The Child of Auschwitz

Could a baby be born in Auschwitz and survive? I know that babies were routinely killed at Auschwitz but I would never have imagined that one could be both born and survive. The Child of Auschwitz is the story of that miracle and is based on the life of Vera Bein who gave birth to a daughter in December of 1944 while in Auschwitz-Birkenau.<br /><br /><i>I was born into a world that had forbidden my existence.</i><br /><br /><i>The simple fact of me, had any of the authorities known, would have been enough to end my life before it had even begun. Still, I came. Small, and half-starved, yet determined to be alive, on one of the coldest nights in one of the darkest places in human history.</i><br /><br />Lily Graham seamlessly interweaves the story of Eva Adami while in the camps and several years before being captured. While there are sections that explore the past, Eva also tells stories, including how she met her husband and their courtship, to a small group of other female prisoners to detract them from their hellish existence. We become acquainted with Eva’s family and learn how Eva met Michal, who becomes her husband. Eva voluntarily goes to Auschwitz from the Terezin Jewish ghetto in order to find her beloved Michal. Accompanying her is Sofie, her new friend who’s in search of her cousin who looked after her young son Tomas until she was captured. She needs to find out from the cousin where she hid her son so she can find him after the war. We witness the exceedingly close and remarkable friendship between Eva and Sofie, both of whom are completely devoted to one another and will do whatever it takes to both protect and save each other. It is a beautiful friendship that seemingly knows no bounds.<br /><br />Eva shows incredible strength and resilience and we really get to know her and Sofie. It is a moving and emotional story that will hold the reader until the final pages.It was truly miraculous that a baby could born to a mother who is starving and stick thin. It was also a godsend that the baby was unable to cry, due to the tiny size of her lungs, and so could live undetected by the Nazis. <br /><br /><i>I barely made a sound, my underdeveloped lungs unable to allow me to cry. It would make my life hard, a price I would pay for all my years, but it is why I survived.</i><br /><br />While the atrocities inflicted on fellow human beings described here are unimaginable and incomprehensible, this is also a story about hope, courage, a determination to survive, friendship and a Mother’s love for her child. The Child of Auschwitz is beautifully written and the character development is very well done. The ending felt rushed to me but this did not deter from my overall positive reading experience.<br /><br />Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

Eva Adami had only been married for twelve months when they took her husband Michal away; sent him to the concentration camp at Terezin just north of Prague. When she and her parents followed a few months later, Eva was delighted to find Michal and although separated, she was able to see him frequently. But all too soon he was sent to Auschwitz – and Eva volunteered to be sent there; foolish or not, she needed to find Michal.<br /><br />Not having had any idea what she was in for, Eva was shocked and horrified at what the Nazis were doing to her countrymen and women. Her friend Sofie, along with other women in the cold, dank barracks where they shivered and starved, kept Eva strong. They kept each other’s spirits up, but it was a difficult task. So many people died; were murdered or fell where they stood. Eva and Sofie were determined to survive this war; Sofie needed to find her son Tomas, Eva to find Michal. But when Michal was found, it wasn’t long before he was sent to another camp…<br /><br />Would a pregnant Eva and a desperate Sofie survive the horrors of Auschwitz? <br /><br /><i>The Child of Auschwitz</i> is my first by author Lily Graham, and I found it to be another beautifully written, well researched fictional account of the Holocaust and the dreadful atrocities which occurred during that horrific time in history. The story starts and ends in present day Prague; the bulk of the story centres around Eva and Sofie, characters I felt I knew. An excellent historical fiction novel which I highly recommend.<br /><br />With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.<br />

