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4.34 AVERAGE
4.34 AVERAGE
This book is emotionally devastating and beautiful. It was hard to put down, even when it was ripping at my heart.
The narrative follows the story of four young adults - Alfred (sailor), Joana (nurse), Florian (spy/thief/traitor?), and Emilia (young Polish girl). Each of them has a unique voice - each of them carries some of the darkest secrets of the war. I was riveted. Each story, each addition to the narrative, kept me going. I wanted to know their pasts, what would happen in the present, and the end, the future. That's a good book when you get to know the characters so well - and get attached to them.
The Wilhelm Gustloff was the worst maritime disaster in history. 9000+ people died abroad it, when it's estimated that 10,000+ were aboard. This book not only details the horrible spoil of WWII's end, what the Russians were doing as they headed through the eastern countries on their march to Germany, the exterminations of the "Undesirables" to the German Empire, the sinking of ships across the Baltic Sea, but it also covered this enormous disaster. A disaster, when compared against how much we hear about the Titanic or Lusitania, almost fades into the annuls of history. I've listened to podcasts about it, but the narrative here is so powerful, you feel like you're living it with the characters.
I can't recommend this book enough. It hurts to read it, to understand what people suffered, what humans were willing to do to save themselves, but it's also beautiful in the way that some people do decide to be heroes, to be selfless and save others. And sometimes, life finds a way even against insurmountable odds.
I do hope the movie makes it way to theatres soon!
The narrative follows the story of four young adults - Alfred (sailor), Joana (nurse), Florian (spy/thief/traitor?), and Emilia (young Polish girl). Each of them has a unique voice - each of them carries some of the darkest secrets of the war. I was riveted. Each story, each addition to the narrative, kept me going. I wanted to know their pasts, what would happen in the present, and the end, the future. That's a good book when you get to know the characters so well - and get attached to them.
The Wilhelm Gustloff was the worst maritime disaster in history. 9000+ people died abroad it, when it's estimated that 10,000+ were aboard. This book not only details the horrible spoil of WWII's end, what the Russians were doing as they headed through the eastern countries on their march to Germany, the exterminations of the "Undesirables" to the German Empire, the sinking of ships across the Baltic Sea, but it also covered this enormous disaster. A disaster, when compared against how much we hear about the Titanic or Lusitania, almost fades into the annuls of history. I've listened to podcasts about it, but the narrative here is so powerful, you feel like you're living it with the characters.
I can't recommend this book enough. It hurts to read it, to understand what people suffered, what humans were willing to do to save themselves, but it's also beautiful in the way that some people do decide to be heroes, to be selfless and save others. And sometimes, life finds a way even against insurmountable odds.
I do hope the movie makes it way to theatres soon!
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
So well done in balancing the characters, emotions and information. It made me tear up.
I'm speechless. Fantastic and heartbreaking. Read it
It's a 3,5 for me not because the book was bad, but because in my mind put next to "All the light we cannot see" and "The book thief" it faded in comparison. It's easier to read, somehow more short and consize than the other two, but that also meant I did not care for the characters as deeply and was not as invested in their fates and heartbroken by what happened to them (with the exception of the shoe poet and the blind girl, you have my heart forevA, Emilia, I feel for you too SPOILER ALERT it was not fair for you to go through so much shit and die like that and to have to follow the two love birds the whole time and not be given all the attention and love that you deserved, so here I am giving them to you)
This is not your typical WWII novel because it focuses on a lesser-explored aspect of the war -- namely the voyage of thousands of refugees, many of them of German descent, who fled the country in the wake of a Russian invasion. The story follows four narrators: a kind-hearted Lithuanian nurse, a Polish teen attempting to hide her ethnicity, a German artist who has defected, and a German soldier.
The writing is beautiful and at times heart-rending, from the protagonists' grueling winter journey to the harbor to the horror of the eventual shipwreck. The characters were well-developed with distinct voices. The book does not shy away from the horrors of war, but it also has enough moments of hope and light to keep it from being too bleak. Two things about the book did annoy me, though. First, I found it unbelievable that Joana would have had as much time as she did to pursue her romance with Florian and her relationship with the other characters once they were actually on the ship, where her skills as a nurse were needed and in incredibly short supply; and second, with as many who perished on the Wilhelm Gustolf,, but I guess that's part of what keeps the book from being too bleak.
All in all, it is a masterful piece of historical fiction that does what the best of the genre does: makes history feel truly real, and awakens a desire to know more about the real lives that have been shaped by the tragedies of time.
