Lilac Girls

A Novel

By: Martha Hall Kelly

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell, Kathleen Gati, Kathrin Kana, Martha Hall Kelly

Inspired by the life of a real World War II heroine, this powerful debut novel reveals an incredible story of love, redemption, and terrible secrets that were hidden for decades.

New York socialite Caroline Ferriday has her hands full with her post at the French consulate and a new love on the horizon. But Caroline’s world is forever changed when Hitler’s army invades Poland in September 1939—and then sets its sights on France.

An ocean away from Caroline, Kasia Kuzmerick, a Polish teenager, senses her carefree youth disappearing as she is drawn deeper into her role as courier for the underground resistance movement. In a tense atmosphere of watchful eyes and suspecting neighbors, one false move can have dire consequences.

For the ambitious young German doctor, Herta Oberheuser, an ad for a government medical position seems her ticket out of a desolate life. Once hired, though, she finds herself trapped in a male-dominated realm of Nazi secrets and power.

The lives of these three women are set on a collision course when the unthinkable happens and Kasia is sent to Ravensbrück, the notorious Nazi concentration camp for women. Their stories cross continents—from New York to Paris, Germany, and Poland—as Caroline and Kasia strive to bring justice to those whom history has forgotten.

In Lilac Girls, Martha Hall Kelly has crafted a remarkable novel of unsung women and their quest for love, freedom, and second chances. It is a story that will keep listeners bonded with the characters, searching for the truth, until the final chapters.

Narrator List:
CAROLINE, read by Cassandra Campbell
KASIA, read by Kathleen Gati
HERTA, read by Kathrin Kana
With the Author's Note read by the author.

©2016 Martha Hall Kelly (P)2016 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Harrowing . . . Lilac illuminates.”—People

“A compelling, page-turning narrative . . . Lilac Girls falls squarely into the groundbreaking category of fiction that re-examines history from a fresh, female point of view. It’s smart, thoughtful and also just an old-fashioned good read.”—Fort Worth Star-Telegram

“A powerful story for readers everywhere . . . Martha Hall Kelly has brought readers a firsthand glimpse into one of history’s most frightening memories. A novel that brings to life what these women and many others suffered. . . . I was moved to tears.”—San Francisco Book Review

I don't usually cry when listening to a book...

Lilac Girls is heart wrenching, devastating, and hopeful. Martha Hall Kelly has given us a marvelous gift by honoring these women with her telling of the story. I feel richer for having learned about Caroline, Kasia, and the Rabbits, and the sobering Herta.

Gripping, outstanding - the best for so many reasons!

I loved the way the author wove the character's separate stories into one! It is beautifully written right through to the epilogue performed by the author. This book rates 5 Stars in every way!!

Loved the story but not the narrators

I very much liked learning about Ravensbrook and the work done by Ms. Ferriday . The story was beautifully written, however I found the narrators affectations to be so distracting that I abandoned the audible for the written word.

Fascinating glimpse of an unknown story

This story was fascinating and heartbreaking. At times, the scenes are horrific (as are most that deal with the Holocaust), but the story of the women at this camp needed to be told. The author did an exceptional job of basing her characters on real people and I learned a lot about an aspect of WWII that I didn't know. I've visited the Dachau concentration camp in Germany and have read a lot of WWII fiction and nonfiction, and this book is one of the best.

I was aware of many of the Nazi atrocities, but not about these particular medical experiments. I was so interested in the women's stories, I did some research after I finished the book to learn more about the Ravensbruck Rabbits. As others have said, this is a story about far more than Nazi atrocities, it's about love and dignity.

It was uplifting to know that there were people who invested significant time and energy into helping these forgotten victims. My only recommendation would be to change the cover image - it's misleading. While Herta Oberheuser was a product of the Nazi propaganda and brainwashing, she seemed to feel no remorse for her role, unlike some of the other Nazi doctors. The image implies that the 3 women experienced similar struggles and supported each other, which was not the case.

not for the faint of heart

If you could sum up Lilac Girls in three words, what would they be?

despair, sorrow, sadness

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

accents help with perspective

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

life in concentration camps

Any additional comments?

Not uplifting in any sense of the word

Loved it

This is a beautiful book and I loved the readers. It was my first audible book and I so enjoyed every hour of it. Kudos to the author and the readers.

A great book

This was a wonderful book bringing to light the atrocities endured by these women and their resilience. The author did a great job. I really enjoyed the fact that it was performed by three different people. I highly recommend this book!

Quality Historical Fiction

This novel follows three women during WWII and beyond. Their lives intersect, which adds much to the story.

heartbreaking story

I really enjoyed the narration. very well written and read making it easier to follow the characters. It was sometimes hard for me to listen at times because of what these poor women/people had to endure.

profpund

The story is life changing, thinking and fantastic. Tears and smiles I love this book