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callienicole's review against another edition
4.0
All I knew going into this book was that it was about the largest maritime disaster in history, at the tail end of World War 2. It took me a while to get invested in the characters, and then I was really invested, only to have a good number of them die (I don't think that's a spoiler - the book is about a ship sinking). I'm not usually a fan of books where a bunch of the people die, and I was reminded of why I don't usually read World War 2 fiction. I think it's important to remember that war, but I don't like to reflect on it for my leisure reading, because any book set during this time period can't help but be bleak and disturbing. I think I'm a little sensitive here.
Still, I can definitely see why this book is so praised left and right, and I actually enjoyed it very well, even though it's not my normal type of book. I really liked the characters by the end, and thought they were really well drawn.
The ending of this book haunted me, because dying by drowning in a cold sea at night is pretty much my worst nightmare. Still, I really liked the ending, and thought the author made it as good as it could really be.
I read it too long ago to give a proper content notes (I've forgotten specifics), so I'll just mention that there was some mild cussing, and a teenage pregnancy that resulted from rape. I loved though that the teen's baby was so well loved. She cares for her baby throughout the book, and when the baby is born, one character helps her through that emotional conflict by reminding her that this baby is part of HER and her heritage. It was a beautiful moment.
I listened to the audio of this book and it was excellent! Highly recommend reading in that format.
Still, I can definitely see why this book is so praised left and right, and I actually enjoyed it very well, even though it's not my normal type of book. I really liked the characters by the end, and thought they were really well drawn.
The ending of this book haunted me, because dying by drowning in a cold sea at night is pretty much my worst nightmare. Still, I really liked the ending, and thought the author made it as good as it could really be.
I read it too long ago to give a proper content notes (I've forgotten specifics), so I'll just mention that there was some mild cussing, and a teenage pregnancy that resulted from rape. I loved though that the teen's baby was so well loved. She cares for her baby throughout the book, and when the baby is born, one character helps her through that emotional conflict by reminding her that this baby is part of HER and her heritage. It was a beautiful moment.
I listened to the audio of this book and it was excellent! Highly recommend reading in that format.
emeszee's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, I came into this book not knowing what I was getting into...
I knew nothing about this book. The synopsis on the front flap was pretty vague.
And then...
sudden heartbreak
That's why I rated this five stars. The total tragedy that occurred was described so well that my heart will probably hurt for quite a while. I can't describe how horrible this event was...oh my god.
I knew nothing about this book. The synopsis on the front flap was pretty vague.
And then...
sudden heartbreak
That's why I rated this five stars. The total tragedy that occurred was described so well that my heart will probably hurt for quite a while. I can't describe how horrible this event was...oh my god.
atan1101's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
jol69's review against another edition
5.0
A World War II novel told from a completely different perspective to the norm. Loved it!
alice_i's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
rpultorak's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
ashction's review against another edition
3.0
It's not the book. It's me.
During this lovely quarantine, my manager assigned us some reading challenges, one of which was to read out of our comfort zone. Historical fiction is one of the genres I notoriously consider very much out of my comfort zone (I like history, to an extent, but find it tends to be sad, depressing, and not something I want to read about), and since Ruta Sepetys is arguably one of the leading voices of YA Historical Fiction, I just had to finally read one of her books.
I picked the book I was least likely to enjoy to feel truly, completely out of my comfort zone. Salt to the Sea follows four main characters: Joanna, a Lithuanian nurse attempting to help refugees reach safety; Florian, a thief on the run; Emilia, a young girl with burdens and secrets; and Alfred, a German soldier upon one of Germany's largest ships that sunk tragically during WWII.
The story was interesting; I read it quickly enough, and there's no doubt that Sepetys is a skilled writer who's done ample research for this novel. Like I mentioned, I chose this book as my least likely to enjoy. I hate reading about war, especially, and I avoid sadness whenever possible in fiction, so I knew this one was sure to hit at all the things that made me the most uncomfortable about historical fiction. While I did feel those things, I did have a generally good time reading the book. It was just so, so sad, and the end was so abrupt! I read it as an ebook, so I'm not sure if maybe some font style and transitioning from the print copy just didn't make it to the digital copy, but it wasn't clear that the final chapter was a time jump and it definitely soured the ending for me.
Of course, I'm a sucker for a good happy ending, too. And while there was some happiness, it was pretty bleak. While this one may not have been THE book for me (and that was the goal!), I do think I liked Sepetys' writing enough to test out some of her other books. Out of the Easy sounds like a good blend of a genre I'm not familiar with and mysteries that I love, so maybe I'll try that, next.
During this lovely quarantine, my manager assigned us some reading challenges, one of which was to read out of our comfort zone. Historical fiction is one of the genres I notoriously consider very much out of my comfort zone (I like history, to an extent, but find it tends to be sad, depressing, and not something I want to read about), and since Ruta Sepetys is arguably one of the leading voices of YA Historical Fiction, I just had to finally read one of her books.
I picked the book I was least likely to enjoy to feel truly, completely out of my comfort zone. Salt to the Sea follows four main characters: Joanna, a Lithuanian nurse attempting to help refugees reach safety; Florian, a thief on the run; Emilia, a young girl with burdens and secrets; and Alfred, a German soldier upon one of Germany's largest ships that sunk tragically during WWII.
The story was interesting; I read it quickly enough, and there's no doubt that Sepetys is a skilled writer who's done ample research for this novel. Like I mentioned, I chose this book as my least likely to enjoy. I hate reading about war, especially, and I avoid sadness whenever possible in fiction, so I knew this one was sure to hit at all the things that made me the most uncomfortable about historical fiction. While I did feel those things, I did have a generally good time reading the book. It was just so, so sad, and the end was so abrupt! I read it as an ebook, so I'm not sure if maybe some font style and transitioning from the print copy just didn't make it to the digital copy, but it wasn't clear that the final chapter was a time jump and it definitely soured the ending for me.
Of course, I'm a sucker for a good happy ending, too. And while there was some happiness, it was pretty bleak. While this one may not have been THE book for me (and that was the goal!), I do think I liked Sepetys' writing enough to test out some of her other books. Out of the Easy sounds like a good blend of a genre I'm not familiar with and mysteries that I love, so maybe I'll try that, next.
brianna_c's review against another edition
5.0
This book gripped me from start to finished. It was beautiful and heartbreaking in the best of ways. I adored so many of these characters and detested one in particular. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone,especially lovers of history.
rebeccasreadingrambles's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. I was really blown away by this book. I had read Between Shades of Gray by this author and really enjoyed that book. But this one seemed even more powerful. I started it and suddenly found myself halfway through without realizing it. The characters are so raw and I felt their every hurt and fear. The writing was just superb. The author did a great job of painting the desperate landscape without too many words. The sections with short thoughts into each character's head were especially well done. I became attached to the characters, even though I knew that they had barely a chance to survive. Near the end I found myself actually whimpering out loud, in public. Alfred's POV was especially chilling as we got deeper and deeper into his troubled mind. I have read a lot of HF books, but have never read a book quite like this. So emotion and so amazing.