What a phenomenal story about a phenomenal woman. Fans of The Tattooist will absolutely fall in love with Cilka and her bravery. It's terrible that women like her had to suffer so much, but her strength and perseverance shown through the beautiful writing by Morris.

Cilka’s Journey is an engrossing, heartbreaking, inspiring story about Cilka Klein. We first learned about Cilka in The Tattooist of Auschwitz but in the end we did not find out what happened to her. She gets her own book describing her experiences at Auschwitz and her subsequent imprisonment in the Gulag. Cilka Klein is the bravest person Lale knew and it shines through in this book. Heather Morris has done an outstanding job telling her story.

Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris is the sequel to her acclaimed "The Tattooist of Auschwitz", however, it can be read as a stand alone novel. I'm not sure I can do this book justice, I don't have the words to. This book is based on a real person and what she survived. After already surviving Auschwitz Cilka is sent to Siberia to a work camp all because she did what she needed to in order to survive. However, there she gets to really help people and maybe find a bit of hope again, however small. This book made me cry but it also reminded me of the resilience of the human spirit and the power of kindness.


I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy free of charge. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris is fiction mixed with facts and history. Difficult to read, knowing how much of this story and abuse was true, at the same time it is uplifting to read how this one woman survived and helped others on their journey. I was given an early copy to review.

After reading The Tattooist of Auschwitz I wondered what happened to many of the characters , most notably Cilka Klein. I’ve heard and learned about the horrors of the Holocaust and concentration camps, but cilkas story really helped me learn about an area of the holocaust I’d never really learned about, which was her continued rape by two commanders and guards at Ausvhwitz. It is unbelievable that she was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in the Siberian gulags for “collaborating “ with the enemy. Like her previous book, we got to see the horror she faced. I liked it but it wasn’t as good for me as Tattooist was. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for review.

This is an incredible story of how strong one woman can be, even in the absolute worst times. Facts weaved with an awesome storyline. A time in history that each generation needs to be aware of the cruelty and survival.


A must read!

I add my voice and 5 stars to praise this wonderful telling of Cilka's journey. It is a story of unfathomable brutality, the strength of the human soul, bravery, friendship, horror, and love. Similar tales have preceded this - stories of what women had to do to survive the Nazi death camps of Auschwitz and Birkenau, stories of how prisoners of the gulag managed to survive - but rarely have they been told by someone with the special gifts that Heather Morris has brought to the pages of Cilka's Journey. Thanks to her, the reader literally walks in Cilka's shoes, or whatever she finds to cover her feet. Plot, character development, and setting are the three major elements of good writing, although usually one is stronger than the other two. In Cilka's Journey all three are strong and so elevate this from a good book about Cilka's unbearable hardships to a great one.

This was one of the best books that I have read this year. I didn't read the first book in this series but it didn't matter the writing was done in such a way that you could pick up either book and be able to catch on to the story. After reading this book it makes me want to search out everything written by this author.

Certainly books written about the Holocaust are difficult to read, but Heather Morris has done an excellent job in Cilka's Journey. The story follows you on Cilka's horrible journey through years of unbearable hardships and how she survived. So eloquently told, I could feel her struggles every step of the way. An incredible story of strength and courage in unthinkable situations.

I was able to read Cilkas journey through net galley. Thank you so much.

This book was heartbreaking and lovely still.

The courage of the women, the survivors is beyond comprehension.

Cilka was able to survive the auschwitz but then sent to Siberia. She was brutalized in every sense of the word and yet, and yet, she survived.

It was a wonderful story of a very strong woman.

A novel of one person’s hope and perseverance in the middle of devastating loss, abuse and pain. Cilka will not let her past define her but rather pull her out of the he’ll she has fallen into.
Based on true events, this proves that if the spirit is strong enough it can overcome anything.
Thanks to Netgalley for this prepub ebook.

For those who loved Tattooist of Auschwitz, this is wonderful next read. We follow Cilka through being imprisoned for aiding the Nazis...but did she? A beautifully told story that leaves you wanting more!

Thank you, NetGalley and the author Heather Morris for the opportunity to read the ARC of Cilka's Journey.

I was unaware that the "Tattooist of Auschwitz" ( on my TBR list) was a prequel to this book. While it is not a requirement to have read the "Tattooist of Auschwitz" first, I have heard from other readers that it may enhance the historical perspective of the story.

While this is a novel based on historical events it is such an impactful and incredible story of survival that the book reads like a memoir. This topic is about such a dark time in history--but the author has made us aware of the amazing show of endurance, relationships, and the human condition.

