Reviews tagging 'Child death'

The Midwife of Auschwitz by Anna Stuart

6 reviews

abbysnailll's review

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Child abuse, Grief, Murder, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Child death, Classism, Medical trauma, Police brutality, and Violence

haleybre's review

challenging dark hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Child death, Medical content, Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Death of parent, Murder, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Xenophobia, Grief, Violence, Death, War, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Blood, Child abuse, and Chronic illness

cailinfitzgerald's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child death, Grief, Hate crime, Death of parent, Torture, Violence, Child abuse, Death, Sexual assault, War, Antisemitism, Bullying, Murder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, and Racial slurs

sarahflanders's review

dark emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Antisemitism, Child abuse, Grief, Pregnancy, Violence, Classism, Abortion, Alcoholism, Murder, Rape, Blood, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, War, Hate crime, and Kidnapping

emilinkaa's review

dark emotional informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

TRIGGER WARNING: Holocaust, graphic violence, infanticide.

Ana and Esther are two Polish women, one Jewish and one in the Resistance, who both end up in Auschwitz. And when it comes to light that they're both midwives, they're put to work helping the women of the camp give birth. But the children aren't given the chance to live, ripped from their mothers to be given to German parents if they look Aryan enough, or killed by the SS. Still, Ana and Esther work as hard as they can to save the children and their mothers.

This book wrecked me. Based on the true story of a midwife at Auschwitz, it made my heart ache, and I kept hoping for a happily ever after for everyone involved. But this wasn't a love story, and I don't want to say much more without giving spoilers, but I found this to be a very well written, very well researched, historical novel. I studied WW2 in college, and have been to Auschwitz, and can say that the author's descriptions of many of the places in Poland, and at Auschwitz, line up with what I have seen myself. 5/5 stars. Bring the tissues.

I was provided an ARC copy of this book through Netgalley. My thanks to the publisher and the author for providing it to me. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, War, Violence, and Child death

gabriellainman's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings: abortion, childbirth, rape, religious persecution, shooting, infanticide, death 

Through a dual POV from Ana and Ester, we get another retelling of the Holocaust through “The Midwife of Auschwitz”. Split up into three parts, this story talks about the thousands of babies born in Auschwitz. 

Part one focuses on the background of both Ana and Ester. Ester, a self-made nurse in a Jewish ghetto, finds her way in Auschwitz when trying to save her mother. Ana, a midwife, ends up in Auschwitz as a political prisoner with ties to the Resistance. Although part one began slowly, the story truly built in part two. Part two focuses on the life inside Auschwitz, especially in the maternity ward. The violence and cold-heartedness of the Kapos is heartbreaking for two women that bring life into the world. Part three focuses on the liberation of the camp and life after camp for these two women.

This was another group of holocaust survivors that I would not have otherwise known about. This was a difficult read, especially with so much infanticide. If you enjoy reading about WWII, women’s history, or the Third Reich. 

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry and Death

Moderate: Gun violence, Abortion, and Child death

Minor: Rape