This is such a difficult subject to read about. I had hoped that after being liberated from Aushwitz, Cilka could have had a good life. Instead, she’s sent to a Russian gulag for more abuse. But she is strong and makes good friends and a doctor helps her. Eventually she is able to have a future and a life she deserves. Horrible and hopeful.

I am a huge fan of historical fiction and jumped at the chance to read CILKA’S JOURNEY. It tells the heart wrenching story of Cilka, a beautiful young woman forced into a terrible situation of survival while imprisoned in Auschwitz during WWII, then labeled a Nazi collaborator and sentenced to time in a Siberian labor prison. It is the follow up to author Heather Morris’s THE TATOOIST OF AUSCHWITZ, where readers are first introduced to Cilka, but it can be easily read as a standalone novel.

I think CILKA’S JOURNEY, based on a real person yet highly fictionalized, tells a story that deserves to be told and stands out in a book market where there is a glut of World War II fiction (I really enjoy war fiction). The book is dark at times and highlights all of the horror and inhumanity in the world, but it also underscores bravery, fortitude, and hope. It is quite an emotional read. Recommended to any historical fiction enthusiast .

I gratefully received an ARC of this title from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley and voluntarily shared my thoughts here.

What would you be willing to do to survive? Is there ever any behavior that a person does to survive that is unacceptable to society? These are just two straightforward questions that Cilka's Journey will have you contemplating. This book will stir emotions in your head and your heart, leaving you questioning how people can be so incredibly cruel on the one hand and so unbelievingly kind and selfless on the other side.

"Everyone affected by war, captivity, or oppression react differently- and away from it, people might try to guess how they would act, or react, in the circumstances. But they do not know."

Cilka's Journey is a companion novel to The Tattooist of Auschwitz but can be read as a standalone book. Although I have not read The Tattooist of Auschwitz, I had no trouble following the story. Ms. Morris has done an exceptional job in writing and researching this novel. Although Cilka's Journey is based on a true story, Ms. Morris has admittedly taken some liberties to fill in the blanks. I would highly recommend that you read Note from Heather Morris, The Additional Information and Vorkuta-the White Hell, (Afterward by Owen Matthews) sections at the end of the book. They give a great deal of insight into the history of this period and the depth of Heather Morris's writing.

The main emphasis of this book follows the period after the main character, Cecilia Klein "Cilka," is "liberated" from Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp by the Russians, where she has spent three years. Ms. Morris also gives us snippets of the time Cilka spent in Auschwitz that are dispersed throughout the book. We sometimes forget about what happened to the people who not only had to endure the incredible inhumane atrocities inflicted upon them by Nazism but then to have similar atrocities inflicted upon them by the Stalin regime. Unfortunately, under the harsh leadership of Stalin, Cilka is sentenced to fifteen years of hard labor- her crime, staying alive.

"We have a report on you, Cecilia Klein. It says that you in fact stayed alive by prostituting yourself to the enemy."

Ms. Morris has been meticulous in her writing, and there were many times I felt as if I was in the infamous Vorkuta Gulag located in Siberia. Reading about the gruesome and heinous conditions these women endured at times was difficult, but so compelling it was hard for me to put the book down. The lengths these women went through to survive in these conditions is beyond my imagination. Even though Cilka's story is decades old, it holds an essential place in the modern world. Cilka is a hero in my eyes. Cilka's Journey is not just a book for women of all ages to enjoy but also a book for all the men in their lives. Despite the horrific events the author describes in detail, this book is about survival, hope, friendship, and love. I highly recommend this book!

#NetGalley #WWII #HistoricalFiction

** Please note the quotes in my review are subject to change once the book is published**

*** I kindly received this galley by way of NetGalley/publisher/author. I was not contacted, asked, or required to leave a review. I received no compensation, financial or otherwise. I have voluntarily read this book, and this review is my honest opinion. ***

Ever since I heard that a follow up novel to The Tattooist of Auschwitz was forthcoming from Heather Morris, I have been highly anticipating the release of Cilka’s Journey. A seemingly side character from The Tattooist of Auschwitz,Cilka has become the main character in this new release. Morris does a phenomenal job of pulling historical documents as well as interviews together with fiction to complete the narrative of Cilka’s life journey.

