Sara and her sisters are transferred from their loving home to the hell of Auschwitz-Birkenau. From a family of tailors and seamstresses, the girls use their talents to find work in the sewing shop.

I hate to say this about any holocaust story, but I found this book a bit lacking. I didn’t feel like I knew the sisters. The book could have used a lot more character development. Perhaps the author could have used alternating points of view, or some other technique to bring the sisters to life. Overall, not a book I would reread or recommend. ( )

This story spans from 1932 and continues through the British pulling out of Palestine. Sara’s journey immerses us into the horrors of Auschwitz and gives us a glimpse what life was for the displaced persons in camps around Europe. Through the eyes of Sara a lot is said including the obstacles Jews faced in trying to enter Palestine.

All stories during this time are heart-wrenching and compelling this one is no exception. Apart from giving us a large timeline, this version of events recounts and rehashes the same experiences endured by the prisoners. We can find numerous books recounting these events. Nothing new here for those who are a fan and have read books of this era before.

Having said this “The Seamstress of Auschwitz “is nevertheless a very well- written and well-paced story and reading it you won’t get bogged down with unnecessary details. Even if I read many stories covering the camps in the past, I still had a hard time leaving my emotions in check flipping through the pages.

Ms. McAdam’s version is well crafted and powerful but to my eyes did not bring anything new.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalleys ( )

WW2, historical-fiction, historical-figures, historical-places-events, historical-research, history-and-culture, 1930s, coming-of-age, Jewish, Jews, Auschwitz, children, German-occupation, holocaust, Palestine, grief, grieving, Y/A only-means-no-gratuitous-erotica*****

"Where they have burned books, they will end in burning human beings." Heinrich Heine, German-Jewish Poet (1823)
Sara's story is bookended by events in 2019, but it's the story of her life from 1932-1948 that is given as fiction. Beginning with her home life with family and all contributing to he father's tailor shop, moving on through the book burnings, beatings, moving about, transportation to the camp, working at the camp, and all that life entailed in those year. A short but effective read.
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from ARC provided by Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op | Paper Forest Press via NetGalley. Thank you ( )