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I found this book difficult to put down. Apparently based on a true story, which gets it past the "surely this couldn't happen in those circumstances" niggle, it is about two people who meet in Auschwitz and survive against all odds. The tattooist of the title is described at one point as a cat because he seems to have so many lives, but it brings into sharp focus the amount of sheer luck, coincidence- and quick-wittedness needed to survive in the death camps of the Holocaust. Not forgetting the
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I had a bit of a hard time settling into this book due to the writing style. It is written in chunks of time, almost as vignettes, and jumps around quite a bit. However, everything about the book took on more meaning for me once I realized it is the story of real people. With this realization, the writing style completely clicked for me as this is how someone does remember their life. Since I was a kid in junior high in the 70s, I've read and read and read books about the Holocaust and this is o
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Not great writing but still moving. Based on Lale and Gita Sokolov's experiences at Auschwitz. Glad there were photos of the couple at the end of the book.
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Feb 12, 2019
Natasha
marked it as to-read


Apr 01, 2020
Kara
marked it as to-read

Dec 14, 2020
Doug
marked it as to-read

Feb 07, 2021
Rebekah
marked it as to-read