By Heather Morris.
In Stories of Hope, Heather Morris takes us on an inspirational journey through some of the defining experiences of her life, including her profound friendship with Lale Sokolov, the tattooist at Auschwitz-Birkenau and the inspiration for her bestselling novel.
Heather Morris is an incredible writer, and The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Cilka's Journey were both five-star reads.
I am, therefore, really sad to give this book such a low rating after being so excited about it and loving her other books.
This book feels quite disjointed and lacks a clear focus. Some of it is filled with fascinating stories about Heather Morris's time with Lale and the creation of The Tattooist of Auschwitz. It also delves into her search for the next story and explores Cilka's background for Cilka's Journey. These sections were captivating, particularly the insights about Lale, who emerges as both an incredible survivor and a witty, intelligent man. I found myself wanting more of these compelling narratives.
Some parts of the book offer unsolicited advice on how to listen to yourself, children, and the elderly. This content felt out of place and had nothing to do with why I was reading. Instead of being inspirational, it came across as a rather preachy self-help guide that mostly provided common sense, which detracted from my enjoyment.
Additionally, there is a lot of repetition. I repeatedly encountered the same anecdotes about Lale, the wafers he put out, and Heather's advice on listening to others. It felt like these sections were either poorly edited or included to fill space, making the book seem unnecessarily padded. It would have been more effective as a concise novella focused on the truly inspirational and hopeful stories, leaving out the patronising self-help elements.
Overall, I was disappointed in this book. While I generally enjoy the author's work, this one felt like an attempt to capitalise on the success of her previous books. It lacked the focus and depth that made her earlier stories so compelling.
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