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4.34 AVERAGE
4.34 AVERAGE
I didn’t love the writing in the beginning, which is why it took me a while to get into this book, but I was so drawn in by the horrors of the end of WWII and the Wilhelm Gustloff itself. history is so important for us all to learn and carry with us.
4.5; Sometimes I am in shock by how much history isn't taught in school. This story shares a part of WW2 that I had no idea happened. Took me quite awhile to get into this book, but halfway into it I was very invested in the story of these four characters.
I knew this book would be sad due to everyone raving about it, and the heartbreak that followed it, but woah. I was not prepared for this.
In the beginning I had quite a hard time getting into the story, mostly because of the different POVs. Like every book with different POVs there's always one you loathe, and is as enjoyable as walking on burning coals. That POV was Alfred's to me. I have such a hard time reading about douche bags from their POVs and ugh no, it was just so so boring.
Joana on the other hand was and will remain my delicate baby flower along with Florian. I loved them both so so much, even though it took me a while before I warmed up to Florian.
The writing was exceptional and incredibly gripping. The last 20% of the book had my eyes full of tears and the last chapter was full on ugly crying.
In the beginning I had quite a hard time getting into the story, mostly because of the different POVs. Like every book with different POVs there's always one you loathe, and is as enjoyable as walking on burning coals. That POV was Alfred's to me. I have such a hard time reading about douche bags from their POVs and ugh no, it was just so so boring.
Joana on the other hand was and will remain my delicate baby flower along with Florian. I loved them both so so much, even though it took me a while before I warmed up to Florian.
The writing was exceptional and incredibly gripping. The last 20% of the book had my eyes full of tears and the last chapter was full on ugly crying.
This was one of the most poignant books I’ve ever read in a while. A perfect mix of heartbreak, tragedy, and hope.
DNF @ 80%. I tried for so long to finish this but it felt like pulling teeth. It’s not a bad book by any means, but I just felt like it was very slow and with the constant switches in POV that I couldn’t really get invested in any of the characters. I think the writing style is very over hyped too. Just not for me, I’m afraid.
Incredibly heart wrenching and hard to read at certain parts but so good. It took me a little while to get used to the four different narratives but once I did I enjoyed reading the story from each characters perspective.
I took a long time to complete this book after starting, this is a reflection on the heaviness of the story not on the quality. It is an incredible story loosely based on events that happened during World War Two. The characters (totally fiction) draw you in and make the horrors and triumphs of the story all the more emotionally intense. Well worth the read.
2020 post read comments: When i read this book i was in a bad place mentally so no review was formed upon finishing the read. I mourned characters i had grown to love and i was already in a low place so i chose to mourn this book in private. It is a fantastic and moving historical fiction tale and i highly recommend.
A great YA historical fiction novel about the great maritime tragedy of the Wilhelm Gustloff which went under killing thousands of people (a tragedy worse than the Titanic). This story reimagines this through the eyes and narrative perspectives of 4 different characters who are affected by it (and who each initially saw the Wilhelm Gustloff ship as their saviour taking them away from war-torn Russian occupies Germany).
Cannot recommend this highly enough. Audiobook absolutely stunning. I found myself longing for bad traffic to listen to more.