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constantine2020's review against another edition
3.0
Rating: 3.0/5.0
This was not a bad read. I have read many historical fiction books so my expectations are always high for this genre because it is my most favorite one. This is the first book I read for Sarah Lark. It follows the story of two Polish refugee sisters Helena and Luzyna.
Helena betrays her sister and takes up her identity to get out of the refugee camp and go to New Zealand for a better life. In her journey to NZ she will submit to a man who knew that she is not Luzyna and gets her pregnant. In New Zealand, she faces more challenges.
There are many historical facts the book. I feel it makes a good read for those who want to know more about refugee camps during the war. The reading was simple and the story was easy to grasp. I personally did not feel much about the characters. When I read a book I want to love loving a character or love hating it! Here nothing like that happened. I felt more effort could have been done by the author in making the characters more relatable.
I won this book by participating in a Goodreads giveaway and this is my honest and nonbiased review for it.
This was not a bad read. I have read many historical fiction books so my expectations are always high for this genre because it is my most favorite one. This is the first book I read for Sarah Lark. It follows the story of two Polish refugee sisters Helena and Luzyna.
Helena betrays her sister and takes up her identity to get out of the refugee camp and go to New Zealand for a better life. In her journey to NZ she will submit to a man who knew that she is not Luzyna and gets her pregnant. In New Zealand, she faces more challenges.
There are many historical facts the book. I feel it makes a good read for those who want to know more about refugee camps during the war. The reading was simple and the story was easy to grasp. I personally did not feel much about the characters. When I read a book I want to love loving a character or love hating it! Here nothing like that happened. I felt more effort could have been done by the author in making the characters more relatable.
I won this book by participating in a Goodreads giveaway and this is my honest and nonbiased review for it.
isolde8's review against another edition
4.0
Sarah Lark gaat in dit boek iets minder ver de geschiedenis in, maar we treffen wel oude bekenden in dit boek.
melbookish's review against another edition
4.0
Este libro me hizo llorar, emocionar y saltar de emoción, un tanto predecible, pero disfrutas de la lectura y de las buenas esperanzas
bookishbiker's review
2.0
Meticulously Researched, But Lacking ...
I'm a huge fan of historical fiction, particularly WWI and II. I'm also a New Zealander, of Ngai Tahu descent. I had never heard of my country taking in Polish refugees, nor are stories around my culture common, so this book intrigued me instantly.
Learning about that part of our history was enlightening. But, while the book was meticulously researched, the depiction of Maori and Maori culture lacked insight and depth. I couldn't get past some of the Maori character names, which I'd never heard before. They didn't make sense to me, and as I was reading them with Maori pronunciation, they refused to roll off my tongue. Likewise, certain terms. I've never heard "manuka myrtle", for example. It's just manuka. Hei-tiki is just tiki. Baskets are traditionally woven from flax, not reeds. And it's iwi, not tribe. These little things added up and ruined the book for me. Perhaps a little unfairly, but I couldn't help it.
On top of that, I found Helena unsympathetic and tired quickly of her whiney "poor me" attitude. But, it could just be that my difficulty in finding personality in the depiction of my culture affected my ability to empathize with the characters.
That said, "A Hope At The End of the World" was well written and I can't deny that the author did her homework, although it was less of a wartime story, more of a historical romance (with predictable romance plot twists). It's my first Sarah Lark novel, and while I may skip anything to do with my heart home, I'd be willing to give her another chance.
I'm a huge fan of historical fiction, particularly WWI and II. I'm also a New Zealander, of Ngai Tahu descent. I had never heard of my country taking in Polish refugees, nor are stories around my culture common, so this book intrigued me instantly.
Learning about that part of our history was enlightening. But, while the book was meticulously researched, the depiction of Maori and Maori culture lacked insight and depth. I couldn't get past some of the Maori character names, which I'd never heard before. They didn't make sense to me, and as I was reading them with Maori pronunciation, they refused to roll off my tongue. Likewise, certain terms. I've never heard "manuka myrtle", for example. It's just manuka. Hei-tiki is just tiki. Baskets are traditionally woven from flax, not reeds. And it's iwi, not tribe. These little things added up and ruined the book for me. Perhaps a little unfairly, but I couldn't help it.
On top of that, I found Helena unsympathetic and tired quickly of her whiney "poor me" attitude. But, it could just be that my difficulty in finding personality in the depiction of my culture affected my ability to empathize with the characters.
That said, "A Hope At The End of the World" was well written and I can't deny that the author did her homework, although it was less of a wartime story, more of a historical romance (with predictable romance plot twists). It's my first Sarah Lark novel, and while I may skip anything to do with my heart home, I'd be willing to give her another chance.
gnubaum's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
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