Okay, I love horror of all descriptions and I read a hell-of-a lot of gruesome crime, but war stories, especially those based on real life people really make me buckle. There is nothing more horrific than the devastation of war and the holocaust. I avoided watching ‘Schindler’s List’ for so many years as I thought I wouldn’t be able take it. I spend so much time mulling over documentaries about what happened in the concentration camps, they play on my mind (and so they should).

I really struggle to read this genre as I find it upsetting. However, it happened and there are stories to tell and I chose this book to read. Why? The people who ended up in those concentration camps deserve to be heard however hard people like me find it to listen.

Ellie Midwood has written a brilliant, well researched book based on the time violinist, Alma Rosé, spent at Auschwitz and believe me, it’s heartbreaking. I see a brave woman, someone who still managed to be herself throughout and someone who helped so many. The reader letter at the end and the section about Alma’s actual life was interesting and I’d recommend that if you read this book, don’t skip those bits. There’s so much more to think about and process.

As for this novel, it’s raw, it’s sad, it made me angry - everything you’d expect a person to feel after reading this book. It’s brilliantly written and stories like this need to be written. They need to be read. They scare me because they tell of a truth, a real life atrocity that happened.

I’d say, read it! It’s a must, that’s for sure and the end - oh my goodness - definitely have your tissues at hand!

This book is not my usual choice to read. This book shows mans incredible cruelty along with the incredible courage shown by the prisoners. This is not an easy read, have your tissues ready. It is very emotional and heartbreaking, especially since it is based on a true story. Thank you tonet galley for an advanced readers copy.

THE VIOLINIST OF AUSCHWITZ by ELLIE MIDWOOD tells the story of a famous violinist, Alma Rosé, who used her skills to keep the girls in her orchestra safe and to endear herself to even some of the most wicked Nazis in the camp. This woman, who was ready to give up when she first arrived at Auschwitz and saw the atrocities taking place, went on to bravely play the violin for the enemy and form an orchestra out of inexperienced girls, saving them from the ovens.
The novel is based on a true story. It is well written, giving us an idea of the unbelievable wickedness of the Nazi régime and the horrors of the Holocaust. The author has obviously done a great deal of research. She has also given us insight into Alma's character and feelings.
It is a story about courage in the face of man's inhumanity towards his fellow man. It is also a story about hope and shows that love can change things, even when someone is facing death at any moment. I recommend the novel as a most inspirational read.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Bookouture. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

This book invokes so many feelings in you when you are reading it enjoyment, anger, hope, sadness, happiness and even guilt; guilt for all those other feelings as you wonder if you have any right to enjoy a story that is about very real human suffering and very real people? This book is so well written you can lose yourself in the story and it is easy to forget that this story in firmly based on fact although it may be fiction. Amazingly, alot of what happened in this story is true, and it never ceases to amaze me how many inspiring stories there are still to be told about the spirit of World War 2 prisoners of war. I think one of the best things about very good historical novels like this one is that they make you feel quite emotional and then ultimately leave you reflecting upon the past and hopefully give you hope for the future.

With thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an early copy in return for an honest review.

First of all, The Violinist of Auschwitz is definitely in the running for the best book I've read in 2020. I've come to expect excellence from any Ellie Midwood book I read and this book most definitely delivers. I think it is so incredibly important to understand the big picture of the atrocities of World War II but also to read the stories of individuals and I feel so grateful to have learned about Alma Rosé. Based on a true story this story brought me to tears and represents the very best of historical fiction. As soon as I finished reading I set off to research Alma Rosé and her time at Auschwitz-Birkenau.

The only thing that could have made the book better is if I'd had a playlist to listen to while reading of songs Alma and the orchestra performed during the story.

I am crowning this glorious book my best read of 2020. I have to admit to my shame that I had never heard of Alma Rosè, I shall now never forget her. This story is utterly heartbreaking as it reincarnates the horrors of Auschwitz. Packed with characters from different countries living in sheer hell depending on whether they are sent left or right and the colour of their triangular badge. The selflessness and determination of Alma Rose is an inspiration to us all. Magnificent.

Book Review: a The Violinist of Auschwitz by author, Ellie Midwood
Expected Release ~ November 18, 2020

When an author pours their heart and soul, and then some, into a new idea through imagination, purpose and the grueling process of research, they bring to the reader a wonderful gift tucked within the pages. This gift is one that has left me breathless.