I’m not sure enjoy is the right word to use, considering the subject matter, to be honest, it’s quite frankly heartbreaking and a difficult read, emotionally. As suspected from a historical novel utilizing first-hand accounts of Cilka’s life, there are triggers of imprisonment, abuse, rape, and more. However I really have enjoyed Morris’s writing style, and I truly cannot imagine anyone else crafting these stories so eloquently. I’m thankful to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the opportunity to give my honest review of this novel before its release date.

This book shows why it is so important that we continue to share and read these stories of these incredible survivors, so that we can never forget the horrors that they went through, in the hope that it will never be repeated again and to honor their memory!

Cilka’s Journey is heart wrenching and heart breaking! There are really no adequate words to describe how I felt after this book. I don’t know any 16 year old that would survive all that she went through, and come out on the other side.

To survive the horrors of Auschwitz only to end up sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in a camp in Siberia (because of being perceived as a spy), is honestly unfathomable! It makes you wonder how many other men and women suffered the same fate, when they were just trying to survive.

In spite of it being a difficult book to read because of the subject matter, Cilka is inspiring – as someone who fought to live and didn’t give up even though that would have been easier.

It’s the start of the Jewish New Year, and never a more appropriate time to honor those that have gone before us, who had to fight to live, the life that we now get to live!

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Amazing, absolutely amazing. Simply could not put this one down at all, and I finished it in less than a day. Remarkable, soul-crushing, and emotional.

This book is a sequel to the Tattooist of Auschwitz. Cilka Klein had a profound impact on Lale’s life in the first book and this sequel follows Cilka after her time in Auschwitz. This book is fiction but based on true events just like the first book. The author interviewed the real life Lale for the first book and found out many interesting facts about Cilka. Cilka had passed away by this time but she relied on many people who knew Cilka for this book.

Cilka was convicted by her rescuers from Auschwitz, the Russians, for sleeping with the enemy and sent to the Gulag in Siberia. Most of us can only imagine how hard it would be to survive in Siberia but to be in a prison also would be horrendous. The author takes us to this horrible place and you can feel the despair of Cilka and the other prisoners.

Cilka’s sheer strength keeps her alive and improving herself with a job in the hospital where she meets her future husband. I liked that true information about Cilka was included in the book along with a brief history of the Russian Gulags. This book is well written but I found the ending hurried and too neatly tied up in a bow.

I received an ARC from NetGalley of this book for my honest review.

A haunting story of one woman’s resilience. Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris reminds the reader of the cruelty that people can, did and in parts of the world still do. Cilka endurance is also a testimony to the strength and survival skills that can come from both friend and foe.

It seems unbelievable unfair that she was used for her beauty then punished for it. This could easily have become a book of horrors but the author is an excellent at revealing feelings, hopes and the courage to continue. There is also glimmers of light in Cilka’s world for which I am grateful, hoping the real Cilkas truly have many in their lives.

An ARC of the book was given to me by the publisher through Net Galley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Cilka Klein is the memorable character that befriends Gita during their time in Auschwitz from Heather Morris’ last book, The Tattooist of Auschwitz. In Cilka’s Journey we learn more about Cilka as she remains a prisoner at a work camp in a Russian Gulag. Always clever and resourceful, Cilka endures even more horrible circumstances and trials as she also works to reconcile her fate and what she must do to survive in such harsh conditions. I fell right back into the book and characters as vividly as I did last time, which is not always true with sequels. Heather Morris will remain one of my favorite authors. I highly recommend you pick up this book. I received an ARC, all opinions are my own.

What an incredible heart-and-gut-wrenching, though beautifully written story. Heather Morris breaks our hearts again with her amazing story telling skills, while capturing the most important parts of this horrific period in time. Cilka is an absolutely amazing character who showed strength when everything was against her. This is a story of determination and perseverance, proving that one does not know how strong they truly are until they are until they are placed in unfathomable circumstances.

This is a companion novel to The Tatooist of Auscwitz (which I’ve also read) and I definitely liked this one a bit better. This is based on a true story, which is totally going to break your heart, but most of the day to day events are fictionalized. Cilka, a Jewish girl, was in the concentration camps. Survive or die was her constant refrain, and she chose to survive. While at the camp she was forced into being a prostitute of sorts for the enemy (this is not a spoiler, we knew this from her first novel) at the end of the camps, she is deemed to have collaborated with the enemy by sleeping with them (ahem being raped is more apt) and is sent to a labor camp in Siberia. Unfair. That is mostly where this story takes off. It’s a story of resiliency, friendship, family, love, forgiveness... everything you would expect. But it’s also unexpected in that I just never knew what would happen next. Highly recommend this- it’s an extension of the holocaust/WW2 history that I didn’t know.

