Lilac Girls (Woolsey-Ferriday, #1) in Crazy Challenge Connection

Apr 09, 2017 Olivermagnus rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017, europe, ww2, historical-fiction, favorites

Lilac Girls uses a three character narrative to give the reader a mesmerizing look at World War II, and specifically Ravensbruck concentration camp. The story is told in alternating chapters by three diverse woman. The first is Caroline Ferriday, a 37 year old former debutante, actress, and now volunteer at the French consulate in Manhattan, scraping up supplies and helping with visas for the multitudes trying to escape France. The second is Kasia Kuzmerick, a Polish teenager working in the Poli ...more

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Jul 20, 2025 Michelle rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: world-war-2, favorites, historical-fiction, fiction, political, mental-health, war, germany

This is one of the hardest books I've ever had the pleasure of reading. I was angry through most of it, sad, depressed, horrified, sick to my stomach, and just absolutely disgusted at humanity. Like most books set in Germany during WWII, you read about the horrifying conditions that those sent to the concentration camps lived in, only this time the experimental torturous operations that were performed on those at Ravensbrück was part of the story. Most of the events in this book actually occurre This is one of the hardest books I've ever had the pleasure of reading. I was angry through most of it, sad, depressed, horrified, sick to my stomach, and just absolutely disgusted at humanity. Like most books set in Germany during WWII, you read about the horrifying conditions that those sent to the concentration camps lived in, only this time the experimental torturous operations that were performed on those at Ravensbrück was part of the story. Most of the events in this book actually occurred. Many of the characters in the book were actual real characters especially the SS officers and doctors.

Caroline Ferriday was a real person who did a ton of charity work and worked for the French Consulate in NYC. I initially was not impressed by her character. She seemed a bit selfish and full of herself. She did do good work, but it seemed like she did so just to make herself look good. Her character was written at times as though she really didn't have a clue as to what was really going on in the world around her. Maybe that was just the way the author wrote her and she was not like that in real life, but at times it was really off putting.

Another real character in the book was a female SS Doctor named Herta Oberheuser. If you want to be thoroughly disgusted and angered look her up and read more information about her. She had a choice, but she chose to be part of Hitler's political party and chose to stay at the camp when she was sent. She could have asked to have been sent somewhere else, but she stayed even after knowing what was going on. She performed horrific experiments on the prisoners without a single care in the world. After the end of the war she was found guilty of performing sulfanilamide experiments, bone, muscle, and nerve regeneration and bone transplantation experiments on humans, as well as of sterilizing prisoners. What kind of human being does that to another human being? She never gave any pain meds to those she performed surgery on. Many died or suffered through immense pain. Those that survived suffered immense pain throughout their lives because their legs were deformed. Herta was only sentenced to 20 years in prison while many other doctors were executed. She should have been one that was executed. The world would have been a better place. Another place that would have been good for her would have been a Russian Gulag. She deserved to be sent to one of the coldest places on earth and forced to work q6 hours a day with little to no food. Although she was sentenced to 20, she only served 5 years. Yes, you read that right. Only 5 fucking years for her crimes. She had zero remorse. Then after getting out she opened up a doctor office and started practicing again. Thankfully she was shut down 5 years later and lost her medical license for good after that. This character here and the ones like her are what made me so angry throughout the book.

Our 3rd character was Kasia Kuzmerick, a polish teenager working in the resistance movement who got caught and was sent to Ravensbruk along with her sister and her mother. She and her sister were 2 of the many patients that suffered under the hands of Herta and were subjected to the many experimental operations. Oh how I wanted to just hug this girl. I cried several times for her. Although she and her sister survived the emotional and psychological toil had a huge grip on them. Although her sister worked at trying to get better after they were released, Kasia remained angry for many years. She eventually married and had a daughter, but mentally she had a very hard time. I get why and my heart broke for her. This book will stay in my mind for a very long time. ...more

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Feb 11, 2018 Linda C rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: european, historical-fiction

The three women here provide very different perspectives on WWII. NY socialite and former actress, Caroline, uses her money and connections to help French orphans; Kasia is a Polish teenager who joins the underground and is caught and sent to Ravensbruk to become the subject of Nazi medical experimentation; and Herta, is a newly qualified German doctor, who takes a job at Ravensbruk in order to practice. The chapters alternate and give a true progression of events.

It is hard to read some of the ...more

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