This is a shocking and disturbing piece of historical fiction based on the real life of Cilka Klein. Cilka’s journey in life became a harsh test of survival when she was sent, at the age of sixteen, to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Having endured the loss of family and friends, abuse and trauma she is still alive when Auschwitz is liberated by Soviet soldiers. Just as she thinks her suffering is over she is sent to Vorkuta gulag in Siberia for fifteen years on charges of helping the Nazis. This is the story of how she tried to survive. Her life reflects that of many others who were forced to suffer these horrific, brutal and inhumane treatments, and stories like these have an important place in reminding us of a period of history that should never be forgotten. Thank you to Net Galley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

“Everyone affected by war, captivity, or oppression reacts differently — and away from it, people might try to guess how they would act, or react, in the circumstances. But they do not really know.”

An interesting and moving book, but it wasn't a patch on her other book. I think I might be done with books that aim to make me cry now!

Unfortunately the book archived before I was able to download or send it to kindle so I wasn’t able to get a copy/read it. (I’ve only just now realised I could leave feedback on it 🤦🏻‍♀️)

Leaving a neutral rating of 3 stars

After reading The Tattooist of Auschwitz I was intrigued to read more about Cilka.
I thought this was a fascinating book about a time we should never forget. Cilka is such a strong character. It was difficult to read about life at the gulag. But fascinating to read about her life at the hospital and her friendship's with the doctors and nurses.

A brilliant follow up here from Morris. Her writing is excellent and the story was very interesting. Recommend

Fans of the tattooist of Auschwitz will love the story of Cilka. Well written, harrowing, uplifting, another tale of life under Nazi Germany.

This book is a mixture of fiction and non fiction. It is very hard hitting and made me emotional at times.
The writing in this book is phenomenal. It opened my eyes to the amount of torture that people faced.
A must read book

After reading the Librarian of Auschwitz, I was expecting so much from this book, which I believe, is the second in the series. However, it was slightly repetitive and quite mundane in comparison to the first one and so I did not finish it, as i was not enjoying reading about Cilka's Journey.

Lots of controversy about this story. Supposedly fiction based on a real person and her family weren’t happy.
Knowing that I think it put a little taint on the story but I did enjoy it (if that’s the right word) and I did find it very readable.

This was a good read but I expected it to be more harrowing . I read this immediately after finishing TTOA. This was the story of Cilka Klein who survived Auschwitz and was sent to Siberia and we learn of her life there.
3.5 stars

I should have liked this book – I actually quite liked the first in the series, especially when a quote from my review was front and centre in the selection of puff quotes (in the British paperback, at least). It's got more of the author's vivid immediacy, courtesy of her use of present tense which is only one step away from using the second person narrative in getting the reader into the scene. It's got a stand-alone quality, yet flashbacks to The Tattooist, which makes it a must-read for the millions who bought that. It features the same thing – women in a camp (labour here, death there) forced to face sexual coercion, Kapo-types, and no end of grimness, thereby heightening the pleasure of us reading about hope, love and suchlike.

So why didn't I finish it?

My midway notes highlighted the moral question of turning this kind of real life story into a novel, and I found it even more so when books testifying to these Gulag camps are much rarer and sell much less than those related to Auschwitz etc. And in fact, when I found some completely ridiculous, risible plot events here, I looked around and you know what? I find the author has no moral leg to stand on. Both books are now known to be so fictitious, and potentially offensive to the relatives of the survivors, that they have disowned them. The Auschwitz Museum has come down heavily against The Tattooist. Yes, there is a sense of a common link between the real people, who did go to these places, suffer nightmarishly, and find love and hope, with the characters on the page, but the links are tenuous in the extreme.

Which is why I gave up when this woman, Cilka, barely out of her teens, was not allowed to do the obvious and get with her hunky Czech cigarette smoker – or not before, that is, she becomes this kind of hospital administrator, then this kind of nurse, then a whisteblower, then that kind of nurse, then a flipping ambulance woman, THEN A SUPERHERO RESCUING PEOPLE FROM COLLAPSING MINES. I think any negative review against the title that does not mention this shark-jumping bollux is proof the writer never read the book. There is a disparaging term for a character you just cannot kill off, who can do no wrong – I think I last needed to remember it (and failed) for a review of Bloodshot comics. How the hell can I be railing against someone in a book about the Gulag, someone clearly there as a symbol of love and hope, for being too indestructible and perfect?

This cosy career path for our heroine, this anodyne harmless pretence that is the labour camp here, does not wash. And I really do now regret my getting this from an online library, and the author getting about 13p in public lending rights. But hey, it's all good – the third book will feature prisoners in China, and one of them is going to get raped a lot, but still find love AND a cure for Covid-19.

I was pleased to be accepted to review this historical fiction ebook having read Heather Morris’ first book. This one is the sequel to The Tattooist of Auschwitz. The reader follows Cilka’s trying experiences in a gulag after WW2. She’s a strong character whom you root for throughout the harsh life she leads trying to survive her 15 year sentence. The author’s portrayal of life in the gulag was riveting and the characters were interesting and varied. I would definitely recommend this book if you are drawn to stories of the horrors of confinement but also stories of human kindness and endurance.

Cilka's Journey was a beautiful read but it was also sad and devastating. I read the Tattooist of Auschwitz a few years ago and it was an absolute masterpiece. This is the sequel of the successfully acclaimed book and even though it was very different, I liked it. This story is powerful and even though it is not based on real events, it is a work of fiction in which interviews and historical documents have been taken into consideration.

I was unable to finish this book. After finishing The Tattooist of Auschwitz I was excited to see this available for request on NetGalley, and immediately upon approval began reading. Sadly, Cilka's Journey did not enthral me the way that Tattooist did.

A poignant follow up to Tattoist of Auschwitz this book tracks the journey of Cilka, a beautiful 16 year old who catches the unwanted attention of one of the lieutenants at the concentration camp.

This is the second book by Heather Morris, related to The Tattooist of Auschwitz. If you’ve read the first book, you’ll know about Lale, a real man who was the tattooist in Auschwitz during the Holocaust, doing what he could do to survive. In this second book, we follow Cilka, a brave woman Lale knew. His knowledge, combined with a bit of fiction and what Heather could find out about Cilka creates this book, a powerful tale of the War and what it was like, even after being released from Nazi Concentration Camps. I felt so sorry for Cilka, she had gone through so much, yet was so brave and caring towards others. She seemed to always put others before herself. I thought this was really well written, and an educational story that anyone who is fascinated by the Holocaust era should read. This is such an emotional story, and I wish we all knew more about Cilka. Please, if you haven’t already and you’ve read The Tattooist of Auschwitz, read this. If you haven’t read the Tattooist of Auschwitz, read that and then this. Heartbreaking stories based on true events during WW2.

After finishing Heather Morris' The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Cilka's Journey became one of my most anticipated reads for 2019. Cilka was first introduced as one of the additional characters we were introduced to in The Tattooist, and this book follows her story following the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
From the first chapters it is quite clear that conditions in this gulag in Siberia won't be much better than they were at Auschwitz. After being accused of collaborating with the Nazis, the now 18-year-old Cilka is taken off to a Soviet gulag in Siberia and heart-breakingly ends up being exposed to almost the same injustices as she was at Auschwitz. It is worth noting that unlike The Tattooist this book is not constructed based on interviews with the protagonist, but instead using stories and Heather's own research, and is considered a work of historical fiction.
The narrative, although solely from Cilka's point of view, encompasses three different timelines: primarily we are in Vorkuta but there are also flashbacks to occurrences at Auschwitz - sometimes parallel to those stories told by Lale in The Tattooist and sometimes new stories - and narratives of her life before Auschwitz.
Similarly to her previous book, Heather's greatest achievement here is narrating a story of hope; as we weave between the timelines of Cilka's life we are told of some truly horrific abuse, but we are also told of the most amazing stories of both love and family, and amongst all the horrors of Vorkuta she still manages to make friends, and even have a glimpse of life after her 15 year sentence. Things start to look up when one of the nurses recognises Cilka's compassion, empathy, and intelligence and rather than having to transport coal from the mines like the other prisoners, she is able to work in the relative safety of the infirmary. Here Cilka learns that there are in fact a new set of rules to play by, and there are so many instances where you fear that everything she has worked for is going to be taken from her.
As well as hope, this story is about a true survivor; once again suffering at the hands of her captors, she also suffers at the hands of other prisoners as well as experiencing resentment from other prisoners despite doing exactly what everyone else there is trying to do: survive. Heartbreaking as this story is, it is an excellent narrative and insight into what people, and women in particular, suffered even after Nazi occupation and the liquidation of the camps.
This book deserves nothing less than five stars for being an engaging and thought-provoking read that explores some of the horrors endured in the gulag, but also the incredible survival of a young woman who has already endured far more in her life than many adults ever will. In her we see a true fighting spirit, and despite everything done to her, Cilka was still capable of being a kind and loving person willing to help others where she could. She is an example of a truly beautiful human spirit.

Wow I just loved this. I knew it would be good but I just loved how the spirit and story of cilka overtook is the horrors at the base of the story. Totally heartwarming and what a wonderful yet sad story

A really good follow on from The Tattooist of Auschwitz - a slightly different style, but an incredible story, with some really harrowing parts to it. But thoroughly recommended.