Listen free for 30 days

Preview

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Lilac Girls

Written by: Martha Hall Kelly
Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell, Kathleen Gati, Kathrin Kana, Martha Hall Kelly
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $42.34

Buy Now for $42.34

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

Inspired by the life of a real World War II heroine, this powerful debut novel reveals an incredible story of love, redemption, and terrible 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 Poland—as Caroline and Kasia strive to bring justice to those whom history has forgotten.

In Lilac Girls, Martha Hall Kelly has crafted a remarkable novel of unsung women and their quest for love, freedom, and second chances. It is a story that will keep listeners bonded with the characters, searching for the truth, until the final chapters.

Narrator List:
CAROLINE, read by Cassandra Campbell
KASIA, read by Kathleen Gati
HERTA, read by Kathrin Kana
With the Author's Note read by the author.

©2016 Martha Hall Kelly (P)2016 Random House Audio
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What the critics say

“Harrowing . . . Lilac illuminates.”People

“A compelling, page-turning narrative . . . Lilac Girls falls squarely into the groundbreaking category of fiction that re-examines history from a fresh, female point of view. It’s smart, thoughtful and also just an old-fashioned good read.”Fort Worth Star-Telegram

“A powerful story for readers everywhere . . . Martha Hall Kelly has brought readers a firsthand glimpse into one of history’s most frightening memories. A novel that brings to life what these women and many others suffered. . . . I was moved to tears.”San Francisco Book Review

What listeners say about Lilac Girls

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    192
  • 4 Stars
    57
  • 3 Stars
    12
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    174
  • 4 Stars
    50
  • 3 Stars
    7
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    182
  • 4 Stars
    39
  • 3 Stars
    11
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing! Couldn't put it down!!!

I LOVED this book!! Enthralling story and captivating characters!!! The fact that it is based on a true story was incredible!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely magnificent. Loved it.

An amazing journey into the events of that time. Excellent reading. I felt i knew each character personally.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

slow start but so worth it

amazing! couldn't stop listening. I just about didn't see what all the fuss was about when I started. I found it kind of slow to get into but once you get into it you realize why it was so slow from the beginning! You had to have contact of their prior life before you understand the full story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Love and Kindness are always relevant

Deeply moving, horrific, frightening, but awash with love, kindness, and bravery! What an amazing gift Martha Hall Kelly has in turning words into images. The milk maids in the field looking up at the silver bellied plane firing on them. I was there, I could see it!

War of course leaves utter destruction, broken hearts, and broken families in it's wake. Despite the extremities the characters found themselves in, we see the human ability to love, care, to put others before themselves, and to sacrifice, even to death.

Lilac Girls is a testament of the human spirit, of love, kindness, and generosity in the worst of conditions.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Very good

well written and narrated... beautiful & painful story. Loved the authors manner of unfolding the story through the different characters. #Audible1

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Interesting historical novel.

I really enjoyed this book. Impressed that the author researched the premise for the story with such accuracy. I look forward to reading the next book involving the historical ancestors of Carolyn Faraday. Great story and well performed. Recommend highly. Story takes place during World War Two. It focuses on three women and their struggles at the hands of the Germans. An American who makes enormous efforts to help the victims of the Germans. A feisty polish women who is a victim and prisoner and a German doctor who abuses without feeling or guilt prisoners of the only all women’s camp and is eventually punished for her crimes.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

loved it

this was interesting and I did not want to put it down, narrators also great.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Really enjoyed despite it being a heavy topic

I loved the authors notes after the book was done. I was pleased to hear about all the research she did and that actual characters from real life were included.
Thank you A+

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful

Such a beautifully written story. The author created a great realistic connection with the characters for the readers.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Hard to read - Impossible to put down!

Through historically researched characters in this story the veil is removed and an up close and personal witness to lives lived in the concentration camps is revealed.

Through the eyes of victims and perpetrators the story weaves its way through the darkest hours of humanity. At times so difficult to read and yet impossible to put down.

The narration of the audio book is English spoken through the characters French, Polish and German accents which adds a rich depth to the storyline.

It leaves you begging for the next story. Brilliant!

AAA+

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful