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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
An interesting take on the sleeping beauty story. I don't think I'll ever read it again, but I'm glad I came across this book!
Beautiful YA book that weaves my favorite fairy tale into a horrifying Holocaust story.
dark
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
I personally felt like this book was the "kid" version of Sarah's Key because of the dialogue. The characters are supposed to be in their early to late twenties, but they talk like they are ten. They all say the exact same words at the same time, for example all the sisters say, " 'Shut up, Howie', the three sisters said together." It just makes the book more unrealistic. Also, Becca called her dad "Daddy", for example Becca says, "Thanks, Daddy. You're a peach. The peachiest." Now let's be real, what 23 year old says "daddy" and talks like she's 8?
Don't get me wrong, Josef Potocki's story was fascinating and for me it almost saved the book from me giving it 2 stars, but it didn't.
*spoiler*
It was disturbing to me how she went out with Stan, I understand he's a nice guy and makes Becca "giggle" but he's like 35 and she's only 23!
I mean i guess i can understand how age isn't a big issue (Donald Trump!) but for being a young adult book it's a bit gross.
Don't get me wrong, Josef Potocki's story was fascinating and for me it almost saved the book from me giving it 2 stars, but it didn't.
*spoiler*
It was disturbing to me how she went out with Stan, I understand he's a nice guy and makes Becca "giggle" but he's like 35 and she's only 23!
I mean i guess i can understand how age isn't a big issue (Donald Trump!) but for being a young adult book it's a bit gross.
All I can really say about this book is that it was both unexpected and heartbreaking. I wasn’t at all expecting the revelation about Gemma that I got in the end, and I ultimately read far less like a fairytale than I was anticipating. It’s more of a quest for family secrets combined with historical fiction. It’s nothing like any version of Sleeping Beauty I’ve ever run across before, but it was still a very moving story. Josef’s story about how he came to know Gemma had me on the edge of my seat and ultimately left me feeling a bit shaken; it was brilliantly told. While this re-telling wasn’t very fairytale-ish in reality, it’s definitely worth a read if you have any interest in re-tellings or WWII settings.
This was just meh. I thought it was poorly written, despite an interesting premise, and found the constant harping on the Sleeping Beauty story (against the backdrop of the Holocaust) grating rather than fitting.
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A book about trauma and false hope and enduring hope and mass murder and survival. A book that changes you. A book about how love changes us. This book feels like it does surgery on my soul every time I read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Antisemitism, Grief, Murder
Moderate: Child death, Homophobia, Violence, War
Minor: Vomit, Pregnancy
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-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:
No
Yolen spins a really interesting take on the sleeping beauty story in this retelling. Becka, our protagonist has a grandma who only ever told one story - that of sleeping beauty. And she insists that she is Briar Rose herself. As she approaches the end of her life, she becomes even more intractable in her claims, although her grasp on reality has long since abated. Becka finds papers in her grandmas things that lead her on a fact finding mission in Poland. Loose ends are nicely tied at the end, but was grandma Briar Rose? That we may never know for certain
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
War, concentration camps, mass graves