Scan barcode
erikkay20's review
informative
sad
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
3.0
troetschel's review against another edition
3.0
I don't quite know how I really feel about This Rebel Heart. It's 433 pages and sometimes it truly felt like it. But sometimes it really grabbed my attention and went so quickly.
It's historical fiction and magical realism mixed up together, but they did not mesh together perfectly. I would be really getting into the historical fiction aspect of it when the magical realism side would pop up again and you could feel this slight friction. I think the book simply expects you to take everything at face value, but the overall tone of the book is also one of a giant metaphor. I listened to this on audio and the narrator gives the prose such weight, all of the words and sentences and paragraphs are delivered with such earnestness that I can tell I'm supposed to find everything beautiful and meaningful and magical. But it also just didn't quite work all the way. I'm so sad to say it, because there was a story in here that I absolutely loved - Csilla and Tamas and Azriel and the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, something that I've never read about before. The more I learn about the Jewish faith the more beautiful I find it. I love a story about rebellion and resistance and the bravery that comes along with it. It should have worked for me.
In the book, Csilla wakes up in her bed in her apartment in pieces and has to literally (not metaphorically) put herself back together. Her body parts have become detached, and she has to re-assemble herself every morning. By the end of the book, she's no longer coming apart overnight and her seams have been smoothed over. I can tell that This Rebel Heart was supposed to do the same thing, but I don't think it did. The pieces never really quite fit together for me.
It's historical fiction and magical realism mixed up together, but they did not mesh together perfectly. I would be really getting into the historical fiction aspect of it when the magical realism side would pop up again and you could feel this slight friction. I think the book simply expects you to take everything at face value, but the overall tone of the book is also one of a giant metaphor. I listened to this on audio and the narrator gives the prose such weight, all of the words and sentences and paragraphs are delivered with such earnestness that I can tell I'm supposed to find everything beautiful and meaningful and magical. But it also just didn't quite work all the way. I'm so sad to say it, because there was a story in here that I absolutely loved - Csilla and Tamas and Azriel and the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, something that I've never read about before. The more I learn about the Jewish faith the more beautiful I find it. I love a story about rebellion and resistance and the bravery that comes along with it. It should have worked for me.
In the book, Csilla wakes up in her bed in her apartment in pieces and has to literally (not metaphorically) put herself back together. Her body parts have become detached, and she has to re-assemble herself every morning. By the end of the book, she's no longer coming apart overnight and her seams have been smoothed over. I can tell that This Rebel Heart was supposed to do the same thing, but I don't think it did. The pieces never really quite fit together for me.
samsbookreview's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
tense
medium-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
4.5
ameserole's review
4.0
I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This Rebel Heart was a very interesting read. From the very beginning, I was completely hooked with the characters and the overall story. In it, you will meet Csilla. She is a young Jewish woman living in Hungary during the revolution of 1956. Due to her parents' untimely death, they were executed by the government, she sets off on a unique path with the angel of death by her side.
Now I won't lie. There were some parts of this book that broke my heart and others that gave me joy. The characters and what they go through was definitely a page turner for me. I seriously enjoyed meeting each and every one of them. Then there's the journey that they went on and it was definitely emotional and magical. Even if I was confused as to why certain things did happen throughout it.
In the end, I definitely enjoyed the heck out of this. I feel like I learned something new and fell in love with the representation of the characters. The ending also made me an emotional mess but in a good way. I'll definitely be on the lookout for Katherine's next book!
This Rebel Heart was a very interesting read. From the very beginning, I was completely hooked with the characters and the overall story. In it, you will meet Csilla. She is a young Jewish woman living in Hungary during the revolution of 1956. Due to her parents' untimely death, they were executed by the government, she sets off on a unique path with the angel of death by her side.
Now I won't lie. There were some parts of this book that broke my heart and others that gave me joy. The characters and what they go through was definitely a page turner for me. I seriously enjoyed meeting each and every one of them. Then there's the journey that they went on and it was definitely emotional and magical. Even if I was confused as to why certain things did happen throughout it.
In the end, I definitely enjoyed the heck out of this. I feel like I learned something new and fell in love with the representation of the characters. The ending also made me an emotional mess but in a good way. I'll definitely be on the lookout for Katherine's next book!
jess_um_griffith's review
3.0
I learned a lot about the Hungarian revolution, which was amazing! I guess I missed the memo that this contained magical realism tho bc I was confused as heck when I thought the river thing was a metaphor. Also the first half of the book was so hard to slog through—I blame the editor for that one.
rnfortier's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
slow-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
3.75
I found the beginning to be quite slow and superfluous. But the last quarter of the book was quite poetic and poignant, so I’m really glad I stuck it out.
tyrkysoveknihy's review against another edition
4.0
4,5 ⭐
Příběh Rebelského srdce se odehrává v poválečné Budapešti musím říci, že atmosféra, historie a styl psaní této knihy si mě vážně získaly. Hodně mi to sedlo
Příběh Rebelského srdce se odehrává v poválečné Budapešti musím říci, že atmosféra, historie a styl psaní této knihy si mě vážně získaly. Hodně mi to sedlo
shaundell's review
4.0
Wow! Just wow! Another fantastic book read this year. ❤️
.
This Rebel Heart by Katherine Locke. An historical fiction story with hints of fantasy. Csilla, a Jewish girl, lives in Hungary in 1956; she survived World War II, but watched her parents be murdered by the secret police. She, along with other youth in Budapest, light a flame of protest across the city, strong enough for the Soviet Union to retreat for seven days, before it returned again to gain control of Hungary and keep the country behind the Iron Curtain for another 33 years.
.
This is the second book I’ve read this year about Eastern European countries gaining freedom in the 1980s. The first was I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys.
.
“Every moment is a turning point.” True words for individuals as well as nations.
.
This Rebel Heart by Katherine Locke. An historical fiction story with hints of fantasy. Csilla, a Jewish girl, lives in Hungary in 1956; she survived World War II, but watched her parents be murdered by the secret police. She, along with other youth in Budapest, light a flame of protest across the city, strong enough for the Soviet Union to retreat for seven days, before it returned again to gain control of Hungary and keep the country behind the Iron Curtain for another 33 years.
.
This is the second book I’ve read this year about Eastern European countries gaining freedom in the 1980s. The first was I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys.
.
“Every moment is a turning point.” True words for individuals as well as nations.
sducharme's review
3.0
I wanted to love this because I lived in Budapest and love the city and its history. But for me this was an overwrought account of the '56 revolution with excessive mention of the Danube. I wish this had been edited down about 100 pages to be more appealing to teenagers (since that's the target audience, or at least it's supposed to be)