The Violinist of Auschwitz is a heart-rending look into a time in history where the dehumanizing regulations of WWII quickly turned into something much more~ pure evil.

Alma Rosé is an accomplished violinist from Vienna who finds herself in the most disturbing, despicable places on earth~ Auschwitz-Birkenau. Through strength, determination and heroics, she's able to bring a thread of peace to a select few amidst the chilling and gruesome surroundings by becoming a lead director and protector of the Auschwitz Women's Orchestra. By doing so, certain privileges were extended, music became a lifeline, and a love began to spark, even in a place where the horrors of war hung thick in the air, and the hopes for escape with lives saved were out of reach...

Based on a true story, Ms. Midwood has created a gem that outshines with its ability to seep into your veins through the intricate, powerful descriptions that deliver a masterful journey, one of compassion and pain, and one that moved me to tears.

The Violinist of Auschwitz is an exceptional repertoire of how one woman created beauty in the most hideous of places.

I thank the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this wonderfully written story, one I cannot recommend highly enough.

5 Stars

#TheViolinistofAuschwitz
#EllieMidwood
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Wild Sage Book Blog

** spoiler alert ** THE VIOLINIST OF AUSCHWITZ
BY ELLIE MIDWOOD

When I was reading this fabulous story based on the life of Alma Rose I was thinking that this reminded me of a movie that I watched with my mother when I was a teenager called Playing for Time. As it turns out when I got to the end of reading this gorgeous depiction of Alma and everything she did to save lives and putting together her orchestra Ellie Midwood says that the movie I could never forget got Alma's character all wrong. In this historical novel the author has stuck to the facts as much as possible by testimonies of survivors and books written about the character's in this novel. She has kept to the factual narratives as much as possible which made me appreciate this wonderful work of the tragic circumstances that occurred during the Holocaust. I just read and reviewed the book called "Where Butterflies Go," and I said that was my favorite but this one is also equally compelling and I feel as though it is a privilege to have read this powerful depiction of Alma Rose's life and all that she was able to accomplish during her time in the infamous concentration camp in Auschwitz.

Alma Rose was a famous Viennese violinist virtuoso and the conductor of the Birkenau women's orchestra for less than a year. Because of Alma's intelligent interactions with high ranking SS officer's of the camp administration she was able to gain the girls under her charge more privileges was such an essential part of the camps life that even after her death, her girls were spared the dreaded SS selections. Practically everyone that was a part of the orchestra that she put together survived incarceration and were freed in 1945. I fell in love with reading about Alma for the person she was and the impact she had on improving the lives of the young women who according to their own words she saved from imminent death.

When I mentioned above that while I was reading this standout account of the women's orchestra that entertained even Dr. Joseph Mengele who is also known as the angel of death, I discovered that Fania Fenelon's memoir, Playing for Time, which was made into the movie I watched with my mother; falsely portrayed Alma as a cold and harsh woman prone to physical violence and hysterical outbursts. I was happy to learn from reading this book that according to other survivors who were members of the orchestra that Fenelon's memoir was full of "fantasies". She unfortunately distorted the truth about not only Alma but practically everyone who took place in her "drama". Some of the survivors wrote to magazines and newspapers protesting such fictionalizations of facts. So the movie that was unforgettable to me after all these years got Alma and her girls in her orchestra and other facets that took place all wrong. I would not have learned that if I hadn't read this valuable and inspiring book.

Alma was truly a remarkable woman who came from a privileged musical background who followed her own path instead of relying on her family's celebrated name. She was able to organize a highly successful women's orchestra in Vienna. This was a monumental accomplishment for a woman to be able to do during the time period which in a society that was predominantly patriarchal. Her orchestra was known as the Waltzing Girls and Alma defied the Nazi's discriminatory orders that prohibited the Jews from performing in occupied territories when the German troops marched into Vienna in March of 1938. After seeing to it that her father was safe in England Alma returned and her band continued to perform until her arrest in late 1942. Alma was detained for a short time in the French transit camp named Drancy, she was deported to the Auschwitz extermination camp where the life expectancy was approximately two months. Backbreaking work, overcrowded and unsanitary conditions along with constant abuse by the members of the SS and the "kapos" (inmate functionaries who were appointed by the SS to supervise order), meager food rations and widespread diseases and constant selections to be put to death made each day a fight for survival. Their were a few select "privileged" chosen inmates could live with some semblance of normality. Their barracks weren't overcrowded and some were heated and they might have their own latrines attached to their block instead of having to use the communal ones. They slept with their own bedding in their own bunk beds and their food rations were more abundant than the regular inmates. They could grow out their hair and wear civilian clothes and take showers daily and have their clothes washed once per week and deloused which was a matter of life or death in a camp plagued by epidemics of typhus spread by lice.

There was a place called Kanada which some of the elite inmates could work sorting the belongings and valuables of the newly inmates who just arrived. Fortunately for Alma she was assigned to one of the "privileged"details and she was in charge of organizing the camp orchestra that entertained the high ranking officials such as Mengele. She taught girls how to play classical music and saved many girls and women from selection for death. Alma completely reorganized the band that only knew how to play a few songs and simple marches, expanded it from twenty to forty members and transformed it into a highly successful orchestra. According to eyewitness accounts Alma was an excellent strategist when it came to dealing with the SS. She was able to protect many high-ranking members of the camp administration not only her immediate supervisor and benefactor, the infamous women's camp leader, Maria Mandl. Using her finesse and charm as a vehicle for improving her girls living conditions for the members of her orchestra she was able to get daily showers and naps after lunch, a stove to warm their quarters and cook food and for Aryan members they received parcels from home and the Jewish members parcels from the Red Cross. She arranged a grand piano for the Music Block and new uniforms which were different than daily wear and performances. Alma was not a collaborator she despised the SS but most importantly she single handed was able to save members of her orchestra from the regular selections for death held by the SS wardens and Dr, Mengele a practice that was honored and adhered to even after her death. I owe much of what I have written in this review to the research of this talented author's use of eyewitness accounts and many books written about Alma. This is a tribute to Alma Rose and I am grateful that I read this fantastic factual historical fiction based on a hero that for if not reading this masterpiece I would not have learned so much. I have been greatly inspired to read more about Alma Rose because of the beautifully written work by Ellie Midwood who has crafted one of my favorite books of 2020 called "The Violinist of Auschwitz." This was a pleasure and an honor to read and I highly recommend it to everybody. It will move you and you will be inspired by Alma as she was an incredible icon that many of us know little about. Anybody that could accomplish as much as she did among so much suffering deserves to be celebrated and her memory kept alive in our hearts. Thank you Ellie Midwood for writing this magnificent tribute to Alma Rose. I will read anything you write in the future,

3.5 Stars.
This was an emotional and thought provoking read, I was unaware of the story of Alma Rosé and her role in history. Although I struggled a little to fully connect to the writing, it was nevertheless powerful and conveyed the true horrors hidden in plain sight. Unlike other Historical Fiction novels I've read, this one was original and incredibly well researched by the author, it didn't feel like a casual novel by any means. If you're a fan of WW2 books, I recommend this one!

This powerful, emotional book based on the true story of the virtuoso violinist Alma Rose and her orchestra in Auschwitz is written by an incredibly skillful storyteller. I was gripped from the first lines and the power of the writing is compelling,,; you have to read it, it is impossible to put it down for long. The story is a hard read as any book written about this dark period in human history would be but Ellie Midwood is able to masterfully and with such sensitivity and understanding guide the reader. This book is a wonderful way to remember the lives of those we must never forget and that hope and love can be found even when there seems to be no light. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

My enormous gratitude goes to the publishers, the amazing author and NetGalley for allowing me to read an arv of ths truly amazing book.

Phenomenal! Absolutely brilliant! This book requires a standing ovation for sure!

This is a crushingly heart-breaking yet beautiful story about the violinist of Auschwitz, Alma Rosé. The writing is beautiful and the story, based on true events, is sad yet hopeful.

What I noted whilst reading this is the hierarchy of inmates within Auschwitz-Birkenau. The complete juxtaposition of certain inmates' existence and fate compared to others all depending on a variety of factors.

What is also noticeable is the care and attention that the author gave to this story. I can tell she did her research thoroughly and ensured that the events and the characteristics of the people rang true throughout the book.

If you are a fan of WWII historical fiction then this is a definite must-read!

Ellie Midwood has written a powerful story based on the life of Alma Rose, a Viennese concert violinist.. Her family was Jewish although she was baptized in both the Catholic and Protestant faiths. She refused to stop playing and was arrested and ended up in Birkenau directing the women's orchestra. The Violinist of Auschwitz chronicles the year Alma was at the camp. Because of her courage and skillful interactions with high-ranking SS administrators, who considered her a goddess, her girls were given more privileges allowing nearly all of them to survive. The horror of Auschwitz and Birkenau are chronicled here, but there is also love, courage, compassion, and joy found here. If you enjoy music, you will appreciate this book.

This should be a "must read" so we may never forget what happened there.

A new standalone novel of Ellie Midwood about Violinist Almo Rose and the women orchestra in Auschwitz. Ellie Midwood takes her readers into the harrowing and tragic story.

I knew they had an orchestra in Auschwitz, but that was about the extent of my knowledge.
I learned a lot while reading this book. It gives horrifying insight into daily life at Auschwitz and how Alma Rose lifts the Auschwitz women's orchestra to a higher level to increase their chances of surviving. Compared to others in the camp they lived in luxury, but the threat of death was still over their heads every day and they were victims to all the horrors.

I wasn’t sure what to make of Alma in the beginning of the book, but she grew on me. She was so strong and fought and stood up for her girls, but that also takes a toll on a person.

It was such a sad and tragic story but also shows what hope can do and even in the worst places love can bloom.

You know if Auschwitz is in the title it’s going to be an emotional read. This book features the story of inmate 50381, Alma Rose. She is a talented violinist, who finds herself imprisoned in Auschwitz. Refusing to play to the high-ranking Nazis at the camp, Alma soon discovers the power she gets by agreeing to do so. This was such a heart-breaking read. Straight away in Alma’s story, I could see and feel the horrors which were happening within the camp. Alma is a wonderful character, defiant yet clever enough to work out how to use things to her advantage. I love how she puts together the orchestra and so admired their courage to play, despite the suffering and pain that was going on around them.

The author has undoubtedly researched this book so well, and her writing and descriptions put me right there amongst the pages. It was so upsetting to read Alma’s story, yet strangely uplifting to think that despite the horrors, music had the ability to do some good, in one way or another, for some of those poor people.

Based on a true story, this will have you reaching for the tissues before the end of the first chapter. You will relive the characters experiences through the writing, but you won’t forget the heroic and brave actions of the men and women in camps like this who rose above all of the horrors around them and by the playing of music shone some sunlight on an otherwise bleak and desolate place. This isn’t a story which I could say I loved due to the nature of the storyline, but it was wonderfully written capturing the feelings and emotions of the time. Would recommend!

Playing the violin in the Vienna Philharmonic, and supplied with a fake passport, Alma Rose hoped she would be saved from being sent to a concentration camp with other Jews. Once at Auschwitz, Alma soon learned she could speak up and gain some creature comforts for herself and other members of the Auschwitz orchestra. Her heroism kept many of these people alive. The book is gut wrenching and emotional, and the amount of research the author did is very evident. If you are a fan of historical fiction about WW II, don’t miss this book. I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher.

Wow, this might be my favorite book of 2020. I believe I had heard of Alma Rose before but I didn't realize how I knew the name. Alma's story is one that has been begging to be told and Ellie Midwood tells her story with eloquence and elegance. It was easy to understand even though the content was dark and deeply sad. I think Ellie Midwood created a historical fiction book that Alma would've been very proud of. There are so many takeaways from this book and I believe I will have to let this one sit with me for awhile. I've already told so many people about it. I can't wait to see what book we get from Ellie Midwood next.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to be one of the first to read this next great historical fiction novel. It is sure to be a great success.

Play for Your Lives

This is a very emotional and heartbreaking story. I have read much about the horrible events taking place in Auschwitz and the atrocities placed on the Jewish, Polish, Hungarian, and Czech, among other’s that fit the Nazi’s definition of the defectives. It makes it even more heartbreaking when the story is a true story.

