Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Loved this book until about 3/4 of the way through. I couldn't put it down, but the ending left me disappointed and became too predictable. Still a good read and a part of history I didn't know much about.
I watched the movie they made last year and was so intrigued I started the book. It is very emotional and in opinion not for those who think Anne Frank is brutal. I tried imagining myself in these situations and I couldn't handle it. Very well written, but be warned, bring tissues.
Very sad! I do appreciate the attention drawn to how Jews were treated by the French police during the occupation and the subsequent cover up by the French for so many years. I visited the monument created to address this atrocity in Paris. It was very moving.
I nearly DNF'd this book about 4 times but did decide to finish it out of curiosity. I will say I think I've exhausted myself on WWII historical fiction, so my reservation to this is likely influenced by the fact that I've read too much (still love several of them, just not this one).
From my perspective the most important contribution of this book is that it brings to light a part of the Holocaust that many (including myself) were not familiar with. It is awful to read, because it was an awful part of history. I dreaded reading every minute of it, but I understood its inclusion. I did think some of the references were written in a callous manner that did not feel respectful for the victims.
The only optimistic part of this book was that there was a lovely family that did support Sarah. Their introduction was the biggest spark of life. Otherwise, everything else was incredibly painful and hopeless. I do acknowledge that when talking about the Holocaust, an author does not need to include hope. It was a terrible part of our history and there were many reasons to feel hopeless. But it does make it hard to make it through 300 pages of reading with all that dread.
I did not particularly like Julia. And I didn't think she was well written. What I disliked most was that this story was supposed to be about Sarah and a large portion of it was about Julia's relationship with her husband. On one hand, I was initially intrigued to see if she would stand up to him (because he is also pretty terrible), but she doesn't really. I also struggled with the ethics of forcing the information about Sarah's life on her loved ones still living in the 2000s. I don't know if a journalist has a right to do that. It went from Julia's curiosity and passion for learning about Sarah, to feeling like she couldn't feel complete without the family knowing all of the horrible details. And everything she shared with them was awful so it's not like she was bringing in a spark of light. That said, it is possible that she was bringing in a piece of closure for them. I don't know the answer to this, but the way it was written rang wrong to me.
Like the French in the story who didn't want to talk about this dreaded part of their past, I realize it is important not to look away. I just didn't particularly appreciate the way this particular story was laid out. I do credit the author for her research, just not some of her literary choices.
From my perspective the most important contribution of this book is that it brings to light a part of the Holocaust that many (including myself) were not familiar with. It is awful to read, because it was an awful part of history. I dreaded reading every minute of it, but I understood its inclusion. I did think some of the references were written in a callous manner that did not feel respectful for the victims.
The only optimistic part of this book was that there was a lovely family that did support Sarah. Their introduction was the biggest spark of life. Otherwise, everything else was incredibly painful and hopeless. I do acknowledge that when talking about the Holocaust, an author does not need to include hope. It was a terrible part of our history and there were many reasons to feel hopeless. But it does make it hard to make it through 300 pages of reading with all that dread.
I did not particularly like Julia. And I didn't think she was well written. What I disliked most was that this story was supposed to be about Sarah and a large portion of it was about Julia's relationship with her husband. On one hand, I was initially intrigued to see if she would stand up to him (because he is also pretty terrible), but she doesn't really. I also struggled with the ethics of forcing the information about Sarah's life on her loved ones still living in the 2000s. I don't know if a journalist has a right to do that. It went from Julia's curiosity and passion for learning about Sarah, to feeling like she couldn't feel complete without the family knowing all of the horrible details. And everything she shared with them was awful so it's not like she was bringing in a spark of light. That said, it is possible that she was bringing in a piece of closure for them. I don't know the answer to this, but the way it was written rang wrong to me.
Like the French in the story who didn't want to talk about this dreaded part of their past, I realize it is important not to look away. I just didn't particularly appreciate the way this particular story was laid out. I do credit the author for her research, just not some of her literary choices.
It was okay. An interesting story. But I've read holocaust books that far surpass this one. I do, however, appreciate that it was not only the Germans who were at fault. That our own countries betrayed us when they should have been protecting us.
I was still trying to recover from Sophie's Choice. Heartbreaking - but with a lot of predictable moments. An important story, that I was very glad to have read.
By far one of the best books I have ever read. I highly recommend this book to anyone that likes to read, no matter what your "style" book is.
A good story not told well. Predictable and full of cliches. Could not continue after the first twenty-thirty pages.