I loved this book because it was a different look into Auschwitz and the plight of women who may fall pregnant while inside the metal cage that they were forced to reside in. Eva was such a lovely character who you just fall in love with, as well as the other characters with whom Eva is close to. The only thing I didn't love was the flashbacks. I truthfully felt myself skipping past them and never actually feeling like I needed it when I got back Eva's current time and then the future (aka now). I will definitely be recommending this book and can't wait to purchase this when it comes out!

The Child of Auschwitz by Lily Graham. Such a beautifully written, incredible story of love, loss, friendship, family, and so much more between two women imprisoned in Auschwitz. The story splits between two amazing and strong characters, and tells their story in past and present tense. I’m a huge fan of historical fiction (my favorite period in history to read about is WW2), and this book was very, very good.

Surviving the horrors of Auschwitz as an adult is unimaginable but as an infant almost unbelievable. This novel gives an up close look into the daily lives of Eva and Sofie as they struggle to overcome the horrors of Auschwitz. I felt that the flashbacks of their lives distracted from the main story. Also, the story was a little too stilted for me. Was an interesting read.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This story goes right to the heart of the reader and I read through the last few chapters with the tears freely flowing. Ms. Graham brought to life the stories of the women that lived in Auschwitz and despite everything, survived. She shared the story of an incredibly strong woman named Eva, who with her friend Sofie decided that they would live no matter what. It was this determination that led Eva to find her beloved Michal, when others would have given up. That helped her stand up to guards to protect her bunk mates. Eva and Sofie pledged to survive but also to raise each other's children should the need arise.

That is how you build a family from a group of strangers. The story is woven from the past, before the Terezin ghetto became their home and before they knew a place like Auschwitz ever existed. The bulk of the story takes place in Auschwitz but also in the memories of Eva and what happened after the liberation of Auschwitz by the Soviets.

Ms. Graham wrote such a descriptive story that you were there with Eva - through bits of joy and immense heartbreak. This beautiful story needs to be read and cherished.

It is 1942 and having been in a Jewish concentration camp and ghetto in Terezin for nearly a year Eva Adami, desperate to find her husband Michal, and having no knowledge that such a hell hole and a place of death and degradation existed, she volunteers to transfer to the camp of Auschwitz in the hope of finding him.

Combining historical fact with fiction, The Child of Auschwitz is a powerful story of resilience, courage, survival , love and the incredible strength of the human spirit.

I found this such an emotional and evocative read and it kept me gripped and turning those pages well into the night.

Great characterization and rich descriptive prose that made you feel the cold and their everyday hunger and agony made this a 5 stars highly recommended read from me.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for an ARC for my honest review.

I’ve read quite a lot of WWII fiction and non-fiction. This is definitely one of the best. I liked the different time perspectives and the last chapter written from a different POV. There were some really likeable (and obviously some very unlikeable) characters. I’ve not read anything else by this author, so will definitely be looking for more of her work.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for an e-arc of this book.

Lily Graham has delivered a book that is not only a very moving story and you will cry,you will be addicted from the start and will find it hard to put down.This book ranks high on my favourite books list a BRILLIANT book and worth far more than 5* in my opinion EXCELLENT.

This is a very emotional story of life in a concentration camp and The Holocaust. Written with great sensitivity and an understanding of terrible historical events. A vivid recounting of the atrocities inflicted in 1942 and a heartbreaking tale of survival. Well written and a powerful work of historical fiction which is very compelling to read. My thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

A beautiful story of survival of a mother and her baby amid the horrors and brutality of Auschwitz. Eva and Sophie meet and become friends in the work camp they are sent to by the Nazis. They are determined to survive in this unbelievably terrible environment where they are deprived of everything including food and medical care, and made to work tirelessly for the Nazis. Eva is looking desperately for her husband whom she was separated from when he was sent to the camps before her. Sophia gave up her son to her cousin so he would not be killed in the camps. Their story one of bravery and survival throughout WWII in the worst concentration camp there was. Highly recommended. Beautifully written. An amazing story.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

I have always been fascinated by WWII books. This story was set in 1942 in Auschwitz. Eva and Sofie are our main characters, and they are brave and strong women.