Cilka’s Journey by Heather Morris is the harrowing story of Cecilia “Cilka” Klein who spent three years in Auschwitz before being liberated by the Russian army in 1945. However, once she thought she would be free to return home, the Russian authorities learn what she was at the camp and accused her of being a spy for the enemy. She is sentenced to 15 years hard labor at the Vorkuta Gulag in Siberia. Once again, she is given a number and forced to work in horrible conditions in the coal mines. Through a series of events, she finds herself removed from the mines and trained as a nurse in the hospital. There she learns the horrors that the other prisoners do not get to see. As she does her time, she has recurring nightmares and memories of her time in Auschwitz. Will Cilka survive her time in the prison? Will she ever be released and sent home?
Cilka’s Journey is a continuation of Ms. Morris’ bestselling book, The Tattooist of Auschwitz. I was unaware of this connection when I picked up Cilka’s Journey. However, you do not need to read The Tattooist in order to follow Cilka’s Journey. Given the subject matter, I thought the book would be difficult to read, so I wanted to pace myself. However, once I got into the story, I couldn’t put it down. I needed to know if Cilka’s survives and if she does, is she released? Does she escape? After reading Cilka’s Journey, I want to go back and get The Tattooist of Auschwitz. There are scenes and descriptions that are hard to read due to the subject matter, but the Vorkuta Gulag was very real and some of the events Ms. Morris depicts in this book really happened, which makes the horrors Cilka sees even more terrifying. I recommend Cilka’s Journey as a look into a part of history many people do not know or do not discuss.

Cilka’s Journey
is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook

I continue to be blown away by Heather Morris’ ability to weave a story. To take horrible, despicable events and weave them with tales of hope and humanity. ⁣
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Cilka’s Journey was a beautifully written book about a young girl who survives the horrors of Auschwitz-Birkenau but is then sent to a Siberian prison camp, accused of being a collaborator. It’s here that her horrifying story continues. It’s also here that her story of resilience, bravery, strength, and hope continues.⁣
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This is a continuation of The Tattooist of Auschwitz but will work as a stand alone. But if you haven’t read The Tattooist yet...what are you waiting for?! Go read it now and thank me later.⁣
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Heather Morris puts in a tremendous amount of research into her books. Her notes at the end of Cilka’s Journey just enhanced the story for me and are a must read.
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This is a beautiful, heartbreaking, unimaginable, powerful book. For me, Cilka’s Journey gets the full five stars. Thank you @stmartinspress for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

I read The tattooist of Auschwitz earlier this year and loved it. I was one of my “half way to the year” top 10 books. Definitely recommend the audiobook for Tattooist. So, when I saw Heather Morris was publishing Cilka’s story I knew I had to get my hands on it. Cilka’s journey did not disappoint. It is a tough read and I definitely needed to be in the right mindset for it but it’s a beautiful story. I loved that the author was able to make me feel uncomfortable and gave me a picture of how horrible it all was. I was heartbroken, angry, and sad while reading it but at the same time left me feeling hopeful in the end.

This book can be read standalone (you don’t have to read The tattooist of Auschwitz before) but in my opinion because Tattooist is great you should read that first! Cilka’s story picks up where The tattooist left, right after she was set free from the concentration camp she was imprisoned again. It takes place mostly after WWII ended but it goes back in time to show glimpses of Cilka’s story while at Auschwitz- Birkenau and before then.

I still can’t believe Cilka survived so many things and how strong she was. She was truly resilient. I enjoyed reading about the aftermath of the war, and how terrible it was even 10 years after the war was over. I hadn’t read much about the gulags in Siberia before and this inspired me to read more about it.

I loved the relationships between Cilka and the other women in the camp. How they really took care of each other and felt like family. I honestly don’t know I would be as selfless as Cilka was, she truly put everyone before her. This is a story of resilience, survival, love, and so much more!

As with Tattooist, there is an author’s note at the end that explains some what is true vs fiction, the research and writing process. I love these notes at the end of historical fiction books. If you like historical fiction this is a must read!

Thank you so much to @stmartinspress for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I loved The Tattoist of Auschweitz and reading this was a great follow up. It’s a truly heartbreaking story. The horror of Cilka’s life during WW2 is imaginable only because of the author’s skill in description. Sigh. The horrors of the Nazis is the stuff of nightmares. Cilka’s ability to survive and overcome her past is a testament to her courage and strength. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc.

Even more so than with its predecessor The Tattooist of Auschwitz I have struggled with how to review Heather Morris' novelization of the life of Cecilia "Cilka" Klein Kovac. Unlike the story of Lale/Lali Sokolov,* with whom Morris spent an ample amount of time, Cilka died in 2004, long before Morris undertook "Lali's story. Morris never knew her, and there is precious little information about her. Cilka Klein arrived at Auschwitz in 1942, survived to be liberated, and was then tried as a Nazi collaborator for "sleeping with the enemy" and sentenced to fifteen years hard labor in Vorkuta, a Soviet gulag. While Lali Sokolov called her the bravest person he ever knew (she saved him, according to his account), others have called her a murderer in Shoah Foundation testimony:

"The Shoah Foundation testimony of a contemporary from Bardejov alludes to a darker side to her role as block leader. He said that while she had smuggled him some much-needed food, she was also “an absolute murderer. There is probably more blood on her hands than anybody else”."*

This novel in part presents a redux of the questions I had about collaboration and the right to survive. Lali and Gita Sokolov believed that Cilka was forced into a sexual relationship with several SS officers. It's important to note that Peter Juscak, a Slovakian writer who had talked to Cilka Klein Kovac after her husband's death and before her own, said that Cilka firmly denied that she ever slept with any of the SS.* She entered Auschwitz at age sixteen and it's not entirely clear what she could have done to avoid the situation if the SS officers wanted to rape her. It is impossible to know if her denials to Juscak were due to the shame of rape, the shame of appearing to consent, her suppressing the memories to protect herself from her painful history, or whether, in fact, the claims that she slept with SS officers were entirely false and the Sokolovs were wrong. (To which I add, would it ever truly be possible to have a consensual relationship under such conditions, no matter how old she was?) If we believe the Sokolovs' and Morris' version of events, Cilka was definitely a sexual abuse victim who chose to survive as best she could. She could have fought back and died. But like many sixteen-year-olds, she understandably wanted to live and apparently tried to adapt to her situation not just once but a second time at Vorkuta. Put in charge of the dreaded Auschwitz Block 25, where female prisoners were held prior to being gassed, she apparently did her job, just like Lali did his. (I will say it is noticeable that there is no specific reference in the Shoah Foundation testimonies to Cilka having killed anyone or having been directly responsible for the deaths of anyone, despite the statement of the one man from Bardejov.) For these things, she got more food (which even according to the Shoah Foundation testimony she may have shared), warmer clothing, and an indoor job in the administrative building. Even with these "niceties," she was in a death camp and her life could have ended at any moment at the whim of any officer in a mood to do so. I do not feel I am in any position to judge her or her actions and choices. I wasn't there and have never come even close to having to survive what she survived either in Auschwitz or Vorkuta. Almost any version of these events that Morris could offer would be a searing story of survival no matter what the protagonist did to do so. What I do have questions about is Morris using Cilka Klein's story when apparently she was an extremely private person who explicitly told another writer that she did not want her story told.* She is no longer here to say whether her name can be used in this novel and she left no heirs to consent for her, either. I understand Morris' intent to satisfy reader curiosity and her coming from the position of Lali's saying that Cilka was very brave. But still, I question the ethical choices made here.

Morris gives us a largely fictionalized account of Cilka's life at Auschwitz and Vorkuta because no one really knows the full set of facts about what she endured in either setting. She could be canonizing her or vilifying her and we would not have facts to say so. We, as readers, and the author, have no clear picture of what true justice for Cilka would look like. Was she a Nazi collaborator or merely a survivor who was further abused by a Soviet criminal system looking for scapegoats? Morris works off of research accounts of life in the camps and gulag, along with the information she learned from Lali and Gita's first-hand experience of knowing Cilka. While the book is fairly well-written, I am still turning over in my mind whether it was the right thing to call this novel Cilka's story. Honestly, I'm pretty much siding on the idea of creating a character of a different name and saying in an afterward that the story was "partly inspired" by the real-life story of Cilka Klein. So that's my take. Read this book and then read the facts that are known and think about what this woman endured no matter what the facts were. But remember- this isn't just a novel of historical fiction for the many who survived the Shoah and for those who seek to safeguard their legacy. At its best, let Morris' novel be the spur to get you to learn more about the real people behind the characters in her novel.

*A reader seeking information about both the issues with Lale/Lali and Gita Sokolov's and Cilka Klein's stories can read this well-researched article: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/week...

It is also important to understand that an accurate accounting of the events of the Shoah is incredibly important to both the remaining survivors and to those who seek to preserve their legacy. There is great fear that fictionalizing these stories feeds into Holocaust denial. An accuracy assessment of "The Tattooist of Auschwitz" by Wanda Witek-Malicka, the Auschwitz Memorial Research Center, can be found here: https://view.joomag.com/memoria-en-no...

I received a Digital Review Copy and paper review copy of this novel from St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.

Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris is a sequel to the critically acclaimed Tattooist of Auschwitz. It is a work of fiction based on a real person but completed with what probably happened as opposed to what really happened. After spending three years in Auschwitz trying to survive, Cilka is sent to a camp in Siberia. Her sentence: 15 years. She had been found guilty of aiding and abetting the enemy (Nazis) as well as possibly spying for them. There was no trial. Cilka had allowed herself to be raped repeatedly by two different Nazi officers in exchange for her life and small things to help others. For this, she has been punished. Life in Siberia was much the same as at Auschwitz, except colder. The cruelty was rampant. There were no ovens. There was death. It was survival. She was relapsed after ten years and reportedly led a good life, a happy one, for the rest of her years.

This was an incredibly difficult book to read, as are most Holocaust era books. The better the book is written, the more difficult it is to read. The story of Cilka's time in Siberia is told in great detail, great, horrifying detail. It is so difficult to read that reading time must be broken up, with lighter fare in between readings. It is graphic and painful, but there were good things. Relationships developed. Friends were made; friends were lost. Life moved slowly, but it moved. This was an excellent book, which is not to say, a wonderful book. It was painful to know that human beings could be treated thusly, probably still are treated thusly. Life goes on. Nothings changes. We have the power to change things, the capacity for good, and yet, nothing changes. I recommend Cilka's Journey for what it is: a reminder. If you are able to read this sort of book, do. It is extremely well done.

I received a free ARC of Cilka's Journey from Netgalley. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #cilkasjourney

3.5 stars rounded up

Cilka is only 16 when she is taken to Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp where she endures three years of unimaginable horror.
After liberation, she's charged as a collaborator and sent to Siberian gulag where she is to serve 10 years. There, she faces more injustice and power struggles, but day after day she does what she can to survive and help the others keep their spirits up.

Cilka's Journey, like Tattooist of Auschwitz, is written in a report-like tone and doesn't translate as an emotional narrative in my opinion. Even though the content evoked heartbreak, horror, anger, and frustration, with the abhorrent events of Cilka's experiences in the gulag and in her flashbacks from Auschwitz.

Cilka was painted as a saint through everything she experienced, not the least bit self-serving, almost to the point of foolishness. She definitely struggled with survivor's guilt, and that was eluded to, but I would've liked to see a bit more humanity from her point of view.

Overall, I enjoyed Cilka's Journey and would definitely recommend it to any historical-fiction readers. This was the followup to Tattooist of Auschwitz but could be read as a standalone.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Cilka’s Journey is a historical fiction story based off of a real person from Heather Morris’ true story The Tattooist of Auschwitz. This is very close to being a non-fiction book but due to not having been able to meet Cilka in person and having to create some characters around her, this book has several fictional elements in it. However, it is a very good book! Cilka was in Auschwitz with Lale and Gita in the first book, but when the camps were liberated she was arrested for having supported the enemy and was sentenced to 15 years hard labor in a Russian Vorkuta Gulag in Siberia. Cilka is once again fighting for survival and living with a place with terrible treatment of prisoners. How she survives both Auschwitz and Siberia is remarkable and Heather Morris does a good job telling us about it!

loved this book. hooked on first few pages!!! easy read. sad but amazing story ! recommending to all in my book club. please write more!!!