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mailuss's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Child death, Pregnancy, and War
halkid2's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Intensely emotional, this book is a deep dive into suffering and hardship during World War II, told through the stories of a handful of refugees -- all of whom wind up ultimately trying to evacuate aboard the ill-fated and overcrowded German transport ship, MV Wilhelm Gustloff. This is likely a ship you've never heard of. Like the Titanic and the Lusitania, the Gustloff also sunk - in the waning days of the war - when three Soviet torpedoes hit it on January 30, 1945. But despite the fact that many more people died in the Gustloff tragedy (as many as 9600 died of the 10,000+ military, injured, and civilians onboard), its story is much less widely known.
SALT TO THE SEA begins with a small group of strangers who come upon each other while slowly moving across the German countryside, fleeing encroaching Russian troops:
• Joana Vilkas - a young Lithuanian woman in her 20s brings much needed nursing skills to the group. While hoping to reunite with her mother, she is hiding substantial guilt.
• Florian Beck - a formerly loyal German who has spent years restoring stolen art, but now feels he has been duped by members of the Nazi command and is eager to take his revenge. A cautious man, he is distrustful of EVERYONE he meets.
• Emilia Stożek- a Polish teenager, with no identification papers, is already acquainted with invading Russian soldiers. She too is hiding a secret.
• Alfred Frick - a lowly-ranked German sailor assigned to the Gustloff, with a passionate attachment to the beliefs of Adolph Hitler. Readers get to know him primarily through letters to his girlfriend back home. For me, his contributions to the story are primarily his wild, officious, and grandiose delusions (aka delusions of grandeur).
There are other members of the group who play a more supporting role.
Author Ruta Sepetys constructs the book using 174(!) short (1-3 pages) chapters, each written from the point of view of one of the four leading characters. I was not a fan of the jumping around, even though the story remains largely chronological, just told from different viewpoints along the way. But the construction does not diminish the power of the novel and the authentic way it immerses you into a wide variety of horrors of war. But also the strength and resilience of human beings and their innate desire to connect with others. NOT an easy book to read; I found I needed to put it down at times to break the tension.
FYI, this is billed as a young adult novel, though it didn't strike me as simplified in any way. I recommend the book, particularly for highlighting such an interesting but little known story from the last year of World War II.
SALT TO THE SEA begins with a small group of strangers who come upon each other while slowly moving across the German countryside, fleeing encroaching Russian troops:
• Joana Vilkas - a young Lithuanian woman in her 20s brings much needed nursing skills to the group. While hoping to reunite with her mother, she is hiding substantial guilt.
• Florian Beck - a formerly loyal German who has spent years restoring stolen art, but now feels he has been duped by members of the Nazi command and is eager to take his revenge. A cautious man, he is distrustful of EVERYONE he meets.
• Emilia Stożek- a Polish teenager, with no identification papers, is already acquainted with invading Russian soldiers. She too is hiding a secret.
• Alfred Frick - a lowly-ranked German sailor assigned to the Gustloff, with a passionate attachment to the beliefs of Adolph Hitler. Readers get to know him primarily through letters to his girlfriend back home. For me, his contributions to the story are primarily his wild, officious, and grandiose delusions (aka delusions of grandeur).
There are other members of the group who play a more supporting role.
Author Ruta Sepetys constructs the book using 174(!) short (1-3 pages) chapters, each written from the point of view of one of the four leading characters. I was not a fan of the jumping around, even though the story remains largely chronological, just told from different viewpoints along the way. But the construction does not diminish the power of the novel and the authentic way it immerses you into a wide variety of horrors of war. But also the strength and resilience of human beings and their innate desire to connect with others. NOT an easy book to read; I found I needed to put it down at times to break the tension.
FYI, this is billed as a young adult novel, though it didn't strike me as simplified in any way. I recommend the book, particularly for highlighting such an interesting but little known story from the last year of World War II.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Death
Moderate: Rape
corriejn's review
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Violence, Gun violence, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape
mdavis26's review against another edition
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Child death, Rape, Violence, War, Antisemitism, Blood, Animal cruelty, Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Pregnancy
emmiewrites_'s review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy, Child death, War, Violence, and Sexual violence
avi_gardner's review against another edition
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War, Death, and Child death
Moderate: Rape
katrinaburch's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Wow.... I don't know what to make of this book. The last quarter sped by (that's not to say that the first part of the book was slow, it wasn't, Sepetys is very good at that) but I have to say, I HATED the format. I did finally get used to it but it was really hard keeping track of who's who and what everyone's back story was. And to be honest, I wish Sepetys had fleshed those out more because they were what kept me going, what was everyone running from, I needed more!
It's sad, I've read a lot and studied a lot of World War 2 history and I've never heard of this disaster! So I'm glad Sepetys used it.
I'm also glad Alfred died... Holy moly, I've never had someone creep me out in a book so much before. Also, again, I wish that Emilia had survived and lived to help her baby grow up. I know the daughter had a happy ending and I'm happy the little boy survived (though I wish it would have told what happened to his family) but still. She suffered though so much (like so many).
It's sad, I've read a lot and studied a lot of World War 2 history and I've never heard of this disaster! So I'm glad Sepetys used it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Genocide, Murder, Rape, Vomit, Hate crime, Pregnancy, War, and Death
Minor: Antisemitism, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Religious bigotry, Gore, Violence, Child death, Blood, and Bullying
gymjam_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
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
4.5
A stunning, emotional piece of fiction that follows four young characters during the war whose lives all intertwine onboard the Wilhelm Gustloff - the very real ship that has unfortunately been lost from history books. Extremely well written. If you enjoy war fiction, this should be a must read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: War and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Abandonment, Antisemitism, Child death, and Rape
oceanwriter's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.75
Ruta Sepetys has become one of my favorite historical fiction authors. Her books stand out from others in the genre thanks to the lesser-known/talked about events she chooses to build her plots around.
Joana, Florian, and Emelia narrate their journeys learning up to their departure on the fated Wilhelm Gustloff. In contrast to them is Alfred, a Nazi assigned to the ship. While Alfred’s section of the book is largely focuses on his career and his ‘promised’ future, Joana, Emelia, and Florian’s stories focus on their pasts and hopes of escape.
Despite the extremely short chapters, I found the story was slow to build. Toward the last third, it picked up immensely. The sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff is the worst disaster in maritime history with a death toll nearing 10,000. Ruta Sepetys does a wonderful job of capturing the tragedy. Although the book is about fictional characters, the reader still gets a sense of the individuals who suffered through it.
Compared to The Fountains of Silence and I Must Betray You, it took a significantly longer time for me to get wholly into the plot given how quickly the four POVs jumped around. The lead-in and backstories took up most of the pages. The wait was well worth it even though it's a heartbreaking read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and War
Moderate: Antisemitism, Rape, Medical content, and Pregnancy
bethusery's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
5.0
This was a great book. It was tough to read, though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, War, Antisemitism, and Death