We hear about their lives through flashbacks, as well as their dismal life in camp. Their friendship and fighting spirit are a ray of hope in this dark time.

I felt the back and forth in time took away from the story a bit.

It feels almost wrong to say how good this book was when it is about Auschwitz, the Holocaust, and the terrible things that happened during that time however the story was very compelling and beautifully although sadly written. The characters in the story as well as the struggle that they had to go through was very intense and pulled me in as a reader. I felt all the pain, but it was nice to see that there was still some goodness in the world during this time. Once I opened this book I was unable to put it down until it was finished because it just kept calling to me to find out what was going to happen to our main characters. Our story is all about our main character Eva and her life as a prisoner of Auschwitz. It is all about her finding and falling in love with a man named Michael and the events that led up to the war. However soon after they are placed in the concentration camp Eva finds out that she is expecting and will have to deliver her child in Hell on earth. There were two different time lines taking place in this book which normally I'm not a fan of however the author did a great job of keeping them separate and easy to follow for the reader so I was unexpectedly surprised by that. Like all other books about the Holocaust I found this book to be terribly sad however I believe that it is very important that they keep being written because they talk about a dark time in our past that can never be forgotten. Part of what I liked about this book and what I found so different than other books that I've read on this subject was while the story was very sad at parts it didn't dwell on that and it showed some of the luck and good things that happened, and how love survives even the toughest of terrains. What I didn't like to much was the time jumps I found it a little confusing and hard to pin point when they were happening the only thing that I would change about this book would be, I would make the time lines more clear. Minus the one little time jump parts this was an amazing read and I'm very glad that I got the chance to check this out. If you want a book that will pull at your heartstrings than this is the one for you.

I have always tried to read books on Auschwitz. Mainly because I feel everyone should know what happened in those camps.

This book is so beautifully written. Centred on two women. Sofie and Eva. This is a story of undying friendship and love through the worst of times. How they struggled to survive and what they endured. Suitable for all ages. My twelve year old daughter read it with me.

This story will stay with me. And despite the despicable conditions love can be born of the situation.. if I could rate higher than five stars I would. Superb!

I have always loved a good historical fiction book, and this one did not disappoint! From the opening line of the book through the end I was hooked. I enjoyed the fact that this particular book did not dwell on someone's luck but instead seemed to focus more on the majority of the survivors. experiences. The characters were well written and very relate-able, and you found yourself rooting for Eva, and even crying at various points of the book.

You realise from the start that when you read a book about the Holocaust, it's going to be emotional. This one is particularly so.

In 1942,s Prague, two women meet on the most horrendous train journey as they are picked up and transported to the Nazi camp in Auschwitz. They have both been separated from their family and loved ones and have to try and find them. Thrown together in such circumstances, they befriend each other and try to help eachother out. Eva has only been married for 6 months before he was taken away and she's sure he's in the dreaded camp. Sofie has been betrayed by a cousin and her baby is missing.

If the train journey was hard to read about, then when they get to the camp, you realise things are going to get worse. Their time here is horrendous and the everyday reality is hard to take. They are two ordinary women in very unusual circumstances and it's admirable to see their bravery whilst realising how hard it must have been to be in such a place and not know what is going on. Life in the camp is horrific as we know from history, but in the novel it seems all the more tragic as we see the women go about the laundry duties and taking the clothes and belongings from the 'newcomers' When you read this knowing exactly what was going on, it's all the more heartbreaking. The guards are evil personified and one even takes this further with one of the women which broke my heart.

How cam people even think of getting through something like this? How can they even cope day to day with the unknown? Well this novel is all about that and more and it's a deep and thought-provoking novel.. It's remarkable in so many ways and heartbreaking in equal measure.

