This is a deeply affecting book - heartbreaking but so full of hope. One to be read.

It tells of the unbreakable bond between three sisters - Cibi, Magda and Livi - and their survival through the traumatic years of Nazi rule. Their survival through the concentration camps is nothing short of a miracle. Their bond a literal lifesaver.

Their hope in a future in a new country is awe inspiring.

This is the third in the Tattooist of Auschwitz stories - like the others this is a story of courage and love and I am very glad I have read all three.

I read and enjoyed The Tattooist of Auschwitz and was delighted when I was approved for this one.

This is novel is about three sisters, two of which are deported from Slovakia to Auschwitz, and a sister left behind and deported after two years.

I have read lots of Holocaust genre and was really looking forward to this novel. However, this just did not do it for me.
The sister’s stories are gruelling at times I felt like I was reading a high school report. It just annoyed me. I am not sure what could have made it different, but it was just almost pedestrian style.

Fantastic story and I really admire the girl’s spirit, and attitude to survive but if you are a fan of the Holocaust Genre maybe give this one a miss.

As soon as I read online that this author was doing a book about three sisters and their time in Auschwitz, I knew I had to read it. Initially I preferred the cover that features the three sisters, hand in hand running in a field, but the cover with stripes that continue the theme with The Tattooist o Auschwitz and Cilka’s Journey has grown on me and I guess it makes all three books tie in as they are a trilogy. I would imagine they are a striking sight on a book shelf and certainly eye catching in a book store.

I approached reading this book with conflicted, mixed feelings. I feel interest, wanting to learn about the three sisters, as their story needs to be told, remembered and passed on. On the other hand, I feel dread at the inevitable horrors and treatment these girls will suffer.

The book begins with the three sisters, Cibi, Magda & Livi making a promise to their father, Menachem Meller. Menachem is due to go in for an operation and he has a strong feeling he will not survive it. Cibi, the eldest sister is 7 years old, Magda is 5 years old and littlest sister Livi is only 3 years old. Both older sisters Cibi and Magda know they are making an important promise to their father, where as Livi needs a little prompting to understand and say she promises too. It is the eldest sister Cibi that has Livi’s face in her hands, turning her head to look into her eyes. Instructing ‘Livi , say “promise”. Say “I promise”.’ Livi studies her sister. Cibi is nodding, encouraging her to say the words. ‘I pwomise,’ pronounces Livi. ‘Now say it to Father, Cibi encourages Livi repeating “I promise” to Father,’ Livi turns to her father and says ‘I pwomise, Father. Livi pwomises. Neither the sisters nor their father could possibly have known how important that promise would become, nor the difficulties and hardships they would suffer trying to keep it.

Sadly, Menachem’s feeling of foreboding is realised as he dies whilst on the operating table. Leaving his wife, Chaya to care for their three girls with the help of his elderly father Yitzchak. The first time the girls are ever really separated is when Cibi is away at a Hachshara training camp with the hope of emigrating to Palestine. Then Dr says Magda has to go to hospital, it is his way of trying to remove her from her home and avoid her being caught up in the lists of young people being rounded up to go work for the Germans. He explains to Chaya and Yitzchak she will be safer is the hospital for a few days, and they agree. Cibi will be at camp, Magda in the hospital and Livi is too young to be taken, or that’s what thy hope for.
Unfortunately, it seems the Dr wasn’t privy to the changing rules and criteria for rounding up the young people as the Hinkla, local police come with instructions for Livi to report to the synagogue at five o’clock to be sent to work for the Germans. Livi naively tries to comfort her mother and grandfather saying, its okay she will go away, work for the Germans, then come back to them. Sadly, Livi really doesn’t grasp the seriousness of the situation she is now in. When Cibi comes home from her training and is told the news she simply states that she will go with Livi. That’s how the eldest sister, Cibi and youngest sister Livi end up being transported to Auschwitz. Cibi is 19 years old and is tattooed with the number 4558 and as the sisters had stayed clinging to each other and Livi, aged just 15 years old is branded with the number 4559. The two girls try to keep their heads down and go about the work they are given without being noticed, because to be noticed is not good, it usually means a beating or even death. Their Kapo, Ingrid takes them under her wing, and though it is never revealed it is suggested that young Livi reminds her of someone who was in her life before Auschwitz. Ingrid saves the girls and steers them towards better jobs on more than one occasion,

It is quite some time later when the rest of the family are rounded up that Magda finds herself back with her sisters in the midst of the horror in Auschwitz. First it is Cibi & Livi that refer to the promise and keep each other going on every horror filled, hazardous day. They often refer to the promise they made to their father all those years ago. Once again Cibi’s quick thinking and daring results in Magda being with them in their bunk house.

