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The Tattooist of Auschwitz

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The Tattooist of Auschwitz

By: Heather Morris
Narrated by: Richard Armitage
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About this listen

The Tattooist of Auschwitz is based on the true story of Lale and Gita Sokolov, two Slovakian Jews who survived Auschwitz and eventually made their home in Australia. In that terrible place, Lale was given the job of tattooing the prisoners marked for survival - literally scratching numbers into his fellow victims' arms in indelible ink to create what would become one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust. Lale used the infinitesimal freedom of movement that this position awarded him to exchange jewels and money taken from murdered Jews for food to keep others alive. If he had been caught, he would have been killed; many owed him their survival.

There have been many books about the Holocaust - and there will be many more. What makes this one so memorable is Lale Sokolov's incredible zest for life. He understood exactly what was in store for him and his fellow prisoners, and he was determined to survive - not just to survive but to leave the camp with his dignity and integrity intact, to live his life to the full. Terrible though this story is, it is also a story of hope and of courage. It is also - almost unbelievably - a love story. Waiting in line to be tattooed, terrified and shaking, was a young girl. For Lale - a dandy, a jack-the-lad, a bit of a chancer - it was love at first sight, and he determined not only to survive himself but to ensure that Gita did, too. His story - their story - will make you weep, but you will also find it uplifting. It shows the very best of humanity in the very worst of circumstances.

Like many survivors, Lale and Gita told few people their story after the war. They eventually made their way to Australia, where they raised a son and had a successful life. But when Gita died, Lale felt he could no longer carry the burden of their past alone. He chose to tell his story.

©2018 Heather Morris (P)2018 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd
Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Jewish Literary Fiction War & Military World Literature Survival Thought-Provoking Feel-Good Heartfelt Scary Tear-jerking Funny War Military

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All stars
Most relevant  
First of all I'd like to say that I did not experience the kind of volume/tonal problems in the sound that other reviewers have mentioned. There were one or two small glitches here and there but nothing really terrible and they certainly didn't spoil the recording or my enjoyment of it.

This is a truly shocking tale of what can happen to humanity when evil ideologies and actions permeate the political elite of a society and, ultimately, the people who carry out that elite's policies. It is harrowing, horrifying and difficult to comprehend the enormity of what happened but I am so glad that I saw it through to the end. I had never heard of Lale Sokolov before listening to this book but I finished it believing that he was a truly remarkable human being, who did what he had to do in order to survive the Holocaust.

Forced to tattoo his fellow Jews in the concentration camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau, Lale manages to survive the horror of his job, the cruelty of the SS guards, the evil experiments of Dr.Mengele on some of his friends and the realisation that people were being killed ,en masse, around him. He finds friendship, even love, within the camp and takes terrible risks to save his friends and as many of his camp-mates as he can. Throughout this ordeal and the imprisonment that follows the liberation of the camp by Russian forces, Lale manages to maintain his humanity and decency, even a sense of humour.

The epilogue and author's note were very moving and brought a lump to my throat. The sense of injustice meted out to one of the female characters after the war was profound.

I thought the narration was superb. The tone of voice, the pacing, the sombre quality, the accents and even a sense of menace at times were all well judged and appropriate to the subject matter. It is difficult to use the word 'enjoyment' in relation to this book. I was left with a feeling that it was an important tale of witness and one that should be widely read, so that we never forget how quickly human beings can fall into depravity if we do not challenge evil.

Heart-rending story, sensitively narrated.

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Where does The Tattooist of Auschwitz rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The Tattooist of Auschwitz has to be one of the best books I’ve had.

Who was your favorite character and why?

It has to be Lale.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

It is not really appropriate to ‘enjoy’ scenes from this story, the entire depiction is of a horrific scene endured by so many but oh so well written.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Hell endured.

Any additional comments?

I had to Google to see if the story was true, I dreaded what I would find. Elements seemed so far fetched and you as a reader struggle with the known facts and reported actions so barbaric in nature they can’t have been real, Lale is testament to the drive some carry to endure and continue when the right motivation is there.

I dreaded it being true.

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Stunning narration and a difficult subject told with great care. I'm still thinking about it.

Do one thing and listen to this book.

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was scared I would find parts too depressing but no, it was perfect and fascinating. on a personal note my grandmother survived the holocaust so extra poignant.

amazing.... highly recommend

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Shocking, haunting and respectfully told with incredible intimacy that which seems so inconceivable.. .

Captivating, haunting and utterly incredible

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If you loved the Book Thief, one of my favourites, this is for you. Compelling, important, informative, moving and incredible. Please listen.
However…. absolutely awful audio recording. It really undermined the work and took a lot of adjustment to cope with. I can’t believe it was issued at this level of quality, it’s actually quite disrespectful. Such a story requires impeccable treatment.

Awful audio

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Had me in tears on several occasions very sad but with a nice ending

Amazing and humbling story

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The humanity of the story was painted in such a poignant yet matter of fact way that you became aware of your own anger and horror as if there, watching through a two way mirror. This book will change you.

Painful but essential listening.

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Unable to stop listening to this story it was an emotional rollercoaster, the narrator Richard Armitage was very good to listen to. I totally recommend this as a first class story.

Five star plus

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It is an amazing and touching story. It is horrifying as it should be with a happy ending that feels well deserved.
As for the performance, I am surprised that Audible’s quality control allowed something so unprofessional to be sold for money. Wish I’d just read it on Kindle now.

Opt for a printed book if you can

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