A unique Holocaust read

Moving story of how love and determination helped some survive in Auschwitz. Eva loves Michal, and she loves the baby they made just before Auschwitz was freed. Sofie is determined to find her cousin who gave away her son. Read their stories...

I received this ARC from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Child of Auschwitz is really only bookended by the child's story. The story really tells of two women who become friends in the darkest of experiences. Sophie and Eva are as close as two strangers have ever become as they protect each other and hold each other up -- both literally and figuratively -- during their time in Auschwitz.

When it came time to award stars to this book, I found myself torn. There was a lot of this story I was truly moved by, but there were sections that just felt a little more drawn out than I wanted them to be.

What a beautiful emotive book. I have never read a story based on the lives of people who lived and died in Auschwitz so I had nothing to compare it to. This was a lovely story of Eva and her desperate need to find her husband and her family, her friend Sophia and others keep her going and they will all do anything to help support each other.. When Eva finds her husband Michael in the next building they manage to spend sometime together before he is shipped away again. During this time Eva becomes pregnant and despite all the odds the baby survives. When the war ends the Russians help them leave. Eva and Helga go in search of their families and friends. Eva has promised Sophia before she died that she would try and find her son.

I couldn't put this book down and while it is all about people suffering at the hands of the nazis it also shows the love and friendship that can be found.

It feels bad to say how I love reading books about the Holocaust. It’s just something that has always interested me and I think they are also a great reminder and how we should be learning from that period of time.

A story that is set in the camps, is always going to be an emotional read. The atrocities that went on inside them is just horrific. Through Eva and Sofie’s story though, we also get a glimpse of the friendships that happened inside as well as the hope and the fighting spirit that some of the prisoners never lost sight of.

Eva and Sofie are in a way quite different but their quests are very similar. To a certain extent it’s their hope of being reunited with loved ones that keep them fighting to stay alive. Sofie was a character that I especially loved, she goes above and beyond more than a few times with huge risks to her own life. Her courage was just outstanding.

The Child of Auschwitz is an emotional roller coaster of a read. Parts were horrific, saddening, shocking, heart warming, I think I went though every emotion possible whilst reading it. Even though fiction, for me, the author gives a very real account of what life was like in the camps as well as what took place inside them. An absolute must read.

What I Loved: The writing in this book was descriptive, yet never over-describing so that I lost interest. I loved the way the author built this story. The timeline would jump back and forth between Auschwitz and before the war. The way Lily Graham made the time jumps helped to build the characters and was done just right.

How I Felt: I loved this book. The story was so powerful, shedding, yet again, new light onto the experiences of people in Auschwitz. I was completely connected to all the characters and drawn into the story. Loose ends were all tied up, making me feel complete at the end of the book.

To Read or Not To Read: Of course, if you enjoy historical fiction, especially surrounding WWII, this is a perfect read for you. If you think you might enjoy historical fiction, this is a great one to start with. Just want to say this one more time. I loved this book.

What's This Book About Anyway?
Eva Adami and her entire family have been placed in a smaller concentration camp awaiting their placement at their next camp. She meets Sofie, looking for her cousin who last had Sofie's son. Eva finds her husband pushed onto a train headed for Auschwitz and she volunteers to follow him with Sofie coming with.

Together they support each other, saving each other, and looking for Eva's husband and Sofie's cousin. They endure the horrors of the camp, find ways to barter and trade for survival necessities, and try to stear clear of the guards.

Eva and Sofie find Eva's husband and arrange a clandestine meeting with the help of a guard. Soon, Eva realizes she is pregnant and must hide her pregnancy to avoid death. She and Sofie vow to survive to raise their children in the aftermath of this terrible war. Their story, while heartbreaking, is a rewarding story for any reader.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Bookouture, for providing this book to me in exchange for my honest review.

Do we truly understand the power of hope and love? Those who survived the horrors of the concentration camps do so for many reasons but this story is of two women who endure the unimaginable and out of all the misery was born a baby who survived and lived a full life. The world turned their backs on these survivors. They wanted to forget but we today can learn the truth that has been hidden for so long, Excellent book. Well written.