![The Tattooist of Auschwitz – A book review]()
Romance |
I am a self professed World War II fiction junkie. I scour through the internet for any WWII related anecdotes and historical facts. So when the whole world was reading The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris could I be left out? Actually I was, I read it real late.
Anyway.. I caught up with the trend and I am posting my review even later than what I had planned. But I am here now, and shall we talk about The Tattooist of Auschwitz?
About the Tattooist of Auschwitz
Book Name: The Tattooist of Auschwitz
Author: Heather Morris
Genre: Fiction – Historical, Drama
Characters: Lale Sokolov, Gita Sokolov, CIlka
Setting: Krompachy, Slovakia, Auschwitz, Poland
Plot Summary of the Tattooist of Auschwitz
Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, holds a relatively privileged position at the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp as a Tätowierer (the German word for tattooist). He risks his life several times to scrap off jewelry and money of dead Jew prisoners and then exchange them to buy more food to keep his fellow prisoners alive.
He feels an immediate connection with Gita, one of the prisoners he had to tattoo and the affection is quite mutual. Despite the circumstances, they sneak out and meet each other, at every opportunity they get. They vow to marry if they ever escape the camp, if at all.
Did they get to keep their promise? Did they escape? The answers to these questions form the rest of The Tattooist of Auschwitz.
Book review of the Tattooist of Auschwitz
I couldn’t stop myself from mentally putting myself in Lale’s place while reading the book, from my comfortable couch, and then feel guilty about it. It must have been hard keeping up his spirits and humanity throughout the book and his real life, and I loved it
I particularly liked the fact that how he made friends with the people from other countries and races, despite whatever he has been “taught at home” about them, given how stubborn people were on those days.
When I think of a tale of a real life survivor from a genocide, I wanted to cry, be shocked and be enraged. Sadly that is not what I felt. And I am sucker for emotional readers, and the plot was all that. But it didn’t work for me at all. For me it was just another romance, and worse, it romanticizes the whole harrowing experience at the concentration camp.
And I definitely was not prepared for The Tattooist of Auschwitz being a romance-centric book. That one might be on me, I should have read the blurb/ synopsis better.
Also, while reading the book, someone sent me an interview of how the author wasn’t true to the real tattooist of Auschwitz’s story (which she was borrowing) and they had a dispute. Well, that put me a little off. Poor guy!
Things that worked for me
- As I have clearly established, I love the WWII premise and historical fiction in general.
- I loved that there was optimism and time for love even during those dire days.
Things that didn’t work for me
- I wished the storytelling was better and it actually made me feel something.
- It was a romance book, predominantly and I expected more of the history part.
- It may be just me, but I felt the book was romanticizing the concentration camps, which is horrible if you think about it.
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Bottom-line
If you want to read a romance from WWII era, choose The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris. But if you want to read about the war itself or what it does to ordinary people, there are better books to choose from.
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Drama, review |
I picked Mrs. Everything without any idea what the general theme was about and I was pleasantly surprised that it was a historical fiction, a genre I rarely read. Let us see how it turned out for me in my book review, shall we?
About the book
Book Name: Mrs. Everything
Author: Jennifer Weiner
Genre: Fiction – Historical, Drama
Characters: Sarah, Bethie and Jo Kaufman, Harold, Dave, Shelley
Setting: Detroit, Michigan, The United States of America
The plot
Mrs. Everything follows the story of two sisters, Jo and Bethie Kaufman, right from their childhood when they move into Detroit in the 1950s. Jo, the elder one, is quite tomboyish and feels uncomfortable in skirts and frills who Bethie bonds with their mother through the pretty, girlie things.
Jo grows up edgy, socially aware/woke and outspoken while Bethie loves being the mother’s pet, pliable and the center of attention. Over the years, we see them grow into their rebellious teens alongside the political and societal changes in the USA.
As more matured adults, their roles reverse. Jo gets into the more traditional mother/wife role and Bethie becomes the free spirit and joins a woman only commune. What does it take for these sisters, and the world, to stick together despite all their flaws forms the rest of Mrs. Everything.
My initial thoughts
Mrs. Everything is pretty predictable and the plot by itself has been told countless times. The lives of Jo and Bethie can be yours, mine or any other woman – it is about the roles we play to keep the world running. It is relatable and has happened to each of us, in pieces at the least, and hence “Mrs. Everything”.
I have read a few Jennifer Weiner’s books in my late teens. I remember them being lighthearted (I may be remembering it wrong), so I was surprised Mrs. Everything being so intense with multiple themes like civil rights, women rights and LGBTQA. And she has done a great job with it.
