I really loved this author’s previous work so I was happy that this one lived up to that! The characters were well drawn and the story kept my attention the whole way through. I would definitely recommend it.

From the author of The Tattooist of Auchwitz, this book is an absolutely fabulous read. The story of three sisters from Slovakia who make a promise to their dying father to always be together. The story begins in 1942 when the youngest is to be taken from her home by the Germans and the oldest insists on going with her...to protect her and having no idea what’s in store for them. An intimate story of strength, courage, and grit. The narrative of their family is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. A real page turner; I couldn't put it down. Recommending it to my book club to read. I give it 5 stars.

5 stars! Loved this book. 3 sisters and the atrocities that they witnessed and went through during WWII. A true story, well written! I loved that we followed them after the war and what they had to go through to "live" in the post war world. Inspirational and very moving.

I honestly don't think Heather Morris is capable of writing a bad book. As with her previous books, her characters are well written and jump off the pages.
Thank you so much for this ARC!

The saga of Livi, Cibi, and Magda is a wonderful yet horrible story. Sticking together through the terrifying Holocaust and its aftereffects was a miracle. A lot of history was endured by the siblings between the Death March and their emigration to Israel. A wonderful story of endurance, love, and hope that we never experience anything like the holocaust again!!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my copy of Three Sisters by Heather Morris in exchange for an honest review. It published October 5, 2021.
Wow! what a stand out book among so many books about WWII and life afterwards. I have never read a WWII book quite like this one. I really got to know these sisters. I really appreciated the fact that it was based on real-life people, I find that real-life is so much more interesting than fiction. I felt like Morris was very respectful of these sisters and their stories, and what a treasure for the world to have their perspectives.
I also found the after story to be very important and valuable, I am very glad that Morris included it in the book.

I'm been a bit tired of historical fiction lately so I was hesitant to pick this up, but Three Sisters was PHENOMENAL! All characters were well developed, layered, and I was SO invested in them. Read this book!

Morris has returned to the same setting as her earlier two books but the characters from the initial books in the series have only a brief mention in this latest installment. Here attention is paid to three sisters who have vowed to always be there for each other. It is the story of Cibi, Magda and Livia who live in Slovakia. Cibi is the oldest and takes her responsibility very seriously when she and her youngest sister Livia are sent to Auschwitz by the Germans. Their lives are harsh, but at least they have each other. Ultimately their sister Magda joins them and they lend their strength to each other.

This story doesn’t end with the Allies freeing the camps but continues on to the settlement of Israel as a Jewish state. This is new territory for most books that cover the Holocaust. The girls are certainly the central focus and it’s their strength and sisterly support that helps them throughout their lives. As in her previous novels, Morris has used the experiences of three real sisters as the inspiration for this fictionalized account.

I found some of the discussions between characters rang very true. There is guilt expressed by some characters who feel their Holocaust survival story is less harrowing than others; that they didn’t suffer as severely as some had. I personally have heard similar sentiments when having Jewish survivors speak with students

Though not as riveting and moving as the earlier books in the series, this one is still important because it covers new material and showcases the value of having the support of family to help survive a horrible experience. The resilience of the sisters is even more remarkable because it’s based on real people.

Here we meet several more victims; or survivors, depending on your point of view; of the horrors of the Holocaust. Three sisters, one by one, eventually find their way into the same concentration camp. Though this is inspired by three real sisters, it is fictionalized with the sort of tales that had actually happened in one of the world's sickest endeavors involving social engineering and culling of the masses.

Naturally, many of these experiences will break your heart while others will give you hope for the endurance of humanity. Each sister is different with their own personalities and found their way into the camp after various attempts eventually failed to keep them from being taken against their will. I found it a bit odd that they ended up together, but I guess not impossible. This was needed through for the purpose of the story.

As much as I found so many of the details to be interesting, I also found some of the incidents to be a bit far fetched in my mind. It just seemed that too many of the other women in the camp considered them special because they were sisters. These women seemed to extend themselves more than was believable of what might actually have happened just because these women were sisters. Sure, it worked for the continuity of the story, but I just found it a bit too unbelievable that so many of these women who were already in such horrific straights would extend themselves that much more for these three sisters. It just didn't work for me.