It really illustrates how former friends and neighbours were pitted against each other. One of the two Hinkla guards that deliver the instructions for Livi to go work for Germany, is quite well known to the family, a local boy called Visik. Yet at the same time there is also the kindness and bravery of friends and neighbours evident too. Such as when an older lady who lives nearby to Magda and her family continues to let Magda hide in her loft space when the Hinkla guards come to search her home again and again. Even within the boundaries of Auschwitz small acts of kindness still exist, for example Kapo Ingrid finding a coat for Livi, and the other favours she does for the Meller girls.

To say I enjoyed reading this book seems so very wrong on multiple levels. The book is an honest, powerful, at times hard hitting recollection of what the Meller family went through. Once again Heather has taken the dreadful memories of Auschwitz survivors and created another amazing book. The more I read of the book, the more I wanted to learn what happened to these sisters and their family. There is a certain point in the book when going to the fence and leaving or dying on your own terms is mentioned. Who could blame anyone for choosing to end their time in such a horrific, torturous place!

There were times in the book that I found myself wanting to scream and shout at Chaya, the girl’s mother to do something, to hide Cibi & Livi away from the Hinkla, but how could she? The family had no money to use to flee the country. Also, at the time people genuinely thought their youngsters were going away to work for the Germans for a few months at the most and then that they would be returned home safely to their family. No one truly knew the horrors happening at Auschwitz until it was too late and they were in the midst of the system that was impossible to escape.
Life at Auschwitz, or perhaps a better description would be existence at Auschwitz consisted of being constantly being attacked be it physically, through the back breaking work, and physical beatings given out by the both male and female guards. The mental abuse of seeing train loads of people arrive and head to the gas chambers and being unable to warn or help them. Surviving mentally when you no longer have a name as the Germans give you a number tattooed on your arm and that’s how you are identified. That whole process to de-humanise their prisoners.

You really go through a range of emotions whilst reading this book, and the three sister’s journey. As well as the horrors of surviving Auschwitz the sisters then deal with the survivor’s guilt that they made it through when other didn’t. They each have their specific lowest moment that torments them as well as repeated nightmares when they go to sleep at night. Magda in particular reveals she feels guilty she wasn’t with the sisters from the beginning, but Cibi & Livi explain to her it was the thoughts of her being at home with their mother and grandfather that kept them going some days.

I recently read a dispute online in a “book chat” about what sort of person Cilka “really” was. Cilka, in fact any one person can be described, remembered differently dependent on different peoples’ memories and situations they were in with her. Saying Cilka was harsh and hardened, wouldn’t anyone appear this way whilst existing in Auschwitz? Perhaps she had to put a “hard face persona” on to survive what she was going through. Some people in the chat were pointing out the portrayal of her was romanticised. However, I think there is a place for both writing styles, of the “romanticised” or perhaps a softened telling of a story as opposed to a brutal, blunt, hard-hitting type of telling. I believe that there is a place for both as both are getting the message out about how awful it was, how we should always remember and never forget, and most of all never, ever let it happen again.

I did thoroughly enjoy the descriptions of Heather meeting up with the sisters, who had what I can only describe as a gallows humour, sort of matter of fact, saying which one of them will die first.

My immediate thoughts upon finishing this story were, Wow! That it was an extremely emotional story of three sisters who made a promise to their father when they were very young. Little could know how hard that promise was going to be able to keep. They were quite literally ripped from a loving family home and transported to a place that became a living hell for them.

To sum up I had mixed feelings unsurprisingly emotional, and I aren’t ashamed to admit teary too. The way Heather writes these stories you feel like you have been on a journey and as you read you are almost an eye witness to the atrocities survivors had to endure. It’s sad about the trilogy ending as I would certainly read other survivors stories written by Heather Morris, but I can understand that perhaps this is the last survivor story from Auschwitz that she may write. I will certainly keep an eye out for any other books by the author.

