The Nine

Thank you to Netgalley and Bonnier Books UK for the arc of The Nine by Gwen Strauss.

This follows the TRUE STORY of 9 young women who end up escaping a concentration camp in World war 2 and it tells you the stories of how each of them got their and their escapes. This is a haunting and emotional story of what they went through before, during and even years after the escape. I'd say if you love reading about this paticular subject or love historical fiction then i would say to read, you wont be failed of a great book!

5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is a story about women prisoners who have been taken to camps for being part of the resistance. It is no spoiler to say that this is their life and how they escape from the clutches of Nazi Germany. The story has been composed by the great niece of one of the women which I think gives a lovely personal touch to the account. I have read so many books about these camps from the point of view of Jewish people as I find this era of history fascinating. However, this book provided something much different. It gave an alternative view of the camp as the experience the nine faced was vastly different in places to that of the Jewish prisoners in the camp. I enjoyed getting to know the women and seeing how they coped, in very different ways, was interesting. It was also good to hear about what happened after the escape in more detail than perhaps would have been known for some others who managed to flee the Nazis. A must read for any historical fiction fans of this time period!

This book has haunted me and will stay with me for some time. The heartbreaking story of nine women, political prisoners from France, Spain and the Netherlands. Taken to Ravensbruck towards the end of the war, their strength, resilience, and love for each other is astonishing in the face of such cruelty by their captors. Women's stories from WW2 are rarely heard and the unique experience of women, some mothers, already with little voice or power is humbling. If i hadn't already known that they all survived their terrible death march, I'm not sure I could have read on. Their race against time to reach the front before they were killed is unimaginable, their bravery awe inspiring. I found their post war stories very sad, survivors were to a degree shamed and disbelieved. Their own families not always welcoming and their children brought up in silence. Everyone should read this book

Well, this book was certainly moving, I can’t believe what these poor women had to endure! And the fact that they were all younger than me, I know I could never be as strong or brave as they were.

I feel like the author managed to convey each one of their personalities through the book and really highlighted how close the ordeal made them. I felt throughout the whole story, though I don’t feel I can say I felt alongside them, as I could never really begin to imagine what they went through mentally and physically. I learnt a lot more about the treatment of women, especially after the war and how escaping the camps didn’t necessarily mean freedom.

At times I felt like there was too much information packed into the book, I was more interested in the journey of the women rather than knowing all the place names, family of family names, etc. but I can see how that would be interesting to others. Additionally, it was very frustrating reading an e-book if I did want to check one of the references.

Overall, a very well written account that reveals the hope, sorrow, courage, tenacity, friendship, and love shared between the nine. One line that really stood out for me was “A more truthful account would recognise that women have had to bear the burden of war far more than has been acknowledged”.