The Girl Who Escaped from Auschwitz: A totally gripping and absolutely heartbreaking World War 2 page-turner, based on a true story

Ellie Midwood

Mar 2021 · Bookouture

About this ebook

“What can I say but wow!!!” Bookworm86, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“The tears wouldn’t stop.” Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Impossible to put down.” RK_Reads, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Heartbreaking and inspirational.” @marla.reads, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“We must die standing up for something.”

“And what are we standing up for?”

“The most important thing there is. Freedom.”

Millions of people walked through Auschwitz’s gates, but she was the first woman who escaped. This powerful novel tells the inspiring true story of Mala Zimetbaum, whose heroism will never be forgotten, and whose fate altered the course of history…  

Nobody leaves Auschwitz alive.

Mala, inmate 19880, understood that the moment she stepped off the cattle train into the depths of hell. As an interpreter for the SS, she uses her position to save as many lives as she can, smuggling scraps of bread to those desperate with hunger.

Edward, inmate 531, is a camp veteran and a political prisoner. Though he looks like everyone else, with a shaved head and striped uniform, he’s a fighter in the underground Resistance. And he has an escape plan.

 

They are locked up for no other sin than simply existing. But when they meet, the dark shadow of Auschwitz is lit by a glimmer of hope. Edward makes Mala believe in the impossible. That despite being surrounded by electric wire, machine guns topping endless watchtowers and searchlights roaming the ground, they will leave this death camp.

 

A promise is made––they will escape together or they will die together. What follows is one of the greatest love stories in history…

 

Fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The Choice, and The Orphan Train will love this breathtakingly beautiful tale, of courage in the face of tragedy and  bravery in the face of fear. Based on a true story, The Girl Who Escaped Auschwitz shows that, in darkness, love can be your light…

 

See what readers are saying about The Girl that Escaped from Auschwitz:

 

“I couldn’t put it down, I was reading it all through the night… A beautiful, heart-wrenching story; a story I read with blurry eyes thanks to all the tears. A must-read for all. This one will stick with me forever.’ @bookswithmitch, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

“Extraordinary… Devastatingly heartbreaking and beautiful… Absolutely rammed with emotions that will make you smile, cry and laugh.” Bookworm86, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

“An AMAZING read! I loved this so much!… Sensational… One of the most inspiring love stories of all time… HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND. 100% 5 STARS!!” Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

“Loved loved loved it… Fantastic.” NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

“I can officially report my tear ducts have run completely and utterly dry… Shattered my heart.” Notablenoveles, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

“Grips you from the first page and never lets go until you are sitting reading the last pages with tears streaming down your face… Simply cannot put the book down. Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

“Amazing… Had me in tears.” NetGalley Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

“Impossible to put it down… The book was absolutely gripping.” RK_Reads, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

“Had me tearing up… Yet I couldn’t put the book down. Absolutely beautiful.” @can’t_stop_reading, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

“Wow! This one is definitely gonna get ya but it is so worth the emotional roller coaster.” Toreadistobreathe, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

“Be prepared with a box full of tissues next to you because all throughout the book you won’t have a dry eye.” @jasminegalsreadinglog, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

“So emotional and heartbreaking that I actually cried.” Tropical Girl Reads Books, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

“I couldn’t put this story down and it definitely tugged at my heart strings. I loved reading Mala’s story.” Heather Loves to Read, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

“Once I began this book, I could not put it down, and the pages flew.” Musings by Maureen, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

“It literally punched me in the gut.” @booksreadbyprairiegirl, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ratings and reviews

I was given an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and I was so excited to get my hands on this one. I started this book with little knowledge of the two characters this book is based upon; Mala & Edek. These two meet in Auschwitz and soon fall into a love neither of them could have expected. After months of planning, they decide it’s time to escape Auschwitz -together. I started this book with an open mind, not sure what type of journey it would take me on. I soon found myself transported to Auschwitz and I was meeting characters that I couldn’t help but also love. Ellie Midwood’s ability to describe these characters, based off of real people who lived in these camps, is outstanding. I felt like I could truly see each of one them clear as day inside my head. I wanted to meet every single one, I was rooting for every single one, I felt pain and anguish for every single one. This story was quite frankly, beautifully written. I couldn’t put it down, I was reading it all through the night. How could I fall asleep without finding out the fate of our beloved Mala & Edek? I truly never knew how their stories ended and I held hope in my heart for them all the way until the last page. Ellie Midwood did something differently in this novel that I haven’t seen much in other books written about the Holocaust. She was able to give faces to the SS, Kapos, and other Nazi’s in the camp; she gave faces to the people who were accessories to murder, although they may not have been murderers themselves. She was able to describe them as human beings that held love and empathy inside themselves even though they weren’t supposed to. I think it’s hard to imagine anyone in that camp having the ability to hold empathy in their heart when their whole job is to dispose of other human beings without a second glance. Midwood’s ability to separate the two different types of people in charge of the camp was truly brilliant and refreshing to see. I have read quite a few historical fiction novels, all surrounding the topic of WWII and the Holocaust. I have found it extremely important to continue to read, learn, and share these stories with others in hopes that something this horrendous will never happen again. As hard as these books are to get through, I almost feel like it’s our duty to read them so that we can share what we know with others. It’s important for names like Mala & Edek, and all their companions, to be known and never forgotten. A beautiful, heart wrenching story; a story I read with blurry eyes thanks to all the tears. A must-read for all. This one will stick with me forever. I am now an Ellie Midwood fan for life. You can find this review and more at @bookswithmitch on Instagram

BLOG TOUR REVIEW Review for 'The Girl Who Escaped From Aushcwitz' by Ellie Midwood. Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous Publication date 9th March 2021. This is the second book I have read by this author. The other book I read by Ellie is called 'The Violinist Of Aushcwitz' which I also highly recommend. I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis. I also loved Ellie Midwood's 'The Violinist Of Aushcwitz' so am hoping it is as good. It also stated in the synopsis that fans of 'The Tattoist of Aushcwitz' will love it. I am a huge fan of that book so am looking forward to see if it lives up to this. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book). This novel consists of a prologue, 3

As one can imagine, The Girl Who Escaped from Auschwitz, is an extremely emotional book. Based on true events, it is a window into the horrific circumstances inside the concentration camp during WWII. This book centers around Edward (Edek) and Mala and their plan to escape the camp. Both of the ‘prisoners’ are among the select few who have been chosen for better jobs than the most. Mala does administrative work in an actual office. Edek, who devises a plan of escape, learns she is a great connection of resources. Soon after, a love story starts to enfold as Edek and Mala feelings grow for each other. This book is definitely difficult to read at times. The author gives us a glimpse from Edek and Mala’s point of views of the camp’s conditions. And even though many WWII stories inside the camp are fiction, this one is not. One thing that draws me to Ellie Midwood’s books is the amount extensive research she does. At the end of the book, she lays out all of the facts, her resources, and all of the work gone into preparing for the book. If the reader can get past the grueling details, this book is a must read for the hope the love can prevail even in the darkest of circumstances.