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4.28 AVERAGE
4.28 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow. I just finished this book and don’t have many words right now. It was raw, heartbreaking, and thought provoking.
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
Audiobooked, the beginning of this book I would rate 2 stars- sometimes I felt like we took a train somewhere else then came back to the story and I would lose focus and have to come back to the main plot. Once we got to about 75% everything started clicking and it was an Incredible and moving story - glad I stuck through it
4.5 / 5
I decided this would be the Jodi book I'd read, and this was a good book to end on. While I've found her plot lines / relationship dynamics to be very predictable now, her writing style never fails to completely suck you in. As always, her multiple story lines converge in a brilliant and engaging way, and each POV maintains their own unique voice.
The premise of both nazi & survivor coincidentally living in the same town is a bit unbelievable, but being a fictional story, I can't really begrudge it.
I did enjoy the descriptions of the bakery / baking / baked goods. This is one great theme woven throughout the entire story, and I appreciate the level of detail to which Jodi researches these topics. The main theme is that of forgiveness: forgiving self, forgiving those who hurt you, and the question of forgiving another for sins they committed on other people. I think Sage comes to the only conclusion that an atheist could come to. And while Jodi does reject religion pretty thoroughly, and poses Judaism has only having legitimacy within the cultural context, she did still draw out some interesting perspectives on the importance / difficulty of forgiveness. I would come to a vastly different conclusion on the topic of forgiveness and point out the deep inadequacies of our human incapability to truly forgive others from our own strength, but Jodi accurately reflects the conclusions of a world without God (or even spiritual being) or hope beyond oneself.
I dislike how she always seems to have some type of infidelity in her character relationships - there must be some better way to portray 'forbidden love', but in this story, it does serve a purpose to a certain extent, and I appreciate how the married AP is never painted in a sympathetic light.
I didn't expect to read in such grueling detail on the life in the concentration camps. Those chapters seemed to stretch on forever, and rightly so. I'd just finished another story related to WWII, so it was just surprising to be delving back into these details. This is definitely one area where I again appreciate the depth of research that Jodi dives into with each special topic she chooses for her novel. There is so much cruelty, pain, indifference, and abject evil recorded in vivid & emotional detail, while allowing for the nuance of our human condition and the complicated relationships and power dynamics created in the inhuman conditions. From my perspective, she writes the stories of Jewish survivors with great care, respect, and attempts to reveal the reality of the atrocities they fought to survive. She also shows the nuance in the Nazi soldiers' stories - but without giving them more of a voice or platform than they deserve, or trying to build them as any type of sympathetic character to be edgy or controversial.
I loved the character development for Sage - working through her loss and physical/emotional pain. It did feel a tiny trope-ish, like the nerdy girl who doesn't realize she's beautiful until her glasses come off. But it was still written in a genuine voice that reflects the reality of disfigurement- both visible and invisible.
I loved the character of Joe, the charismatic, likable / quirky, selfless and loving, which stands at odds to all the other horrible things recounted in the narrative.
I did see the 'twist' coming from about 1/2 way through, both knowing Jodi's writing style, and the early breadcrumbs she left.
Jodi also loves to leave her stories unfinished. This was not the satisfying end but it made sense for the story. You want everything to change for Sage, not for her to swap one burden of guilt for another and to continue on hiding secrets from the person & world that wants to bring her back into the light.
You do get the sense that journey was all worth it, even if the last witnesses have died & there can be no trial, for the very fact that their stories continue on through Sage. It seems like justice for Josef to never know the ending of the story that was not his to write. And it feels fair for Sage's grandmother, never having to confront the terror of her past when she has somehow survived against all odds and built this new life.
I decided this would be the Jodi book I'd read, and this was a good book to end on. While I've found her plot lines / relationship dynamics to be very predictable now, her writing style never fails to completely suck you in. As always, her multiple story lines converge in a brilliant and engaging way, and each POV maintains their own unique voice.
The premise of both nazi & survivor coincidentally living in the same town is a bit unbelievable, but being a fictional story, I can't really begrudge it.
I did enjoy the descriptions of the bakery / baking / baked goods. This is one great theme woven throughout the entire story, and I appreciate the level of detail to which Jodi researches these topics. The main theme is that of forgiveness: forgiving self, forgiving those who hurt you, and the question of forgiving another for sins they committed on other people. I think Sage comes to the only conclusion that an atheist could come to. And while Jodi does reject religion pretty thoroughly, and poses Judaism has only having legitimacy within the cultural context, she did still draw out some interesting perspectives on the importance / difficulty of forgiveness. I would come to a vastly different conclusion on the topic of forgiveness and point out the deep inadequacies of our human incapability to truly forgive others from our own strength, but Jodi accurately reflects the conclusions of a world without God (or even spiritual being) or hope beyond oneself.
I dislike how she always seems to have some type of infidelity in her character relationships - there must be some better way to portray 'forbidden love', but in this story, it does serve a purpose to a certain extent, and I appreciate how the married AP is never painted in a sympathetic light.
I didn't expect to read in such grueling detail on the life in the concentration camps. Those chapters seemed to stretch on forever, and rightly so. I'd just finished another story related to WWII, so it was just surprising to be delving back into these details. This is definitely one area where I again appreciate the depth of research that Jodi dives into with each special topic she chooses for her novel. There is so much cruelty, pain, indifference, and abject evil recorded in vivid & emotional detail, while allowing for the nuance of our human condition and the complicated relationships and power dynamics created in the inhuman conditions. From my perspective, she writes the stories of Jewish survivors with great care, respect, and attempts to reveal the reality of the atrocities they fought to survive. She also shows the nuance in the Nazi soldiers' stories - but without giving them more of a voice or platform than they deserve, or trying to build them as any type of sympathetic character to be edgy or controversial.
I loved the character development for Sage - working through her loss and physical/emotional pain. It did feel a tiny trope-ish, like the nerdy girl who doesn't realize she's beautiful until her glasses come off. But it was still written in a genuine voice that reflects the reality of disfigurement- both visible and invisible.
I loved the character of Joe, the charismatic, likable / quirky, selfless and loving, which stands at odds to all the other horrible things recounted in the narrative.
I did see the 'twist' coming from about 1/2 way through, both knowing Jodi's writing style, and the early breadcrumbs she left.
Jodi also loves to leave her stories unfinished. This was not the satisfying end but it made sense for the story. You want everything to change for Sage, not for her to swap one burden of guilt for another and to continue on hiding secrets from the person & world that wants to bring her back into the light.
You do get the sense that journey was all worth it, even if the last witnesses have died & there can be no trial, for the very fact that their stories continue on through Sage. It seems like justice for Josef to never know the ending of the story that was not his to write. And it feels fair for Sage's grandmother, never having to confront the terror of her past when she has somehow survived against all odds and built this new life.
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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:
Complicated
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-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:
Yes
Normally I really enjoy Jodi's back and forth narrations. In this one, I was frustrated that the book stayed in one voice for so long and didn't revisit the other voices. I think if a woman had not ever told her stories that it is very unrealistic that she would sit in one sitting and tell every story she had. It was weird. Holistically, the book was a good story.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes