I read the Prologue and then the last chapter. The title made me think there was a happily ever after. There wasn't, and I didn't want to read the rest. Yes, I know, few people made it out of Auschwitz, that's reality. Yes, it was millions of individual people who were killed there, not a bunch of statistics. Still, reading about and learning to care for people who are going to die a horrible death is not how I choose to spend my spare time. Your mileage may vary.

Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of the book via NetGalley. DNF.

Review to be published March 9

"A totally gripping and absolutely heartbreaking World War 2 page turner," it says on the book's cover. I don't know whether it is an unattributed testimonial or the author's opinion but it's totally not.

The book follows the story of Mala Zimetbaum, Auschwitz inmate 19880 and Edek Galiński, inmate 531. Thanks to her knowledge of several languages, Mala is saved from a gas chamber and employed as an interpreter for the SS. Edek is a political prisoner who fights for the underground resistance and all he thinks about is how to get to the other side of the electric wire. Edek makes Mala believe that they have a chance and can escape together. Together they make a plan.

With an advanced copy I understand I got to read the unedited, more raw version. But the writing was so raw I couldn't get into it. The book felt like a school assignment when you are short of a word count and to fix it you start over-inserting adjectives, adverbs and clauses, no matter if they fit. Some sentences did not make sense. Some felt like ran through google translate.

The two starts are for Midwood's research and knowledge. The book is based on a true story and the author demonstrates the knowledge of the Second World War throughout. I admire her passion for the time and her dedication to cover heroins of the war. But she needs a better editor.

The real story of Mala and Edek is important, empowering and worth knowing. The book didn't evoke any of the feelings in me. I caught myself analyzing sentences instead of being pulled into the plot. When that happened, the author lost me.

I happen to be an historical fiction junkie, particularly when it comes to books about the Holocaust. By far, this is one of my favorite stories to date. “The Girl Who Escaped from Auschwitz” is exactly what the title suggests, a story about a girl who escaped Camp Auschwitz. But it is also more than that. It’s a story about the things that endure when all else is taken away. It’s a story about the unbreakable human spirit. It’s a story about survival. It’s a story about love.

I highly recommend this book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

A harrowing true account of life in Auschwitz/Birkenau camps. Mala is a camp runner which gives her certain "priviliges " which she only uses to make life better for others in the camp. She meets Edek and together they make plans for their escape.
Ellie Midwood (author) brings raw emotions in this story, the suffering of the "inmates", the despair faced on a daily basis but also the strength they needed to survive.
My review simply cannot put into words how great this book is, so i recommend for people to go out and purchase a copy.
I received this book from Netgalley and Bookouture in exchange for an honest review. I would give more than 5 stars if possible

If you can read this book without feeling a range of strong emotions, you're a robot! Mala and Edek have a unique love story, fraught with peril and the sorrows of surviving through more than four years at Auschwitz. Dripping with details, the author does an amazing job of making you feel like you're walking alongside the main characters...the sensory language is fantastic! Will definitely be looking for more from her in the future.

This book will leave you hollow. It literally punched you in the gut. It’s gritty, stirring, and so powerful. I had heard of Mala and Edvek, but not on this level. Mid wood is a skilled author who brings their combined stories to life, amid all the horror and suffering of Auschwitz. When I was reading this book, it was like I was actually there, looking at the horridness, feeling the despair, smelling the stench that assailed the nostrils. The details were so precise and graphic, it’s really unlike anything I’ve read, even in non fiction. I was thoroughly chilled. Even at the end, when the conclusion is evident, the emotions swell. If you don’t read any historical fiction this year, please reconsider and read this book. And then spread the word.

This is a wonderful although tragic fictional story based on true events and real figures, mémoirs of sorts that depict the terrible conditions the internees at Auschwitz-Birkenau had to suffer. This powerful novel of heroism tells the story of Mala, inmate 19880, who was the first woman to escape the horrors of the camp and of Edek, inmate 531, a fighter in the underground resistance who had an escape plan. Together they will succeed or die trying. What follows is one of the greatest love stories.

I never get bored reading Holocaust memoirs and Ms. Midwood is by far one of my favourite authors of this genre.

The author recounts in a third person narrative the horrors of that time remarkably. Through the eyes of Mala and Edek we feel the emotions they have, what they are thinking and doing, most of all the suffering they are seeing or enduring themselves. The repeated beatings so well said I could feel the sting of each lash. The life in the camp is vividly painted and does not shy from the atrocities that occurred.

