NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • One million copies sold! Inspired by the life of a real World War II heroine, this remarkable debut novel reveals the power of unsung women to change history in their quest for love, freedom, and second chances. “Extremely moving and memorable . . . This impressive debut should appeal strongly to historical fiction readers and to book clubs that adored Kristin Hannah’s that adored Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale and Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See.” —Library Journal (starred review)
New York socialite Caroline Ferriday has her hands full with her post at the French consulate and a new love on the horizon. But Caroline’s world is forever changed when Hitler’s army invades Poland in September 1939—and then sets its sights on France.
An ocean away from Caroline, Kasia Kuzmerick, a Polish teenager, senses her carefree youth disappearing as she is drawn deeper into her role as courier for the underground resistance movement. In a tense atmosphere of watchful eyes and suspecting neighbors, one false move can have dire consequences.
For the ambitious young German doctor, Herta Oberheuser, an ad for a government medical position seems her ticket out of a desolate life. Once hired, though, she finds herself trapped in a male-dominated realm of Nazi secrets and power.
The lives of these three women are set on a collision course when the unthinkable happens and Kasia is sent to Ravensbrück, the notorious Nazi concentration camp for women. Their stories cross continents—from New York to Paris, Germany, and Poland—as Caroline and Kasia strive to bring justice to those whom history has forgotten.
USA Today “New and Noteworthy” Book • LibraryReads Top Ten Pick
“Harrowing . . . Lilac illuminates.”—People
“A compelling, page-turning narrative . . . Lilac Girls falls squarely into the groundbreaking category of fiction that re-examines history from a fresh, female point of view. It’s smart, thoughtful and also just an old-fashioned good read.”—Fort Worth Star-Telegram
“A powerful story for readers everywhere . . . Martha Hall Kelly has brought readers a firsthand glimpse into one of history’s most frightening memories. A novel that brings to life what these women and many others suffered. . . . I was moved to tears.”—San Francisco Book Review
“[A] compelling first novel . . . This is a page-turner demonstrating the tests and triumphs civilians faced during war, complemented by Kelly’s vivid depiction of history and excellent characters.”—Publishers Weekly
“Kelly vividly re-creates the world of Ravensbrück.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Inspired by actual events and real people, Martha Hall Kelly has woven together the stories of three women during World War II that reveal the bravery, cowardice, and cruelty of those days. This is a part of history—women’s history—that should never be forgotten.”—Lisa See, New York Times bestselling author of China Dolls
“Profound, unsettling, and thoroughly . . . the best book I’ve read all year.”—Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
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One of the best novels about WWII
The idea of telling the story from three different points of view about World War II was a story that even after I finished it I was haunted by it. The horrors that the people undertook under the Germans was horrific and to be able to confront someone who did injustice to you was amazing.
This was a great book and I think it should be on a list for people to read.
Historical fiction surrounding WW2. This is about three women who’s separate lives eventually coincide. One is a New York socialite who’s love is everything French and she tirelessly campaigns for funding to send help to France during the war, especially the orphaned children, as the Germans take over France. Another is a young polish girl who gets caught up in the thick of Nazi occupied Poland and is sent to a concentration camp in Germany where she undergoes all the tortuous happenings we are all familiar with. Another is a German doctor who is a true follower of Hitler and thinks Jews and Poles are subhuman. She is eventually sent to the camp where the young polish girl is at. Both the socialite and the German doctor are real people during this war and the young polish girl, although fictional, is based on a real prisoner from Ravensbruk concentration camp. The story encompasses the years with the war and into the late 1950s. The reader will feel compassion, despair, love, hate, humiliation. At the end the author delves into the real characters and the real happenings, leaving the reader astounded at the evilness and ignorance and bravery of those involved.
This book was depressing.
Beautiful read.
Haunting story about the holocaust.
I am drawn to the WWII era, to England and Poland. This book had all three items. The story is told from the perspectives of three characters, all from different parts of the world and impacted by the war in different ways. Each is developed in ways that the reader will either empathize with them, or wonder if they would have made the same decisions if they were in the same situation.
The author did her best to keep facts straight while weaving a story based on some historical people. Many WWII museums and sites in Poland have plaques that tell visitors we must remember. Lilac Girls helps us to remember, too.
The story was good, and hard. But it leaves the reader with possibilities to learn more, by reading her other novels and/or by visiting the Connecticut estate, now a public visiting center, with artifacts, historical information and beautiful grounds to enjoy. As a west coast gal, I’d love to visit it!
Finely crafted novel that you cannot put down and will never forget.
characters are real people, or based on actual people.
Wonderful!
Exciting and intense
This is an amazing book, I never knew how much suffering the Polish people endured at the hands of the Nazi regime first. then the Russian. The book characters based on the heroines who suffered so much physical, mental-emotional trauma in the concentration camp are the true heroines of the war.
Caroline the American woman who was pivotal in their rehabilitation never wavered one second for what she needed to accomplish. I will re-read this book because I don’t want to forget these amazing women.
Enlightening
Thoroughly enjoyed it!!!!
I enjoyed this book but was disappointed in the ending. It was as though the author just decided to suddenly end it.
Based on true story of holocaust. Kept me awake some nights thinking of the horrible things that happened.
These types of books, reminding us both of the evil that man is capable of AND the bravery, kindness, and compassion, are necessary to help prevent a recurrence of such evil. This story is so well written, the women come to life on the page.
Excellent insight into the lives of the women greatly impacted during WW2 and the holocaust. Very well written.
Excellent book. One of my favorite reads!!
Well written, but depressing. It was not what I expected from the write up or the picture on cover.