Lisa Hall With her mother’s tales, Kelly first became interested in World War II. She recalled watching World War II soldiers march by as they headed to Aquinnah for training when she was 14 years old and living in West Tisbury.
Years later, Ms. Kelly raised three children, worked as a copywriter, and wrote her first book, Lilac Girls, which is set in World War II. This spring saw the publication of the book, which quickly became a New York Times bestseller.
The actual account of Caroline Ferriday, a philanthropist from New York City who worked at the French Consulate during World War II and assisted in the rescue of 35 Polish women from the Nazi prison camp Ravensbruck, is told in Lilac Girls. The Nazi doctors known as the Lapins, or Rabbits, subjected the women to experimental procedures. Three women—Caroline Ferriday, Herta Oberhauser, a German Nazi doctor, and the fictional Kasia Kuzmerick, a young Polish girl whose persona is based on one of the Rabbits, Nina Ivanska—tell the story from three different perspectives that finally cross.
Mrs. Kelly came across Caroline’s Incredible Lilacs, an article from Victoria Magazine, in the early 2000s. She kept the item in her pocketbook until she made up her mind to go the short distance from her Connecticut home to the Ferriday House. She passed by Caroline’s room and noticed a picture of a bunch of happy middle-aged women. Her tour guide identified the women as the Rabbits, whom Caroline had brought here and treated for their Ravensbruck-related trauma.
In an interview at her Chilmark home, she said that she didn’t often blow her own trumpet. “It was a time when people merely did good deeds.
Ms. Kelly read everything she could on the Rabbits, Ms. Ferriday, and Ravensbruck because she was so fascinated by Ms. Ferriday. Mrs. Kelly didn’t think of starting a novel until a friend who is an editor persuaded her to do so.
She said, “I’ve never attended a creative writing class or anything. “How does a novel get written? I was clueless.
But Ms. Kelly jumped right into the whole tale. She read letters, tracked down individuals who knew Caroline Ferriday intimately, and even traveled to Poland, Germany, and Paris. She returned to Ravensbruck in April of last year for the city’s 70th anniversary of its liberation, and while there she encountered five of the Rabbits, including Stasia. At the age of 14, she was a Rabbit and had undergone four operations. Stasia is 95 years old right now.
The author was greatly impacted by that visit. She stated, “I had to go home and rewrite the book’s conclusion. ” She was simply very understanding and appreciative.
Ms. Kelly stated that she was interested in learning about all aspects of the Nazi story, particularly the isolationist American foreign policy and Nazi dictatorship. Herta Oberhauser, the female defendant in the Nuremberg Trial who had killed healthy infants and operated on many of the Rabbits, received a full year’s worth of her research. To understand why the doctors and camp personnel behaved in the way they did, Ms. Kelly read her letters and books.
She remarked, shuddering, “Once I spent that year investigating that Nazi subculture, I understood her so much better.
Although delving under her skin was horrifying, it was necessary. That level of hatred is just so terrifying.
Ms. Kelly claims that the inclusion of the opinions of women from three distinct nations enhances the book’s flow and serves to highlight the political stances of each nation.
She stated, “I intended to return from Germany and Poland and take a little time off in New York.
Ms. Kelly learned that Ms. Ferriday comes from a long line of successful women as she dug deeper into her family history. Ms. Ferriday’s grandmother cared for wounded soldiers on the front lines at the Battle of Gettysburg, and her mother had assisted during the Russian Revolution. To chronicle the experiences of these two women, Ms. Kelly hopes to create a prequel and a pre-prequel to Lilac Girls.
She claims that because she understands to include scenes and chronology in her writing, but more importantly, because she truly immerses herself in the historical eras, the process will be simpler.
“I adore writing with specificity. She added, “I just attempted to read as much writing from that era as I could.”
Ms. Kelly felt compelled to share this tale in part because Caroline never wed or produced any offspring to carry on her heritage. Because of her shyness, her amazing story has also been lost over time.
We absolutely need more people like Caroline Ferriday who act in a morally upright manner, according to her.
On Thursday, August 4, Martha Hall Kelly will give a book discussion and autograph books at the Noepe Center for the Literary Arts, located at 104 Main Street in Edgartown.
Are the characters in Lilac Girls real?
a long exhalation Lilac Girls, the debut book by Martha Hall Kelly, was very difficult for me to rate on GoodReads. primarily because I feel very strongly about the way this narrative was told and those feelings are conflicted. Lilac Girls is based on a true story of the atrocities that occurred at Ravensbrck and the “Rabbits” who were used as test subjects. If this book made the world a better place, it was by bringing to life a WWII-related aspect of history that is frequently ignored. It’s uncommon for me to finish a WWII book and despise it or give it a rating below a 4 on GR, but Lilac Girls really infuriated me.
