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LILAC GIRLS
BY MARTHA HALL
KELLY
REVIEWED BY
LINDA WICKLUND
I
must admit this book was recommended to me more
than once and I resisted reading it. It was about
the World War II. I have read so many books about
the war. But, finally a friend convinced me it was
much more than another book about the war.
It's about three
very different women and their stories which
intersect in the course of the war. The story
begins in 1939, with Caroline a wealthy New Yorker
who volunteers her time working at the French
Consulate organizing galas and other fund raising
events to help French children and others affected
by the war in Europe. Not an easy task as most
Americans wanted to stay out of the war at that
point. As the war goes on, she begins selling her
families antique silver when France is occupied
and no funds are contributed from Europe.
Then you'll meet
Kasia a Polish teenager who is out with her
friends on beautiful afternoon when German planes
started circling their town and bombing the
refugees who were digging potatoes and milking
their cows. This was just the beginning of her
harrowing, painful journey for many years.
The third woman
is Herta. A German medical student who is loyal
to the Fuhrer and hoping to become a surgeon.
Unfortunately, she believes Hitler's propaganda
"This war will be over within weeks." When she has
trouble finding a job as a physician, she finds an
ad looking for a camp doctor at a "reeducation
camp" for women named Ravensbruck. On her first
day she sees women being whipped, but is told any
breach of security will lead to your family's
imprisonment and possible death penalty for you.
She soon becomes involved in horrendous acts,
including experimental surgeries on young Polish
girls. They become known as the "Rabbits".
It became well
known after the war, of the horrific acts of the
Third Reich, but I really never thought about the
aftermath of the war and how these victims tried
to put their lives back together. The book ends
in 1959, so as you'll see the suffering was not
over for many years.
This is a story
you won't soon forget and it's true. Again, a
debut novel which is sometimes the best according
to a dear friend. Happy reading!
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