Getting past that, the book was good, but I found it not to be as dynamic and rich in details as the author's previous works. Personally, I didn't feel that it was as engrossing, nor did it capture my interest as much. In fact, I got bored with this book by about two thirds of the way through and was glad when it was done. Glad that I read it, but also glad that it had ended.

When I think of literary fiction, I think of books just like this one, that gives all the feels and can satisfies just about every reader's heart. This is a perfect books to snuggle up with on any day.

October 27, 2021
Book Review

Three Sisters
Heather Morris
reviewed by Lou Jacobs



readersremains.com | Goodreads


On the eve of a critical and risky surgery (in which he will not survive), Menachem Meller meets with his three daughters in the garden of their modest house in Vranov, Slovakia. He requests a promise to be shared between the three.

Cibi is seven, Magda five, and the youngest is Livi, barely three years old. All agree that they will always take care of each other – no matter what. What follows is a heart-wrenching, immersive tale into the lives of the Meller sisters. Based upon their true heart-breaking stories of survival in the face of unimaginable hardships, cruelty, and terror meted out by the Nazi hoards. An enduring story of courage, resilience, and unending love.

In March of 1942, Magda develops a minor infection, manifested by a low grade fever. And yet, Dr. Kisely insists she be hospitalized to avoid being rounded up by the Hlinka Guard. The local Guard was formed at the insistence of Hitler, with a function to appropriate the valuables of the Jews and round up their children for forced “labor camps,” The knock at the door by the guard results in Livi, only age fifteen, being ordered for conscription the next day.

At that time, Cibi, now nineteen, is away outside the city limits at Hachshara, a training program to teach young people the skills necessary to forge a new life in Israel – The Promised Land. Cibi comes home that night to visit and learns of Livi’s fate. Her reaction: “I made a promise to look after my sisters… I’m going with her. She’s the baby of the family and cannot go alone. No harm will come to her, as long as there is a breath in my body.” They are herded like animals onto a cattle car that stinks of manure, and when they arrive in Poland, at Auschwitz, they reluctantly disgorge onto a platform lined with Nazi soldiers, some with rifles, and others with loosely held leashes of snarling, barking, and biting dogs. Then they are marched into a fenced compound with the entry sign of “Arbeit Mach Frei” – a mocking sign proclaiming: “Work Sets You Free.”

They soon learn the folly of such a statement, as they are brutalized by not only the Nazis but even more so by the Kapos: the prisoner guards. They not only have to survive both physical and emotional abuse by their captors, but also the extremes of weather in inappropriate clothing. Intermittent bouts of typhus plague the camp, and are usually met with the victim undergoing a “selection” – never to be seen again.

The key to survival is to remain invisible. To react indifferently and never register shock, fear, or anger. Any show of weakness, defiance, or sickness is either met with a bullet to the head or being “selected,” a euphemism for a trip to the gas chamber, followed by disposal in the crematorium.

Magda avoids this waking nightmare for nearly two years by intermittently hiding, either in a neighbor’s attic or a nearby forest. Her capture is inevitable, and she joins her sisters in the third year of their living hell.

Heather Morris proves to be a masterful storyteller as she narrates this story of survival and courage, aided by endurable hope, love, resilience, and a promise that must be kept.

Thanks to NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for providing an Uncorrected Proof of this gem in exchange for an honest review. This moving story complements Heather Morris’ The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Cilka’s Journey as a testament to the endurance of the human spirit.

Heather Morris has done it again with her retelling of true events surrounding The Holocaust. I loved the Tattooist of Auschwitz, Cilka's Journey, and now Three Sisters. This story also weaves in pieces of the characters from the previous stories.

This was a longer read and it tells the story of 3 sisters leading up to their emprisonment, during it, and after their escape. I love how this is based on true events and you are able to look up the three sisters and read more about the reality of their lives. Full of details and chances to learn about all three sisters and their lives/families, this was emotional. Definitely read the author's note at the end as it provides some more background information.