The story telling is the book’s main flaw, in my opinion. If you are familiar with Elizabeth Gilbert’s writing, you are aware that she holds the opinion that there are unclaimed creative ideas floating around in the cosmos. It just depends on who listens and who claims the story as their own because stories are asking to be told. Having said that, I believe that if this imaginative narrative idea had been handed to any other writer, they would have done the story justice. And I’m genuinely devastated by how inadequately Martha Hall Kelly shaped the narrative. Let me elaborate.
The genuine story of the “Ravensbrck Rabbits” is the inspiration for the historical novel Lilac Girls. The bulk of the detainees of Ravensbrück, a concentration camp in Northern Germany for only women, were Polish women. Ravensbrck is well recognized for its frightening and incredibly upsetting patient medical experiments. In this tale, 72 Polish women who were subjected to experiments by the notorious Herta Oberheuser—the sole female medical professional tried for war crimes following World War II—are mentioned.
Two of the three major characters in Lilac Girls are based on actual persons, and the third was inspired by a Polish Ravensbrück survivor. The lives of the three ladies are completely different from one another, but they all unexpectedly meet paths.
- The real-life Caroline Ferriday is an American philanthropist and former actress. The real Caroline Ferriday served as the inspiration for Caroline’s persona. There is no doubting that Caroline is a real-life heroine, but I believe she would be appalled by the way Martha Hall Kelly depicted her. Throughout her journey, I frequently wanted to backhand her hard because of how despicable she was (or at least how the author wrote her). Her entire plot, right up until the very end, was uninteresting, meaningless, and gradually grew stale. The conversation and exchanges that the author gave Caroline with other people were so ridiculous that they were truly cringe-worthy. It should be emphasized that the chapter prior had Herta using oil to murder newborns, therefore I was really concerned to read about Caroline’s elegant bridge parties, ancestral silver, and gorgeous party costumes. It was only strange.
- Herta Oberheuser, a Nazi doctor and war criminal who mostly operated in Ravensbrück, is actually a real person. She carried out horrifying, cruel experimental procedures on women, mostly to look for treatments for German soldiers hurt on the battlefield. It’s obvious that this b*tch was insane. Let me google that for you if you’re not familiar with her terrible, inhumane experiments. Before you return here, I’ll wait for you to read about it. Pause. then stop. Now that you are familiar with this monster, allow me to reveal how the author managed to make her the only marginally likeable character. Then WHY? Herta served less than half of the 20-year sentence she received for her war crimes due to good behavior. Soon after, she started a family practice.
- Kasia Kuzmerick, a character partially based on Nina Ivanska, a real-life “rabbit” from Ravensbruck. When it was established that Herta Oberheuser was once again practicing medicine in Germany following her release from jail, Nina was one of the women who contributed to bringing the crimes perpetrated at Ravensbrück to international light and finally helped bring Herta Oberheuser to justice. Okay, so let’s talk about how the author described Kasia. Sincerely, I have no idea where to begin. the unwarranted jealousy Caroline and she felt for Zuzanna in the final section of the book? Her perplexing, mysterious, and unfinished marriage to her husband? Her harsh demeanor toward her daughter? Her attitude of, “Te-he! I’m on a secret mission because I have a crush on a male!” at her daughter’s art exhibition? The discomfort was excruciating, and as the chapters continued, it just grew worse. Again, the author had plenty of room to go into depth, to clarify, and to provide information, but she opted not to.
The author’s decision to retain Herta and Caroline’s complete names while creating a new pair of Polish sister survivors for Kasia and Zuzanna is, in my opinion, a terrible one. It should be either all or none; however, perhaps that is BEC on my part (momthat means bitch eating crackers).
Storyline, timing, and writing are the three terms I would use to describe it. I thought Caroline’s meaningless and pitiful nonexistent romance with a married French actor was strongly emphasized by the author. The author then went on to briefly mention Kasia’s daily life as a POW while largely ignoring the horrors of Herta’s work. I also don’t get how you could spend almost 400 pages with three main characters, barely delve into their backstories, and then laser concentrate on details that have little bearing on the main plot. It was very icy and shallow feeling.
Months and weeks would pass in a matter of two phrases. It moved too slowly in certain places and too quickly at the wrong times. Just so strange was the tempo. After Herta’s trial, we don’t see her again until the very, very end, which was one of my major puzzles. But why didn’t we get a glimpse into her post-war world? That would have been the author’s chance to really shine, wouldn’t it? Display her in-cell ideas for us. Please explain why she decided to pursue a career in medicine.
