Reviews

The Secret Annexe: from The diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank

cheekylaydee's review against another edition

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5.0

First off, I believe that even if you've read Anne Frank's diary before it's advisable to re-read it before picking up this book, which is what I did and I'm glad of it.
The first section is full of Anne's observations of life in the Secret Annexe. Quite a few of them are taken directly from the diary, and then there are some that were written seperately. What struck me was, bearing in mind that everything written in this book was penned when Anne was 13 to 15 her observations and perceptions read like someone a lot older than herself.
She was a shrewd observer, sometimes merciless but always truthful to herself. Some of her musings about human behaviour are child like in their simplicity yet they make a lot of sense, and if only adults listened to children like Anne and others like her the world would probably be a better place.
In Anne's fiction what resonates is the theme of loneliness, but there's always a ray of hope towards the end. Reading the diary you get the sense that Anne is very much like that. Although constantly surrounded by seven other people, there were times when she felt extremely lonely, which is why her diary was so very important to her.
If Anne had survived she would have been 82 this year (2011). I find it very hard to imagine a world without the legacy that Anne left behind her, and this little unassuming book has been an absolute joy to read.”

lisamshardlow's review against another edition

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4.0

When Anne, her family, the van Pels family and Fritz Pfeffer (all Jewish) were in hiding together during the Nazi Occupation of Holland, as well as writing her world-famous diary, she also wrote this selection of short stories and essays.

Most of these stories are dated, and the ones that Anne wrote later were far better than the older ones. I don’t think you can forget that these stories were written by a teenage girl, but she was always a natural storyteller, and you can see that she definitely improved as a writer as she got older. It’s such a loss, not only to her father Otto and for everyone who knew Anne in life, but for us all to miss out on such talent, someone who would have undoubtedly become a world-famous author in her own lifetime if she had survived. It also gives a deeper insight into the type of person Anne was.

You can definitely see Anne’s optimism and positive outlook on life from each of the stories, which is what I love most about her, she always tried to be happy and to look forward to better times even in the darkest of moments. But I can’t say that I could connect much with the subject of the stories as they’re not really aimed at my age range. Although, I did enjoy her description of Peter’s bedroom!

Even though I didn’t really care much for the actual subjects of the stories they are very well written, so I give this 4 out of 5 stars because you can definitely see that there is talent behind the words. As I’ve said before, about Anne’s diary, she wrote well beyond her years.

I would probably recommend this to younger readers who like short stories of kindness and positivity, and who are interested in the Holocaust (without it being too graphic).

erinsbookshelves's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring lighthearted reflective sad slow-paced

4.5

lindseysparks's review against another edition

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5.0

I would hate to have my childhood stories, essays and daydreams published, but Anne's are really quite good even though these are not polished for publication the way her diary was. There is a story about her befriending a movie star and going to visit her in California that would have been silly if not for knowing Anne's story, which made it poignant. You can see her writing developing throughout the book and I wonder if she would have become a great novelist had she survived the war. But if she had survived, would her diary have had the same impact it has? This little collection made Anne even more real to me and again reminded me of our similarities and how lucky I am to have been born when and where I was.

lottepot's review against another edition

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4.0

These are very insightful into Anne Frank’s interests and tastes at the time of writing, would very much recommend. The essays at the start of the book are a highlight.

persnickety_9's review against another edition

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4.0

Anne had such a sweet, observant soul. For being so young, she was so wise.

louiselenka's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

3.5

vanessa_issa's review against another edition

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3.0

Durante a Segunda Guerra mundial, Anne Frank escrevia em seu diário sobre suas experiências e como via o mundo naquele momento, embora estivesse vivendo escondida. "Contos do Esconderijo" apresenta textos que foram excluídos de "O Diário de Anne Frank", mas que também nos mostram bastante a personalidade forte e bonita dessa menina. Pessoalmente, não foi uma das minhas leituras preferidas, mas sem dúvida reconheço sua importância para a literatura.

lavinianc's review against another edition

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dark emotional inspiring sad slow-paced

5.0

belrodrigues's review against another edition

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5.0

Delicadeza e inocência em cada página. Como é bom conhecer um pouco mais a Anne e suas histórias ❤️