I loved [book:The Tattooist of Auschwitz|38359036]. After I read the book I read that there were questions concerning the veracity of this book. I did not read this as a work of nonfiction, but rather a work of fiction based on real events. I certainly get that there may inaccuracies, but the spirit of the novel worked for me. A message that must be conveyed - the importance of never forgetting the horrific things that happened. Things that we have to be reminded of because there are so few Holocaust survivors left, because of the rise of antisemitism in the world, and because there is a lack of awareness of the Holocaust among young people. There are, I’m certain, many nonfiction books and documents covering the Holocaust and the Siberian Gulags , but I’ve never been a big reader of nonfiction. For me, and this is just my personal experience, it has been mostly Holocaust fiction that has has opened my eyes to the atrocities and has broken my heart with immensity of the loss of so many people. If a work of fiction can do that, in my opinion it is worth reading. It is with this view that I read [book:Cilka's Journey|45033931] and that I high recommend it. I appreciate that Heather Morris tells the reader upfront that the book is a work of fiction. In a note at the end, she explains what is fact and what is fiction. With my defense of this book as fiction, I should add that there are memoirs that I hold in my heart and believe that everyone should read. [book:Night|1617], [book:The Diary of Anne Frank: And Related Readings|5515], [book:But You Did Not Come Back|25779058] to name a few.

It’s unimaginable that a young girl could survive the horrific Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp for three years after being subjected to sexual abuse, forced to do unthinkable things in order to stay alive and then be sentenced to fifteen years in a Gulag in Siberia for aiding the enemy. Heather Morris enables us to imagine these horrors and takes us to both of these places in this novel. Moving back and forth between Cilka’s flashbacks of Auschwitz-Birkenau and her present Siberia, we are seamlessly taken from place to place, from time to time. Sometimes it’s a thought, a dream , or a present ugly reminder that takes Cilka and us back and forth . It is difficult and uncomfortable and necessary for us to see and imagine how horrible it was. I’m not going to detail any of that here, but will just say that this is an important work of fiction which reflects the horrors of these times and places, but also the real emotions, the real humanity, the real love and the real resilience of people that historical fiction can convey.

I received an advanced copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley and copy from Jordan Hanley at St. Martin’s.

This is an incredibly powerful book and it reminded me once again why I loved reading historical fiction. The story is so raw and full of emotion that captivates and urges readers to consider the consequences of historical actions. It's especially moving nowadays as our society is slowly becoming a mirror reflection of the past and rooted in bigotry and hatred which just makes this story even more important.

This was a haunting and heartbreakingly beautiful novel of the resilience of the human spirit after the atrocities of war . It is so good and such a wonderful follow up to her first novel. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

So excited to get an advance reading of Cilkas Journey. After reading The Tattooist of Aushwitz I was fascinated to read “the rest of the story” for Cilka. Heather Morris does a fabulous job of including fact with fiction and keeping us turning the next page. The sections added at the end of the book were very informative as well to add more facts to her story.

A poignant, heartbreaking and yet life-affirming novel, one which will haunt the reader long after the final page. Heather Morris once again delivers a novel of harrowing suspense and humanism, fierce and moving.

Thank you - first and foremost author Heather Morris.
Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Publishing- and their terrific staff who are some of the most hardworking generous people in the book world!
What follows is my honest review of this book. I highly recommend this book. Heather Morris outdid herself on this one. Well told, horrific story. You need to read this one!

After surviving Auschwitz, Cilka was sentenced to 16 years in a gulag prison in Siberia for "corroborating" with the Nazis. She entered Auschwitz at the young age of 16 and learned early what she had to do to stay alive: she must do as ordered, and became a "camp wife" of a German commander. Even though she helped sick and dying women in the camp, after the war ended she was deemed as a camp "prostitute." The story follows Cilka through years of brutal and deadly conditions, while showing the resilience and compassion she bestowed to others. Quite an emotional roller-coaster ride of a novel, I could not put it down. Based on a true story, it is well-researched and author, Heather Morris, gives additional information in her afterword that lends so much to the basis of her novel. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read an early advance copy of "Cilka's Journey." I hope my review will inspire others to read this engrossing tale.

Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris
Cilka's Journey (The Tattooist of Auschwitz, #2)
by Heather Morris (Goodreads Author)

Beth Olion's review
Aug 30, 2019 · edit

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book before publication. I was excited to see a book about Cilka after ready The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Cilka’s Journey did not disappoint. By intermingling Cilka’s struggles in the Gulag with her memories of Auschwitz, Heather Morris weaves a fascinating tale of true survival. The author uses a nice mix of historical events with fiction. I especially liked the notes and additional information at the end of the book. I would definitely recommend this book. Thank you again NetGalley for the chance to read this early!

I could not put this book down! I was so caught up in Cilka's story and couldn't wait to find out if she had a happy ending.

Her story is a story of resilience, perseverance, and hope. Life is unfair and was doubly unfair to Cilka. After being freed from Auschwitz by the Russians she is sentenced to 15 years in the Vorkuta Gulag in Siberia. Her "crime" was that of being a Nazi collaborator when actually her only "crime" was staying alive.

Once arriving at the Gulag, Cilka and the other women struggle to find their place. Initially, they do not trust each other, however over the course of time and hardship they become a family. I especially love the relationship between Cilka and Josie. Josie is a young girl, naive in the ways of the world. Cilka, who is not much older than Josie in age but has had to grow up fast. Cilka takes Josie under her wing and helps her to adjust to the hardships in the Gulag. Cilka is the kindest, most selfless person, who very rarely asks anything for herself.

Cilka finds a job as a nurse in the Gulag hospital where she meets a doctor named Yelena, who shows Cilka the compassion she deserves. Through Yelena's compassion, Cilka begins to flourish and gain hope that she, too, can have a good life.

This is the second book in The Tattooist of Auschwitz series. Even though it is second in the series, the book can easily stand alone. Ms. Morris provides more background information about what happened to Cilka through flashbacks from 1939-1945 interspersed throughout the story.

Ms. Morris does an excellent job with character development and I feel like I know them and care for them. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who is a fan of "The Tattooist of Auschwitz", WWII fiction, and historical fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Although I’ve read many books about the Holocaust, I had never read or heard about the Russian practice of liberating survivors from concentration camps and then sending some of them to Siberian labor camps. This is a story of a 19 year old girl who was forced by the SS to do unthinkable things during her three years in concentration camps in order to survive, and then was punished for it by the Russians. Cilka’s Journey is a story of her life during her years in Nazi Germany and Siberia. Although this was a sad story, I couldn’t put the book down, as I learned so much about this time in history.

Admittedly this is a very hard book to read however it was brilliantly written by Heather Morris who gave lots of information about her research for the telling of this heartbreaking, dark, intense story. The character of Cilka and her background was so real you could just imagine the terror she went through being a prisoner in the Auschwitz concentration camp, forced to be a prostitute then sentenced to Siberia for being a spy and traitor by the Russians. What she does to survive is told in excruciating detail in alternating chapters of previous history. This was such an emotional story told with incredible compassion and truth of this horrible time during and after WWII.

The authors book, Tattooist of Auschwitz, was an awesome read, so when I saw an ARC of her sequel to it on NetGalley, I requested it. This book continues the story of Cilka, first introduced in Tattooist of Auschwitz, and uses flashbacks to the first book throughout. Cilka Klein is just sixteen years old when she is taken to Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp, in 1942. The Commandant at Birkenau, Schwarzhuber, notices her long beautiful hair, and forces her separation from the other women prisoners. Cilka learns quickly that power, even unwillingly given, equals survival. After liberation, Cilka is charged as a collaborator for sleeping with the enemy and sent to Siberia. But what choice did she have? In a Siberian prison camp, Cilka faces challenges both new and horribly familiar, including the unwanted attention of the guards. But when she makes an impression on a woman doctor, Cilka is taken under her wing. Cilka begins to tend to the ill in the camp, struggling to care for them under brutal conditions. Cilka finds endless resources within herself as she daily confronts death and faces terror. And when she nurses a man called Alexandr, Cilka finds that despite everything that has happened to her, there is room in her heart for love.

This story, as the first one, is based on the life of a real person as was Tattooist of Auschwitz.

