Member Reviews
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
When I first saw the news about this book, I jumped at the chance to read it because I had enjoyed the author's previous books in the series, particularly The Tattooist of Auschwitz. On paper, this story should be just as compelling as those previous books, but it falls completely flat because of extremely simplistic writing. Even though this book is based on the true experiences of a real family, the writing made it impossible for me to get invested in any of the characters. At times, this book genuinely felt like it was written for teenagers. It was ultimately a disappointment, especially given the author's previous works.
Thank you Net Galley for an ARC for Three Sisters by Heather Morris. Amazing story of three very brave sisters that spanned WW2 concentration camps to settling in for a reimagined life in Isreal after the war. Even though this is #3 in the Tattooist of Auschwitz series, this story can stand on its own. I really intrigued the story of their time and lives in Isreal and how they learned to trust people again. The story of how the sisters survived the camps is heartbreaking. The cruelty of people is just indescribable. I would have liked more details about their time in their new country of Isreal and how they reestablished their lives. I'm sure it had to be more challenging than the story told. Well done Heather Morris on telling their story.
SOME SPOILERS: Cibi, Magda, and Livi are three sisters that lived with their mother and grandfather in Slovakia. Cibi and Livi were taken to Auschwitz and Birkenau. Magda was temporarily saved by a kind doctor but eventually joined her sisters in the concentration camp. After years of horrors and captivity, they escaped on a death march near the end of the war. Through the help of strangers and others, the sisters stuck together and rebuilt their lives. A few years later, Magda and Livi took on the adventure to resettle in the new land of Isreal to build a land where they are free to be Jewish. Cibi eventually joined them with her new family. They learned to live and establish a new normal for themselves They lived full and long, happy lives in spite the cruelty they experienced during their time at the camps. I was amazed at the end of the story, Heather Morris included real life interviews, timelines, and background information of these three amazing women and their families. For my ARC, it was about 800 pages but on Goodreads, the book is listed at 416 pages. I'm not sure why the difference. Regardless of page numbers, this is an outstanding story of survival.
Three Sisters is an outstanding novel based on the true story of three sisters and their fight for survival during World War II. Cibi, Magda and Livi are sisters living in Slovakia in 1942. Before his death their father made the sisters promise to always take care of each other and not allow anyone to separate them. This pledge becomes the chorus of the plot as Cibi and Livi are sent to Auschwitz-Borkenau. Magda hides at home with her mother and grandfather until they are rounded up and sent to Auschwitz in 1944. Morris's writing details Cibi's and Livi's daily anguish, but also gives her reader hope for their survival. All three sisters are remarkable women who share responsibility for their collective survival. Morris provides a new outlook on an often written about subject. This is a fascinating novel and the afterward, from the women's families, should not be skipped.
๐๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ง๐ถ๐ญ, ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ต ๐ธ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ!
This is my third book from this author and I just love her writing. Three Sisters tell the story of Cibi, Magda and Livi and the horrors they endured during Holocaust. A story about survival, love, promises and hope that you need to read.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this gifted copy.
Three Sisters by Heather Morris releases tomorrow October 5, 2021z
๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ช๐ง ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ญ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ: ๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ณ ๐๐ ๐ด๐ต๐ฐ๐ณ๐ช๐ฆ๐ด, ๐๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ค๐ข๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐ด๐ต๐ฐ๐ณ๐ช๐ฆ๐ด, ๐๐ช๐ด๐ต๐ฐ๐ณ๐ช๐ค๐ข๐ญ, ๐๐ฅ๐ถ๐ญ๐ต ๐๐ช๐ค๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ.
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4.5/5
Three Sisters was a hard book to read at times but it was beautifully done. Inspired by the true story of of three sisters, Cibi, Magda and Livi, who survived the atrocities of Auschwitz and began a new life in Israel. Yes, a book like this is so very hard to read, it is heart breaking but it is a reminder that we should never forget what happened.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the review copy.
