149 reviews for:

What the Night Sings

Vesper Stamper

4.01 AVERAGE

shidoburrito's review against another edition

3.0

I do love when books are half illustration, half story. You don't really get to hear about what happens to the Holocaust survivors AFTER the concentration camps are liberated.

janeneal's review against another edition

This was such a gripping read. I really appreciate that so much of this story takes place after the liberation of the concentration camps and the end of the war. I don't think I have read a book that dives into the aftermath of the Holocaust.

One aspect of the story that I didn't enjoy was the romance. Lev felt very pushy and 'Nice Guy' to me. I liked the contrast between how he and Gerta were raised and their differing relationship towards their identity. I wanted more of that and less love triangle conflict.

I had also hoped for more from Gerta's relationship with her step-mother. I didn't feel that she was given quite a fair shake. I understand Gerta's fear and insecurity regarding her, especially since it was so difficult to know who to trust then. It was more that, after she learned who betrayed them, she seemed very distant still from her stepmother, who helped raise her.

Those were my only quibbles with this book. It was very beautifully written and definitely hard to put down. It's a perfect follow up for fans of The Book Thief or Ruta Sepetys.

thebloodredruby's review against another edition

emotional hopeful fast-paced

3.0

ocoogowie's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Complicated

4.25

mcarlizzle's review against another edition

4.0

4.5

arielzeit's review against another edition

4.0

A moving and original story of a young survivor of the Holocaust, a musician who played in the infamous orchestra at Auschwitz. It's beautifully written and illustrated. My only problem with it was the motif of butterflies, which struck me as trite.

amyreadsbooks3's review against another edition

4.0

I loved the beautiful language and meaning behind this book. The aftermath of the Holocaust is not often told in YA books and this is a fascinating rendition. Between the haunting images and the flow of the words it is a book I won't soon forget.

marjayne's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

llscud's review against another edition

5.0

Am I your friend? Then trust me, you want to read this book. Don't read it or buy it for the wonderful weight of paper or the font or the smell of ink. They are all wonderfully apt choices. Read it for the journey your heart will make with Gerta. Read it for remembering a piece of history too oft relegated to statistics and numbers too mind-boggling to comprehend. Read it to trace your own humanity.

This is not only good young adult fiction, it is good literature. The story is an immersive experience for your imagination, engaging sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. The illustrations are as key to the story telling as the words on the page; don't rush past them or you will miss something wonderful in the telling.

Well done, Ms. Stamper. Well done.

storybookbelle82's review against another edition

5.0

This book was a surprise for me. I read a lot of Holocaust novels but have never read one that took place AFTER the Jews were liberated from the Nazis. Every book I have read literally ends when they open the gates and the British soldiers come in to save them. Stamper's novel depicts a very different "ending" than I have pictured thus far, describing life in the camp with the British as they heal and try to figure out where to go next in the world, how to continue their lives. The novel shows a long road of healing, a new sense of community and then a flight to new life. Liberation, didn't mean freedom, they were still bound to the camp as refugees. I was deeply moved by the character development, the struggles, the growth, the discovery of a new sense of self. It was a novel of coming of age IN the internment camp and picturing a life thereafter.

Brilliant.