz. It was important to listen well and not ask questions that would interrupt his flow.
Many survivors of the concentration camps do not talk about their experiences, especially within their families. Their stories need to be told in tribute to both the survivors and the six million innocents who died.
We must give our full attention to whoever is speaking. Their stories are about them and not us. It is the speaker who must decide when to pause, not us to interrupt. Their pain is not our pain. We must listen well but not take their burden upon ourselves. Having listened to the horrors, we must take time to de-stress. Heather Morris listens to music.
Heather Morris talks about the importance of listening to children too. Often as busy mums, we fail to listen and be fully engaged. We must learn to give children our full attention.
It is important to listen to ourselves too. We need to recognise and go with our gut reactions to situations.
Heather Morris gives us tips to help us to listen well and to encourage others to tell their stories. The stories that she shares, although at a terrible time, also speak of hope as people survived. They did what they needed to do to survive. It is important that we do not judge their actions.
I loved this quote from Lale:
“If you wake up, it’s going to be a good day.”
May we never forget the six million innocents.
Thank you Heather Morris for a powerful inspirational read.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

This is a heartwarming book in which we mainly hear about Heather’s experience in listening to people.
She grew up listening to her great grandfather which first highlighted the importance of listening to others.
This helped her learn how to listen to Lale and helped create the novel, The Tattoist of Auschwitz.
I loved discovering the friendship they shared and the untold research which went into writing such a great book.
We all need hope in our lives, and this book reminds us that even when times are hard the tiny glimmer of hope can be what keeps us going.
Thanks to Bonnier Books UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.