Three Sisters is the latest in the Tattooist of Auschwitz series, but the book only tangentially refers to characters from the Tattooist of Auschwitz and Cilka's Journey. It stands on it own and makes Cibi, Magda and Livia's story as compelling as the other entries by Heather Morris. You can see with the writing the amount of care and attention that the author had with the real life experiences of these three sisters. Their struggles and survival makes it more amazing that these events happened to real people even if some details are fictionalized.
While I find it hard to rave about a book that looks so deeply into the lives of three women during WWII and shares their pain so accurately; I am without a doubt, incredibly thankful that I read Three Sisters by Heather Morris. This is Morrisโ third novel and it is totally on par with her previous two. Three Sisters is a fact-based account of how three sisters, Livia, Magda and Cibi experience the horrors of being Jewish women in Nazi Germany. While enduring the termoil of Nazi Germany, the three women remain true to their pact to always stay together and find strength that most of us cannot even imagine. Their stories donโt end when the war is over and Morris takes readers through their lives as they attempt to return to their hometown and then to create a new home all over Europe and into Israel. Following each womanโs journey accurately depicts the fact that even though the war was over, their experiences have changed them for eternity. I spent the entire time reading in awe of the womenโs strength, their resilience and their dedication to each other. Morris has the gift of creating words that come to life and readers will be transported back in time. Three Sisters is a challenging read, as any accurate WWII book should be, but it is beautifully written and filled with hope and love. I especially enjoyed the contributions by family members at the end of the novel and appreciated that they shared their familyโs powerful history.
A sincere thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Three Sisters is an incredibly moving and emotional story about Livi, Magda, and Cibi, a trio of Slovakian sisters who endure the hardships, heartbreak and cruelty that so many Jews faced during World War II. They make a promise to their father to always stay together and they try to uphold this promise through years spent in concentration camps at the hand of the Nazis. Based on a true story, it's a tale of triumph over evil, heroism, survival and courage. Historical fiction lovers will enjoy this latest book by Heather Morris. The Author's Note and Afterword Sections are must-reads!
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.
Another powerful novel by Heather Morris (Tattooist of Auschwitz ). This heartwarming story tells of the courage, resilience and love of three Jewish sisters living in Slovakia during the Nazi regime.
The sisters had made a promise to their father prior to his death to look out for each other.
Ciba, age 19 is training to travel to Israel to reside in the Jewish settlement. When she arrives home one weekend she learns that her younger sister , Livia aged 15 has been ordered to Auschwitz. The family had sent Magda age 17 a way with the help of the family Doctor but were not worried about Livia because she was too young and the Germans were not taking girls her age. Ciba remembering the promise to her father abandon her dreams of Israel and joins her sister to Auschwitz.
Ciba and Livia are a strength to each other as they endure and fear the the horrendous conditions and horrid events in the camp.
Magda , who has escaped going to the camp for a few years is finally ordered to go with her Mother and Grandfather.
She escapes during the trip but is recaptured.
When she arrives at the camp she is saved by her sisters.
Their Mother and grandfather are sent to the gas chambers on their arrival in camp. This is the last day the chambers are used.
The three sisters continue to endure and eventually escape during the death March.
After the war ended , they are determined to survive and have hope.
This is a true story of courage, determination, resilience , strength and love.
Many thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.
I have read a lot of WWII fiction, and this one really captivated me. I liked #1 and #3 in this series, but #2 fell flat for me.
In this one, #3, the pages after the book was complete included letters from some of the family, and it was interesting to read those and learn how much of the story was based on actual events.
I know that some people feel this category of books is overdone but the reality is there are still Holocaust deniers and anti-semitism is still very much around.
This is the story of three Slovakian sisters and their experiences during WW2. Livia, Magda, and Cibi are the ultimate story of courage, loyalty and suffering. They sacrifice so much for one another. If you enjoyed reading the first 2 of the series by Heather Morris, this book will not disappoint. Morris is skilled at writing the heartbreaking tales of those during the Holocaust.
