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annieinthearchives's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.75
shelbyslifer's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
rebzreads100's review against another edition
4.0
I listened to this in audiobook format while I was reading the original complete version of the diary. The stories bring you back to happier easier times, but the diary entries I found most were already recorded in the extended version of the diary but I think they selected some of the best anecdotes from life there.
thebooksofwrath's review against another edition
5.0
I still find it remarkable how skilled a writer Anne Frank was at such a young age, especially considering she was her only critic, editor and motivator. Though cramped in a tight space for two years without the opportunity for outside experience and learning, it did not appear to have stifled her growth in the slightest. One wonders what she would have become had she lived.
booklover28's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
jolimelon's review against another edition
3.0
I hadn’t realized upon first picking this up that many of the excerpts just came straight from her diary and occupy about half the book but I hadn’t read her diary in quite a long time so I didn’t mind it. She unfortunately didn’t have enough time to write many short stories so it would’ve been a terribly short book without the clips from her diary.
As for the actual short stories, they were very whimsical. It was pleasant to read that, in spite of everything, Ann had a fantastic imagination occupying her mind. Reading her short stories is a sobering reminder of how young Ann truly was, as they do read completely like the short stories written by a girl her age (which is not a bad thing). You can see the potential in her plots and how far she could’ve gone as a writer had she been given the time. It’s a very depressing reminder of just how short her life was cut.
All in all, there were times when it almost felt a little invasive to read this book since it’s all unedited and some are even left unfinished (and I remember how dire creative privacy felt as a 13 year old girl lol). However, I will say that for unpolished works these are still very well done stories and worth the read for anybody who has read Ann’s diary before.
As for the actual short stories, they were very whimsical. It was pleasant to read that, in spite of everything, Ann had a fantastic imagination occupying her mind. Reading her short stories is a sobering reminder of how young Ann truly was, as they do read completely like the short stories written by a girl her age (which is not a bad thing). You can see the potential in her plots and how far she could’ve gone as a writer had she been given the time. It’s a very depressing reminder of just how short her life was cut.
All in all, there were times when it almost felt a little invasive to read this book since it’s all unedited and some are even left unfinished (and I remember how dire creative privacy felt as a 13 year old girl lol). However, I will say that for unpolished works these are still very well done stories and worth the read for anybody who has read Ann’s diary before.
freemajo's review against another edition
4.0
The first 2/3 of the book consists of short stories and fables that Anne wrote. The last third contains vignettes of her life interspersed with fictional "memories" from both before and during her captivity. What becomes apparent from reading these works of fiction by Anne is how she longed to be outside again, with repeated images of nature as healer. After reading her diary, it is easy to see where she took her own thoughts about herself and her relationships with others and used them as a basis for her fictional characters. This makes it particularly lovely to read as you're able to get a glimpse into the unintentionally revealing thoughts, unfiltered by Anne and her editors.