Marialyce 's Reviews > The Tattooist of Auschwitz
The Tattooist of Auschwitz
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Unfortunately, as much as I wanted to love this book, it fell quite short for me. Perhaps it was the expectation I always harbor for a book about the Holocaust, or perhaps the book contained things that I just had a hard time believing.
This was basically a love story between two people, Lale and Gita who met while she was waiting to be tattooed by Lale and instantly fell in love. They manage to meet on many occasions and share time together and even make love. Lale, meanwhile is able to collect diamonds, money, and other jewels from people working in the sorting of prisoners' clothes which he barters for food, chocolate, and other things with a Russian workman and his son. He shares his food with those that he can which of course is a wonderful thing to have done. Eventually, when the war is close to ending, he is freed and while Gita has been sent away from Auschwitz he eventually meets up with her and they marry and have a son after immigrating to Australia.
In thinking about this novel, I believe it was the writing of the story which held it down for me. It seemed that the author made the telling so matter of fact and I could not perceive an emotional empathy that one is ever so sure any prisoner in Auschwitz would certainly have had.
I know that both Lale and Gita were real people who suffered immensely in the camp and of course lost so many family and friends. My heart breaks ever time I read a book that details the atrocities that were done to the Jews, Gypsies, handicapped and others during the war.
So, I am very sad that I did not connect with this story. At the end of the book, Lale and Gita's son wrote a foreword which was quite good with the right amount of emotion and love for his parents. I think perhaps he should have taken up the task of writing his parents' story. For through his few short pages, I saw more of Lale and Gita than the author showed me with the entire book.
Interestingly I just read this article...https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/...
This was basically a love story between two people, Lale and Gita who met while she was waiting to be tattooed by Lale and instantly fell in love. They manage to meet on many occasions and share time together and even make love. Lale, meanwhile is able to collect diamonds, money, and other jewels from people working in the sorting of prisoners' clothes which he barters for food, chocolate, and other things with a Russian workman and his son. He shares his food with those that he can which of course is a wonderful thing to have done. Eventually, when the war is close to ending, he is freed and while Gita has been sent away from Auschwitz he eventually meets up with her and they marry and have a son after immigrating to Australia.
In thinking about this novel, I believe it was the writing of the story which held it down for me. It seemed that the author made the telling so matter of fact and I could not perceive an emotional empathy that one is ever so sure any prisoner in Auschwitz would certainly have had.
I know that both Lale and Gita were real people who suffered immensely in the camp and of course lost so many family and friends. My heart breaks ever time I read a book that details the atrocities that were done to the Jews, Gypsies, handicapped and others during the war.
So, I am very sad that I did not connect with this story. At the end of the book, Lale and Gita's son wrote a foreword which was quite good with the right amount of emotion and love for his parents. I think perhaps he should have taken up the task of writing his parents' story. For through his few short pages, I saw more of Lale and Gita than the author showed me with the entire book.
Interestingly I just read this article...https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/...
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Reading Progress
October 23, 2017
– Shelved as:
to-read
October 23, 2017
– Shelved
December 2, 2017
–
Started Reading
December 3, 2017
–
10.0%
December 8, 2017
– Shelved as:
net-galley
December 8, 2017
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-43 of 43 (43 new)
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Lynn
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rated it 5 stars
Dec 08, 2017 07:01AM
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I so agree, Lynn. I almost feel embarrassed that I did not like it.
Norma, you may really like it as it has gotten some really wonderful reviews. I just could not feel what one needs to feel when reading this kind of book.
Me too, Svetlana. It was right up my reading alley. Thank you for your kind thoughts.
Michelle, you might really like it. Many have
Thanks so much Tammy! There was just too much that diidn't seem authentic to me.
There were quite a few things that really bothered me in this book. I have read my fair share of books that deal with the Holocaust, but never have any of them included thins that are presented in this book. You did rate it a bit higher than I. I think perhaps this book is taking a page out of the James Frey book.
Thank you, Dianne.
Thanks, Rissy. Yes, it was an unemotional read for me.