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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Poland in 1939 as the Germans invade ushers to its people a different world of war and death. Learning to cope in this new world and traversing its pitfalls is central to Anna and the Swallow Man by Gavriel Savit.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Seven year-old Anna has had a relatively privileged upbringing by learning numerous languages through her father, Professor Lania. When her father leaves one day and mysteriously doesn't come back, Anna is left to fend for herself. When she spies a tall, lanky man who speaks several languages himself, she becomes attached to him and follows him, walking throughout Poland as the country deteriorates around them. In this different upbringing, a sense of personal identity is discouraged lest someone find you.
Offering an interesting perspective of the beginning of World War II in Europe, Anna's youthful, and oftentimes naive, outlook on the frightening turn her world is taking causes the reader to rethink what they know about the war and place it in terms of a wandering child. The language of the narrative was quite beautiful and rather descriptive, helping to build a more complete sense of events and surrounding emotions. While I'm not exactly certain who the audience for this book is, there are a wide variety of topics addressed in this bildungsroman (of sorts) including childhood, war, hunger, abandonment, psychosis, secrets, religion, fear, and death.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Seven year-old Anna has had a relatively privileged upbringing by learning numerous languages through her father, Professor Lania. When her father leaves one day and mysteriously doesn't come back, Anna is left to fend for herself. When she spies a tall, lanky man who speaks several languages himself, she becomes attached to him and follows him, walking throughout Poland as the country deteriorates around them. In this different upbringing, a sense of personal identity is discouraged lest someone find you.
Offering an interesting perspective of the beginning of World War II in Europe, Anna's youthful, and oftentimes naive, outlook on the frightening turn her world is taking causes the reader to rethink what they know about the war and place it in terms of a wandering child. The language of the narrative was quite beautiful and rather descriptive, helping to build a more complete sense of events and surrounding emotions. While I'm not exactly certain who the audience for this book is, there are a wide variety of topics addressed in this bildungsroman (of sorts) including childhood, war, hunger, abandonment, psychosis, secrets, religion, fear, and death.
The book started off so strong but as the story went along, I found myself going "uh" more and more. It's Poland, 1939 and the German's have taken Anna's father leaving the seven-year old to fend for herself. When she meets the Swallow Man, he offers her a place along side him as he walks across Poland. Mysterious and appearing to be a man who can easily blend in in any situation, he teaches young Anna how to survive.
OK, what I really loved about this book was Mr. Savit's writing. It was beautiful and lyrical and captivating. I haven't read something this well written in quite some time. When he writes of Anna and Swallow Man sleeping on the cold ground and putting the umbrella up to ensure the snow doesn't fall on them while they sleep, I shivered. The writing had me feeling that cold, hard ground. Fantastic.
But...and I'm sorry there's a but. Like another reviewer said, when I finished the book I was like, what the F! Is there a chapter missing? It just ended, with no explanation and no closure. And the Swallow Man, he just randomly walked around Poland and Russia during WWII with no purpose? And who are the people in the house? I assume I know who they are, but why were they not welcoming and what bargain had been reached long ago? And at the end, Anna was what, 11? She would be able to basically carry the Swallow Man? I don't know. It just got where it didn't make sense.
Maybe it's just me and this is beyond my comprehension. The book is marketed as a YA novel, but I have a hard time seeing this as a novel that would appeal to my YA nieces.
Beautiful writing. I just needed a stronger ending.
OK, what I really loved about this book was Mr. Savit's writing. It was beautiful and lyrical and captivating. I haven't read something this well written in quite some time. When he writes of Anna and Swallow Man sleeping on the cold ground and putting the umbrella up to ensure the snow doesn't fall on them while they sleep, I shivered. The writing had me feeling that cold, hard ground. Fantastic.
But...and I'm sorry there's a but. Like another reviewer said, when I finished the book I was like, what the F! Is there a chapter missing? It just ended, with no explanation and no closure. And the Swallow Man, he just randomly walked around Poland and Russia during WWII with no purpose? And who are the people in the house? I assume I know who they are, but why were they not welcoming and what bargain had been reached long ago? And at the end, Anna was what, 11? She would be able to basically carry the Swallow Man? I don't know. It just got where it didn't make sense.
Maybe it's just me and this is beyond my comprehension. The book is marketed as a YA novel, but I have a hard time seeing this as a novel that would appeal to my YA nieces.
Beautiful writing. I just needed a stronger ending.
Loved it. Does for words what "All the light we cannot see" did for trigonometry
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Haunting....and now I just want to discuss it with others. It begins as the tale of a seven year old girl left alone when her father, a linguist, is taken by the Gestapo. She is taken under the wing of a friend of her father's and from then on one can't distinguish between story and allegory. Well told - and yet so many questions. Read it! Then let's talk!!
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Loved the writing, but I'm not sure what the point was.
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced