Lilac Girls
Inspired by the life of a real World War II heroine, this debut novel reveals a story of love, redemption, and secrets that were hidden for decades. New York socialite Caroline Ferriday has her hands full with her post at the French consulate and a new love on the horizon. But Caroline’s world is forever changed when Hitler’s army invades Poland in September 1939—and then sets its sights on France. An ocean away from Caroline, Kasia Kuzmerick, a Polish teenager, senses her carefree youth disappearing as she is drawn deeper into her role as courier for the underground resistance movement. In a tense atmosphere of watchful eyes and suspecting neighbors, one false move can have dire consequences. For the ambitious young German doctor, Herta Oberheuser, an ad for a government medical position seems her ticket out of a desolate life. Once hired, though, she finds herself trapped in a male-dominated realm of Nazi secrets and power. The lives of these three women are set on a collision course when the unthinkable happens and Kasia is sent to Ravensbrück, the notorious Nazi concentration camp for women. Their stories cross continents—from New York to Paris, Germany, and Pol
Themes & atmosphere
What you might want to know about Lilac Girls
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Three women's lives twist around the Ravensbruck concentration camp: a Manhattan philanthropist, a young Polish girl held there, and the female German physician performing experiments on prisoners. Based on real events.
Yes. Lilac Girls is fictionalized history based on the real Caroline Ferriday, a New York socialite who helped Ravensbruck concentration camp survivors after the war, and Herta Oberheuser, a Nazi doctor at Ravensbruck. Martha Hall Kelly researched the period extensively.
Martha Hall Kelly has written three connected historical novels: Lilac Girls, Lost Roses (a prequel about Caroline's mother), and Sunflower Sisters (set during the American Civil War with another Ferriday ancestor). Each can be read on its own.
Lilac Girls is 512 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Lilac Girls takes most readers 8 to 11 hours to finish.
Lilac Girls is a standalone novel by an unknown author, not part of a series.
Lilac Girls is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.