Mala and Edek had privileged positions and did all in the power to help as many people they could by smuggling food, delegate them jobs so they could survive, give them clothes , cigarettes , liquor, things to trade with. They were heroes that were forced to live in the bowels of hell facing imminent death till one day they planned an escape in order to build a life together....giving them hope in this dark place... Yes, by the end I had tears in my eyes...What a sad story one that will stay with me for a long time.

This book is difficult to put down it is so well written and moving to no ends, harrowing and yet has tender moments...Well- said as usual.

A heartbreaking historical novel based on a true story. I laughed and cried reading Edek and Mala’s story and how they planned to escape from Auschwitz.

It is a very well-researched book with lots of detail about life during World War Two.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for a review.

📖 The Girl Who Escaped from Auschwitz
Author: Ellie Midwood
Genre: Historical Fiction/ WWII
Page Count: 342
Personal Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Synopsis:
The novel is based on the true events that took place in the Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Mala Zimetbaum, inmate 19880, was one of the privileged inmates. Working as an interpreter and runner for the SS army, she had a tiny bit of freedom in that hell which she used to help others. She smuggled scraps of food, medicine and warm clothes, assigned prisoners to a suitable work detail they could survive . Edward Galinski, inmate 531, a Polish political prisoner concocted a plan to escape which brought him to Mala. When these two dreamers met, they did the impossible. They instilled hope in people and proved that the Nazis were not invincible.

My Thoughts:
This is a story about standing in the deep bowels of hell, staring imminent death in the face every moment yet still managing to stand up for one's beliefs, daring to hope and to love.

Auschwitz was the Grim Reaper's abode, where the SS harvested souls of the people whose only crimes were being able to pick up a weapon, following a different God or simply existing. Imprisonment wasn’t punishment enough. So the prisoners were forced to take part in murdering their own - operate the Gas Chambers and Crematoriums. The SS seemed to do it all for their twisted entertainment. And when the war seemed to be lost, they took even more drastic measures to hide their crimes.

Amidst of it all Mala, Edek and their friends from the resistance stood for hope. Each and every character were memorable. They enriched the story regardless of however small their appearance were. Their struggles, their love for each other and their ability to hold on to their humanity in that living hell broke my heart into million pieces. The book also focused on the German character and their complexities. How some of them too were human, how they tried to make life a little bearable for the prisoners and were punished for it.

"𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙤𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙪𝙥 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙗𝙖𝙙 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢. 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙙𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙮 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙥 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙠𝙣𝙞𝙛𝙚, 𝙨𝙤 𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙘𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙤𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙨 𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙯𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙄 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤."

This is my first time reading Ellie Midwood and I have to say I'm in awe. I was amazed by how she managed to balance the ugliness and brutality of the camps with the beauty and humanity of the characters. There were moments the book made me cry, stare blankly in despair. There were also moments it put a genuine smile on my face. The author's note at the end of the novel showed how much research she had done to get the story as accurate and rich as possible.

I received an e-ARC via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thankyou so much Bookoutour for giving me this priviledge. The book comes out in 9 March, 2021. Don't forget to check this one out.

I really struggled to get into this book. it's not for the fainthearted as it's very detailedin the gas chambers.

This was another exceptionally good book by Author Ellie Midwood. When young Mala Zimethaum arrives in Auschwitz, she is immediately assigned the job of interpreter for the SS and a runner between the camps. She is secretly working for the underground resistance and does her best to help save lives by smuggling food to prisoners and finding them jobs that they can do. While on a mission, she meets Edward "Edek" Galinski who has been in Auschwitz for a long time and is also a member of the resistance. They fall in love and plan their escape together. This is a heart-wrenching story of love, kindness and courage.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this powerful, well-written book in exchange for an honest review.

“We must die standing up for something.”“And what are we standing up for?”“The most important thing there is. Freedom.”
Wow! A truly inspiring read if there ever was one. Based on a true story of Mala Zimetbaum, an inmate of Auschwitz who became a translator for the SS as she spoke several languages and was useful to them. Edek (Edward) is a political prisoner and has been there for several years. They chance upon each other and find each has useful skills- ones that could be put to use for their own benefit for a change. Both were imprisoned for being alive- the wrong nationality or religion. This is both a powerful and disturbing read at times and brilliantly written. The horrors of what went on yet at times tenderness and even a smile- the inmates doing what they can to keep their spirits lifted whilst amongst the atrocities of the camp. Yes there have been many books about Auschwitz, and yes I think there should be. There are lessons here for all of us which shouldn't (in my opinion) be put at the back of the shelf. Each one gives a different perspective whilst there is the consistency of the attitude, rules and killing that occurred (and much more). A memorable book to be sure and maybe even an inspiring one- one life- live it. Brilliant
(rest of links as part of blog tour)

Wow! This one is definitely gonna get ya but it is so worth the emotional roller coaster when you meet and get to know Edek & Mala...two very real people whom this story was written around.

Edek and Mala were both arrested and sent to Auschwitz, he as a political prisoner and she as a Jewish woman. Together they work to help as many people as they can as a part of the camp resistance but ultimately, their goal is to escape the hell they’re in and build a future beyond the barbed wire together. These characters exude strength, bravery, compassion and selflessness. Hope shines bright in one of the darkest places and times in history.

I was excited to read this book because I have previously read the authors other work, The Violinist of Auschwitz and it was amazing. I knew this one would be too and it was that and more. It’s a perfect companion to The Violinist. Characters from that story are mentioned in this one, their stories overlap. If you haven’t read the Violinist, you’ll want to after reading this book. Also...please, please, please don’t close the book when you read the last sentence of the story. Read the authors notes, you’ll learn more about the REAL Mala and Edek and some of the other characters who were either based on real people or in many cases, were the real person, like Alma Rose, the Violinist.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Bookouture and Ellie Midwood for allowing me to get to know Mala...a true heroine and sharing her story with us!

Thank you so much to #NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I don't know why books like this hit me so hard. I mean I was in tears reading this. While the book reads like a fiction book, its very sombering to know that it is based off a true story. I felt the characters despair, I felt their fear. It comes across right in your face as you are reading the book However, I also felt their love, and their hope.

This story is heartbreaking but beautiful all in one, if that makes sense. It is a story that will stay with you

‘The Girl who Escaped from Auschwitz’ -Ellie Midwood
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Genre: Romantic/ Historical Fiction

“...and it instilled faith into something bigger than death itself in the hungry hearts aching for a sliver of hope.”

After reading this, I can officially report my tear ducts have run completely and utterly dry. A harrowing story of faith, hope and overcoming adversity even in the most bleak of circumstances. Based on a true story, Mala and Edek strike-up comradeship and moreover, a deep, incorruptible love. Together, their discernible determination to escape Auschwitz and liberate their fellow prisoners, meets no bounds.

Reading this novel both shattered my heart and instilled me with immense adoration and compassion for the courage these individuals possessed in order to stand up against this horrific mass exodus and fight for freedom, despite the threat of severe repercussions.

This book is outside of my usual genre, but sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone and this story is worth it.
It’s a work of fiction but based on the true story. Stories like these, fictional or not are important to keep sharing, there are many lessons to learn from these stories.

Mala is an Auschwitz veteran, she works as a Läuferin while also being an important member of the resistance and helping those she can. Edek is a dreamer, a romantic who does handyman jobs in the Auschwitz camp. Edek and Mala meet because he needs her help for his escape plan to work. What unfolds during some of the darkest days in the history is a great love story and a pact to live and to die together.

The book tells the story of their escape, where I think the main focus is in them as a couple and I feel there is more of Edek in this book than there is of Mala. Her role is very important in all of and she is a resistance heroine, but the title of the book might be slightly misleading. She was the first female to escape from the horrible camps, but maybe a different title would have been better. As mentioned the story is a work of fiction but based on true events and Mala and Edek we’re very real people, as are most of the other characters. I wish I would have known about them when I visited the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum a couple of years ago. It would have been interesting to have seen some of the things the author writers about. What surprised me most while visiting the camps were the endless groups of tourists taking selfies/ family pictures in the gas chambers and the crematorium. Knowing what happened there, not only because you are told in school during history class, but also because maybe some family members suffered at the hands of the Nazis... How can you smile and take your picture in these places? It made me feel sick. Being in this place, experiencing the awful history you should show respect and sense, mostly sense. Books like this one, although fictional only underline my views on this.
This book is by no means a fun and light read, but it is informative, captivating and well written. And it teaches us about resilience and appreciating the things you have and can do for others and yourself.

Brave and heartfelt and heartbreaking. Those are the words that come to mind with this book. Any person put into these concentration camps had way more bravery and gumption than I will ever have. The strength to fight for freedom when the only reason you were there is because someone else thought you less. May authors keep writing these books and may we never forget what happened.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

I was given an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I want to start this review by discussing some of the criticisms others have put in their reviews.
Someone has complained that the book had a sad ending - 1. It's Auschwitz, scene of the biggest horror the world has even seen, 2. The book doesn't start with "once upon a time", 3. It's based on a true story so what a massive disservice this would be to lie at the end. I was gobsmacked that this was a criticism.