I found Mrs. Everything a bit longer than it could have been. While I loved reading about the sister’s lives, the history part felt longer and repetitive in places.
Things that worked for me
- The plot and the characters felt relatable.
- The author has done a great job handling multiple themes.
Things that didn’t work for me
- Mrs. Everything felt a longer than it could have been.
- The history part felt repetitive in places.
Bottom-line
Mrs. Everything does a perfect job of interweaving the historical facts with the lives of ordinary women, that are so closer to every other woman. If only it were shorter it would be my go to recommend for woman fiction genre, easily.
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Drama, review |
I reading about China in The Joy luck club last year without knowing that I would be spending a month in Macau (a country that is still a part of Chinese government) soon after I finished it! Has this ever happened to you? So how did it fare on my chart? Let us find out.
About the Joy luck club
Book Name: The Joy luck club
Author: Amy Tan
Genre: Fiction – Historical, Drama
Characters: Jing-mei (June) Woo, Suyuan Woo, An-mei Hsu, Rose Hsu Jordan, Lindo Jong, Waverly Jong, Ying-ying St. Clair, and Lena St. Clair
Setting: San Francisco, The United States of America and China
Plot Summary of the Joy luck club
Following her mother’s death (Suyuan Woo), Jing-mei (June) Woo replaces her in the monthly Mah jong game. Suyuan and her friends started this tradition years ago when they moved into San Francisco as way to keep in touch with their Chinese culture and history. Through the years, the four mothers share their festivals, their daughters’ birthdays and achievements during the game.
While the mothers tried to preserve the culture, their daughters chase the American dream and lifestyle. They do not have the patience or interest in knowing their mother’s history and they scoff at the Chinese superstitions. Despite living under the same roof for years, the mothers and daughters live a life separated by their culture and life experiences.
The harder their mothers are on them, the harder the daughters rebel in their own way, without realizing unwittingly they are following their mothers’ path. They also are quick to leave behind their Chinese culture just like their mothers had.
During their game, Jing-mei finds out that just before her death Suyuan had traced her two other daughters that she had to leave behind during the World war II. And her mother’s friends urge her to take her mother’s journey to meet her long lost relatives who are still in China. Did she take that journey and find her sisters forms the rest of the story in The Joy luck club.
Book review of the Joy luck club
The Joy luck club is one of those classic cult hit when it was released in 1989. While it does feel a little bit dated, her major themes on mother- daughter relationship and generational gaps, especially between the first and second generational Chinese-Americans still holds good.
The Joy luck club contains sixteen short stories narrated by four Chinese born mothers and their respective daughters who make it a point not to learn Chinese over half a century! While it was fun to try to read this structure, the truth was it was a little difficult to remember all the secondary characters.
I loved how the daughters who scoffed at their mothers and their traditions in their childhood and well into their marriages, turn around as they mature and even get closer to them. And how their mothers in turn, learn to adapt into their new roles over the years. To be honest, The Joy luck club made me stop a moment and examine my own relationship with my mother.
Things that worked for me
- I loved the friendship/co-dependency between the mothers.
- The stories about the mothers before coming to the USA were haunting and so historically rich. I loved them.
Things that didn’t work for me
- Did the author somehow help the strict, cold Asian mothers and absentee Asian fathers stereotypes? (UPDATE: upon reading other reviews -YES SHE DID, AND FACED A SEVERE BACKLASH)
- I wish the book’s structure was a bit easier to follow through.
Similar reviews you might like
Bottom-line
The Joy Luck Club is culturally and historically rich, even though it plays a bit to the stereotypes or even went to setting those stereotypes in the first place. If you are looking for a literary / historical fiction The Joy luck club by Amy Tan is a good choice.
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Drama, review |
Have you ever thought about what happens to a person after their death? Do they go to heaven or hell? Or you believe that the body function stops and that is the end of it? Explore Elif Shafak’s version of post death in 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World with me, won’t you?
About 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World
Book Name: 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World
Author: Elif Shafak
Genre: Fiction – Drama
Characters: Tequila Leila, Sabotage Sinan, Nostalgia Nalan, Jameelah, Zaynab122 and Hollywood Humeyra
Setting: Istanbul, Turkey
Plot Summary of 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World
The book begins with the death of the protagonist Leila and we walk through her life during the last few minutes of her consciousness. With her body disposed in a dumpster dismissively, her mind wanders through her recollections of her childhood, her family disowning her and finding her own set of friends and finally her murder.
Along the journey we are taken on a ride to visit a patriarch family that has grown more and more orthodox while struggling with a child with Down syndrome and the pressure that had on a smart young girl with two mothers who would not speak against their devout father.
We also see glimpses of the streets from the forbidden parts of the city, that we are encouraged to look away from where our protagonist meets her beloved friends who turn out to be ‘her family’.
When Leila’s body is finally buried in a cemetery for the “companionless”, the friends take it upon themselves to help her rest in peace. Did they succeed in getting their friend the end she deserved form the rest of the story in 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World.
Book review of 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World
This is just more than a story of a dead sex worker and her friends. It is a tale of the minorities – the “wayward” women, the queers, the physically different of Istanbul and anyone who wouldn’t fit the norms of a “society”. It is also a tale of friendship and how family is about whom you choose to be with.
I was not happy with the author’s The Forty rules of love and I was reluctant to pick this one.
But I liked the author’s writing style – well, the part one. I loved the part one about the city and its rich history and culture. But the second part was slow and dragging and I actually had to skim. The distinction in the writing and narrative style felt too different between the two parts made was too glaring to ignore.
Things that worked for me
- I liked the non linear narrative and that kept me on my toes.
- I loved knowing about Istanbul via its history and politics, and through the lives of these friends.
Things that didn’t work for me
- I wish there was a smooth transition between both the parts.
- Even though I felt the friends set a bit of cliche but I liked their dynamic.
Bottom-line
If you are a fan of Elif Shafak or The Forty rules of love, you will love the book. For others, 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World would be a great choice if you want to read about richly woven historical tale about the minorities in Istanbul.
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Non Fiction, Review Shots |
It has been a while since we spoke about Non Fiction books here, hasn’t it? In the May’s edition of review shots I am going to talk about three different kinds of non fiction – a poetry from a new age poet that I love, a comic about us, and a world war II memoir. Did I pique your interest? So let us get started!
Disclaimer
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sharing a copy for review and it no way affected my unbiased and honest opinion.
Love Looks Pretty on You
Author: Lang Leav
Genre: Non Fiction – Poetry
No. of Pages: 224
I am sure Lang Leav is no stranger to any of us. And in her sixth book she has brought her magic back. I kept underlining her and highlighting so many of her lines, especially the ones about abuse in relationships and being a strong woman.
When my best friend told me
she was in love
my first thought was,
‘I hope he is good to her.’
And it suddenly occurred to me,
what I held in my heart for her
was hope, when it should
have been expectation.
I love that her prose/poetry has always been easy to read and relate. I have felt in her earlier works she talks a little too much about heartbreak and being in love for my taste, and there is nothing wrong about that and it is just me, not her. But she has proved herself as a matured writer in this one.
Final thought: Though monotonous at times, the author moved past from the heartbreaks to more mature subjects.
Recommended to: If you liked her previous works, this should be on your list as well
Book love
Author: Debbie Tung
Genre: Non Fiction – Comic
No. of Pages: 143
Have you ever thought about the crazy things that you been doing as a bookworm? Of course I would not blame you because I do them as well. And this book is for you. I can’t recommend this enough to anyone who loves books.
Book love kept me grinning throughout the book because it was all true. And it was as if someone took a peek into my life and just drew them but in a less clumsy way.
Though it would hardly take an hour to finish this one, I would suggest to go through this book slowly and enjoy taking a laugh at yourself.
Final thought: Catch yourself smiling at the quirky bookworm habits
Recommended to: Must read for book lovers!
The Zookeeper’s Wife
Author: Diane Ackerman
Genre: Non Fiction – Historical
No. of Pages: 368
I read The Zookeeper’s Wife for the A-Z reading challenge last year and I have no idea why I had not reviewed it until now, other than the fact that I forgot to. And there is a well known movie as well adapted from this historical drama.
The invasion of Germany into Poland and the consequent bombing affected not only the people but also the animals that were held in the Polish zoos. The zookeepers Jan and Antonina Zabinski save Jews by letting the stay in the empty cages. The Zookeeper’s wife follows the life of a ‘sorta’ family that socializes with ‘guests’ after the dark and caring for the animals during the day.
I love reading the Holocaust and WW II novels so I quickly jumped at the chance to read this one. But I didn’t enjoy it as much as I expected to. There were more interesting parts, like where Jan tries to help the prisoners escape than the zoo life at home.
Final thought: Interesting premise even if it is slow and dragging at places
Recommended to: History buffs.
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