Scan barcode
foxandbooks's review
3.0
I have struggled with how I feel about this book. I know the author struggled and saw way more horror than I have ever seen in my life. In an effort not to compare suffering of others in the war, I am going to attempt to review this book.
Maybe it is the straight forward writing style, but I feel a lack of emotion in this book. This book just seems to just state her feelings instead of telling the story so the reader can feel how the author is feeling.
Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Maybe it is the straight forward writing style, but I feel a lack of emotion in this book. This book just seems to just state her feelings instead of telling the story so the reader can feel how the author is feeling.
Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
biblioholicbeth's review
3.0
This was an interesting read, though probably not one I will keep on my bookshelves. Certainly another view into the carnage and chaos that was Hitler's regime cannot go amiss, particularly at this time in our country.
I did find myself reading it less as though I was reading a specific person's story, and more from the lens of just how many people suffered through the same - or similar - fates. I think, because there is so little information about the author, it's hard to make that story just about her. I also think that it works for the best that way. It was whole swathes of people who were affected, massive groups sent to be tortured and to die - all because one man thought he was the only right one, and promoted an irrational hatred and fear of one group of people.
With so many out there these days looking to deny the Holocaust ever happened, the more materials we can put out there, the better. This was an interesting story, and one that should be read by many. It shows even the most well-respected people don't get a pass when hatred and fear are the driving forces.
I did find myself reading it less as though I was reading a specific person's story, and more from the lens of just how many people suffered through the same - or similar - fates. I think, because there is so little information about the author, it's hard to make that story just about her. I also think that it works for the best that way. It was whole swathes of people who were affected, massive groups sent to be tortured and to die - all because one man thought he was the only right one, and promoted an irrational hatred and fear of one group of people.
With so many out there these days looking to deny the Holocaust ever happened, the more materials we can put out there, the better. This was an interesting story, and one that should be read by many. It shows even the most well-respected people don't get a pass when hatred and fear are the driving forces.
bookwyrmbella's review against another edition
2.0
I have read a lot of books set during WWII, Non-Fiction and Fiction, and usually rate them better than this.
Unfortunately, this was not what I expected. The title and description was very misleading. I thought this was going to mostly take place in a French bookshop in Germany before and during WWII. In reality that was only maybe the first 10% - 20% of the book. The rest of it was her running back and forth in France trying to avoid being sent to a concentration camp.
I found it hard to follow once she started doing all of the running. She went back and forth to the same places and the same people. All of the people who harbored her were very brave to do so as they could have been sent to a camp with her but I just didn't connect with her or her story the way I expected to.
Unfortunately, this was not what I expected. The title and description was very misleading. I thought this was going to mostly take place in a French bookshop in Germany before and during WWII. In reality that was only maybe the first 10% - 20% of the book. The rest of it was her running back and forth in France trying to avoid being sent to a concentration camp.
I found it hard to follow once she started doing all of the running. She went back and forth to the same places and the same people. All of the people who harbored her were very brave to do so as they could have been sent to a camp with her but I just didn't connect with her or her story the way I expected to.
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: Racial slurs, Racism, and Antisemitism
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.