Alma Rose is a famous violinist in Vienna Austria with her musical father. As the Nazi’s come closer she continues to play in Holland and hides when the German’s come. Eventually she is arrested as a Jew and sent to Auschwitz concentration camp. She is eventually recognized as a famous violinist and put in charge of the Auschwitz music block putting together a ladies orchestra. Her orchestra is forced to play for the Nazi’s sometimes at the threat of their lives. When searching for a pianist to tutor her girl in the orchestra she meets Miklos, a Jewish pianist. They play instruments together for the Nazi’s and he tutors her pianist, they fall in love, but can their love survive…indeed can any of them survive?

This is the story of Alma Rose, Miklos, and other’s in the Auschwitz orchestra. It tells the story of their efforts to survive by playing music, the efforts Alma takes to ensure their survival and what they see and experience in the rest of the camp. You will feel their pain, their helplessness, see their tears and hold your breath at times. I loved all the characters, I am glad that Miklos and Alma found each other and had some happiness in the awful surroundings of the camp. I marveled at the courage of Alma to speak up to authorities at times, even those most feared like Doctor Mengele. It saddened me to realize what a person would do for a crust of bread if they were starving. It warmed my heart to feel the love and respect they had for Alma.

It will make you cry, make you smile and break your heart. I recommend this book.

Thanks to Ellie Midwood, BookOuture and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy in exchange for an honest review.

The moment i got approved for it, I started reading it and ever since then I am recommending this book to my friends. It was written in such a beautiful manner that now i am afraid whether i will be able to do justice while writing the review of not. The chacter of Alma Rose was very well potrayed. She was a bold and fearless girl. The atmosphere that the author created was fantastic. At some point, I fel as if I am one amonst those characters.
Simply beautiful.

It’s without a doubt that Ellie Midwood’s, The Violinist of Auschwitz, to be published on November 18, 2020, will stay in my memory for a very long time. Midwood has truly honoured Rosé and her valiant musicians with this extremely well written true story of how music gave a handful of prisoners a means of escape within the barbed-wire confines of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Caught with a fake passport, Alma Rosé, a Viennese Jewish concert violinist with the Vienna Philharmonic, is sent to the infamous Nazi death camp in the summer of 1943. Recognized by a high-ranking Nazi, Rosé is soon treated differently than the other prisoners. She’s moved from an experimental block to the woman’s camp and appointed as conductor of an orchestra who will play on request of the officers. Ultimately offered a chance at a life-saving performance, not only for herself but also for the other musicians, Rosé desperately scrambles to assemble and teach other prisoners in order to please the officers. Stoic and armed with the power of position, Rosé manages to obtain rewards, comforts of a former life, for herself and the musicians as they play to breathe another day.

Midwood's research is reflected in her storyline and readers will learn more about the camp than previous historical fiction writers on the same topic. Her ability to evoke terror, tears, and compassion through her words is amazing as is her ability to shed light on the plight of these real individuals.

This book reminded me of the afternoon, I wasn’t even 10 years old, when I saw the blue number tattoo on my Hungarian neighbour’s left arm. Long gone, I’ve never forgotten him nor his parallel account of playing chess for his freedom. I wonder if he ever met Alma Rose. I’d like to think so.

Like Anne Frank, Rosé reminds readers that we each have potential heroism within us and it can be summoned by even the vilest human beings. Let's remember that.

Thank you to Ellie Midwood, Bookouture and Netgalley for this fantastic advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow...just wow. The world of historical fiction once again introduces us to a hero amidst the backdrop of evil. Heartbreaking, gut wrenching, heroic are all words to describe The Violinist of Auschwitz.

All she wanted to do was play music. Alma Rose was a famous violinist in a pre-war Europe and she played right up until the day she was arrested and eventually sent to Auschwitz. Locked in the experimental block, Alma demanded a violin, stating if those were going to be her last days...she wanted to go out doing something she loved. What she ended up doing was so much more than that. Though she despised the SS, she managed to build an orchestra worthy of compliments from high ranking Nazis and managed to save as many lives as she could. She was bold, demanding and fearless. In the midst of pure evil and death, music saved lives and brought peace to so many more despite everything else going on around them.

This book is graphic and chilling. You can almost hear the music and the screams. Each page paints a portrait of a woman who has the strength to take on a beast and somehow manages to win for her girls.

A must read for WWII/Holocaust aficionados. Thank you Bookouture, NetGalley and Ellie Midwood for the ARC. I’m speechless