Another complaint was that the main characters could've just waited a few months to be free.....Are you serious?! Can you even begin to fathom the atrocities of Auschwitz. It was completely a reality that you could be shot, burned alive, tortured etc. any second. When the allies did arrive there was no way they'd keep all of those people alive to share their stories. It even says it several times in the story. It’s because of brave souls like them that we’re not all speaking German right now.

Now for my own feedback....

This was a fantastic book. Truly harrowing, heart breaking and gripping. It's so surreal to search for all of the characters in this book and to see their photographs and their own wiki pages.
I’m not a particularly emotional person but this book really got to me. Ellie Midwood does a truly amazing job of describing the reality for all of those poor people. She writes about this world in such detail you can imagine yourself there. The horror comes from realising that this isn’t in the slightest fictional and the cruel things that are done to the inmates, which you think how could an author come up with that, are real.
Another thing I really valued in this book was how Ellie writes about the SS commanders. In particular, those guards who have their humanity still. I’m sure we’ve all wondered if everyone who was a Nazi was actually evil or if they just went along with it to keep themselves alive. This book does a wonderful job of talking about SS Edward Lubush and how he really tries to be a good man despite the danger to himself and his family. It was a really refreshing change to read about the humanity of some of these German’s who were just as much prisoners as the inmates (albeit in considerably better conditions).

I don’t want to spoil the story too much but I would like to end this review by telling you to look at a photograph of Mally and Edek. No one can look at their photographs and not feel immense pride at how incredibly brave Mala ages 26, and Edek aged just 21 were. I know at 28 I don’t think I could be as brave as they were.

“Hell was empty because all the devils were in Auschwitz.”

Countless others have wanted someone to share Mala’s story as they reached out with memories from time spent in Auschwitz, but it is renowned author and Nazi Germany history expert, Ellie Midwood, a Jew herself, who picked up the torch and shed light on the first woman and first Jewish woman to escape from Auschwitz-Birkenau. Midwood’s novel, ‘The Girl Who Escaped From Auschwitz,’ records courage in the face of tragedy and bravery in the face of fear as two inmates plot and escape from the death camp.

Mala Zimetbaum’s fluency in several languages was the reason she was chosen as a runner and translator for the SS and progressed to a privileged prisoner allowed freedom of movement within the camp. The reality was that Mala was prisoner 19880, but to many, she was their saviour as she used her position to save lives by smuggling food. While in the camp, Mala met Edward (Edek) Galiński and fell in love. Edek, a man with a dream and an escape plan, was, in reality, inmate 531, a Polish political prisoner who became a fighter for underground resistance in the camp.

With anti-Semitism on the rise again across the world, Midwood thinks it’s important to bring awareness of it and remind us what can happen if we allow hatred to run free and permeate our society. Speaking in an interview recently, she shared “it all starts with small things but can quickly grow into something atrocious that can devour countless human lives.” Midwood masterfully and eloquently honours Zimetbaum with her historical fiction tribute to this miraculous woman, a living symbol of resistance for all the inmates.

Despite the difficult read at times, Midwood’s characterization helps us focus on two inmates who displayed heroism and love in the darkness right until the bitter end. Midwood gently reminds us that this can’t be read like any other love story; time was not on Mala and Edek’s side. You may get swept away in the gentleness and tender moments shared between two people, but before long Midwood will bring you back to the harsh reality of guarded life behind the barbed wire. She is to be commended for not diluting the events; illness, beatings, death, constant ash, blood, the constant smell of burnt flesh and singed hair, hunger and the ongoing experimentations by Joseph Mengele. Readers of her previous novel will notice the re-appearance of several inmates. Midwood reminds us to continue to be the light in the darkness and search deep to find the hero within.

“We must die standing up for something.”
“And what are we standing up for?”
“The most important thing there is. Freedom.”

To be published March 09, 2021, this is a must-read for all historical fiction lovers.

Thank you again to Ellie Midwood, Bookouture, and NetGalley for this superb advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Girl Who Escaped from Auschwitz reads like fiction but is based on a true story. The events that takes place in the book are so unsettling and horrific, but within the despair, torture and hopelessness there are also much love, compassion and hope. All this is so well told by the author. The book is well-written and the characters and the surroundings are so well described. The book was difficult to put down and it will stay with me for a long time. If you like books like The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Cilkas's Journey and The Boy Who Followed His Father into Auschwitz then this is a book for you. Highly recommended.

Thank you NetGalley, the author and Bookouture for the opportunity to enjoy and share my honest opinion.