Das Buch erzählt innerhalb von zwei Zeitsträngen zum einen die Geschichte von Katja, um 1929 die in einem Dorf in Kiew aufwächst. Nachdem die Dorfbewohner gedrängt werden Stalins Kollektiv beizutreten verändert sich so viel für die Menschen und das greift die Autorin hier auf und veranschaulicht aus vielen verschiedenen Perspektiven und innerhalb verschiedenen Problematiken, was das alles mit sich bringt und wie es sich eben auf die Familien, auf das Erwachsenwerden auswirkt. I have never read any book covering the topic of the ‘Holodomor’, the manmade famine that resulted in the loss of almost 4 million Ukrainian lives during the 1930s. That itself should be the biggest reason to go for this book. It reveals unheard-of details of a travesty that has never been highlighted. There were so many elements that felt like exaggerations because I simply couldn’t believe humans could do something as low. But the author’s note and her sources show that every despicable event is true. Kudos to her research. A compelling and intimate story of love and survival. Harrowing and haunting . . . yet, at the same time, it is sensitive, beautiful and inspiring. Everybody should read this story, especially now. I cannot recommend it highly enough." Christy Lefteri, author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo

In 1929, 16-year-old Katya and her elder sister live with their parents and farm their land, their life bound by seasons and celebrations in a close-knit community. When Stalin’s men come to collectivise the land and impose terror, the graphic horror presents Katya with impossible choices. Each of the characters in this story come to life vividly, and I felt like I was right beside them watching each of the horrors they f The Memory Keeper of Kyiv is told in a dual timeline fashion with alternating PoVs; Katya in the 1930s in Tetiiv Raion of the Kyiv Region and Cassie, 2004 in Illinois. This story is not for the faint of heart. It is a heart-wrenching story of starvation, loss, and death. Both Katya and Cassie experienced varying degrees of loss, but they learn to move forward in life and make the best of it. Erin Litteken didn’t set out to capitalize on newfound interest in Ukraine. The Troy, Illinois, resident worked for a full decade on her debut novel, “ The Memory Keeper of Kyiv.” That it’s being released at a time of unprecedented interest in Ukraine’s fate is pure coincidence. As the world once again witnesses Russia’s attempt to exterminate the Ukrainian people and their culture, this work of historical fiction provides a view of this tragic period of Ukraine’s history.The Memory Keeper of Kyiv is a meticulously researched novel . . . depicting a country whose people managed to dig deep enough to find the strength, determination and heart to survive." Deborah Carr, author of An Island at War I never imagined the release of my novel on a past assault of the Ukrainian people would coincide with such a parallel tragedy. Some people managed to escape into her village, and they told stories about whole villages in eastern and central Ukraine being wiped out. People were deported by cattle cars to Siberia, like we read about in your Bobby’s journal, or forced to starve in their own homes after Stalin exported all of the food. Children were left at train stations by their parents in hopes someone would take pity on them and bring them home and feed them, but they rarely did. People died in the streets waiting for a crust of bread. 71% of my Kindle reading

Ukraine, 1930. Sixteen year old Katya has a lot to look forward to in life. She is part of a happy family and has a childhood sweetheart Pavlo right next door. But when Stalin’s activists come to their village and demand that everyone join the initiative of collective farming, the future suddenly doesn’t look so bright. Denk ich an Kiew" von Erin Litteken - eine Geschichte, die nicht nur durch die Thematik sehr bewegend ist, sondern auch durch den Erscheinungstermin... With the help of a kind neighbor who is fluent in Ukrainian, Cassie is able to translate her grandmother’s journal. Through this journal, Cassie learns of the unspeakable hardships her grandmother suffered during the Holodomor (great famine) inflicted on the Ukrainian people at the direction of Stalin in the 1930’s.Trina wrote: "I have just finished the book and don't mind admitting I "ugly cried" I need to take some time to process what I've read before writing my review. It's hard to say how much I loved it because it's ..." Although this is a novel, it’s a story of love, tragedy, endurance, and survival that sheds light on the brutal attempt by Stalin to eradicate the Ukrainian people and their culture under Soviet rule. With its likable characters and real sense of place, it’s a book that is hard to put down. However, despite the serious subject, the book does have a lighter romantic thread as well.

There are many parallels between the historical and the contemporary timelines such as handling grief and finding love after loss. The stories work well in sync. Breathtaking. Devastating. Erin Litteken's The Memory Keeper of Kyiv chronicles a defining but forgotten moment of Ukrainian history through the shared joys and griefs, lives and deaths of one indomitable family. This would be an important book at any time but is an absolutely vital one now.” Erin Litteken timely debut novel "The Memory Keeper of Kyiv" does just that by telling, in dual time frames, the story of 16 year old Katya and her survival of the Great Famine starting in 1930 and her granddaughter, Cassie, gradually learning her "Bobby's" history she had kept hidden. I read this novel in one day because Katya's story is an example of indomitable spirit, courage and love in the face of unimaginable horror. Cassie's story's weaker but was a relief as she has also known loss that is put in perspective as she learns the hidden history of her grandmother. A compelling story that kept my attention (and caused some tears) right until the end. We’ve been reading together for awhile and we don’t know about you, but we’re ready to hear your thoughts and opinions. This group is a pl Hey Y’all, A compelling and intimate story of love and survival. Harrowing and haunting . . . yet, at the same time, it is sensitive, beautiful and inspiring. Everybody should read this story, especially now. I cannot recommend it highly enough.” Christy Lefteri, author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo

In a Nutshell: A historical timeline that is almost painful to read because of its brutal depiction of the realities of Ukrainian life under Stalin’s collectivization scheme. The contemporary timeline is decent but pales in comparison. Still, I would count this as a must-read book.

A stunning portrait of Ukraine and its people, of strength, of endurance, of the fight for survival during the forced famine, the Holodomor, but also a tender story of Katya, a grandmother whose hidden history holds the power to guide her granddaughter through the darkness of loss and grief, toward life and a limitless future. A remarkable read not to be missed.” Lisa Wingate, author of *Before We Were Yours Strong people. Absolutely melded like metal by pure persecution and adversity. None of the characters in this book, not a one- came alive to me either. All the steel and crazy vivaciousness (what else can they do to us moxie) is missing. They are almost monotonous instead. Seventy years later that Ukrainian bride is now the grandmother of the young grieving American widow. For many years the grandmother has repressed the traumatic memories of her past and has withheld any mention of it to her family. But now this aging grandmother is developing symptoms of dementia, and those memories from long ago are beginning to arise. Furthermore, she perceives that her granddaughter and great granddaughter could benefit by learning about her experience recovering from trauma all those many years ago. A debut author with plenty of promise writes to educate us on the past oppression of the Ukraine people as it coincides with recent parallel tragedy. She reminds us that throughout the centuries there’ve been many authoritarian leaders trying to eradicate Ukraine and its people, most famously, Stalin and now, Putin. The desire has always been to stamp out Ukrainians and take their land. Litteken, a granddaughter of a WW2 Ukrainian refugee, wants readers to learn from history….as it’s repeating itself in real-time. Written before the present atrocities in Ukraine, this is a tough book to read, but it needs to be read. Litteken is a good story teller and she portrays the horrors without being overly graphic.The characters in the present day story are linked to the characters in the past by a discovered journal telling of the hardships suffered in the past.