The writing is beautiful and at times heart-rending, from the protagonists' grueling winter journey to the harbor to the horror of the eventual shipwreck. The characters were well-developed with distinct voices. The book does not shy away from the horrors of war, but it also has enough moments of hope and light to keep it from being too bleak. Two things about the book did annoy me, though. First, I found it unbelievable that Joana would have had as much time as she did to pursue her romance with Florian and her relationship with the other characters once they were actually on the ship, where her skills as a nurse were needed and in incredibly short supply; and second, with as many who perished on the Wilhelm Gustolf,
Spoiler
pretty much all our main characters defied the odds and survivedAll in all, it is a masterful piece of historical fiction that does what the best of the genre does: makes history feel truly real, and awakens a desire to know more about the real lives that have been shaped by the tragedies of time.
slow-paced
It’s difficult for me to review this fairly when I feel so betrayed by the ending.
Majority of the book—4 stars
Ending—2 stars
It’s really beautifully written, even though it’s a bit slow at parts. Takes it awhile to get going and to figure out what the point of any of this is. Then, it’s like the author just got bored in the end and was like eh, it’s over now. No need to tie anything up. The end. Bye.
I hate when authors do this. You have to tie SOMETHING up. I’m annoyed. I’ll probably die mad about it.
This review was 0% helpful.
TW for animal lovers—If an animal is in the scene, you know what to do. (Skim with your eyes almost shut and skip over words that have anything to do with horses or dogs. The usual.)
Majority of the book—4 stars
Ending—2 stars
It’s really beautifully written, even though it’s a bit slow at parts. Takes it awhile to get going and to figure out what the point of any of this is. Then, it’s like the author just got bored in the end and was like eh, it’s over now. No need to tie anything up. The end. Bye.
I hate when authors do this. You have to tie SOMETHING up. I’m annoyed. I’ll probably die mad about it.
This review was 0% helpful.
TW for animal lovers—If an animal is in the scene, you know what to do. (Skim with your eyes almost shut and skip over words that have anything to do with horses or dogs. The usual.)
My second Sepetys for the month and my third book of hers. It is still a good one but I still love I Must Betray You the most.
What I love about this kind of book is I learn something new. Though fiction, this is based on a true event. The Wilhelm Gustloff is one of the shipwreck tragedies that I know nothing about. I am only aware of the Titanic, because it was made popular by the movie. The Wilhelm Gustloff is a German cruiser that sinks in the Baltic Sea by a Soviet submarine. The ship is overcrowded with more than 10,000 passengers, with the capacity of only 1,800 passengers, 9,000 of which lost their lives.
With the four fictional characters, they portray real-life tragedies and we get a glimpse of the situation during that time. Joana the Lithuanian nurse, Florian the Prussian soldier fleeing the Nazi with stolen treasure, Emilia the pregnant Polish girl saved by Florian, and Alfred the German soldier assigned to the Gustloff decks. Each has their tragic story to tell, trying to survive the war between the Nazi and the Russians. The story not only revolves around the people aboard Gustloff but also the people left behind, the people who suffers at the hands of these tyrants, evacuating their home that changes their lives forever.
As usual, the author’s writing is simple yet superb, stunning yet harrowing, easy to read but packed with so many emotions. It is a story of survival in the face of tragedy. Her story is something that will stay with me for some time. My only comment is the ending part. I really want to now more about what happened to them, more details of their life after the incident.
Will definitely recommend this to fans of historical fiction that focuses on less popular stories of WWII.
What I love about this kind of book is I learn something new. Though fiction, this is based on a true event. The Wilhelm Gustloff is one of the shipwreck tragedies that I know nothing about. I am only aware of the Titanic, because it was made popular by the movie. The Wilhelm Gustloff is a German cruiser that sinks in the Baltic Sea by a Soviet submarine. The ship is overcrowded with more than 10,000 passengers, with the capacity of only 1,800 passengers, 9,000 of which lost their lives.
With the four fictional characters, they portray real-life tragedies and we get a glimpse of the situation during that time. Joana the Lithuanian nurse, Florian the Prussian soldier fleeing the Nazi with stolen treasure, Emilia the pregnant Polish girl saved by Florian, and Alfred the German soldier assigned to the Gustloff decks. Each has their tragic story to tell, trying to survive the war between the Nazi and the Russians. The story not only revolves around the people aboard Gustloff but also the people left behind, the people who suffers at the hands of these tyrants, evacuating their home that changes their lives forever.
As usual, the author’s writing is simple yet superb, stunning yet harrowing, easy to read but packed with so many emotions. It is a story of survival in the face of tragedy. Her story is something that will stay with me for some time. My only comment is the ending part. I really want to now more about what happened to them, more details of their life after the incident.
Will definitely recommend this to fans of historical fiction that focuses on less popular stories of WWII.