Erin Litteken - The Lost Daughters of Ukraine
5⭐
Genre: Historical Fiction, Fiction, War, WW2
Pages: 422
Format: Digital (Kindle) Netgalley
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Date Published: 24th April 2023
Book Blurb:
A story of the strength of the human spirit, the personal cost of conflict and how love can be found even in the darkest times.
Summer 1941. War rages in Europe. The Germans march towards Ukraine. Halya, Liliya and Vika are no strangers to sorrow. They lost family during the Holodomor, loved ones in Stalin's purges, and war looms once more on the horizon.
Vika lives in fear for her children. She and her sister survived the terror famine by leaving their whole family behind. Now, years later, many believe the Germans will free them from the Soviets, but she’s not so sure. Should they stay in Volhynia or flee the approaching Eastern front?
Liliya has lost too much in her 17 years. As those around her join the resistance, Liliya wonders how she can fight for her friends, family, and country. When the choice is made for her, can she find the will to survive and protect those still with her?
Twelve-year-old Halya is struggling to discover who she is. But as the war escalates, can her mother Katya’s tactics keep her safe from the Nazi soldiers rounding up slave laborers? How can a child survive the horrors of war on her own?
These daughters of Ukraine will face devastation and loss as they fight to survive and protect the ones they love.
My Review:
I loved The Memory Keeper of Kyiv when I read it last year,
so when I saw that Litteken is releasing a new book, I just knew I had to read
it. Honestly, The Lost Daughters of Ukraine is one of the most heart-wrenching
yet very moving, powerful and beautifully written book.
The story follows the lives of three women, Vika, Lilya and
Halya. All three of them are trying to do their best to survive WW2 and their
lives are all intertwined during the most tragic moments of the war. All three
women and their stories were filled with love, resilience, compassion, and
strength, even though their everyday life during the war was filled with
hunger, death, loss, cruelty and terror from both the Soviets and Nazis.
The writing of this book was just superb, especially the way
each chapter portrayed a different POV and made the story so rich and full. At
times, it is very hard to read as Litteken doesn’t shy away from displaying
these three women's hardships and tragic realities. Although heart-wrenching to
read, this book has quite a few beautiful moments when the generosity of people
and selflessness are shown too. The author also shows how important those
little acts of resistance are and people from different countries and
backgrounds support each other in the face of evil. Every character in this book was so well
written that I felt like I wasn’t reading a fiction book but a true-life
account.
Overall: Brilliant book! Amazing writing! Such an eye-opener
and very emotional. It displays the atrocities of Nazis and Soviets during WW2
yet shows how strong Ukrainians were and always will be. Can’t wait to see what
Litteken writes next, but I am sure it will be as brilliant as her last two
books.
This review was first published on NetGalley:
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