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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
Once I got over the narrator's tone, I enjoyed listening to the book. The book is interesting, and heartbreaking - although not as much as it could have been, thanks to the somewhat boring writing style, and focus on Julia rather than Sarah - and has some interesting twists. I liked the pace of the book, it was full of suspense without making you constantly want to flick to the end to find out what happened because you just couldn't wait - great for someone like me with a short attention span! But other than that I was quite disappointed with the book, I was expecting more.
Overall I think I would read it once more just because I like reading books again once I know the ending, but not anytime soon.
Overall I think I would read it once more just because I like reading books again once I know the ending, but not anytime soon.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
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
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Oy vey with this one. Look, the story about Sarah, while extremely disturbing, was very well-written and raw, and it can never hurt to remind people of the horrors that happened and how so many Europeans turned away and let them happen. I thought interspersing it with the story of a modern-day woman was good in terms of creating a connection through history and showing that the Holocaust's effects are not over, and also giving the reader room to breathe. But why in the name of God do we have to hear about her broken marriage and her sex life and her almost-abortion and her gripes with French culture and just whyyyyyy. The bit about the abortion was at least somewhat thematically related, I guess, but there was so much extraneous nonsense in this book. Because it's a book about the Holocaust, they teach it in public schools, and I just think that's a ridiculous decision, given... so many reasons. A book being about the Holocaust does not mean that it will educate someone about the Holocaust. I'm not saying all books about the Holocaust must bear that burden, but this is also just not a good book, because the Julia chapters weigh it down with so much terribly-written bullshit.
This book totally captivated me. I found myself being totally irritated when things came up that interrupted the story. "What??! You want something to eat right now??! Can't you make your own sandwich??!"
This book is one of the pettiest, pathetic books I've ever read. I'm not sure what the overarching theme is supposed to be, but I think the last scene is a fine, unstable, sad conclusion to a fine, unstable, sad story about a pathetic woman who, for some reason, feels responsible for something that has absolutely nothing to do with her. She lets her unjustified guilt ruin her life and at least three other people's.
Maybe this book appeals more to a different audience. Not me.
Maybe this book appeals more to a different audience. Not me.
This reminded me why I dislike dual narratives so much. Sarah's story was fascinating, but the sections told from Julia's angle were just dross I had to wade through to get to the good bits.
I enjoyed Sarah's heartbreaking story. It felt like something that truly could have happened in that awful time. It was hard to read parts of the story because of the atrocities. My heart broke for Sarah. I really liked Julia and I am extremely glad that she but there were things, well, characters more like, that I didn't like, and that is what made Julia's part more difficult. And I hated the ending. It was nice and kind of sweet, but it didn't wrap the book up in a very satisfying way. I suppose there was really no way to end this tragic story in a way that was satisfying, but I wish that I would have felt the end of the story in a more definite way.
I'm having trouble reviewing this one for some reason, so that'll have to do.
Spoiler
kept the baby, and didn't give into her jerk of a husband,I'm having trouble reviewing this one for some reason, so that'll have to do.
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated