Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a copy of "The Girl Who Escaped From Auschwitz" in exchange for my honest review.

Author Ellie Midwood has written a brilliant follow-up book to "The Violinist of Auschwitz" which told the true story of violinist Alma Rosé. While these two books are both stand alone novels, some of the events described in this novel make more sense if one has read "The Violinist of Auschwitz" first.

The Prologue introduces us to Edward (Edek) Galiński and Mala Zimetbaum in the Żywiec Mountains of Poland on July 6th, 1944. This is their true story.

Edek arrived in Auschwitz in June 1940 as a political prisoner. He had been a maritime school cadet. He became inmate 531 sentenced to hard labour for plotting against the Reich. On the transport he became friends with Wiesław Kielar, inmate 290.

At Birkenau Women's Camp Mala is a camp runner in charge of delivering orders and official documents from one block to another for Maria Mandl the women's camp leader. She is inmate 19880, she is allowed to keep her dark blond locks and wear civilian clothes.

The story alternates between Auschwitz and Birkenau. Edek answers to Rottenführer Lubusch, whom he shares a first name with. He is always kind and tried to treat the inmates decently and with humanity in this place of ruthlessness.

Edek learns that Mala is held in high regard. She is a favourite with the camp administrators and is in a position where she can help others with better work details, bits of food, clothes, passing of notes.

As the story progresses to March of 1944 the author mentions the death of Alma Rosé after her beloved Miklós dies during the Family Camp exterminations. He gave her hope and without him her life had no meaning.

On June 24th, 1944 Edek and Mala escape from the camps. Their freedom is so close yet impossibly out of their reach. They placed their trust in people who were making promises and were brave until they were faced with the reality of their decisions.

On October 7th, 1944 the Sonderkommando lead an uprising in Edek and Mala's memory.

The Epilogue describes the visit of Wiesław Kielar to the State Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau on January 29th, 1968.

Once I began this book, I could not put it down, and the pages flew. Unfortunately, this is based on truth, and I kept thinking, how could they get away with what they did. Why did the world allow it? Then I remembered the part where they put on the show for the Red Cross. What a blight on history, I don’t know how the perpetrators lived with themselves?
This book also follows a young woman and a young man, they have big hearts under horrendous conditions, and with their selflessness end up saving lives. I found myself walking in the shoes of these people condemned to hell in the form of Auschwitz-Birkenau and witnessing the atrocious happenings.
This is my first book by Ellie Midwood, and it won’t be my last, be sure to read the author’s notes at the end!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Bookouture, and was not required to give a positive review.

4*
This is the 2nd of the Auschwitz books that I’ve read by this author.
Based on the true story of Mala Zimetbaum a young Jewish woman who was raised by her father to be an educated independent woman is incarcerated by the Nazis. She is deemed useful as she speaks 6 languages and can translate for them. She holds a position of one of the camp elite.
Mala is doing what she can to help the less fortunate prisoners, and belongs to the underground resistance group.
Her story encompasses harrowing descriptions of what they had to endure, but it shows that compassion, hope and love can endure in an environment where it is primarily each person for themselves.
It is well written and the character development is excellent, I was heavily invested in the outcome of Mala and Edek.
It is slow paced, the tension and atmosphere build well towards the end. Its very emotional and moving and had me in tears.
A memorable quote from the book :-
‘Auschwitz was an animal kingdom with animal laws’
There were references made to other characters who have been written about. I need to see if I can find a book about the polish doctor Stasia.

Over all it didn’t engage me as much as the violinist, but it still left a big impact, and will stay with me.

I read the Prologue and then the last chapter. The title made me think there was a happily ever after. There wasn't, and I didn't want to read the rest. Yes, I know, few people made it out of Auschwitz, that's reality. Yes, it was millions of individual people who were killed there, not a bunch of statistics. Still, reading about and learning to care for people who are going to die a horrible death is not how I choose to spend my spare time. Your mileage may vary.

Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of the book via NetGalley. DNF.

Review to be published March 9

"A totally gripping and absolutely heartbreaking World War 2 page turner," it says on the book's cover. I don't know whether it is an unattributed testimonial or the author's opinion but it's totally not.

The book follows the story of Mala Zimetbaum, Auschwitz inmate 19880 and Edek Galiński, inmate 531. Thanks to her knowledge of several languages, Mala is saved from a gas chamber and employed as an interpreter for the SS. Edek is a political prisoner who fights for the underground resistance and all he thinks about is how to get to the other side of the electric wire. Edek makes Mala believe that they have a chance and can escape together. Together they make a plan.

With an advanced copy I understand I got to read the unedited, more raw version. But the writing was so raw I couldn't get into it. The book felt like a school assignment when you are short of a word count and to fix it you start over-inserting adjectives, adverbs and clauses, no matter if they fit. Some sentences did not make sense. Some felt like ran through google translate.

The two starts are for Midwood's research and knowledge. The book is based on a true story and the author demonstrates the knowledge of the Second World War throughout. I admire her passion for the time and her dedication to cover heroins of the war. But she needs a better editor.

The real story of Mala and Edek is important, empowering and worth knowing. The book didn't evoke any of the feelings in me. I caught myself analyzing sentences instead of being pulled into the plot. When that happened, the author lost me.

I happen to be an historical fiction junkie, particularly when it comes to books about the Holocaust. By far, this is one of my favorite stories to date. “The Girl Who Escaped from Auschwitz” is exactly what the title suggests, a story about a girl who escaped Camp Auschwitz. But it is also more than that. It’s a story about the things that endure when all else is taken away. It’s a story about the unbreakable human spirit. It’s a story about survival. It’s a story about love.

I highly recommend this book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

A harrowing true account of life in Auschwitz/Birkenau camps. Mala is a camp runner which gives her certain "priviliges " which she only uses to make life better for others in the camp. She meets Edek and together they make plans for their escape.
Ellie Midwood (author) brings raw emotions in this story, the suffering of the "inmates", the despair faced on a daily basis but also the strength they needed to survive.
My review simply cannot put into words how great this book is, so i recommend for people to go out and purchase a copy.
I received this book from Netgalley and Bookouture in exchange for an honest review. I would give more than 5 stars if possible

If you can read this book without feeling a range of strong emotions, you're a robot! Mala and Edek have a unique love story, fraught with peril and the sorrows of surviving through more than four years at Auschwitz. Dripping with details, the author does an amazing job of making you feel like you're walking alongside the main characters...the sensory language is fantastic! Will definitely be looking for more from her in the future.

This book will leave you hollow. It literally punched you in the gut. It’s gritty, stirring, and so powerful. I had heard of Mala and Edvek, but not on this level. Mid wood is a skilled author who brings their combined stories to life, amid all the horror and suffering of Auschwitz. When I was reading this book, it was like I was actually there, looking at the horridness, feeling the despair, smelling the stench that assailed the nostrils. The details were so precise and graphic, it’s really unlike anything I’ve read, even in non fiction. I was thoroughly chilled. Even at the end, when the conclusion is evident, the emotions swell. If you don’t read any historical fiction this year, please reconsider and read this book. And then spread the word.

This is a wonderful although tragic fictional story based on true events and real figures, mémoirs of sorts that depict the terrible conditions the internees at Auschwitz-Birkenau had to suffer. This powerful novel of heroism tells the story of Mala, inmate 19880, who was the first woman to escape the horrors of the camp and of Edek, inmate 531, a fighter in the underground resistance who had an escape plan. Together they will succeed or die trying. What follows is one of the greatest love stories.

I never get bored reading Holocaust memoirs and Ms. Midwood is by far one of my favourite authors of this genre.

The author recounts in a third person narrative the horrors of that time remarkably. Through the eyes of Mala and Edek we feel the emotions they have, what they are thinking and doing, most of all the suffering they are seeing or enduring themselves. The repeated beatings so well said I could feel the sting of each lash. The life in the camp is vividly painted and does not shy from the atrocities that occurred.

Mala and Edek had privileged positions and did all in the power to help as many people they could by smuggling food, delegate them jobs so they could survive, give them clothes , cigarettes , liquor, things to trade with. They were heroes that were forced to live in the bowels of hell facing imminent death till one day they planned an escape in order to build a life together....giving them hope in this dark place... Yes, by the end I had tears in my eyes...What a sad story one that will stay with me for a long time.

This book is difficult to put down it is so well written and moving to no ends, harrowing and yet has tender moments...Well- said as usual.

A heartbreaking historical novel based on a true story. I laughed and cried reading Edek and Mala’s story and how they planned to escape from Auschwitz.

It is a very well-researched book with lots of detail about life during World War Two.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for a review.

📖 The Girl Who Escaped from Auschwitz
Author: Ellie Midwood
Genre: Historical Fiction/ WWII
Page Count: 342
Personal Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Synopsis:
The novel is based on the true events that took place in the Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Mala Zimetbaum, inmate 19880, was one of the privileged inmates. Working as an interpreter and runner for the SS army, she had a tiny bit of freedom in that hell which she used to help others. She smuggled scraps of food, medicine and warm clothes, assigned prisoners to a suitable work detail they could survive . Edward Galinski, inmate 531, a Polish political prisoner concocted a plan to escape which brought him to Mala. When these two dreamers met, they did the impossible. They instilled hope in people and proved that the Nazis were not invincible.

My Thoughts:
This is a story about standing in the deep bowels of hell, staring imminent death in the face every moment yet still managing to stand up for one's beliefs, daring to hope and to love.

Auschwitz was the Grim Reaper's abode, where the SS harvested souls of the people whose only crimes were being able to pick up a weapon, following a different God or simply existing. Imprisonment wasn’t punishment enough. So the prisoners were forced to take part in murdering their own - operate the Gas Chambers and Crematoriums. The SS seemed to do it all for their twisted entertainment. And when the war seemed to be lost, they took even more drastic measures to hide their crimes.

Amidst of it all Mala, Edek and their friends from the resistance stood for hope. Each and every character were memorable. They enriched the story regardless of however small their appearance were. Their struggles, their love for each other and their ability to hold on to their humanity in that living hell broke my heart into million pieces. The book also focused on the German character and their complexities. How some of them too were human, how they tried to make life a little bearable for the prisoners and were punished for it.

"𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙤𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙪𝙥 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙗𝙖𝙙 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢. 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙙𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙮 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙥 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙠𝙣𝙞𝙛𝙚, 𝙨𝙤 𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙘𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙤𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙨 𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙯𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙄 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤."

This is my first time reading Ellie Midwood and I have to say I'm in awe. I was amazed by how she managed to balance the ugliness and brutality of the camps with the beauty and humanity of the characters. There were moments the book made me cry, stare blankly in despair. There were also moments it put a genuine smile on my face. The author's note at the end of the novel showed how much research she had done to get the story as accurate and rich as possible.

I received an e-ARC via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thankyou so much Bookoutour for giving me this priviledge. The book comes out in 9 March, 2021. Don't forget to check this one out.

I really struggled to get into this book. it's not for the fainthearted as it's very detailedin the gas chambers.

This was another exceptionally good book by Author Ellie Midwood. When young Mala Zimethaum arrives in Auschwitz, she is immediately assigned the job of interpreter for the SS and a runner between the camps. She is secretly working for the underground resistance and does her best to help save lives by smuggling food to prisoners and finding them jobs that they can do. While on a mission, she meets Edward "Edek" Galinski who has been in Auschwitz for a long time and is also a member of the resistance. They fall in love and plan their escape together. This is a heart-wrenching story of love, kindness and courage.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this powerful, well-written book in exchange for an honest review.

“We must die standing up for something.”“And what are we standing up for?”“The most important thing there is. Freedom.”
Wow! A truly inspiring read if there ever was one. Based on a true story of Mala Zimetbaum, an inmate of Auschwitz who became a translator for the SS as she spoke several languages and was useful to them. Edek (Edward) is a political prisoner and has been there for several years. They chance upon each other and find each has useful skills- ones that could be put to use for their own benefit for a change. Both were imprisoned for being alive- the wrong nationality or religion. This is both a powerful and disturbing read at times and brilliantly written. The horrors of what went on yet at times tenderness and even a smile- the inmates doing what they can to keep their spirits lifted whilst amongst the atrocities of the camp. Yes there have been many books about Auschwitz, and yes I think there should be. There are lessons here for all of us which shouldn't (in my opinion) be put at the back of the shelf. Each one gives a different perspective whilst there is the consistency of the attitude, rules and killing that occurred (and much more). A memorable book to be sure and maybe even an inspiring one- one life- live it. Brilliant
(rest of links as part of blog tour)

I was gifted this book as an ARC from Bookouture in return for my honest thoughts and review

The Girl who escaped from Auschwitz By Ellie Midwood

Wow. This book. I believe that this is one of the most well researched books that I have read about the concentration camps. That seems weird to type out but, I felt that Ms.Midwood brought the characters to life. I felt that she told their stories in a way that was honest yet tender. Which most were based on real life people. There were several scenes that were difficult to read but, I felt that helped moved the story forward. I also liked that I learned several things about life in Auschwitz in every chapter of the book. I enjoy a book that tells me a story as much as it teaches me a thing or two as well and this book definitely did that very well. I would highly recommend this book.

Thanks for to Bookouture for the ARC as well as to NetGalley

#Thegirlwhoescapedfromauschwitz

Wow! This one is definitely gonna get ya but it is so worth the emotional roller coaster when you meet and get to know Edek & Mala...two very real people whom this story was written around.

Edek and Mala were both arrested and sent to Auschwitz, he as a political prisoner and she as a Jewish woman. Together they work to help as many people as they can as a part of the camp resistance but ultimately, their goal is to escape the hell they’re in and build a future beyond the barbed wire together. These characters exude strength, bravery, compassion and selflessness. Hope shines bright in one of the darkest places and times in history.

I was excited to read this book because I have previously read the authors other work, The Violinist of Auschwitz and it was amazing. I knew this one would be too and it was that and more. It’s a perfect companion to The Violinist. Characters from that story are mentioned in this one, their stories overlap. If you haven’t read the Violinist, you’ll want to after reading this book. Also...please, please, please don’t close the book when you read the last sentence of the story. Read the authors notes, you’ll learn more about the REAL Mala and Edek and some of the other characters who were either based on real people or in many cases, were the real person, like Alma Rose, the Violinist.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Bookouture and Ellie Midwood for allowing me to get to know Mala...a true heroine and sharing her story with us!

Thank you so much to #NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I don't know why books like this hit me so hard. I mean I was in tears reading this. While the book reads like a fiction book, its very sombering to know that it is based off a true story. I felt the characters despair, I felt their fear. It comes across right in your face as you are reading the book However, I also felt their love, and their hope.

This story is heartbreaking but beautiful all in one, if that makes sense. It is a story that will stay with you

‘The Girl who Escaped from Auschwitz’ -Ellie Midwood
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Genre: Romantic/ Historical Fiction

“...and it instilled faith into something bigger than death itself in the hungry hearts aching for a sliver of hope.”

After reading this, I can officially report my tear ducts have run completely and utterly dry. A harrowing story of faith, hope and overcoming adversity even in the most bleak of circumstances. Based on a true story, Mala and Edek strike-up comradeship and moreover, a deep, incorruptible love. Together, their discernible determination to escape Auschwitz and liberate their fellow prisoners, meets no bounds.

Reading this novel both shattered my heart and instilled me with immense adoration and compassion for the courage these individuals possessed in order to stand up against this horrific mass exodus and fight for freedom, despite the threat of severe repercussions.

This book is outside of my usual genre, but sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone and this story is worth it.
It’s a work of fiction but based on the true story. Stories like these, fictional or not are important to keep sharing, there are many lessons to learn from these stories.

Mala is an Auschwitz veteran, she works as a Läuferin while also being an important member of the resistance and helping those she can. Edek is a dreamer, a romantic who does handyman jobs in the Auschwitz camp. Edek and Mala meet because he needs her help for his escape plan to work. What unfolds during some of the darkest days in the history is a great love story and a pact to live and to die together.

The book tells the story of their escape, where I think the main focus is in them as a couple and I feel there is more of Edek in this book than there is of Mala. Her role is very important in all of and she is a resistance heroine, but the title of the book might be slightly misleading. She was the first female to escape from the horrible camps, but maybe a different title would have been better. As mentioned the story is a work of fiction but based on true events and Mala and Edek we’re very real people, as are most of the other characters. I wish I would have known about them when I visited the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum a couple of years ago. It would have been interesting to have seen some of the things the author writers about. What surprised me most while visiting the camps were the endless groups of tourists taking selfies/ family pictures in the gas chambers and the crematorium. Knowing what happened there, not only because you are told in school during history class, but also because maybe some family members suffered at the hands of the Nazis... How can you smile and take your picture in these places? It made me feel sick. Being in this place, experiencing the awful history you should show respect and sense, mostly sense. Books like this one, although fictional only underline my views on this.
This book is by no means a fun and light read, but it is informative, captivating and well written. And it teaches us about resilience and appreciating the things you have and can do for others and yourself.