In 1942 Prague. Eva Adami has endured two long days, standing up in a train she's tired, hungry, thirsty, dirty and in shock. For Eva and thousands of other Jewish people, nothing could ever prepare them for the horror of the concentration camp known as Auschwitz and it's nightmare. When the train finally arrives, the guards are yelling at them to get out, dogs are barking, the women are sorted into groups and led into a large hall. Here the frightened women are told to remove their clothes, their heads are shaved and it's a mad scramble to find anything to cover themselves from the pile of dirty clothes.<br /><br />Eva and Sofie are on the train together, both have been separated from the people they love and they plan to find them in the camp. Eva has been separated from her new husband Michal, he received a letter telling him he was being sent to a work camp and Eva sure he's in Auschwitz? Sofie has been betrayed by her cousin Lotte, she informed the Germans that she was trying to flee the country and was separated from her baby son. Lotte might have taken Tomas to a orphanage in Austria, she was also sent to a concentration camp and is Lotte in Auschwitz?<br /><br />Eva, Sofie and Helga share the same bunk in the awful accommodation block. Their days are spent standing in a line, being counted twice a day, standing in the freezing cold rain and sometimes it can take the guards hours to complete the count. They work sorting clothes and belongings taken from the new people who arrive at the camp everyday. Sofie is soon targeted by one of the guards called Meier and he uses any excuse to touch her. When Eva discovers Michal is in the camp hospital, Sofie makes the choice to give in to the guards demands and her friend Eva can spend half an hour with her husband.<br /><br />Sofie's soon a target of a nasty guard, he hates her and she's forced to change jobs and is doing hard labor. Eva is being worked to death and she discovers that she's pregnant. Both women know that they can't last much longer living in the camp, the Germans are being defeated and both women need to hang on until the Russians arrive. Eva and Sofie make a promise to look after each other children, they will find Tomas and keep Eva's baby safe.<br /><br />The Child Of Auschwitz is a story about two mothers love for their children and their devotion to each other. Sofie is on a mission to find her lost son Tomas and Eva needs to hide her pregnancy for as long as she can and give her baby a chance to be born. It's a story about love, hope, motherhood, human spirit and friendship. <br />I enjoyed reading: The Child Of Auschwitz, the opinions expressed in this review are my own and I gave the book four stars.<br />

What a fantastic read,this book about survival of friends who stick together in hard times and a love story.even if we know about what happens in the camps you feel the hardships of the characters this book was heartbreaking but its shows strength to survive well written book.well worth reading.

This is such a heart-breaking story of survival, it’s haunting but at the same time uplifting to know that there can be hope against all odds.<br /><br />Could you imagine a Jewish baby being born in Auschwitz and surviving? This is an amazing story of the miracle of life. The strength and hope that the women in this story held onto to survive despite the atrocities they encountered was incredible.<br /><br />The story begins in Prague, Year 1938 where families were sceptical about the rumours of the Nazis invading Czechoslovakia. They felt the invasion wouldn’t reach Prague and by the time they realised how wrong they were it was too late to escape the country.<br /><br />This is a very character driven story about friendships, survival and courage amongst the horrific conditions in the concentration camps the Jewish were taken to and had to endure. Most of their survival was dependent on luck and timing. <br /><br />The story is centred around Eva Adami a young Jewish girl who is newly married to Michal a Jewish symphony violin player and Sofie Weis a young mother who becomes best friends with Eva at the concentration camp.<br /> <br />This book was inspired by the true story of Vera Bein who gave birth to her daughter in the top bunk of camp C at Auschwitz-Birkenau in December 1944. The baby weighed just 1kg and was too weak to cry. Records show that at least 700 children were born in Auschwitz-Birkenau and to date only a handful of them are known to have survived.<br /><br />A beautiful story, one of my favourite holocaust stories read this year, spellbinding reading! 4.5 Stars!<br /><br /><i>Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy</i>

This story is about life in a concentration camp and The Holocaust. It follows the struggles of Eva and Sofie while they were prisoners in the Auschwitz Concentration camp. We learn of the events that's brought them together and we witness their struggle to survive. <br /><br />The narrative is told is duel timelines. One is told in the present which is 1942 and the other I the past which is 1938. The book is set between a terrible atrocity. This is a beautifully written story. There are some genuine lovely characters but there is also some nasty spiteful lighters as well. The conditions in the concentration camps are described vividly. A story of death, despair, survival and hope. Younwill need the tissues beside you as this story will pull at your heartstrings. <br /><br />I would like to thank Netgalley, Bookouture and the author Lily Graham for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Αν είχα διαβάσει αυτό το βιβλίο λίγα χρόνια πριν, νομίζω πως θα μου άρεσε περισσότερο,. Τον τελευταίο καιρό όμως έχω την αίσθηση ότι έχουν κυκλοφορήσει πολλά βιβλία με θέμα τη ζωή στο Άουσβιτς (ή πιο σωστά με γενικότερο θέμα τη ζωή στα χρόνια του δευτέρου παγκοσμίου πολέμου) και έχω διαβάσει αρκετά από αυτά, οπότε δυστυχώς το συγκεκριμένο δεν με ενθουσίασε. <br /><br />Οι περιγραφές της καθημερινότητας των κρατουμένων στο στρατόπεδο ήταν πολύ καλές, κατάφερε να μου δώσει μια ιδέα, αλλά έλειπε η ένταση, δεν κατάφερε να με κάνει να τους συναισθανθώ. Για παράδειγμα, ανέφερε πολλές φορές το πόσο πολύ κρύωναν ή πεινούσαν όλοι εκεί, αλλά δεν περιέγραφε τα συναισθήματα και τις σκέψεις των κρατουμένων ή το πώς ένιωθαν, έμενε στην επιφάνεια. Κάποιες λίγες στιγμές που εμβάθυνε στη θλίψη των γυναικών πάνω στις οποίες βασίζεται η ιστορία ήταν καλύτερο, δεν με συγκίνησε ιδιαίτερα όμως. <br /><br />Στο βιβλίο ωστόσο εκτός από τις μέρες που πέρασαν στο στρατόπεδο περιγράφεται και η ζωή της Εύας και της Σόφι πριν τον πόλεμο και ο τρόπος που έφτασαν εκεί. Και οι δύο ιστορίες ήταν πολύ όμορφες, ειδικά της Σόφι μου άρεσε περισσότερο. Δεν ήταν ωστόσο μια ιστορία που θα μπορούσε να σταθεί από μόνη της σαν κοινωνικού περιεχομένου μυθιστόρημα, το βάρος του βιβλίου δίνεται στην ζωή στο Άουσβιτς. <br /><br />Είναι πολύ καλογραμμένο, διαβάζεται γρήγορα και ευχάριστα, με απορρόφησε και δεν βαρέθηκα στιγμή. Δεν ήταν κάτι που θα μου μείνει αξέχαστο, χαίρομαι όμως που το διάβασα. <br /><br /><a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://kiallovivlio.blogspot.com/">https://kiallovivlio.blogspot.com/</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://thematofylakes.gr/">https://thematofylakes.gr/</a>

This is a rather tepid treatment of the real horrors of Auschwitz. Some scenarios were completely unrealistic as will be obvious to anyone who has read a great deal about the death camps.<br /><br />Chapters written in Italics caused a disruption to the flow of the story. And the fact that the book is 230 pages there was little room to truly develop the characters or properly communicate the abhorrence of a death camp.<br /><br />By no stretch of the imagination would a phrase such as “Eva waited for Sofie to get home” (Pg.134) occur to a woman in Auschwitz. <br /><br />This could be a YA’s introduction to the WWII death camps.<br /><br />2-stars because I believe the author had the best of intentions.<br />

This one hurt my heart, but it was also inspiring. The strength and hope is just beyond what I can imagine. A wonderful read. Have tissues ready!

<b>My rating: 4.5 Stars</b><br /><br />Eva Adami is in Prague. But then the story goes back to 1942. She survived a very long and grueling train ride, with the worst possible treatment imaginable, Eva is about to begin yet another tragic chapter in her life.<br /><br />Eva is one of thousands of Jewish people being lined up for extermination. Dragged out of her home, her life, and the happiness she knew, her life will forever be changed. This story, and that last couple that I have read, have focused on what women suffered during that time. <b> <i>The Child of Auschwitz </i> </b>is one such story.<br /><br />For readers of this genre, or about this time in history, there is no need to repeat the many horrors these women experienced. Another woman highlighted in this book is Sofie. The story goes back to her past life occasionally. We read of her falling in love, mothering a child, Tomas, then losing her husband and all contact with Tomas. Eva and Sofia become very close and offer a tremendous amount of support to one another during their horrific trials.<br /><br />We meet other women who are forced to live together on the block. They did manage to become part of Kanada, a special camp, and thus were spared gassing. They had a lot of advantages, but were not spared much of the suffering and humiliation.<br /><br />Before Eva was dragged off to the camps she met and married. Blessedly she finds her love again, and they even manage to create a life between them. Eva struggles to keep her child alive, all while Sofie hopes to see her son again. Both Eva and Sofie are forced to face even more brutal and tragic trials.<br /><br />Despite the sadness... Despite the tragedy...This is a story of survival, of hope, of friendship, and of love. I cried more than once but I was left with a very full feeling in my heart at Eva's perseverance through it all. This was an amazing read, and as always, Lily Graham has done a stellar job.<br /><br />Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.