This book will stay with you long after you finish the last page.

I went into this book expecting one thing, but got another. Perhaps it is my fault for not reading the description closely enough, but I was expecting more about Cilka's stay in Auschwitz. However, this book mainly deals with what came after her stay in the German concentration camp, when she was moved to a Russian-controlled gulag in Siberia. While it wasn't what I was anticipating, this does not mean it's a bad thing. I still really enjoyed this book.

Knowing that this book is based on a true story makes it all the more powerful. Cilka truly did go on a journey, both in a literal and metaphorical sense. Though she was forced into horrendous circumstances in Auschwitz, she internalized and blamed herself, leading to her growing sense of shame and relentless pursuit of atonement.

I did not care for the writing style, which prevents it from being a 5 star. I can't quite put my finger on it, but something just felt "off" about it.

This book covers themes of shame, redemption, family, friendship, war, and rebuilding. I definitely recommend it.

This is a wonderful and heart-wrenching story. Cilka is sent to Siberia to serve 15 years after being judged to be a collaborator with the Germans after her release from the concentration camp. Cilka was sent to Auschwitz Birkenau when she was sixteen and, because she was beautiful and intelligent, she was forced to be a mistress to a German officer and was given the position of officer in the barracks that was the last stop before women and children went to the gas chore chambers. This is the story of her survival not only in the concentration camps but also in the Siberian Prison, where she tried to hide her role in the war. Her determination and courage kept her alive. She lived by her principles and at times bore terrible consequences for her decisions.
Morris based this novel on Cilka Klein and used as much factual knowledge as was available to tell Cilka's story. It is a must read for anyone interested in this terrible period in history and the individuals who survived against brutal conditions and inhumane treatment. And yet in the midst of all the brutality, there were individuals who helped Cilka. These individuals recognized a light in her that could not be extinguished by the cruelty of others. Cilka's story is one of inspiration and courage and should be read by everyone.

I had just finished reading (and loving) the Tattooist of Auschwitz when I found out that Heather Morris had written this book. I haven’t been this exited about a book in a long time and it did not disappoint.

After surviving Auschwitz it is almost unthinkable that Cilka is sentenced to 15 years in a Gulag for her “war crime” of sleeping with the enemy. She is sent to Siberia to work and this book is a story of how she survives and even begins to realize maybe one day she will thrive and life won’t be a series of horrors.

Heather Morris is a master at weaving real events and fiction together to create a believable world that pulls the reader in. Like the Tattooist of Auschwitz, the subject matter here is very tough, but it is beautifully written and hard to put down.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

Cilka’s Journey is a follow up to the Tattooist of Auschwitz, however I read it as a stand-alone book. Cilka was a prisoner at Auschwitz and after the camp was liberated, Cilka was found guilty of helping the enemy and sentenced to another camp, very close to the Arctic Circle. There she spent several years trying to forget what she had done at Auschwitz while at the same time do what she needed to do in order to survive. It was heartbreaking to know camps like this existed. I felt for Cilka because even as she struggled, she always put someone else before her. She always looked for ways to help others. The story was fiction but based in facts. One of my favorite sections was at the end of the book where the author tells the real life details of Cilka. I think it is very important to tell stories such as Cilka’s.

I loved this book. It tells Cilka’s story beautifully and focuses on the human element of these times.

Rating (on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being excellent)
Quality of writing: 5
Pace: 5
Plot development: 5
Characters: 5
Enjoyability: 5
Ease of Reading: 5

Overall rating: 5 out of 5

Amazing historical fiction! This story follows Cilka as she is released from Auschwitz, put on trial and sent to Siberia to serve her sentence. The guilt and shame of the women prisoners for things they had no control over is heartbreaking. This is a very realistic journey of Cilka's life in Siberia with flashbacks of her past. Highly recommended!!

“What you’re doing, Cilka, is the only form of resistance you have – staying alive”
——
When I read the Tattooist of Auschwitz in May, I found a new genre for myself that I never thought I would fall in love with – Historical Fiction. I jumped at the opportunity to get an ARC from @netgalley for Heather Morris’s new book, Clika’s Journey. This book is an emotional read about a young girl who had just spent years in Auschwitz, only to end up at a Siberian prison camp for sleeping with the enemy. CIlka’s one of the strongest and selfless women I’ve ever read about and always putting other’s needs before herself, even in the heartbreaking conditions where she’s trying to survive herself. Read this gem come October!