As a literary work, Lilac Girls is uneven. Caroline’s story is the most vividly told of the three, packed with details that take the reader smack-dab into upper-crust parties and old-money country homes where women casually carry Schiaparelli bags. Midtown Manhattan at mid-century comes alive. Kasia’s story is the most gripping and disturbing, although as a character Kasia is not as well-developed as Caroline. The Herta story is the weakest of the three; while it made sense for Kelly to include her so readers could learn more about the Ravensbrück camp atrocities, her character is the least explored ... But no matter. This is the sort of historical fiction-meets-quasi-romance novel that will have book clubs salivating, and for good reason: It’s 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.
Details of fundraising efforts, immigration issues, Reich politics, camp life, and interpersonal relationships make for a gripping read that lingers well after the book ends. Offer this to WWII aficionados, biography fans, and book clubs.
Although Kelly’s novel is clearly the result of exhaustive research, the deficiency in Lilac Girls rests, unfortunately, with its characters. Caroline comes off as a dilettante, and Kasia starts out as something of a Joan of Arc, a passionate if naïve operative in the Polish resistance whose feelings of guilt when she takes down her entire family after a botched assignment aren’t plumbed in any meaningful way. Herta, arriving at Ravensbrück oblivious to its real purpose, is aghast when she learns its secret. But the next time we see her, she’s encased in ice: heartless, cruel, infuriating. What happened? Like everyone else, she’s a stereotype with no narrative force of her own. Postwar, things only get worse ... Lilac Girls is an earnest attempt to tell the Rabbits’ story, but it sinks under the weight of its own ambition.
It’s apparent that Kelly, who was inspired by real events and people, has done the research necessary to tell this extraordinarily powerful historical story well. She vividly evokes not only the horrors of the gruesome experiments but also the painful realities of trying to survive them and the difficult search for justice and closure afterward. While Herta remains a bit enigmatic compared to the other two main characters, the overall story of the three women’s intertwining lives is extremely moving and memorable.
Despite some horrific scenes, this is a page-turner demonstrating the tests and triumphs civilians faced during war, complemented by Kelly’s vivid depiction of history and excellent characters.
Kelly vividly re-creates the world of Ravensbrück but is less successful integrating the wartime experience of Caroline, whose involvement with the surviving Rabbits comes very late. In this mashup of two war novels, the more conventional New York story pales by comparison.
