The Child Who Lived: An absolutely unputdownable and heartbreaking World War Two page-turner by Ellie Midwood
Book Description
Europe, 1945: I clutch my perfect auburn-haired-baby to my chest, desperate for her to take her first breath. She has to see the world outside the walls of this concentration camp and breath freedom instead of death, she has to live…
Inspired by true events, this powerful World War Two novel tells the incredible and inspirational tale of two ordinary people who risk everything to achieve the impossible: bringing new life into a death camp.
As Lore is pushed through the towering gates of Mauthausen concentration camp, she holds little hope of ever leaving. After being caught using her position as a typist for the SS to try and save her Jewish friends, she is now considered an enemy of the state. Lore knows that for those who commit treason, death is usually the only way out.
But soon, when Lore meets political prisoner Wolf, his burning desire for freedom and unshakable faith in justice ignites a flicker of hope deep inside her heart. Together, they commit the ultimate act of resistance against the brutal SS by falling desperately in love. And when Lore falls pregnant, they know they have to not only fight to survive, but plan to escape.
After secretly giving birth in her barracks, Lore’s heart shatters as she hands her miracle baby over to Wolf, knowing she is too weak to join them. Through tears and whispered promises to meet again, Wolf steps back into the darkness, and Lore is left questioning if any of them will survive, and if they do, will they ever find each another again?
Fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz and The Choice will be incredibly gripped by this tearjerking page-turner. This unforgettable World War Two novel shows that even in darkness, love can sometimes find a way.
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'The Child Who Lived' by Ellie Midwood.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Ellie Midwood, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 15th August 2023.
This is the ninth book I have read by this author. I have previously read Ellie's The Undercover Secretary, The Girl Who Escaped From Auschwitz, The Violinist Of Auschwitz, Auschwitz Syndrome, The Girl Who Survived, The Girl On The Platform, The White Rose Network and The Wife Who Risked Everything. I would recommend each and every one of them.
This novel consists of a prologue, 29 chapters and an epilogue. . The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
'The Child Who Lived' discusses some topics that may upset some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Ellie discusses/includes persecution, abuse, brothels, death, cruelty and other events associated with the Nazi camps.
Well, what can I say but wow!!! This story is definitely not going to leave my head anytime soon. Firstly I must congratulate Ellie Midwood for yet another extraordinary novel that seriously needs to be made into a movie which I assure would be best selling!!!
This book is very powerful and extremely well written. It is devastatingly heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time. The storyline of this book is fiction but the actual historical events are all based on facts and history which is another thing that drew me to read it. It is absolutely rammed with emotions that will make you smile, cry and laugh on the roller-coaster ride to hell that is World War 2 and the persecution and murder of the Jews and many others. Nothing is left out and Ellie has done an immense amount of research and brings Lore and her barracks mate's stories to life. The majority are such powerful, strong and kind hearted women and I am looking forward to reading more about them in Born Survivors by Wendy Holden along with other books I can find. I had never heard of several of the events discussed in this book before reading this but have read 'The Violinist Of Aushcwitz', 'Celia' s Journey', 'The tattooist of Aushcwitz', 'The Girl Who Escaped From Auschwitz,' The Girl Who Survived' and 'The librarian of Aushcwitz', and more, all of which I enjoyed so when I seen this I was intrigued to discover the ongoing of the war through another person's eyes and from a different perspective also. I have now also added many books to my wish list thanks to Ellie, her own and ones that she recommends at the end of this story. This story is unique for me as I (embarrassingly) had never heard of Mauthausen or the escape of the Soviet inmates from Mauthausen so thank you Ellie for educating myself and many others. My heart broke but at the same time soared at the end of this beautiful story filled with romance, passion, war, love, horror, suspense, tension, hate and just absolutely everything you could ask for in an emotional rollercoaster page turning historical novel. As always Ellie I cannot wait to read your next guaranteed success.
Grab the tissues, clear your schedules and get lost in history with an extremely talented author and a beautiful heartbreaking and educational read!!