Way up in the Arctic Circle there is a Siberian gulag that goes by the name of Vorkuta Gulag. This was the home of Cilka Klein for 10 long miserable years of her life. Not by choice but as a prisoner of the Soviet Russians at the end of World War ll. We know Cilka from the novel The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris, which chronicled the love story of Lale Sokolov and his wife Gita. All three were prisoners at Auschwitz-Birkenau during the Nazi's reign of terror. In this sequel, Cilka's Journey, we follow Cilka as she is unfairly punished yet again for crimes that were nothing but trumped up charges that sent her off to a grueling and inhumane work camp, better known as a concentration camp.

As with TToA, Cilka was a real person but the book is loosely based on her life with many liberties taken to create a fictionalized account. A few stories from the lives of others were woven into the story as well as inspirations from the imagination of the author. From what I could tell, Cilka's Journey contains much more fiction than the previous book, in part, because Morris was able to actually meet and compare notes with the real Lale Sokolov whereas the same opportunities were not available for Cilka's story. With that said, Morris did extensive research as to what life was like at Vorkuta for those who spent time there, from the prisoners to the trusties and also some of the employees. Many of the various physical living conditions were laced into the story detailing what everyday life was like as well as how the social groupings created a network of caste systems, often utilizing fear for their own survival tactics.

Cilka, a Slovakian Jew, arrives at Vorkuta straight out of Auschwitz-Birkenau and is housed with 19 other women she must share a cold, flimsy hut with. The others are there for a variety or perceived crimes against the Russian government but Cilka is the only one with previous concentration camp experience. She fears the others will hold this against her, especially regarding what she had to do in order not to be killed, so she tries her best to keep that information to herself. As the ladies do their best to survive from day to day, we get to know a few of the characters whom Cilka develops bonds with. Then there are the "husbands" who often come and visit them. In other words, men who have the run of the place and rape them. This creates its own strange psychological environment amongst the group.

During the day, all of the prisoners must work outside in harsh conditions with little protection. One of the jobs the women are forced to do is to transfer heavy buckets of coal from place to place. Early on, after Josie, a woman Cilka has befriended, has an accident, Cilka manages to obtain a job working in the gulag's hospital. Not only is this job less labor intensive but it provides Cilka with more warmth and food. She takes to this job rather well and it leads to a new passion for Cilka as well as sets the tone for one of the central paths in the story. It also presents different dynamics for Cilka in regards to her relationship with the other ladies in the hut. She knows this and is very cautious for fear of retaliation because she is aware of the jealousy that some of the others might hold against her. Cilka is proactive and makes sure she uses it to their advantage just as much as her own by smuggling food and other items to help make life a little easier for her hut mates.

Ten years slowly go by and Cilka gradually works her way around the grounds learning who she can trust and who she needs to avoid and what she must do just to get by. She also learns much more about nursing and broadens her range within the hospital. Throughout Cilka's Journey, we feel her anguish, her fears, her struggles and even her joys as we get to know what life was like in that faraway land where life is taken one difficult day at a time.

This is a book that I very much liked but have one little issue with. I've always had a problem with books and movies that tend to make the protagonist the constant hero, saint, savior, most loved, and the best at everything. It always comes off like a high school story in Fantasyland. While I knew going into the book that it is Historical Fiction, I wanted to believe everything along the way, yet I couldn't help but not buy into some of what was being presented because of the extreme idealization of the character. This is the one area where I feel that the story manages to make Cilka's story less real and I did not want to think that any of the real parts were not true to life. Because it was based on a real woman's journey into Hell and back, I wanted to know exactly which parts were true and what was enhanced for the sake of a coherent story. In some ways, this was somewhat of a fairy tale; albeit, one that included lots of pain and suffering along the way. Never the less, it was well worth reading.

As a sequel to The Tattooist of Auschwitz, there are several references in the book that provide a much richer story for those who have read the previous book. One can still read Cilka's Journey and appreciate it for what it has to offer but I would very much suggest that one do what I did by getting a copy of the first book before you take your journey with Cilka. Not only will you read about how Nazi concentration camps compare to the Russian gulags but you will have a much better understanding of where Cilka came from and what her mindset was like once she arrives at her second stop along the way of her horrendous journey through her young, tortured life from one Hellhole to another.


Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of the eBook for a fair and honest review.

I enjoyed this book so much. Heather Morris is such a fantastic writer and this gripped me as quickly as “The Tattooist of Auschwitz.” Cilka’s story was both sad and moving, because she remained hopeful despite her circumstances. Her strength was so inspiring. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone. I will be reading it again, for sure.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and I can't thank them enough. I loved this book. I learned a side of WWII that I was not familiar with: the after the war prisons . Cilka was a strong, resilient, and compassionate woman. Her story is one I am glad I got to learn about. Heather Morris has a skill with historical fiction.

"I just want to live. I need to feel the pain I wake up with every morning knowing I am alive, and my family aren't. This pain is my punishment for surviving and I need to feel it, live it."
Auschwitz-Birkenau is being liberated and Cilka is ready to be free. Instead she is sent to the Russian Gulag in Siberia for sleeping with the Nazis. Sentenced to 15 years of hard labor.
I taught Holocaust for many years and heard survivors/their families speak about the horrors they saw and went through. Never knew that so many were imprisoned again after the camps were liberated. Something that is obviously not talked about.
Cilka Klein you will never be forgotten! She risked her life, courage, strength and even found love under brutal, devastating conditions.
This book is a MUST read!! I now need to read The Tattooist Of Auschwitz.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press/Publishing and Heather Morris for allowing me the opportunity to read this phenomenal book! One I will never forget.

Heather Morris again captures the horrors and real events of the Holocaust and Gulag survivors. From detailed research, she meticulously crafts a story of survival in the most inhuman conditions too horrendous to be fictional.
If you were fascinated by the Tattooist of Auschwitz , you will be captured and swept along in Cilka’s Journey of overcoming and allowing the survival instinct to propel Cilka to life’s riches.

I received a pre -published net galley copy for my review.

An incredible and heart wrenching book about Cilca's survival not once but twice in awful conditions whilst suffering horrendous atrocities. This book is based on facts and memorials of other Aushcwitz survivors. I enjoyed this book just as much and if not more than 'The Tattooist of Aushcwitz ' also by Heather Morris. Extremely well written and I just couldn't put it down. Both of these books will send you on a suspense filled roller coaster ride of emotions. I was also very pleased to see that there was also further detail on Cilca' s history before Aushcwitz at the end. Started this book yesterday and finished today and really hoping to hear more from this author. 5/5 and would give more of I could. Highly recommend this fab book.

I was never a big historical fiction reader, nor did I read the Tattooist of Auschwitz. However, after this book, I will be.

Heather Morris did a outstanding job with this story and her telling of Cilka'a journey to self forgiveness is beautiful and heart wrenching all at the same time.

Cilka was sent to Aushwitz when she was 16 and realized she had two choices, she could die or choice to survive by doing what she was told.

The War is over and Cilka was accused of working with the enemy and being a prostitute and even a spy. She is sentenced to 15 years hard labor at Vorkuta Gulag.

While there, she finally finds women who she connects with. Who she respects and who she is terrified of losing if they find out the truth about her and why she was sent there. I am still speechless by Cilka. While I'm sure she wasn't perfect, she was as good as they come. However, she was tearing herself up inside about her experiences at Aushwitz and believed that everyone would label her as a whore if they found out about her experiences.

This is just an amazing book and it needs to be on everyone's list for the fall!
Thank you so much to St. Martins Publishing and Heather Morris along with Bookish First and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this beautiful book.

I received an advance reading copy of this book from NetGalley in return for a fair review. This was the second novel that followed 'The Tatooist of Auschwitz'. Cilka Klein (a minor character in the first book) was just a 16 year old girl when the Nazis put her in the concentration camp at Auschwitz. She spent three horrific years there and did what she had to do in order to survive. This meant sleeping with the enemy in return for food and other necessities. When the Russian soldiers liberated the prisoners, they deemed Cilka a conspirator and sentenced her to fifteen years of hard labor at a prison in Siberia. Although, I wasn't a fan of the author's writing style, the book was a page turner. It was hard to believe that this young girl went through such hardships. Cilka's spirit was never broken and she did her best to care for the prisoners as a nurse and confidant. I believe she spent over ten years in Siberia and was only released when Kruschev allowed the release of many of the political prisoners. I recommend reading the books in order, but you don't have to. Cilka's story is one of hope and the unbreakable human spirit when all is lost.