Cilka’s is one of the characters from Heather Morris’ book The Tattooist of Auschwitz. She was in the camps with Lale Sokolov and his wife and was subjected to abuse as she was forced to be the sex partner of one of the German officers. Her story tells of her release from Auschwitz by the Soviets only to be condemned as a collaborator and sentenced to the gulag in Siberia.

Cilka is a survivor. She does what she must to keep going each day. She is smart and this leads to opportunities such as better working conditions in the gulag. Despite the harshness of the treatment she routinely receives, she does not pity herself or become despondent. She remains a caring person who will puts the welfare of her friends before her own well-being.

Based upon the real Cilka Klein, this is a fictionalized story of courage, determination, strength of will and true humanity. Putting the needs of others before yourself, while your own life is under duress, is the sign of a truly heroic person. Her life was remarkable and Morris’ book is a wonderful follow-up to a moving story that is based upon real determination and resilience. Powerful and moving, a terrific book for lovers of historical fiction and for book clubs.

Cecilia Klein, along with her mother and sister, were sent to Auschwitz in 1942. Only 16, Cilka was smart and quickly realized that, if she were to survive, she would need to be very careful. She was soon selected to be a supervisor of Block 25, a notorious place where you were sent prior to being transported to the death showers. Cilka received the perks of a warm coat, boots, and better food, but also had to submit to being raped by two SS guards on a regular basis. After liberation, Cilka was stunned to learn that her work in Auschwitz was seen by the Russians as collaboration with the enemy, and because of that, she was sentenced to fifteen years working in a prisoner camp in Siberia.

During her time in Siberia, Cilka’s talent for languages gets the attention of a female doctor, and Cilka begins work in the hospital, first as a records clerk and then training to be a nurse. Living in Hut 29, the women had no protection or assistance when men barged in, choosing whichever woman caught his eye. Cilka and her friend Josie become “wives” of two powerful men, also prisoners, and because of that they are relatively safe from attacks by random men. Cilka continues work in the hospital, meets Alexandr, a fellow prisoner, and is terrified that he will somehow find out about her time in Auschwitz.

I am in awe of Cilka’s Journey. This book, though fiction, is based on a real woman whose strength and courage are legendary. Cilka found a way to survive the darkness and after leaving Siberia, she managed to build a good life and live in peace. Wonderful story with great realism, and now I must go back and read The Tattooist of Auschwitz, the first book in this series.

This is a tough read but utterly believable. Cilka was only 16 when she was sent to a concentration camp but was personally chosen by the commandant to be his sexual object because of her beauty. Despite the constant brutality and fear of death within the camp, Cilka survived Auschwitz only to face more imprisonment after the war for being a collaborator because she slept with the enemy. It did not matter that she had no choice but to submit to repeated rapes or face death; she was sent to serve 15 years at hard labor in Siberia. She gave witness to the end of life for thousands of women at Auschwitch including her own mother as a barracks head the night before they went to the gas chambers but the question remained had she done what she did just to survive at any cost or because she was really a collaborator with the Nazis. The Russians believed this young girl was guilty and so she went off to face more barbarity but at the hands of the Russians and other prisoners.

The book is totally honest from a time where the will and courage to survive was essential along with constantly figuring out the unwritten rules of the brutality everywhere. Cilka is a real person who lived during some of the worst times in human history. It is a remarkable book. I had never read much about the gulags in Siberia so this book really opened my eyes to a very different world where having the will to survive made all the difference between those who would come away at he end and those who simply gave up. Chilka was eventually trained to be a nurse and probably saved many lives through her heroism and compassion. Eventually she left the camp after her sentence was up and returned to her home country.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Cilka Klein is only 16 years old when she is taken to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp where she is forced to become a Nazi commandant's sex slave. Given priveledges that the other women in the camp lack, she uses her influence and extra food rations to help her friends to survive. But upon her release 2 years later, she is charged by the soviets for sleeping with the enemy and sentenced to 15 years hard labor in a Siberian prison camp. After a friend becomes injured, a doctor notices Cilka's skills with language and first aid and offers to train her as a nurse.
I loved Cilka in the Tattooist of Auschwitz and I was so excited to review this book and learn more of her story. The things she witnessed and endured are just heartbreaking.

In her followup to The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Heather Morris chronicle the life of Cilka after her release from the concentration camp and sentencing of 15 years of hard labor at a camp in Siberia. Based on a true story, a wonderful story of survival and hope.

From the Kiwi-born author of The Tattooist Of Auschwitz, Cilka’s Journey explores what happened to young Cecilia (Cilka) Klein, imprisoned in the Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp at the age of 16. Because of her age and beauty, Cilka is singled out by a high-ranking SS officer, separated from the other prisoners, and is forced to endure their attention in order to survive.

When the allies appear, Cilka thinks her nightmare is over. Instead, her Russian liberators charge her as a collaborator and sentenced to hard labor in a Siberian Gulag.

We follow Cilka’s journey from liberation to re-imprisonment, navigating her new position in a strange and brutal place. Flashbacks provide us with insight into Cilka’s life before the Nazis, and her time in Auschwitz-Birkenau.

It’s important to remember that Cilka’s Journey, while based on a real person and actual events, is a work of fiction. Records are sparse, so liberties are taken to flesh out the story. But knowing that doesn’t stop the story from hitting you right in the feels. It goes beyond the atrocities perpetrated by the Nazis and exposes some of the equally brutal ways many victims were treated after the end of the war. It’s a gut-wrenching read and, trust me, your emotions will be all over the place.

What I Loved: Heather Morris does a great job of drawing relatable characters, fleshing out their stories in a way that makes you connect with them. She’s also drawn attention to a part of that history that I had no knowledge of - that the Russians continued to victimize survivors for the smallest reasons. Through it all though, there are little glimpses of humanity and hope from unexpected quarters.

What I Didn’t Love: I’m going to be brutally honest here. I am not a huge fan of Ms. Morris’s writing style. But, for this type of story, it works. There’s no flowery prose or convoluted metaphors. It’s just plain and to the point.

Conclusion: If you’ve read The Tattooist Of Auschwitz, Cilka’s Journey is a no-brainer. If you haven’t, Cilka’s Journey can be read standalone. Just have some tissues handy and be ready to throw the book down in disgust occasionally.

Thanks so much to Netgalley, Bookishfirst and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity!

I never read the first book so I was not prepared in ways for what I had decided to read. This book made my heart break and ran me through so many emotions. I just picked up on a controversy regarding the book but it doesn't really matter. I will be reading the first book at some point.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley on behalf of the Publisher and was under no obligation to post a favorable review.

Thank you to Net galley for the arc in exchange for my honest review. This is the heartbreaking story of Cilka Klein who was taken to Auschwitz at 16 since she was Jewish and survived but seen as a collaborator by the Russians and sent to their prison camp in Siberia. The women there were raped by the men prisoners and it was just a given. Cilka works hard and tries her best to help the women in her tent. She trains as a nurse and does well! We first heard of Cilka in the Tattooist of Auschwitz, I was glad to read another book by Heather Morris, but it was difficult to read about the abuse the women had to go through in the Siberian prison camp.

** I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.**
Although the WW II books are always difficult to read, they are typically some of my favorites. I read the Tattooist of Auschwitz last year and thought the story was devastatingly beautiful. To think that there were people who survived the atrocities of concentration camps only to be thrown into Russian Gulags as co conspirators was shocking.
This book was hard to read and I had some difficult following between the flashbacks and her current circumstances.
It is a story of survival in the most horrific places and to see her “liberated”only to be imprisoned again was heartending. This story will certainly stay with me for a long time.

As a thank, you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced readers copy I shall give an honest review of Cilka’s Journey by Heather Morris. Cilka’s Journey takes place before and after events shared in “The Tattooist of Auschwitz”. Lale Sokolov introduced us to Cilka Klein describing her as the bravest person he had ever met. In this novel, we learn why. The novel follows Cilka as a young woman of sixteen when she was taken to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration camp in 1942. Once the war is over and its prisoners are liberated is Cilka’s freedom still held onto by her oppressors. Cilka is then sent to a prison camp for sleeping with the enemy. In doing so meant her survival. In this camp does she find roles that will assist her in surviving her circumstances. Eventually, it is her role as an assistant nurse does, she harnesses the resilience needed to move forward despite the brutal conditions of what she has endured. It was moving, heartfelt, and overall a joy to read. This novel is one that I would highly recommend to others and give it four out of five stars on good reads.
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I really enjoyed this historical account of life during/after ww2 in Auschwitz and a brutal Russian work camp. I love a book that is interesting and touching (and incredibly sad) but also teaches me about history and a country I am unfamiliar with.

This is such a heart reaching read. Based on real events and from stories from survivors, it just makes the story that much more touching. Even with all that sadness I would recommend it to everyone. Just get your tissues ready.

Truly a remarkable book. I have read a number of books during this time period and this one stands out as one of my top favorites.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance copy

I really enjoyed The Tattooist of Auschwitz (though I am aware of all the criticism it received for being unbelievable), and I was excited to find Ms. Morris’ next novel, Cilka’s Journey on Net Galley. Cilka is a character from Tatooist and the story tells what happens to her after the war.

First I must say that I struggled with the first third of this book. I found it so violent and disturbing that I feared I might not be able to continue reading as I was having nightmares, but I figured that this was someone’s story and they didn’t have the option to “stop reading” so I should stick with it. Luckily for me, things became less graphic and I got really into the plot and characters. Cilka was an amazingly strong young woman, but I was left with such a sense of sorrow – as I often am when I read stories of the Holocaust – that her young life was upended and forever changed by the atrocities of war. I also had no idea that those who “collaborated” with the Nazis in the camps (though some had no choice) by being in charge of their bunks, being forced to have sex with guards, etc. were sent to labor camps after the war.

Recommended to those who enjoyed the first story (though this is a stand alone) and stories of the Holocaust.

I was able to read this amazing book thanks to NetGalley. I was thrilled to receive an ARC and the first book, The Tattooist of Auschwitz, was one of my favorite reads of 2019. The follow up was equally amazing. I flew through the book and couldn’t put it down. It’s well written and I felt deeply how Cilka must have felt. She is an astonishing survivor and her suffering and journey jump off the page. Thanks once again to NetGalley!