Having read Heather Morris' previous two books, I could not wait to read Three Sisters and it really did not disappoint.
Like those previous books, it was incredible well written.
It was also really atmospheric and made you feel like you were actually there.
The pacing was good and kept me wanting to read more and more.
It was obviously very sad but there were also happy moments throughout and some great characters.
Everything was handled sensitively and in an inspiring way.
I also really enjoyed the ending.
I would happily read more and more from Heather Morris in the future and I can't wait to see what she does next.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review thanks to NetGalley and Zaffre Books.

I loved ‘The Tattooist of Auschwitz’ and Cilka’s Journey’ so this one was very high on my tbr!

This is an absolutely beautiful story! It’s absolutely fascinating and shocking to read about the lives of people who were prisoned in Auschwitz.

I didn’t realise just how many different jobs there were within the camps and the impact these would have on the people until I read these books.

This is the only book that goes in depth in the aftermath of escaping Auschwitz - how the lives of these 3 sisters is impacted by this horrific experience and how they go on to have a happier future than they’d have imagined.

I have loved reading this series and I hope there will be more to follow.

The story of the three sisters, Cibi, Magda and Livia is the true story of their lives, just as ’The Tattooist of Auschwitz’ and ‘Cilka's Journey’ are their actual and inspirational stories. I have read and thoroughly enjoyed them all and been impressed with both the meticulous research and the superb storytelling and empathy Heather Morris has poured into her writing.
Heather was in South Africa on tour publicising ‘The Tattooist of Auschwitz’ when she first heard of the three sisters. Instead of returning to her home in Australia, Heather flew to Tel Aviv and onwards to their home. This was just the starting point of a two year collaboration that resulted in the third ‘Story of Hope’.
Their father had once asked them to promise that they would always be there for each other and never lose contact. They truly honoured his request even in their times of greatest fear when they were imprisoned in Birkenau and in fear of being sent to the Gas Chambers and meet the end of their lives. They were treated really badly. There was never enough food for them, in the winter you could easily freeze to death in your bed and the punishments they endured were vile and inhumane.
Livia was the first to come to the attention of the Nazis when she was only fifteen years old and living with her parents in their hometown of Varnov in Slovakia. She was the youngest sister. She was ordered to Auschwitz and Cibi, who was four years older, decided she would accompany her little sister. Magda was in hospital at the time and so initially she escaped her fate. She always felt guilty about this, because she should have been the first to be selected, however eventually she joined her younger sisters and was horrified to see their skeletal selves when they were reunited.
The sisters suffered through inconceivable deprivation, cruelty and brutality both mental and physical. The daily roll call that sorted out the ladies to be sent to their death and those who would live another day was dreaded. When they managed to escape as the allies were ever nearer, they ran off with only the clothes they were dressed in. This is a holocaust story of three sisters whose bond could never be broken, a story of survival, bravery and hope.
The story doesn’t end there either – it continues, telling the stories of the sisters as their life progressed. What a story it was and I was absorbed in it until the very end.
I received a copy of this book through my membership of NetGalley and from publisher Bonnier Books UK in return for an honest review. I thought this true story, retold by Heather Morris’ was an inspirational story. Yes, it was difficult to read and immensely sad at times. But that was more than balanced out by happy times, survival and hope for the future. Thank you most sincerely for my copy. I recommend it was great read and an informative story. It’s a 4.5* review from me.

I have read all of the books in this trilogy and this was is the one I would highly recommend, even more than The Tattooist of Auschitz, which I didn’t think would happen. It feels a little weird to say that this is my favourite out of the three, considering the topics of these books. All of the books can be read as standalone reads, but it just makes it that little bit better when you hear one of the other characters mentioned within the other books, knowing their full stories.

These are tough books to read, especially when you remember that they’re based on one of the worse events in history. The sister aspect of this book is why it’s probably hit me the way it did and why it’s my favourite. It made me able to connect to it on a more personal level, wondering what I would do if me and my sisters (plus my brothers) were ever put in a similar situation. Making me connect on a deeper and more personal level.