**Huge thanks to NetGalley for the ARC
The last in the series, this one was equally as hard-hitting. Perhaps since Iโm from a family of four sisters, I could more easily relate to that strong unspoken bond between the three sisters. From start to finish, I couldnโt stop reading - as awful as the atrocities were, the resiliency & commitment to their family kept me reading. The Afterword sections by Livia, Oded, Ayala, and Yossi, and Heather, herself, made this novel even more meaningful. Hearing about the ongoing legacy of this family because of their strength and courage. Thank you for sharing your story - the emotional load had to have been heavy, but your story will ensure the horrors of Auschwitz and Birkenau will not be forgotten, nor will the love & joy of survival of generations.
Thank you to NetGalley & St Martinโs Press for an Advanced Readerโs Copy.
I received an ARC of Three Sisters in exchange for an honest review. I have read Heather Morris' two previous novels about WWII. In fact all three books are titled as part of a series, but they really aren't a series. Each can be read independently. This story follows three sisters and their experiences during the war. This story also covers several years after the war has ended. This is another good WWII novel that you should read if you like historical novels.
Three Sisters is another important story of survival and love among three sisters, Cibi, Magda and Livi during WWII. Heather Morris does another amazing job of sharing their true story with us. The three sisters make a promise to their father that they will always stick together and watch out for each other, and this promise is the lifeline that binds them and saves them through one of the most horrific times in our worldโs history: the genocide of the Jews by the Nazis. For so many reasons, especially in these current times, sharing this story helps to remind us of how quickly people can turn on each other and how love can be the bond that saves. I read this book in 24 hours. I loved it as much as I loved the first two in this trilogy. Thank you, Heather Morris for sharing their story. Thank you ever so much to the publisher and Netgalley for the honor of reading an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Heather Morrisโ The Three Sisters follows her two previous historical fiction Holocaust novels, The Tattooist of Auschwitz (2018) and Cilkaโs Journey (2019), the latter of which starts during the Holocaust but is largely set in a Siberian prison camp. Although The Three Sisters briefly alludes to the main characters of the two earlier books, readers do not need to have read either before reading the latest.
Based on research and interviews with two of three Slovakian sisters who eventually emigrated to Israel, Morrisโs book tells the story of three daughters fulfilling their promise to their father to always stay together and to help one another. Although their life in Auschwitz is horrifying as readers will expect, their close ties help them survive hard labor and the assigned searching of prisonersโ belongings for valuables. Overall, this is a story of family loyalty and survivorsโ guilt, for so many people the teenage girls met in Auschwitz were not as lucky as they were.
Telling the real-life story of Livia, Cibi, and Magda was the book's primary strength, and Morris discusses her research and the historical background thoroughly at the back of the book. Readers should not miss her closing essay. While Livi, Cibi, and Magdaโs story is based on history, dialogue had to be invented and sometimes struck me as forced or unrealistic. Overall, because the book teaches little or nothing new other than the sisterโs personal story, I would recommend The Three Sisters to young adults and other readers with little knowledge of the Holocaust. The tragic genocide should always be remembered and must never be repeated, yet I have begun to wonder if the womenโs fiction market is too saturated with Holocaust fiction.
My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martinโs press for an advance reader copy.
This story begins in 1929 with Ciba, Magda, and Livi Meller sitting down with their father, Menachem, who is about to undergo risky surgery to remove a bullet from his neck, a procedure he will not survive. His one wish is that his daughters promise to always care for each other. Fast forward to 1942. WWII and the Holocaust is in full swing. In Vranov, Slovakia, where the girls live with their mother and grandfather, the Hlinka (locals under the control of the Nazis) are rounding up young Jewish girls. Magda is ill and is sent to the hospital, while her sisters are transported to the Auschwitz and Birkenau concentration (and death) camp. What ensues is a story of untold cruelty and hardship. And in 1944, sister Magda is finally caught and transported there as well. The three live up to their promise of sticking together throughout, and their survival is nothing less than miraculous. This is the third book in a trilogy by Heather Morris, all dealing with the Holocaust (The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Cilkaโs Journey came before). Characters from the earlier books make brief appearances. These books could actually be considered non-fiction as they are all based on true people and actual events. The story of the three sisters, all of whom survived to lead rich and long lives in Israel. Be sure to read the letters from the families at the end of the book. It is another story of heart-wrenching cruelty and the human spirit and will to survive. My thanks to St. Martinโs Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review the ARC of this novel.
