The Seamstress of Auschwitz

This book is hauntingly sad and beautifully written. McAdam traces one family's journey from their home, through numerous concentration camps, and life after liberation. The family arc starts as a funnel and you connect with all of them, making the story that much more powerful. As time goes on and things change, you feel the emotions that Sara wrestles with that much deeper. I found the vivid imagery difficult to digest at times, and it is used as illustrative versus shock factor. It's easy to place yourself in the transport cars, in the workshops, in the latrines, and in the characters' shoes. The writing is masterful; the story is slow, just as slow as the days must have passed for Sara. The author does an incredible job of capturing the the fear, the angst, the desperation, the sadness, and the resolve of the characters of the book.

An absolutely heartbreaking story from one of the worst times in world history. I was in tears for most of this book. Though it is a fiction novel, Sara’s story is based on countless real stories of what happened in to Jewish families in Germany and the Nazi concentration camps in the 1930s and 1940s.

The story was well-paced, covering a large timespan without speeding through pieces or allowing the reader to get bogged down with too many unnecessary details. The author didn’t sugarcoat the horrors that occurred in the camps, but was still able to portray the hope of survival for Sara and her family.

: || I gave her a nod of gratitude and took up the needle and beautiful stitch pattern. The fabric was Dupion silk and very thin for which I wouldn't need much strength to push the needle through, but my hands were shaking, and my fingertips were numb. The needlework swam in front of my eyes. It wouldn't be easy. I searched for Helene and found her looking at me from across the room. I attempted a smile. She nodded encouragingly and turned her attention back to the laid-out patterns on the table in front of her. She then blew into her frozen fingers and picked up a pair of scissors. || :

This story is about Sara and her family who were ostracised, terrorised and subjected to the awful Nazi campaign during world war two. We were with her right at the start before things started to happen and then right at the end as she took her last breath. We watch her fight with hardly anything and come out on top, and although this was a story with fictional characters it really did have the emphasis and feelings of stories from different survivors. It was so hard to read.

I have to admit. This story made me cry and I have read quite a few stories from Auschwitz now. It doesn't get any easier. How could a human do that to another human? So much loss for what? One man's disgusting vendetta and mammy issues? My heart goes out to anyone affected by world war two. It was beyond evil.

Thank you so much to C.K. McAdam, Arc publishers and Netgalley for allowing me to read this in return for honest voluntary feedback x

What a fabulous read utterly heart wrenching and so descriptive, I actually became part of the story and felt like I was there with them , could not put the book down until I had finished it, amazing read