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nicoleisalwaysreading's review
4.0
I loved the exposure to this important historical work and the Dossier at the back connecting the memoir to its accompanying documents. Such a fascinating and hopeful story made a thousand times better because it is a true story.
emilymdilley's review
3.0
I wanted to read this after hearing about the lost and republished manuscript for the book. If you're looking for a harrowing tale about concentration camps and Nazis, keep looking because this isn't it. But I found this to be a very realistic and no-nonsense look at the way life was for people even that weren't rounded up and sent to camps. It's an easy-to-read story of a woman's love for books and a country that won't love her back.
bethboo's review
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
3.5
It was an interesting telling of a bookshop owners escape from nazi occupation. She was a lovable and interesting narrator that dealt with each blow stoicly. She stayed friendly and caring no matter what happened and described how every successive event weighed on her heavily. A very human portrayal of personal stories during WWII
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism, Racism, and Racial slurs
booksnbrains's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
3.5
3.5 stars. I stumbled upon this by accident; I honestly can't remember how! This is the republished memoir of Francoise Frenkel, a Polish Jew living and working (she owned a bookshop in Berlin, hence the title) in Germany as WWII broke out. She fled to France, where she went through numerous trials evading the Nazis and eventually securing passage to neutral Switzerland. It's different from most memoirs, as the writing focuses on events, rather than personal details. For example, the author's husband, who co-owned the bookshop and was killed in a concentration camp, is never mentioned. The author instead focuses almost exclusively on her movements, as well as both the kindness and the unkindness of her fellow man. It's an interesting perspective and narrative. Well worth the read.
tayacass's review
2.0
Not the genre I usually read, but liked this book. It was informative to hear how things went during the time when the Holocaust was happening and was interesting to hear the point of view from a French Jew
wraithofbooksandbones's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
rsteve388's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
What a beautiful memoirs of a woman who fleeded the Nazis and her beloved bookstore to ensure she was free. Beautifully written so elegant in it's prose it is such a pleasure to read.
epictetsocrate's review against another edition
3.0
„La sfârșitul Primului Război Mondial m-am întors în orașul meu natal. După momentele fericite de regăsire cu ai mei, în viață și sănătoși, m-am repezit în camera mea.
M-am oprit șocată în prag! Pereții erau goi: tapetul palid decolorat cu flori fusese desprins cu grijă și luat. Nu rămăseseră decât ziare lipite direct pe zid. Biblioteca cu patru geamuri, minunăția născută din fantezia mea copilărească, era goală și părea rușinată de propria decădere.
Pianul din salon dispăruse și el.
Ocupația din 1914-1918 luase cu ea totul.”
M-am oprit șocată în prag! Pereții erau goi: tapetul palid decolorat cu flori fusese desprins cu grijă și luat. Nu rămăseseră decât ziare lipite direct pe zid. Biblioteca cu patru geamuri, minunăția născută din fantezia mea copilărească, era goală și părea rușinată de propria decădere.
Pianul din salon dispăruse și el.
Ocupația din 1914-1918 luase cu ea totul.”