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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A book with such elegant and realistic descriptions that it increases the pain of reading about the cruelty and evil perpetrated on the Jews in Amsterdam during WWI. It weaves in descriptions of actual art work that gives life to the story and also affords the author an opportunity to compare the inspiration of art to the goals of writing. The character development helps soften the very dark sadness the reader is likely to experience when reading this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Genocide, Antisemitism, War
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I'm not sure exactly how I feel about this one. The story was very interesting but I wasn't fond of some stylistic choices.
Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley
When Yoel Blum breaks a promise to his dead mother by traveling to Amsterdam to celebrate the Dutch translation of one of his books, he does not know what path he has started to trod on.
Blum was born during the Second War when the Nazis occupied the Netherlands. His family lived in the Netherlands. His discovery of a family secret leads to an extended stay in the country as well as discovery aspects of himself that he though long dead. The story is told through Blum’s writing of a novel as well as his own mediations and experiences.
The best part of the book are the sections where Blum interacts with Amsterdam and his family. The book that he is writing is, the story of his family, is less engrossing. In part, this is because the family secret is easy to figure out. But the beauty of the writing in describing Blum’s internal conflict – not only with his newly discovered past but also with his present life.
The work is also a mediation of the effects of the Holocaust on those generation of adults who were hidden as children who faced not only the dangers of survival but also the trauma of being left by and then reunited with family. Elon also ties into the effect on the families of the present. It is this reason why Blum’s relationship with his family feels far more interesting than the plot set in WWII Amsterdam. Though to give Elon credit she does highlight the more common Dutch story than the one that everyone knows about Anne Frank.
Elon also writes Amsterdam extremely well. The descriptions of Blum walking though the city are beautifully written.
When Yoel Blum breaks a promise to his dead mother by traveling to Amsterdam to celebrate the Dutch translation of one of his books, he does not know what path he has started to trod on.
Blum was born during the Second War when the Nazis occupied the Netherlands. His family lived in the Netherlands. His discovery of a family secret leads to an extended stay in the country as well as discovery aspects of himself that he though long dead. The story is told through Blum’s writing of a novel as well as his own mediations and experiences.
The best part of the book are the sections where Blum interacts with Amsterdam and his family. The book that he is writing is, the story of his family, is less engrossing. In part, this is because the family secret is easy to figure out. But the beauty of the writing in describing Blum’s internal conflict – not only with his newly discovered past but also with his present life.
The work is also a mediation of the effects of the Holocaust on those generation of adults who were hidden as children who faced not only the dangers of survival but also the trauma of being left by and then reunited with family. Elon also ties into the effect on the families of the present. It is this reason why Blum’s relationship with his family feels far more interesting than the plot set in WWII Amsterdam. Though to give Elon credit she does highlight the more common Dutch story than the one that everyone knows about Anne Frank.
Elon also writes Amsterdam extremely well. The descriptions of Blum walking though the city are beautifully written.
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I was not familiar with Emuna Elon.
This is a book that has two points of view. Yoel and his mother are the main characters. I think where things got a bit muddy was that there are different time periods for Yoel plus his mother's story. This type of storyline might work for some people but I struggled.
I found some parts of this book's writing to be so rich that I wanted to savor it. "In fact, his mother left him long before she finally left this world. Ever so slowly she went out of her mind, then out of her soul , and then finally out of her body, lessening, stage by stage, her grip on reality." But then there were other parts of the book that seemed leaden there were so many words. I don't know if this is because it is a translation or just clunky sentences.
I am planning a trip to Amsterdam in the fall and wanted to love this book but it fell short for those two reasons.
I received an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is a book that has two points of view. Yoel and his mother are the main characters. I think where things got a bit muddy was that there are different time periods for Yoel plus his mother's story. This type of storyline might work for some people but I struggled.
I found some parts of this book's writing to be so rich that I wanted to savor it. "In fact, his mother left him long before she finally left this world. Ever so slowly she went out of her mind, then out of her soul , and then finally out of her body, lessening, stage by stage, her grip on reality." But then there were other parts of the book that seemed leaden there were so many words. I don't know if this is because it is a translation or just clunky sentences.
I am planning a trip to Amsterdam in the fall and wanted to love this book but it fell short for those two reasons.
I received an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I loved the way this novel wove past and present together and allowed a man to become whole.
Story about the heartbreaking choices a young Jewish mother is forced to make, while trying to keep her family safe in German occupied Amsterdam (WWII). Many years later a famous Jewish writer returns to the city to retrace her steps and write her story. The novel gives an accurate background of the Dutch 'Joodse raad' and their troubled role in the fate of many Dutch Jews , as well as the lack of support from non-Jewish Dutchmen. The story was sometimes hard to follow as it shifts seamlessly between the two timelines. Also the 'plot twist' was predictable, but all in all a good novel with some harsh truths to deal with.
dark
reflective
medium-paced