Cecelia “Cilka” Klein in only sixteen years old when she is is sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp for being of Czech Jewish origin. Celia is a real person and mentioned several times in author Morris’s previous nivel, “The Tattooist of Auschwitz.”

At Auschwitz, Cilka did what she had to do in Auschwitz to stay alive. It was more survival instinct than having someone to live for, as all her family had been murdered by the Nazis. She had been chosen by two SS officers for sex. She endured the repeated rapes, yet was able to use her position to get extra food to her her fellow inmates.

As this story opens, it is late January 1945. The Allies have arrived, freeing all the captives, but not Cilka. No one believed that she did not collaborate willingly with the Germans. She was tried and sentenced to fifteen years on a Russian gulag in Siberia.

The winters are unbearable, the brief summers equally horrendous. She lives in a dorm filled with other women who are there for one reason. For the officers’ sexual pleasures. Cilka uses her survival skills to help her fellow inmates, earning more and more trust among the guards.

Cilka gets to know some of the women in the “Canada” dorm, the area where jewels and money are gathered from the incoming inmates. She learns how to steal gems and money. She uses them to buy bits of food from two independent contractors.

Cilka’s nursing skills soon have her working in the hospital as a nurse-in-training. She doesn’t care what she has to do; she’s indoors and not trying to empty the coal buckets brought up from deep beneath the snow-covered earth wil frozen fingers.

The protagonist of “The Tattooist of Auschwitz,” Lale Sokolov, called Cilka the bravest person he had ever met. And after reading “Cilka’s Journey,” I agree. Therefore, “Cilka’s Journey”
receives 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

This book has been receiving a great deal of praise, and I can see why. Unfortunately, it was not one of my favorites. I did not read Morris' previous book, The Tatooist of Auschwitz, so perhaps I was not in an appropriate frame of mind. I have, however, read a great deal of "Holocaust literature" and a number of books about the Soviet Union and the atrocities inflicted under Stalin. This book is certainly one that sheds additional light on the difficulties in both Hitler's concentration camps and the Stalin's gulags. It's no surprise that conditions were atrocious (despicable!!), and it's imperative that we never forget what horrors human beings are capble of inflicting on others. As a novel, however, this one falls short.

Cilka's story is based on a real person's experiences, and the most informative and emotionally impactful section is the afterward that explains the facts and aftermath of the gulag era. The fictional narrative (for me) became repetitive and left me emotionally detached with the constant descriptions of the deplorable conditions in the gulag and the lengths to which Cilka had to go to survive. YES, I know that the story reflects a real person's experiences, but the fictional format seemed to lack something that would have kept me interested in what happens to Cilka and her friends. Instead, I became bored & depressed with the day-to-day slog that was her life. YES, I realize that this was Cilka's experience, but in a novel a reader expects more action/emotion and those moments were just too few and far between.

Although this would likely be a good choice for a book club, especially one that had read "Tatooist", I could not recommend it for the general populace.

From my blog: Always With a Book:

I recently read and loved, as much as you can love, Heather Morris's book, The Tattooist of Auschwitz, and one of the reasons I finally picked that one up was because I knew she had this book coming out. While this latest one can certainly be read as a stand-alone, I am glad that I read the prior book first as it gave me the background I needed to fully understand where Cilka's story from.

This story gutted me but I'm glad that I read it as it was inspiring as much as it was heartbreaking. Cilka made it out of Auschwitz but was then charged as a collaborator and sent to the Siberian gullag for 15 years for sleeping with the enemy, not that she had any choice in the matter. It's unbelievable to think that some of the survivors of the concentration camps would find themselves imprisoned yet again for such ridiculous charges...they had no say in the matter as in Cilka's case.

This is a story of strength, endurance and survival. Heather Morris does a fantastic job showcasing just how abhorrent the conditions were for women at the work camps in Siberia, including the crimes committed against them. Yet through Cilka's story, there is a sense of hope and inspiration. As tough as the conditions were, she did her best to make the most of it, and constantly tried to help those around her.

This book is emotionally difficult to read at times, and I felt a bit more emotionally connected to it than I did to the previous book. But it is such an important book to read - these stories need to be told so that this never happens again!

I loved this book. It was a perfect followup to Tattooist of Auschwitz. I enjoyed getting to know Cilka and I was captivated by her journey.

I received this book "Cilka's Journey" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. After finishing "The Tattooist of Auschwitz" this was my next read. This book is also based on a true story. This was an interesting read about Cilka's time in prison. This book was also a good read about a strong woman. I liked that it had a epilogue that told of Cilka's life after she left prison.

I loved The Tattooist of Auschwitz, so it was no surprise to me to love this book as well. The more I am learning about Russia and their involvement in WWII and what they did post WWI, the more I am shocked that I did not know this information before.

I think that this story is a great picture of the role hope and determination play in survival. And also how living in isolation can really hinder your life.

I loved the story, but I also was fascinated by the author’s note and interview at the end of the audiobook. It really added to my reading experience.