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kamrynharned's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This was a sweet book about a time in history I wasn’t aware of. A Jewish family escaped death in concentration camps by being deported to Siberia for being capitalists. While their lives were full of hardship and and they were hanging onto life and hope by mere threads, they never lost hope or the will to survive. I appreciated the thankfulness that they exhibited for their lives and being kept together as a family, even though they lost so much. Esther was an incredibly relatable character, and made me smile remembering what it was like to be a teenage girl. While my life looked vastly different than hers, there are strings that tie all of us together, through language, culture and religion.
missmary98's review against another edition
4.0
Learning yet again about an aspect of WWII that I had no idea about. This was not what I was expecting.
zoemoore2899's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
jenniferlyoung's review against another edition
4.0
Reading reviews for Between Shades of Grey reminded me of this book. Read it ages ago, but it looks very similar.
19paws's review against another edition
4.0
An incredible story. Esther was arrested by the Soviets with her Polish Jewish family during WWII and sent to Siberia. She wrote this book around 20 years after the end of the war, recalling the details of what it was like to grow up under those harsh conditions. It's another little bit of history that was new to me.
misajane79's review against another edition
4.0
A different side of WWII horrors--Esther's family is shipped to Siberia. They manage to make a life, but nothing is as it was. And when the war ends and they can go back to Poland, Esther isn't sure she's ready to leave. That exploration is what makes this book so interesting--trying to figure out where home is, especially with the news that their entire extended family is gone.
haleyh4's review against another edition
5.0
I have read so many historical fiction books about world war 2, but this was in a completely different setting. The details of life on the Siberian steppe helped me to imagine what it would have been like to be scared of starving or freezing. It was inspiring how she talked about her desire to go to school even without shoes or a winter coat.
happcrab14's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5