Once you finish reading the story, it is definitely worth continuing reading as you get a lot more information about the people within this story. Not only do you have Heather Morris discussing which parts of this is fact, but you also get to read letters that the people who are more involved in this event, such as one of the sisters, her children. This adds to what you’ve been reading and again makes it a lot more personal.

Three Sisters by Heather Morris is a powerful true story of survival during a time of great evil. It is a book that will horrify you as you witness the cruelty towards the Jewish people. It is a book that will inspire you as you observe the bonds of love between the three sisters. It is a book that needs to be read in memory of the six million innocents who perished.
Much of the book is set in Auschwitz and other camps, some is in the girls’ home in Slovakia and the book ends in Israel. The reader sees that “to survive one must remain invisible.”
Auschwitz was a place of unbelievable horrors. The three sisters each had the desire to survive in order to help each other and to fulfill a promise made to their father in 1929. “We Meller girls must stay strong and carry hope in our hearts.” They carried love too.
The camps tested a person’s faith. Some clung on to God. Others questioned. “We needed God in those camps, and where was He?” God walked beside them in the pits of hell but His presence could not always be felt. Our feelings are unreliable. God was there with His children.
People did what they had to in order to survive. “She has chosen to survive, so don’t ever judge her.” Heather Morris vividly describes the horrendous conditions, cruelty and torture of the innocents. Pictures have been planted in my brain through her words that are now impossible to ‘unsee.’
The reader travels from homes to the camps. Heather Morris describes the death marches, the return home and the new life in Israel. Each presents different challenges. Life after World War II sees survivors plagued with guilt and tormented in dreams.
Three Sisters is such a powerful read. And it is a hopeful read – love triumphs over evil. Three Sisters must be read in order to keep alive the memory of the six million innocents.
Thank you Heather Morris for sharing the sisters’ story and preserving memories. We owe it to those who perished and to those who survived to tell their stories.
I loved the fact that when the book had ended, there was a section where the reader heard about what happened to each of the characters. Three Sisters is crying out to be read.
I received a free copy from the publishers via Net Galley. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

Somewhere within the text of 'Three Sisters' there's a reference to how many concentration camp stories people want to hear. If you choose to read the book, it's fair to assume you're up for hearing at least one more - but I did find myself wondering just how much more mileage Heather Morris is hoping to get out of repeating how utterly, unthinkably awful it was in Auschwitz.

I enjoyed - if that's the right word - her previous novels, 'The Tatooist of Auschwitz' and 'Cilka's Journey'. Both were stories of real people and based on real events - as is this one. But there's only so many ways to describe the terrible conditions in the camps, the endless hunger, the disease, the arbitrary executions, the cruelty of the guards, the humiliation and dehumanisation of the inmates. There isn't much new that Morris can tell us about how hellish the camps were, and unlike the other stories, it lacked the novelty and the spark of warmth that those novels had.

This novel is about - you guessed it - three teenaged sisters from a village in Slovakia. Two are taken by the Nazis to Auschwitz while the third initially evades capture but ultimately ends up with the same fate. The novel follows them throughout their time in the camp, then for years afterwards as they rebuild their lives. Despite it being a true story though, I never really connected with the characters in the way I did with those in Morris's previous novels. The three girls always feel rather bland and interchangeable, even though they are based on real people who I'm sure were not.

The writing just didn't pull me in - it lacked sparkle and came across as pedestrian. 'This happened, then this happened, then this happened'. The old writers' adage of 'show don't tell' wasn't followed - every thought or emotion or motive of the characters was spelt out, just in case the reader is too stupid to infer that the character was jealous, or anxious, or feeling guilty. There isn't a great deal of suspense because we all know what is going to happen - far better than the characters themselves do. At times it felt like a slog, reading page after page of misery knowing there was only going to be more to come.

But the novel really fell down when it got to the post-war period. I don't know what the author was thinking - this is someone who is capable of writing really well, with two very good novels under her belt. Rather than wrapping things up with an epilogue, or even just letting us know what happened to the real characters in an author's note (which she does in addition anyway), Morris proceeds to chronicle in unengaging prose all the events in the next ten years or so of the siblings' lives.

I feel horrible saying this about real people's life stories, but it's dull - and that's about the writing as much as the events. We hear over and over again about how the sisters had all promised to stay together, and about how Magda feels guilty for having not spent as long in Auschwitz as her sisters. The former starts to get nauseating, the latter is repetitious and a good example of the 'telling not showing' that undermines this story. By the end I was skimming, something I didn't do earlier in the book.

Ultimately the survival of these three sisters is a remarkable story, and it could have been told better. I would have given a three star rating but the slow tedious ending pulls it down to two overall. For these women and their families, it makes a permanent record of their lives and the things they endured and overcame, which is worthwhile in itself. For the average reader though, I don't think it offers a great reading experience.

I am not normally one for historical reads, however, this has completely changed my perspective! I loved it! Incredibly gripping and heart-wrenching, would definitely reccomend it!

As very young girls, Cibi, Magda and Livi make a promise at their father's insistence, that they will stay together, no matter what.

Over the years that follow their father sadly dies but the family remains close. When 15 year old Livi is ordered to Auschwitz by the Nazis, Cibi, who is only 19 herself, remembers their promise and goes with her, determined to protect her sister, or die with her. Together, in Auschwitz and Birkenau, they fight to survive through unimaginable cruelty and hardship.

Meanwhile, 17 year old Magda who was in hospital when her sisters were taken, stays in the village in Slovakia, with her mother and grandfather, hiding in a neighbour's attic, or in the forest, when the Nazi search patrols come to round up the remaining Jews in the village. Missing her sisters enormously, she avoids capture for a time, but eventually she too is transported to Auschwitz along with her mother and grandfather. There, the three sisters are reunited and, remembering their father, they make a new promise, this time to each other: that they will survive.

Three Sisters is a deeply moving story of love, loyalty, courage, and survival in the face of unimaginable cruelty and horror, against all the odds. It is also about the strength of the human spirit, and the power of hope and love, when the mind and body have been challenged beyond all human limits in a living hell.

This is a compulsive read, and one that you simply cannot put down. As you can imagine, it is not an easy read at times, with its portrayal of the inhuman and barbaric treatment of the Jews at the hands of the Nazis, and inevitably there are a number of upsetting, harrowing and shocking scenes, despite the sensitive way in which Heather Morris depicts them. The whole novel has a real emotional punch, but for me, having visited Auschwitz-Birkenau, and seen the huts, the bunks, the gas chamber, the site of the sorting sheds, the perimeter fence, and the train tracks, the camp scenes somehow seemed even more vivid, immediate and affecting.

However, the novel's nightmarish bleakness, and the grim reality of the death camps is counterbalanced with what is ultimately a life-affirming, hopeful and uplifting story, where those who survive the systematic genocide of the Jews are given a second chance at life, which they seize with both hands, and live to the fullest, with laughter, happiness and fulfilment, despite the mental scars and survivor guilt they are left with.

Like Heather Morris' previous titles, The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Cilka, Three Sisters is a truly important and also a very timely novel, reminding us, as it does, of the evil that humans are capable of inflicting, the dangers of unchecked political extremism and also the strength and power of human hope and love.

Thank you to NetGalley and Zaffre for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.5⭐️
The prologue introduces the younger three sisters Cibi, the eldest, then Magda and Livi the youngest.
Their father at that tender age makes them promise to always take care of each other if anything happens to him.

Then we move several years on. The girls are teenagers and end up being split up by the Nazis.

The girls story is harrowing and heart wrenchingly moving. It really dragged my emotions down. It’s a difficult read. It is balanced well with the positivity of life after this most dreadful of experiences.

It’s also the only book I’ve read that gives a lot of detail of life after Auschwitz. It also introduces survivor guilt.

An excellent book detailing the Sisters who are tightly bonded by love and a promise.

This book! I loved it. It was one of those that I was so sorry when I was finished it. You might wonder if it's a story that's already been told but these stories should be told again and again. The premise of the promise the three sisters make to their father is really at the heart of it and their closeness and the strength they give each other is what shines through. It's a difficult read at times and the horror isn't skimmed over. There's unspeakable cruelty but there's also moments of kindness and hope and love. For me, their life after the camp was hugely educational and eye-opening too. The fact that this is a true story means a lot but the author is so skilled that you really live through the experiences of these girls. And each of them comes to life and is very much her own person. If I could give it more than five stars, I would.

Thank you to Netgalley, Heather Morris and the publisher for allowing me this ARC!

I really enjoyed this book because it was very different to the others as this was about the bond of three sisters and not giving up on the others, about sticking together no matter what and getting through the war and staying safe. There is a lot to be taken from these incredible women stories.

highly recommend this book to everyone!!

Heather Morris's books are written with such care and feeling. This is the story of three sisters and how they coped with the horrors they witnessed in the camps during ww2 and their fight and determination to survive.Excellent book and very emotional.5*

'Three Sisters' was ultimately a heart-wrenching true story, following the lives of three sisters and their survival at Auschwitz, as they honour the promise they made to their late father, to always stay together to protect one another. Their story is beautiful in itself, and Morris does a good job in honouring their lives and struggles here.

However, I had some issues with the writing style used. I felt some areas- especially the dialogue- felt rather juvenile, and in some areas failed to properly capture the horrors of the death camp, presenting a generally positive attitude of survival in a lot of places. The last third of the book especially seemed to drag slightly, though I appreciated the look into the future of these sisters after Auschwitz. some parts began to feel quite repetitive, in the last one hundred pages.

I thought the inclusion of the notes from the sisters and their families at the end of the novel was beautiful though, and overall an important way to honour their legacies.

(Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with this eARC!)

Three Sisters recounts the experiences of Livi, Magda and Cibi as they are herded like cattle into the infamous gates of Auschwitz and later Birkenau. It tells the story of their fight to survive, but also of their promise to their father to protect one another at all costs.

I liked each of the girls; they all had very individual voices which is difficult to do with fictionalised non-fiction when people are actually real! I felt each of their stories needed to be told, and each of them contributed to the wider picture of the horror of Auschwitz.

Whilst it may be distasteful to say this, I didn't find this to be the most interesting insight into the lives of these three women. I appreciated that only a small portion of this book is spent in the concentration camps, because often books of this nature entirely focus on that, but unfortunately the secondary story of the aftermath of their experience wasn't especially interesting or compelling - I found myself drifting whilst I was reading it, whereas usually I would be really invested in what happened to them afterwards. It felt as though some of the heart of the story, the emotional investment, was lost during those pages.

Nevertheless, I always appreciate stories of those that struggled through truly the darkest of times. Each person who lived and died within the camps deserved to be heard, and it is unimaginably important to share as many stories as we can. Heather Morris is a great vessel for people to do this, clearly filled with compassion and interest in these peoples lives, but this time it didn't have the same heart I've come to appreciate from her shared stories.

ARC provided from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Based on the stories told to Heather Morris. Very emotional book about the 3 sisters and their utterly awful struggles as Jews in WW2. Desperately sad but also uplifting due to the strength and courage they show during their time in Auschwitz-Birkenau. Another fantastic read from Heather.
Thank you to Netgalley and Bonnier Books UK for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read and enjoyed both The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris and was delighted to receive a copy of The Three Sisters, the third book in the series.
This was incredibly sad story of three sisters trying to stay together and look after each other during their experiences as prisoners of war in the concentration camps during the holocaust. The cruelty and horrors that they went through just to stay alive were heartbreaking.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Bonnier Books UK for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

The third in the series from the author of the Tattooist of Auschwitz. As the name suggests it focuses on three sisters called Magda, Livi and Cibi. They made a promise to their father that they will always stay together and look after each other. When Livi, the youngest girl is called up to go to Auschwitz, Cibi (the eldest) volunteers to go with her so she isn't alone. Meanwhile Magda is left in Slovakia as she is in hospital. This novel is testament to the power that love and devotion can literally get you through everything. There is passing mention of Gita from the Tattooist of Auschwitz and also Cilka from Cilka's journey which is a lovely little nod to Morris' previous novels. Just like Heather Morris' other literary works this is also well written and you get sucked in and before you know it you have read 50 pages in an afternoon! It is interesting that this book doesn't just end with the sisters release from Auschwitz like most other WWII memoirs but carries on with the rest of the sisters lives and explains how they slowly heal and get on with the rest of their lives.