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emcbee's review against another edition
5.0
"Until one day, when we looked around and saw what we did and were suddenly so terrified of what we had become..."
The above quotation is from "Auschwitz Syndrome," and I think it sums up one of the themes of this book perfectly. The book is based on the true story of a young Jewish woman who fell in love with a camp guard at Auschwitz. More than the details of every day life in Auschwitz, it also analyzes how those details changed over time, and how life was different for different classes of prisoner. More, it explores how the captors became the prisoners.
I thought the book was well-written. The author shows the narrator's unreliability through unexpected ways, and it becomes clear that she filters her memories through her later experiences. When the point of view changes, it's easy to tell the difference among the narrators. Having some of those narrators be medical professionals provided a little much-needed distance from the real-life scenes (the unforgettable Hungarian action, for example) that the characters survived. Those scenes were still very detailed and horrifying.
The author's research was meticulous, and she detailed where some of the less well-known aspects of life inside KZ Auschwitz were found. I had not known previously that the first women didn't arrive in Auschwitz until 1942, for example, or how the symbol of the Red Cross was used to calm the inmates. I look forward to reading more from this author.
The above quotation is from "Auschwitz Syndrome," and I think it sums up one of the themes of this book perfectly. The book is based on the true story of a young Jewish woman who fell in love with a camp guard at Auschwitz. More than the details of every day life in Auschwitz, it also analyzes how those details changed over time, and how life was different for different classes of prisoner. More, it explores how the captors became the prisoners.
I thought the book was well-written. The author shows the narrator's unreliability through unexpected ways, and it becomes clear that she filters her memories through her later experiences. When the point of view changes, it's easy to tell the difference among the narrators. Having some of those narrators be medical professionals provided a little much-needed distance from the real-life scenes (the unforgettable Hungarian action, for example) that the characters survived. Those scenes were still very detailed and horrifying.
The author's research was meticulous, and she detailed where some of the less well-known aspects of life inside KZ Auschwitz were found. I had not known previously that the first women didn't arrive in Auschwitz until 1942, for example, or how the symbol of the Red Cross was used to calm the inmates. I look forward to reading more from this author.
creaseinthespinebooks's review against another edition
4.0
This was a well written and well researched historical fiction. We hear about the horrors of Auschwitz but not of Kanada. Descriptions were very vividly described. I really enjoyed reading this book despite its place in history.
chelz286's review against another edition
4.0
This book was SO good! A former Nazi guard, Franz Dahler has a court date for the Denazification Court and his main witness is his wife, Helena. Helena used to be a his prison at Auschwitz working in the Kanada work area. Dr. Hoffman has been brought on to help answer the question of whether Helena is acting out of fear and Stockholm syndrome (not yet known at that time), or is this a bizarre true love story that happened during one of the worse times in history? Based on a true story, the author does an amazing job telling the story through the various characters. Her research really shows through on this novel. I look forward to her writing more historical fiction.
rebeccacarter's review
5.0
Ms Midwood never ceases to amaze me with the stories she tells. With each book, the writing gets better and the stories are more heartfelt. I've read many stories about the Holocaust, but hers touch me in a way that many of the others don't. This series about women has been especially emotional. The horrors of the war affected the perpetrators and victims alike. I once met a German man who must have been a soldier in the war. The anguish in his face when he thought about what had happened touched me to the core. It's this anguish that I feel in this book.
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