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dfrye626's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
It taught me so much about WWII and from a perspective you don't typically think or hear of in regards to WWII (women and France).
I would definitely recommend being in a good headspace before reading this book due to the difficult topics covered.
Heartbreaking yet beautifully written. I will likely read this book again and will be thinking of it in the years to come.
Graphic: Death, Grief, and War
Moderate: Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Mass/school shootings, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Miscarriage and Terminal illness
ashdawn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The book was very similar to looking at a pointillism painting. From a distance, it's actually a good story overall. It shares some of the women's work in war resistance and was enjoyable to read. The ending especially was heartbreaking but fantastic. There are much better historical fiction books with more accuracy though.
Also like a pointillism though, when looking at it closer though, details blur to oblivion, and that was part of what really bothered me about this one. Things like:
- Creating a fictional town to set the story in. Yes, it's historical fiction, so details can be made up, but it would have been so much more inspiring and interesting to have it take place during/in real bits of WW2.
- Not all of the characters get aged correctly. There are several scenes where a time frame has been mentioned, but a younger character is still the same age they were in a scene that was timeline wise 3ish years prior to current. This is especially problematic when one of them becomes a major plot point *because* of his age at the time of events.
- Struggles with scenery/time of year. Not only do some of the characters themselves not age, the landscape also struggles to fit into correct timelines. There were some scenes for example, that apples (fall), cucumbers (summer), and snow on the ground in Pairs (winter) were all happening at the same time. In the same vein, another scene made sure to note that there was knee-deep snow, yet a bike was able to be easily stolen, *ridden through the snow*, and not leave tracks.
- Character motivations sometimes made sense, but were sometimes just incredibly dumb choices.
- What happened with the Friedmans? Kinda should have been a *Major plot point* to hiding them, and we just....never hear anything else about hiding them, their survival, close calls, moving them somewhere else. Nothing.
Also, like most of the books I've read by this author, make sure to look up trigger warnings before reading. On top of everything you would expect from a book set in Nazi occupied France during WW2, there are also miscarriages, grief, a very large prejudice against refugees, etc (which seems like a common theme to this author).
Graphic: Genocide, Torture, Antisemitism, Abandonment, War, and Deportation
Moderate: Infertility, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, and Grief
abeavs's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Antisemitism, and War
Moderate: Alcoholism, Rape, and Torture
tiffy22's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I'm putting this incredible book in my 'favourite books of all time' pile.
This intense story showed me the side of WWII that isn't mentioned as much as it should be, the brave women. What an informative and inspiring story!
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, and War
caitlinhoman's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Antisemitism, Grief, Murder, and War
niki1902's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Graphic: Genocide, Rape, Torture, Violence, and War
sarahbstrickland's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Minor: Death, Genocide, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Antisemitism, and War
sariereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Infertility, Miscarriage, Sexual violence, Slavery, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Classism, and Deportation
noel_k's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Torture, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Murder, and War
lotusspages's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
when you see the situation through each sister's eyes... you find yourself hoping and praying for a happy ending. you hope to see some joy among so many losses.
and you do, you get a heartbreaking celebration of life. a tribute to courage and bravery. because both of them saved so many, saved their families and friends. saved their history. they left a mark.
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, and War