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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This will never be a favorite, but the author's note did bring me to tears. I love a good fairytale retelling, and while it's a slow start to get to the story within the story, it's worthwhile. Also, the frustration with the causes of that slow start is entirely relatable and realistic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, Antisemitism
Minor: Transphobia
I absolutely loved this book. Start to finish. Its sad, but so beautifully written.
Interesting take on the story. Very sobering and I appreciate the focus it brings to the horrors of the Holocaust. I didn't like some of the other content, and probably wouldn't read it again, hence the 4, but do not regret reading it once.
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
This book is an innovative retelling of the old fairy tale Sleeping Beauty. Becca Berlin and her sisters, Sylvia and Shana, grew up listening to their grandmother, Gemma, tell the riveting story of Briar Rose. Then, as Gemma is on her deathbed, Becca finds out something extraordinary: Gemma claims to be Briar Rose. Her claims send Becca on a quest to Poland to find out how her grandmother's story began. The book then launches into a heartwrenching story of the Holocaust and the concentration camps that were located there. In her quest, she and her translator, Magda, meet an old man named Josef who knew Becca's grandmother and is able to fill in some of the holes in her mysterious back story.
The book was really a delight to read; I especially appreciated that it was a rather short book. I sometimes feel that authors tend to ramble on for far too long and, before you know it, you're trapped in a 700-page book from which you cannot escape. Every once in a while, it's nice to read a short book. The only criticism that I would have about this book is that the author takes too long to reveal why Josef's story is so important. The first half of the book is definitely about Gemma and Becca's search for her legacy. But, all of a sudden, it becomes Josef's story, and as a reader, you're wondering why you're being bombarded by so many details of this man's life. I do not mean to belittle the horrendous trials and tribulations that Jews, homosexuals, and basically anyone not fitting into the very narrow mold that Hitler was constructing were forced to go through. But, up until that point, I didn't feel that it was his story; it was supposed to be Gemma's. I'll admit it was quite jarring. But, at the end of his story, it kind of makes sense as to why we would even care. Yet I still don't know if we needed to hear so much of his story.
The book was really a delight to read; I especially appreciated that it was a rather short book. I sometimes feel that authors tend to ramble on for far too long and, before you know it, you're trapped in a 700-page book from which you cannot escape. Every once in a while, it's nice to read a short book. The only criticism that I would have about this book is that the author takes too long to reveal why Josef's story is so important. The first half of the book is definitely about Gemma and Becca's search for her legacy. But, all of a sudden, it becomes Josef's story, and as a reader, you're wondering why you're being bombarded by so many details of this man's life. I do not mean to belittle the horrendous trials and tribulations that Jews, homosexuals, and basically anyone not fitting into the very narrow mold that Hitler was constructing were forced to go through. But, up until that point, I didn't feel that it was his story; it was supposed to be Gemma's. I'll admit it was quite jarring. But, at the end of his story, it kind of makes sense as to why we would even care. Yet I still don't know if we needed to hear so much of his story.
Even though this says it's a fairy tell retelling-it's not. The Grandma only uses a fairy tale to tell her grandkids about her life. It's really about holocaust. After I got over the initial shock, I really liked it. There was just one thing that I could see why they had it in the book (because it gave a different perspective on the holocaust) but I wished they didn't go into that much detail. It wasn't bad, just more than I wanted to know. If you are interested about Holocaust stories (even if you're not), this is a good one.