Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book, as the synopsis sounded like it would be another dual timeline WWII story. However, it was really different to what I was expecting. We follow author Yoel Blum as he investigates his origins and does research for a book about his mother's life. Her story becomes interwoven with Yoel's research trip so that we pass back and forth in time just in the space of a paragraph or two. It's more a story of self discovery for Yoel as he learns about himself, not just his outer life but his inner one. It's sad but ultimately hopeful and I really loved it.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow!
I was gifted this book because I told someone that Amsterdam is a city my soul feels at home in for some unexplained reason. Yoel Blum made a promise never to return to the city that bore him and yet, after her death, when he reluctantly agrees to his publisher to travel there, he comes across a film loop in a museum that is clearly his sister and his mother holding a baby he doesn’t recognize. Thus opens his story of finding out who he is and his own place in the world while writing a book that tells history through how he imagines his mother’s experience of it was.
Masterfully woven. Plus, as a lover of the city, it was amazing to walk streets and view artwork in Amsterdam’s museums with Yoel that are so familiar to my own soul.
As a hopeful writer, it was also cool to witness his process and read how his experiences of city life became part of his writing.
One oddity, is this is the second book I’ve read recently that does not use any quotation marks to see off conversations.
I was gifted this book because I told someone that Amsterdam is a city my soul feels at home in for some unexplained reason. Yoel Blum made a promise never to return to the city that bore him and yet, after her death, when he reluctantly agrees to his publisher to travel there, he comes across a film loop in a museum that is clearly his sister and his mother holding a baby he doesn’t recognize. Thus opens his story of finding out who he is and his own place in the world while writing a book that tells history through how he imagines his mother’s experience of it was.
Masterfully woven. Plus, as a lover of the city, it was amazing to walk streets and view artwork in Amsterdam’s museums with Yoel that are so familiar to my own soul.
As a hopeful writer, it was also cool to witness his process and read how his experiences of city life became part of his writing.
One oddity, is this is the second book I’ve read recently that does not use any quotation marks to see off conversations.
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Beautifully written novel. The descriptions of the scenes in this book were just amazing. The author did a great job! I am so thankful I was able to get this in a goodreads giveaway.
Knowing that things like this really happened to children during the war is just heartbreaking. And to not find out for so long in your life. It's amazing Yoel was able to use his work to give himself some understanding to what happened.
Thank you @atriabooks for the chance to read this ARC
Knowing that things like this really happened to children during the war is just heartbreaking. And to not find out for so long in your life. It's amazing Yoel was able to use his work to give himself some understanding to what happened.
Thank you @atriabooks for the chance to read this ARC
I loved this book. I found the story intriguing and it brought out all sorts of emotions. I can understand how others found the format confusing, but I thought it was a positive--it really gave a sense of the main character's confusion as he gets drawn deeper into his family's history, as he mentally and emotionally shifts between his experiences in present day Amsterdam and those of his parents and siblings in the same setting during the war. I found the ending heart wrenching, but also a great character study of the protagonist.
The story was so interesting, but I wasn’t a massive fan of the writing style
Because I read so much historical fiction and centered around WWII at that, I can tend to feel like I’ve “read it all” and that there can’t be another angle I have yet to experience. Boy oh boy, did this book prove me wrong! I so appreciated what my eyes were opened up to like the Dutch Jewish life and more on the Holocaust from this interesting, harrowing perspective. Even just the setting of Amsterdam had me so invested and picking up so much along the way.
I think the ultimate highlight here was the writing for me! The pacing was a bit slow and things took a while to unfold, yet I still flew through the short chapters and appreciated the unique way that they were woven together between Yoel’s thoughts, his research of the book, and present day. The writing itself was simply stunning and I couldn’t get enough of the lyrical feel of it. I will say it took me a minute to get used to the writing style with no quotation marks used, but it didn’t take long for it to not bother be anymore and I found it to add yet another special element to the book.
This was such a compelling, character-driven story that truly left its mark on me. I can definitely say I won’t be forgetting the experience of reading this wonderful, honest, moving book anytime soon, and will be recommending it to all historical fiction fans!
I think the ultimate highlight here was the writing for me! The pacing was a bit slow and things took a while to unfold, yet I still flew through the short chapters and appreciated the unique way that they were woven together between Yoel’s thoughts, his research of the book, and present day. The writing itself was simply stunning and I couldn’t get enough of the lyrical feel of it. I will say it took me a minute to get used to the writing style with no quotation marks used, but it didn’t take long for it to not bother be anymore and I found it to add yet another special element to the book.
This was such a compelling, character-driven story that truly left its mark on me. I can definitely say I won’t be forgetting the experience of reading this wonderful, honest, moving book anytime soon, and will be recommending it to all historical fiction fans!