As always with Ellie's books, this book did not disappoint. Some people believe that these stories should not be written but I am a strong believer that these victims earned the right for their stories to be told and to not be forgotten and this book does just that. I loved discovering not just Lore's story but those who surrounded her also. It is absolutely disgraceful and heartbreaking what these people went through because of everything that happened in Germany and all over the world. Lore and the majority of the women who suffered in Mauthausen were like family looking out for each other and having their backs. The fact that they shared this love and fondness for each other brought some light into this place of darkness and hell. Ellie does an amazing job building her each of these truly amazing characters and her fantastic evocative writing skills brings each and every one of them to life.
Thanks to Ellie this amazing group of people who supported and lifted each other up during these dark times and helping them see the light will never be forgotten. This book was very hard to read as a whole but there were certain parts that will stay with me for a very long time and that we're soul destroying. What the Nazi's did to these innocent people makes me absolutely sick to my soul. However, during this darkness comes light of love, friendship and even some laughter. Most importantly it ensures these amazing people are never, ever forgotten. Each of these amazing people will stay in my mind for a long time and my heart absolutely broke with tears streaming down my face for so many of them. I can't say more than that though as I don't want to give anything away so you will just have to pick up a copy and see what I mean. I am looking forward to reading Born Survivors by Wendy Holden which Ellie highly recommends in her letter at the end, thanks Ellie for the suggestion!!! Ellie always piques my interest with her amazing books and I always find myself wanting to know more and more about these people that changed history. Regardless of whether you love or hate the characters one thing is certain and that is that Ellie has the talent to bring them out of the pages so you feel you are surrounded by them as you walk along next to them all in this beautiful book.
Again congratulations Ellie Midwood on all your research and for writing this amazing story of "Lore" and the victims of Mauthausen. As always I was intrigued to read your letter at the end (please keep reading to read Ellie's notes) and sadly I will confirm that you are correct in your statement that "I was not only amazed by their bravery but also by the fact that not too many people are even aware of the escape taking place", as this was all news to myself. I love the fact that your wonderful stories brings so much information about these unknown victims and what they went through into the world. They all deserve to have their stories told in a way that did them justice and you have done that. I would say this book is on par with the likes of 'The' diary of Anne Frank' which left me with the same feelings your novel has of not even more emotional.
Make sure you read to the very end of the book to read the prologue and the first chapter of Ellie's absolutely gorgeous 'The Girl Who Escaped From Auschwitz' which is another page turner and one I have read myself and would highly recommend!!
Overall another unputdownable, heart wrenching, absolutely beautifully devastating story from an amazingly talented author.
282 pages.
This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle, free with kindle unlimited and £7.85 in paperback at time of review via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
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Author Bio
Ellie Midwood is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning historical fiction author, whose works have been translated into 14 languages. She owes her interest in the history of the Second World War to her grandfather, Junior Sergeant in the 2nd Guards Tank Army of the First Belorussian Front, who began telling her about his experiences on the frontline when she was a young girl. Growing up, her interest in history only deepened and transformed from reading about the war to writing about it. After obtaining her BA in Linguistics, Ellie decided to make writing her full-time career and began working on her first full-length historical novel, "The Girl from Berlin." Ellie is continuously enriching her library with new research material and feeds her passion for WWII and Holocaust history by collecting rare memorabilia and documents.
In her free time, Ellie is a health-obsessed yoga enthusiast, neat freak, adventurer, Nazi Germany history expert, polyglot, philosopher, a proud Jew, and a doggie mama. Ellie lives in New York with her fiancé and their two dogs.
Readers' Favorite - winner in the Historical fiction category (2016) - "The Girl from Berlin: Standartenführer's Wife" (first place)
Readers' Favorite - winner in the Historical fiction category (2016) - "The Austrian" (honorable mention)
New Apple - 2016 Award for Excellence in Independent Publishing - "The Austrian" (official selection)
Readers' Favorite - winner in the Historical fiction category (2017) - "Emilia"
Readers' Favorite - winner in the Historical fiction category (2018) - "A Motherland's Daughter, A Fatherland's Son"
Social Media Links
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/EllieMidwood?_rdr
Instagram: @elliemidwood
Website: http://elliemidwood.com/
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