If you enjoy epic WWII historical fiction based on the lives of real people this book is for you! Another hit by Heather Morris, this story follows one family of Slovakian Jewish sisters as they are each rounded up and sent to concentration camps in Poland. Promising to stick together the story is about their journey to survive the camps against all odds and what happens after the war is over when they immigrate to Israel and work to create a promised land for Jewish people.

I really enjoyed that this was based on real events and that the story didn't just end with the war. Few books go into such detail about what life was like for Jewish people when they had no homes left to return to. Highly recommended, especially for fans of We were the lucky ones or Send for me by Lauren Fox. This book also featured a small cameo of Lale (from the Tattooist from Auschwitz) which I loved! Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy!

I have only read Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris but I felt this was an entirely different take on the "traditional" Holocaust account novel. Meaning, that it focused on the relationships of the sisters, guilt over not suffering as harshly as others - earning their status as survivors - and the aftermath of surviving and relocation.

What makes this a stand-out novel is the discussion and perspective of the Holocaust survivors after the end of the war and their forced migration to parts of Israel. One of the sisters remains behind for awhile and is trying desperately to relocate to be with her family. In these sections you can feel the desperation and panic through the pages. Even when there is peace afterwards, there is still guilt and still this feeling of being in survival mode.

It's hard to imagine these are real peoples stories. These events actually happened to real, breathing humans. Thank you to Heather Morris for bringing these stories to life and allowing their legacies to live on.

When you read the afterward of this book and learn that this story is based off of real people I think it took this book and elevated. To then read the notes included by the family and learn how this book came to be took it even higher in my mind.

This was such a powerful story and one not to be entered into lightly. It is the story of family bonds and survival. It will break your heart as all Holocaust books will do but it will give you hope as you root for the sisters in their different situations and experiences.

Three Sisters, is a fictionalized account of the true tale of three Holocaust survivors – Cibi, Magda, and Livi. When they are young, before their father dies, they promise him they will always be there for each other. (The Author Notes at the end of the book are always worth reading and these provide the context of the sister’s lives.)
I have to admit I groaned when I realized the book was set in Auschwitz. What new could be said after so many stories told from behind that camp of horrendous guards, starvation, and gas chambers?

Thank goodness the author delves into the characters and their relationships, moving from different points of view, as each of their struggles are different. I was quite interested to learn about the acts of kindness from some of the guards—that was new and refreshing. Learning what happns to them after the war was also intriguing.

I received this book via NetGalley, and the review is my own opinion. Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Heather Morris.

Sorry for the late review ... my TBR list got out of control there for a while. :-) This is my go to genre for anything historical. There are so many wonderful books that take place during this horrific time in history that truly showcase the struggles, triumphs, and resilience of the families affected by the Holocaust.

Just like the Tattooist of Auschwitz and Cilka's Journey, Three Sisters pulls you in from the beginning. Must read!

Thank you #netgalley and #stmartinspress for the eARC.

Poignant, beautiful, inspiring story of these three sisters & the horror they survived together. Heather Morris did an excellent job in this book painting the picture of what these three women endured during a horrific moment in our history & what they managed to do with their lives afterward. Highly recommend reading this novel!!

The Three Sisters shows the strength of the human spirit that can survive hard times and come out of it in good place. This story was inspired by the true story of Three Slovakian sisters who survived imprisonment in the Auschwitz, the notorious death camp. The three sisters nearly died as they endured starvation and over work as well as the torture of the guards. As the allies are closing in, the Nazis send the prisoners on a death march from the prison to try to erase the evidence of the prisoners. The sisters were fortunate enough to escape the march and hide in the woods. They are rescued and able to go to their hometown. The sisters then journey to Israel This is an excellent book.

Three Sisters is a beautifully written and stark novel that concludes the Tatooist of Auschwitz trilogy. We follow the girls as they are ordered to Auschwitz, we experience their pain, resilience, fear and determination to take care of each other and to live. Woven throughout are stories of home and growing up and a fierce desire to live and to tell their stories.

**I received an electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review of this book.