The Lost Daughters of Ukraine by Erin Litteken
The Lost Daughters of Ukraine by Erin Litteken is a fascinating novel. She was inspired by her own family’s history and wrote a beautiful and emotional story. It starts in the summer of 1941 when Nazis are marching towards Ukraine. This is the story of three women, although technically when the story starts two of them are young. Each chapter is about one of them: Halya, Liliya, and Vika, showing their lives at the same time, but from different perspectives. All three already went through the pain of loosing loved ones, either in Holodomor or due to soviet occupation.
Vika is a mother and all she does is to protect her children. She lives in Volhynia, what was once a Polish occupation of Ukraine. There are plenty of issues between Poles and Ukrainians. Liliya is 17 and has some difficult choices to make. While only 12, Halya saw her mother die and now she is raised by Katya as if she was her own.
The book is about these three women and their families, but it is heavily inspired by real events. There is an author’s note at the end, which makes is clear how much of the story is real and it’s incredible how much of it actually happened, to her own family or to other Ukrainians and Poles. There are so many books on the atrocities of WWII, such as Auschwitz, so I’m happy (if I can use that word) that now books are started to be written in English about what happened in the East.
There are so many things to like in this book, what is a nationality, the ignorance and disinterest of west after WWII. Do read it if you get the opportunity.
The Lost Daughters of Ukraine by Erin Litteken
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My rating: 5/5 Stars
Would I recommend it: yes!!
Published by: Boldwood Books
Year it was published: 2023
Format: Paperback
Genre(s): Fiction – WWII
Pages: 370
About the author: Erin Litteken is an international bestselling author of historical fiction. Her debut, THE MEMORY KEEPER OF KYIV, has been translated into sixteen languages and was the 2022 winner of the She Reads Best Historical Fiction Award. With a degree in history and a passion for research, Erin draws inspiration from her family roots, and in particular, her great-grandmother’s stories about life in Ukraine before, after, and during WWII. She lives outside of St. Louis with her husband and two children.
Website & Social Media Links: erinlitteken
This sounds good and it’s nice seeing books that tell about other perspectives from WWII. I like that each characters gives their viewpoint, too. I’ve added it to my Kindle!
Kelly recently posted…A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Aww, yes, this is a very different way of seeing WWII. I think you would find it very interesting, it’s very well written, and inspired by real events. One event stood out for me and I thought it was not realistic, but in fact it happened. I loved the book. I have another one of hers and I will read it next month.