In โThree Sistersโ (as the title implies), Helen Morris follows three young Slovakian sisters who promised their father to always stay together, no matter what. The Nazis order two of the sisters to Auschwitz where they survive hardships and horrors. The third sister is hidden in attics and the forest until she, too, is captured and sent to Auschwitz where, almost miraculously, the girls are reunited. It is quite amazing that the sisters ended up together and even more remarkable that they all survived. Morris follows their story after WWII and through their struggles to emigrate to and settle in Israel. A very special part of the book comes at the end with recollections from the two still-living sisters, upon whom the novel is based, and their families. I found that particularly moving and interesting. โThree Sistersโ just did not have the power or emotion of Morrisโs earlier works, especially โThe Tattooist of Auschwitz.โ Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martinโs Press for the free ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.
Book #3 and the final book in the Tattooist of Auschwitz trilogy
A promise to stay together, an unbreakable bond and a fierce will to survive.
โThree Sistersโ follows the real-life Meller sisters who all survived imprisonment at Auschwitz-Birkenau and the winter march at the end of WW11. When the war ended, the sisters wandered through Germany before returning to Slovakia. Only to find once there, their home occupied by squatters and a strong anti-Semitism still lingering. The girls then set off to a training camp for future immigrants to Israel and in 1948 after a harrowing journey they reached their dream land. They worked, prospered, found love, had children and grandchildren.....always together.
By balancing imagination with extensive research Ms. Morris skillfully chronicles the life of the sisters from childhood to old age and immersed us in their lives. Cibi, Magda and Livi are the ones telling the story and their voices shines through the authorโs vivid and simple words. This is a fascinating and compelling account
โThree Sistersโ came to life when Miss Morris was contacted by Liviโs son Oded Ravek and discovered their amazing story. In an Afterword, Oded sums up the novel as a testament to the power of love and devotion.
I never tired reading how against all odds some managed to survive years of imprisonment in the most notorious death camp in Nazi Germany: Auschwitz.
What a breath-taking conclusion. Well-done, well-said
There have been many books recently which take place during the Holocaust but Heather Morrisโs stands out. Based on the true story of the horrors these three sisters enduring, it also emphasized their loving family bond which gave them the strength to keep living. This is a story that needed to be told.
"๐๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ถ๐จ๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ฑ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฎ ๐ง๐ถ๐ญ๐ง๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ข ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ช๐ด๐ฆ."โฃ
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Three Sisters by Heather Morris is the third book in the Tattooist Of Auschwitz series, and like the first two books this one is both riveting and heart wrenching. Based on the true story of Jewish sisters from Slovakia who made a promise to their father to always be there for one another, I found Three Sisters to be just as impactful as the other stories we've experienced through Morris' retellings of the survivors' personal accounts. Yet again, Morris masterfully details the atrocities and the unimaginable suffering that affected, traumatized, and took the lives of so many during WWII. Cibi, Magda, and Livi show the world that hope can perservere even in the toughest of times. โฃ
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๐๐ช๐ด๐ค๐ญ๐ข๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ณ: ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฆ๐น๐ต ๐ช๐ด ๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ข๐ฅ๐ท๐ข๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฑ๐บ ๐ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ค๐ฆ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ St. Martins Press ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ NetGalley ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ฆ๐น๐ค๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ด๐ต ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ท๐ช๐ฆ๐ธ.