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4.27 AVERAGE
4.27 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I wish I were better at writing reviews...All I can say is this is a heartbreakingly, beautiful, story that brought me to tears many times. I really appreciated the way Rimmer uses each chapter to go back and forth between each character's storyline. I was hooked from the moment I started this book. 5/5 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
I read a great deal of WWII historical fiction, but I never fully grasped the horror of life in the Warsaw Ghetto. At one time, over 450,000 Jews were imprisoned in a 1.3 square mile region of the city. Eight to ten people lived in each room and subsisted on meager rations. Between October 1940 and July 1942, nearly 92,000 of the residents died of starvation, disease, and cold. The Warsaw Orphan explores that life from the perspective of a young man living within the ghetto’s walls and a Catholic teenager living outside them. From Nazi occupation to the threat of a communist regime, it is the story of star-crossed lovers Elzbieta Rabinek and Roman Gorka, who fight to reclaim the life they once knew.
There were so many things to love about this book. It was a perfect blend of narrative and dialogue and the pacing had me turning the pages. The primary characters had grit and pluck, and I rooted for Roman and Emilia to be together. The dual narrative was a great way to tell their story. It was far better than The Things We Cannot Say, which Rimmer also wrote. She did a much better job of varying the length of her sentences in this book, which improves readability immensely. I alternated between reading the book and listening to the audio version, and the narrators were great.
Now, the editor in me needs to be persnickety. The author had an annoying habit of repeating words and phrases over and over again. It was so distracting, in fact, that I started counting how often she broke that cardinal rule. For example, she used forms of the word “frustrate” four names on just one page. A writer should never do that. A good editor should have caught that. “Hiss,” “determine,” “fury,” and “blurt,” were also overused.
All things said, The Warsaw Orphan was a fabulous book about an ugly time in history. I often measure books by their opportunity cost… was it worth the time I spent reading a book when I could have been reading, or doing, something else. Her book was definitely a good time investment. 4.5 stars.
There were so many things to love about this book. It was a perfect blend of narrative and dialogue and the pacing had me turning the pages. The primary characters had grit and pluck, and I rooted for Roman and Emilia to be together. The dual narrative was a great way to tell their story. It was far better than The Things We Cannot Say, which Rimmer also wrote. She did a much better job of varying the length of her sentences in this book, which improves readability immensely. I alternated between reading the book and listening to the audio version, and the narrators were great.
Now, the editor in me needs to be persnickety. The author had an annoying habit of repeating words and phrases over and over again. It was so distracting, in fact, that I started counting how often she broke that cardinal rule. For example, she used forms of the word “frustrate” four names on just one page. A writer should never do that. A good editor should have caught that. “Hiss,” “determine,” “fury,” and “blurt,” were also overused.
All things said, The Warsaw Orphan was a fabulous book about an ugly time in history. I often measure books by their opportunity cost… was it worth the time I spent reading a book when I could have been reading, or doing, something else. Her book was definitely a good time investment. 4.5 stars.
adventurous
emotional
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:
No
Definitely a tear-jerker that navigates the complicated emotions of war and love and loyalty. Would recommend!
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
If I could give ten stars for a book, this would be it. Magnificently written, well researched and the reader is drawn in so as to be an observer. I wept at the scene of orphans being taken to the train toward extermination - so vivid and sad. This is a description that will stay with me. I also liked the couple of references to Mila Street which again showed the veracity of facts. Mila 18 for those old enough to remember was a definitive book written by Leon Uris about the Jewish situation and in that he describes the underground passages used to enter Mila 18.
All the characters are so well described in every detail. The horrors of life for a Jew during the holocaust are not downplayed and the treatment they endured should never be forgotten. However, through all the sadness and hardship the strength of humanity survives and love grows stronger. Forgiveness can be difficult but leads to eventual healing.
I shall be reading more from this author and plan to read ‘The things we cannot say’ next
All the characters are so well described in every detail. The horrors of life for a Jew during the holocaust are not downplayed and the treatment they endured should never be forgotten. However, through all the sadness and hardship the strength of humanity survives and love grows stronger. Forgiveness can be difficult but leads to eventual healing.
I shall be reading more from this author and plan to read ‘The things we cannot say’ next
challenging
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes