Reviews

All the Broken Places by John Boyne

stephaniealysse's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

charlotter191's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

alisonmostyn's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

claire652's review

challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

lunaseline's review against another edition

4.0

Boyne påstår i efterordet att han påbörjade Gretels historia direkt efter att han skrivit klart Boy in the Striped Pyamas. Det får mig att lite kräset tänka att han nog kunde lagt mer tid på texten - här och var är det faktiskt riktigt klumpigt skrivet.
Men - och det här visste kanske författaren om? - berättelsen står stark i sig själv. Så även när jag hakar upp mig på en ful mening, eller ett lite väl on-the-nose:igt stycke, följer jag lydigt med i storasysterns historia.
Ja, det handlar om skuld och ondska/godhet, men det är också en välskriven roman om en äldre kvinna som ser tillbaka på sitt liv, samtidigt som hon lever vidare i nuet och med vad det innebär i form av mänskliga relationer.
Det är inte utmanande litteratur som sådan, men det utmanar perspektiven. Gott så.

psheflin's review

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

readeando's review against another edition

4.0

Me costó meterme en la novela, pero al final me ha encantado.

leslie_ann_thornton's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

jenab910's review

medium-paced

4.25

lisa_butler79's review

emotional funny informative inspiring reflective sad

5.0

Book 6 of 12 books recommended by friends to read in 2024
Thanks, Marni, for the recommendation.

This is the sequel to The boy in the striped Pyjamas, and as I was not a particular fan of that book, I honestly wasn't looking forward to reading this book.

How wrong was I? It's like this book has been written by a completely different author. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish.

All the broken places pick up where that book left off. Gretel, Bruno's older sister, flees Poland and heads for post-war Paris with her mother, both keen to hide from their past.

The story is told through duel timelines and follows Gretel's story as a teenager whilst running parallel to her life as a 91-year-old woman living in an apartment in modern-day Mayfair, London. 

This book gave me all the feels. It is a story of guilt, loss, forgiveness, and redemption. 

Can I child be guilty for the sins of her farther?

The subject matter was handled sensitively and definitely tugs at your heart strings. It will leave you asking some uncomfortable questions?

What would you have done in the same situation?
Can we ever escape our past?

Powerful and thought-provoking.