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notlikethebeer's review against another edition
2.0
Main question: what's the 'thing that was left out' alluded to right at the end????
storytimed's review against another edition
2.0
This is an alternate history where the Nazis won WWII and took over England. Jessika is devoted to the regime (& gay), her bff and unrequited crush Clementine is a rebel
I liked the idea of this, but the execution was a little lacking? I think that the contours of the dystopia were not concrete
Mayhew tells the story slightly out of order, which adds to the confusion: we start with Jessika's slow political awakening with a climax when she witnesses Clementine's rebellion, then jump to her being detained, then jump to the immediate aftermath of Clementine's Big Action and show what led to Jessika's detainment
I'm not mad that Jessika doesn't overthrow the government as a teen, but her emotional arc is simply not well-constructed or compelling enough to pull off a 1984-style ending. The futility of her actions is neither depressing nor enraging. It's just kind of stupid.
I liked the idea of this, but the execution was a little lacking? I think that the contours of the dystopia were not concrete
Mayhew tells the story slightly out of order, which adds to the confusion: we start with Jessika's slow political awakening with a climax when she witnesses Clementine's rebellion, then jump to her being detained, then jump to the immediate aftermath of Clementine's Big Action and show what led to Jessika's detainment
I'm not mad that Jessika doesn't overthrow the government as a teen, but her emotional arc is simply not well-constructed or compelling enough to pull off a 1984-style ending. The futility of her actions is neither depressing nor enraging. It's just kind of stupid.
kjurewicz's review against another edition
2.0
I have a lot of feelings about this book, so buckle up. My initial reaction is that this book made me angry, for numerous reasons. First, I think the premise of the book had the potential to be interesting and powerful. Instead, the world of the book was poorly constructed. If I had not known beforehand that this book was set in an alternative historical timeline, it would have taken me a long time to figure out what was going on. The use of German felt forced and random; although the glossary at the end was helpful, I didn’t use it because I was just trying to finish reading as quickly as possible. Jumping back and forth in time did not help matters either, especially in the end when no dates were included. Rather than making an interesting non-linear timeline, it just made everything harder to follow. I’m also angry that the Reich’s decision to deny the Holocaust was only briefly mentioned in passing. This should have been a MUCH more significant element to the story and plot. Instead, it’s seemed like Clementine and her family were fighting for some vague idea of personal “freedom” that had nothing to do with anyone else. For a book titled “The Big Lie,” they barely addressed the biggest lie of Nazi Germany. Additionally, the main character made me angry as well. It’s possible that if we were not in the midst of protesting, I may feel differently about her complicity and refusal to challenge the German doctrine. And I also can’t predict how I would react in the face of bodily harm. But she took a long time to start questioning the world around her and didn’t really do it until she was punished for her association with Clementine. Her decision to print the papers was a small act of rebellion, but she didn’t go through with it anyway. Yet she was still caught and punished (was someone specific watching her? The fat man?) Although the ending makes it sound like she might still rebel against the system, based on her character I sincerely doubt it. [SPOILER ALERT FOR 1984]. I think I hated this book because it reminds me of 1984. Winston is a spineless, minor rebel but in the end is “re-educated” by Big Brother in the face of torture. I know not every story can be happy and comfortable but I can’t stand protagonists like this. I should have DNF, but since I sped through the first half in a day, I forced myself to power through. But I was mad the whole time.
bizzybee429's review against another edition
I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I might. The concept intrigued me, as I love learning about World War Two and I love alternative-history novels; however, the writing style and characters didn't really live up to my expectations.
First, the writing. I realized after I stopped reading that this book was first published in 2014, which isn't a bad thing, but it helped me pin down what felt off about the book: it had a very 2014 vibe. In 2014, I was taking part in a YALSA group, and a lot of the mediocre books we read had the same feeling to them when I read them. It was kind of like taking a blast from the past, and even though 2014 was only three years ago, there have been great strides towards diversifying YA fiction. The inclusion of an LGBT plot was something that was honestly very out there and progressive in 2014, and while it is still mildly progressive now, reading a plot about two cisgender white girls just doesn't excite me as much as it would have in 2014. It would have been nice to have more POC diversity.
Second, the characters. At the beginning, I really liked Jessika and the allusions to her eventual rebellion, but after the first few chapters her character fell flat for me. I couldn't get invested into her life or Clem's life, and that was really what broke the book for me.
First, the writing. I realized after I stopped reading that this book was first published in 2014, which isn't a bad thing, but it helped me pin down what felt off about the book: it had a very 2014 vibe. In 2014, I was taking part in a YALSA group, and a lot of the mediocre books we read had the same feeling to them when I read them. It was kind of like taking a blast from the past, and even though 2014 was only three years ago, there have been great strides towards diversifying YA fiction. The inclusion of an LGBT plot was something that was honestly very out there and progressive in 2014, and while it is still mildly progressive now, reading a plot about two cisgender white girls just doesn't excite me as much as it would have in 2014. It would have been nice to have more POC diversity.
Second, the characters. At the beginning, I really liked Jessika and the allusions to her eventual rebellion, but after the first few chapters her character fell flat for me. I couldn't get invested into her life or Clem's life, and that was really what broke the book for me.
katsreadingg's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
5.0
taque's review
3.0
Mixed feelings. Rather a slow book. I wanted more plot. It does make some good points, especially at the end, but I can't help but feel that I wanted more.
It was extra interesting to read a modern tale of Nazi life in light of the recent news regarding neo-nazis and white supremacists.
It was extra interesting to read a modern tale of Nazi life in light of the recent news regarding neo-nazis and white supremacists.
cabeswaeter's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't really expect to like this as much as I did. (probably because of the cover)
Anyways, the whole alternate universe is relaly interesting, and it's really interesting to see ho Jessikas opinion on her nation changes. She's 100% Nazi and being fed propaganda all the time, but slowly we see that Clementine manages to turn her mindset a bit and then Jess can figure it out on her own.
This book is very honest. We don't get a happy ending. We get something in between. It's not tragic, she's fine and well there's a lot of stuff in her life that she coul've had if she was born in our world, but she doesn't because she isn't. I think it makes such an impact that the ending isn't fixing everything, because it can't judt be fixed like /that/. Snap. Done. Everything is alright. That's not how it works and this book really shows that. (It's not that I'm against happy endings,but there's never really a revolution in this book so it seems weird to put one into the epilogue and pretend that's how easy it is to overthrow a controlling government. And the author did not do that.)
I also really liked how we have several queer characters. Good representation, and also good for showing how someone feels when they're trying to hide a part of who they are, which people today are forced to.
This is a different WW2 story, but it's not just a picture of how the world would have looked if Germany won the war, it's a picture of how the world looks. Not the same places or the same people, but the same kind of issues.
Anyways, the whole alternate universe is relaly interesting, and it's really interesting to see ho Jessikas opinion on her nation changes. She's 100% Nazi and being fed propaganda all the time, but slowly we see that Clementine manages to turn her mindset a bit and then Jess can figure it out on her own.
This book is very honest. We don't get a happy ending. We get something in between. It's not tragic, she's fine and well there's a lot of stuff in her life that she coul've had if she was born in our world, but she doesn't because she isn't. I think it makes such an impact that the ending isn't fixing everything, because it can't judt be fixed like /that/. Snap. Done. Everything is alright. That's not how it works and this book really shows that. (It's not that I'm against happy endings,but there's never really a revolution in this book so it seems weird to put one into the epilogue and pretend that's how easy it is to overthrow a controlling government. And the author did not do that.)
I also really liked how we have several queer characters. Good representation, and also good for showing how someone feels when they're trying to hide a part of who they are, which people today are forced to.
This is a different WW2 story, but it's not just a picture of how the world would have looked if Germany won the war, it's a picture of how the world looks. Not the same places or the same people, but the same kind of issues.