Between the battle, concentration camps, starvation, etc., an estimated 50–80 MILLION people perished in WWII. And you’re telling me that each and every character survived? was successful in reuniting with their loved ones? Please give me a break. Poland was also OBLIGATED How did everyone’s homes survive when the girls returned home? Because it’s a book and works of fiction, the author is free to do anything she wants. But because it’s so unrealistic for this post-war society, it… just takes away from the situation’s authenticity. Kasia and her high school sweetheart somehow got back in touch, which is quite unlikely given that he was sent off to war, but it’s okay. The author then seizes the chance to delve deeply into the marriage of two survivors; in all honesty, that could have been fantastic! and ultimately came up completely empty. Again.
It’s really uncommon for me to read a WWII historical fiction book that I don’t like. However, ladies, THIS STORY HAD SO MUCH POTENTIAL and I felt like it was given to someone who completely, completely ruined it. Which is so disappointing because Hall Kelly has put a lot of love, passion, and study into this book, yet it feels way too short.
This tale merits retelling. because Ravensbrck’s atrocities were unimaginable. Sadly, this account did not do it justice. Please hire Celeste Ng or Ann Patchett to weave their magic and tell this tale again.
Lilac Girls is it a fictional or nonfiction book?
This acclaimed debut novel, which is based on a true account of a New York socialite who supported a group of Holocaust survivors known as the Rabbits, tells the tale of love, redemption, and horrific secrets that were kept a secret for many years.
When Hitler’s army invades Poland in September 1939 and subsequently turns its attention to France, Caroline Ferriday’s life is irrevocably altered. She is a former Broadway actress and liaison to the French consulate. Kasia Kuzmerick, a Polish teen who lives far from Caroline, delves more deeply into her position as a courier for the underground resistance movement. Young doctor Herta Oberheuser responds to a government job advertisement in Germany only to find herself ensnared in a world of Nazi secrets and power that is governed by men.
When the unthinkable occurs and Kasia is transferred to Ravensbrück, the infamous Nazi concentration camp for women, the lives of these three women are put on a collision course. As Caroline and Kasia work to bring justice to people who history has forgotten, their stories span continents.
Does Caroline Ferriday have a husband?
Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly is a challenging book, as a friend remarked when I mentioned it to her.
Actually, I listened to an audiobook that detailed the harrowing experiences of 72 Polish Catholic women who were detained in Adolf Hitler’s sole concentration camp for women. It’s the only way my demanding schedule will allow me to indulge in my love of excellent novels, and this one is excellent.
You would think that we would know everything there is to know about Germany’s Third Reich after all the television specials, films, books, and so on.
Had you heard of the Ravensbrück camp, which was close to Berlin and where women had “research” surgery in which bone and muscle were removed and replaced with dirt and nails? Did you know the horrifying, true tale of the “rabbits,” who were actually laboratory animals used for experimentation. In addition, if they were to survive their operations at all, many of them had to hop around.
Did you know that the philanthropist, former actress, and New York and Connecticut heiress who fought for the rabbits? For her active assistance with the French Resistance, Caroline Ferriday received the Legion of Honor from the French government at the end of World War II.
Honors that were earned for sure, but Caroline is most known today for her efforts to help the “rabbits” with finances, healthcare, jobs, and other things. She felt moved to bring several of them to America for healing after hearing their story. She contributed $5,000, a sizeable sum in 1958, to their recovery, and she remained close to the Polish survivors until her death at age 87 in 1990. Christmas 1958 was celebrated in Caroline’s home with a number of ex-rabbits, as seen in the photo on the far right.
Caroline was childless and had never been married, in contrast to Oskar Schindler, a German industrialist who made a list to help spare more than 1,100 Jews from imminent death during the War. Numerous biographers have characterized her bond with the saved lives as maternal. Looking for a legacy left by a woman without children? I present Caroline.
Author Martha Hall Kelly uses the alternating voices of three women to describe the “rabbits” experience before, during, and after. One is a made-up composite meant to symbolize the torture endured by each prisoner. The other two are two real-life women, German scientist Herta Oberheuser and Caroline Ferriday, who carried out many of the tests. The sole female doctor at the camp and the only female defendant at the Nuremberg trials was Dr. Oberheuser.
Visit the remnants of Ravensbrück in Germany as well as Caroline’s family home in Bethlehem, Connecticut in 2017. There is information on all the horrifying details available at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC.
Lilac Girls is a great book, and there are no spoilers in this review if, like me, you enjoy learning about history through historical fiction. Yes, it is difficult, but so was Heather Heyer’s 2017 slaying in Charlottesville, Virginia, which was also carried out by Nazis and their allies.