A very informative fiction read in which I learned lot from. But it was also a hard read. So have tissues handy when reading.

Souvenirs From Kyiv is a series of 6 short stories based on the wartime experiences of the author's family. Ukraine found itself caught between the Nazis and the Soviets as both battled for control of the people and land.
The book begins with an impressive foreword from the author to give context to the stories and show the relevance in light of current affairs.
I felt that the first story eased us in until the ending which left me shocked. The use of first person narratve makes this one of the more personal stories in the collection.
The partisan stories are interlinked as they focus on different lead characters. There is not a lot of emotion in the partisan stories so the reader puts in their own emotion. They are fraught with danger and fast paced.
I felt an almost physical sadness and dread during the story of the little girl Lida. The story is written in a childlike way. Some of the things she witnesses are incomprehensible yet they happened. Her processing of events forces us to experience them too which generated such an enotional response in me.
Souvenirs From Kyiv in not always an easy read due to the tragedies imposed on the Ukrainian people. However, it is important to understand their past especially as their people and culture are now threatened again by the Russian invasion in February 2022.

Souvenirs from Kyiv by Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger was a very emotional book that just beautifully written with a great collection of short moving stories about Ukraine and Ukrainians set against the backdrop of WW2. You will need tissues for this book and I am so glad I got a chance to read this book especially what is going on in Ukraine at the moment. My heart goes out to everyone that is there and involved.

This book should be a must read and it is an eye opener form the very first short story till the end.

Thanks to the publisher Bookouture and NetGalley for a ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Souvenirs from Kyiv

by Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger

I want to believe Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger’s stories in Souvenirs from Kyiv are more fiction than history, but I know that is not true. She has researched and conducted interviews with survivors of World War II and its aftermath. She has compiled their memories into composite stories that share brutal truths about war. Her goal Is to “make it clear that conflict is not about two teams meeting on the battlefield—one called ‘good’ and one called ‘bad.’ There are no winners in this story.”

These tales are emotionally hard to read; I put aside the book several times to regroup. Because the author is Ukrainian-American, I expected the book would be slanted towards the Ukrainians. While they are certainly the focus, they are not depicted as guiltless. The barbarism of war is demonstrated in acts performed by Germany, Poland, the USSR, Ukraine, and the United Nations. “Sides” were not clear cut and people had to quickly change their nationalism based on necessity for survival.

In Ukraine’s War of Independence (1917-1921), a chant was popular:
Glory to Ukraine.
Glory to the heroes!
Death to the enemies.
It was revived in the 1940’s as a partisan group struggled to “ ‘purify’ Ukraine of Jews, of Poles, of Nazis, of Soviets.” The Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) was founded after WW I. It fractured into two groups, each fiercely loyal to its leader. They expended energy which would have been better used in fighting their common enemy. That is an easy position to take from my safe twenty-first century armchair.

The author creates believable, fictional characters. Through them she makes real:
--the desperation of those in labor camps
--the hard work required just to survive each day
--the quick adjusting of priorities for those fleeing
--the raw, animalistic violence that emerged during the fight for survival—whether to get a place in a bomb shelter or to grasp a stale piece of bread.
There are also shining lights:
--parents sacrificing for children
--the kindness of a German officer leading a refuge family to safety during a bombing
--everyday citizens risking their lives by sharing their homes and what little food had been left for them by ravaging soldiers.

These are all stories that need to be told, but the tale goes further. When the dust of battle settles, what happens to the survivors? To what country will they claim allegiance? Even those captured by an army and put in uniform or forced into slave labor, can be blacklisted as traitors in their home country. There is the unimaginable prospect of labor camps once more. If these threats are not realized, the survivors still have to overcome physical and mental hurdles of reintegrating into a society, perhaps not the one of their birth. During and after the war, Ukraine Diaspora occurred in the U.S. and in Europe.

Although this book is historical fiction, I learned a lot about the strife between Ukraine and its neighbors. Conflict is not new in that area. The author made history come alive with characters caught up in a war not of their making. It is important to read the forward. The first story slowly immersed me into the time period. Then the rest of the book sped by quickly. This author has written other books, and I am interested in reading them as well. Although Souvenirs from Kyiv is about Ukraine, its theme, the devastation of war, has worldwide applications.

I would like to extend my thanks to NetGalley and to Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Historical Fiction, General Fiction (Adult)

Notes: 1. A map of Ukraine is included.
2. The book ends with a letter from the author and also a valuable glossary. Some foreign language words are defined within the story, but the glossary is helpful for the other terms.

Publication: April 22, 2022—Bookouture

Memorable Lines:

I think of the Germans picking up and fleeing, the Red Army laying claim to the scorched land, and I know that one oppressor is no better than the next.

[Pretend death notification letter composed by an enlisted Ukrainian forced into the German army.] As we waited for our weapons to thaw, your son took a bullet. He did not die a hero. He did not kill many Red Army troops. He was shot, and others have died of TB, frozen to death, or have simply lost hope. You may stop sending blankets. They go to the officers, anyway. You could send clubs and knives, for we have been forced to turn into primitive cavemen. Our weapons are useless in this frozen land.

…if he has learned anything on this journey, it is this: he will give up everything—including his principles, including his painting, his life—to keep his family alive.

With the war in Ukraine, I have been looking for books to educate myself on how we got to this point. When I picked up “Souvenirs from Kyiv”, I somehow missed it was solely focused on World War Two. This isn’t a bad thing but not what I was looking for. It is, unsurprisingly, incredibly sad but also, for me, too brutal in the descriptions. It is a bleak read with a harshness that isn’t to my taste. The writing is phenomenal, moving and it sticks with you, long after you finish it.

I loved the concept of this book - a series of fiction stories but all of which are based off of the real-life accounts of members of Lucyk-Berger's family during WWII in Ukraine.
In "Souveniers from Kyiv" we meet a variety of different characters - mainly Larissa, an embroiderer, surviving in occupied Ukraine during World War II as a seamstress in her ruin of a workshop, Mykhailo , a soldier on leave, returning to and travelling through Ukraine from the front on Christmas Eve and Marusia, who has Nazi officers searching for her partisan brother. The chapters alternate between these three and those connected to them, and through their stories and struggles, we see different experiences, viewpoints and tragedies all of which are reflective as a whole on what the people of Ukraine suffered at the time - and again now.
The author also goes into some explanation of known aspects of events/beliefs of the time, which is an interesting aside, and it's always great to learn more about other countries' histories.
The one thing I would have preferred is if Lucyk-Berger had put her explanation about her family members at the beginning of the story, than at the end; for me I think the overall picture might have resonated more if I'd had that information first, but this is a relatively minor detail.
While I got the ARC from Netgalley (many thanks to them for this advance copy) and did read it primarily, I also had access to the audio version and did dip in and out of it and the audio works really well also, with relevant parts narrated by the author which I always appreciate.

Souvenirs from Kyiv is quite timely, as Lucyk-Berger states in her introduction. She writes to throw stones at the Goliath of Russia that has been trying to destroy the Ukraine for decades.

The author writes stories based on the folks who lived through persecution is World War II. The Nazis arrive and their lives are turned upside down.

A well written book that brings the reader into the stories so completely that it is shocking to look up and find one's self in the contemporary world

A collection of short stories from before, during and after WWII - the position and life of ordinary Ukrainians
in their struggle against Russian imperialism.

A map, a glossary and the historical background leading to the present conflict help anyone who is not very
familiar with this country's complicated history.

The stories are as expected of endurance, survival, family ties and it is somewhat sad that we are still
being greedy to acquire and overlord someone else without being happy with what we have.

An absolutely necessary read for present times.

A collection of memories/stories featuring the struggles of Ukrainians during WWII as Russia fought for control. of the country. As we watch the current war in Ukraine unfold, these stories have extra special meaning. It makes you understand that this is not a new fight for Ukrainians, but a continuation of one that they have dealt with decades.

These stories are based on the authors' family experience. That, in addition to the extensive research she did make this a worthwhile read.

Thank You Bookouture and NetGalley for the free e-galley.

Definitely worth reading these memoirs of Ukraine during WW2. Well-written, with well-rounded characters. And it is easy to understand why, having read these, that Ukrainians don't want, and are resisting, invaders.

Would recommend to anyone wanting to read, and learn, about Ukraine's past.

With thanks to NetGalley and Bookoutoure for an ARC.

Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger is a first generation American born Ukrainian. Souvenirs From Kyiv was originally published in 2020, but with what is happening in the world right now, it was republished with a forward from the author. I definitely recommend you read the forward in this book, even if you read the previous publication.

Souvenirs From Kyiv is a collection of six short stories, based on interviews she had with people and family who lived through WWII. Using fictional characters based on family, Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger takes us into the homes and lives of people who lived through the horrors of war. The Ukraine was like the rope in a tug of war between Russia and Germany. Thinking Germany was going to save them from Russia, they welcomed the Germans with open arms, only to be met with harsher treatment. As the war progressed and Russia regained parts of the country, they retaliated against those they felt were traitors. The stories shared, broke my heart, especially knowing they were based on real people and true events. She includes notes at the end to help the reader understand the circumstances her relatives faced as well as a brief history of each relative. I wish I had read this first as it made the characters real. As I have seen and heard watching the news, I also read about the strength, perseverance, loss, fear, suffering, hope, love, and kindness of the Ukrainian people which makes it even harder to see what they have suffered and are suffering once again. If you enjoy reading historical novels I recommend this book.

This is a collection of short moving stories about Ukraine and Ukrainians set against the backdrop of WW2.
This book held my interest and I definitely recommend
Thank you to Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger, NetGalley and Bookouture for the arc of this book.

As the author so poignantly states in her introduction to this collection of six short stories about Ukraine and Ukrainians in WWII, “Russia has been trying to wipe Ukraine off the world map for thousands of years. They haven’t succeeded yet. Now I’m picking up my stone and throwing it at Goliath. I want people to understand. I want to save this country.”
We understand. We want to save it too. And it is an especially poignant experience reading these stories right now, with Putin’s cruel and unnecessary war still raging (April 2022). Based on the memories of her own family members, the collection brings their varied experiences vividly to life and demonstrates all too tragically that Ukraine is no stranger to atrocity and brutality, inflicted by both the Germans and the Russians. Perhaps the stories cannot lay claim to any great literary merit, being straightforward narrative accounts, but that really doesn’t seem to matter, for they are powerful and moving nonetheless, particularly so as they are based on real life. A timely and relevant read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookoutoure for a review copy of this great little book in exchange for my honest review. If you're looking for a comprehensive history of Ukraine, or even one small part of it, this isn't the book you're looking for. What this books offers are six short stories on Ukraine during WWII, based on the experiences of the author's family. Even though the stories are fictionalized, knowing that they are based in reality makes them so very heartbreaking. This is a great collection to highlight the plight of Ukrainians, something which is typically left out of the books and oral histories that we hear of WWII (at least in the US).

This is not an uplifting book. But I do believe that it is an important, thought-provoking book - even more so in light of the current invasion that the Ukrainians are living through.

This book was just published 04/22/22 & little did #LucykBerger know how timely her book would be, while she was writing, when it’s published.
These short stories bring to light things we never knew before. My heart goes out to #Ukraine even more after reading her heartfelt work. In support of the beloved and war-torn people of Ukraine, I encourage everyone to read this in order to get more

Souvenirs From Kyiv are 6 stories that are fictionalised shorts of the author’s relatives. They are brutally truthful and well written. As you know from my various reviews on the blog, I’m a huge fan of historical fiction, particularly around the WWII era. And this one is right up there with the best. I read it in one sitting, I couldn’t put it down!

Each story tells us something different, about the lives of Ukrainians through WWII, there are very few books telling their stories and the author gives these people justice. They will move you. It is heart-wrenching stuff how these people suffered, you will feel their fear and also the pain of what they endured.

It’s sad to think this is happening again right now.

I did not enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. I decided to read it to learn more about the history of Ukraine. The book consists of a collection of short stories based on experiences of the author’s relatives during WWII.
I may have enjoyed the book more had I read the author’s note first. It explained how the stories were tied together and from whose perspective they were told. As I read, the stories felt disjointed. Although they were divided by chapters they did not generally have a clear end point. Sometimes characters carried over from one story to the next and others involved a new cast. It felt somewhat disjointed. Maybe each story was not supposed to have a well-defined ending. The author’s intentions may have simply been to convey each person’s experiences.
These stories were well written but not necessarily easy to read because of the tragic events described in each. This is not a feel-good read. However, it seems to be a realistic depiction of WWII events in Ukraine.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am reading this book as the Russian invasion of Ukraine is ongoing. Ms. Lucky-Berger's writing is empathetic and touching, leaving me with a better understanding of Russia's many attempts to take over Ukraine throughout history. Well written, recommended.

The stories are beautifully told and open your eyes to the atrocities you were never taught about in your history lessons.

Based on her family's true experiences, the stories are heartbreaking, real and so descriptive that I found myself easily being able to visualise the inhumanity and suffering they went through.

Sadly the conflict is still very much alive between the Russians and Ukrainians today.

Many thanks to Bookouture for my tour spot.

Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

In some cultures we are alive as long as our memory is alive, as long as someone i calling our name. The people who live far from their country keep the memories alive telling stories about how they lived, what happened, and who came before.
Souvenirs from Kyiv is a book that must be read now as Ukraine is at risk of being destroyed and its people is suffering under bombs, resisting to an invasion.
This is the memory of those people. I studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the university and I had to sat some exam about European history but Ukraine was always a sort of ghost as a nation.
I know about Crimea as the Crimean War plays a relevant role in the making of my home country, but that was all I knew. I discovered that one of my favorite writer, Bulgakov, is Ukrainian after the start of the war.
This book opened my eyes and let me know what happened during WWII, the horror and the sufferance but also hope and strength.
Six fictionalised accounts of real people who were relatives of the author.
The foreword is a punch in the stomach as the author delivers pride, strength, and the support to the resistance of a country to an invasion.
Strongly recommended.
Many thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine