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ada_elisabeth's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I thought this was... okay. It was given to me by my best friend for my birthday, but I only just recently got around to reading it, and while I didn't love it, there were some aspects I enjoyed.
In the beginning, the writing wasn't really doing it for me. Shattuck writes in a very straightforward, simplistic way and uses a fairly limited vocabulary, which is fine, just not necessarily super thrilling to read. On top of the basic syntax, the word choice wasn't always the best. At one point, she described a situation as 'weirdly cozy,' which felt entirely too modern and out-of-place for the otherwise bleak, old-fashioned scene. At another point, she uses the term 'mental hospital,' which I thought was very generous word choice for something set in Nazi-era Germany. I tried to do some research about when the phrase 'mental hospital' came into use, but I couldn't find anything that supported its usage in the 1940s. I will say that the writing style began to grow on me, and by the end I found it somewhat pretty, but for the first two hundred or so pages, I wasn't very impressed.
My second major issue with this book was the plot: while I appreciated the general storyline and sequencing, the characters were not at all enjoyable to read about. Ania's internal struggles were interesting, but hardly explored. Other than Martin, none of the children are fleshed out, and even he is barely touched on. Benita was downright annoying to read about, and the way her character was written made it difficult for me to sympathize with her for the first half of the novel. Her death also felt like such a cop out to me. The only characters I actually liked were Liesel, who had like two pages of existence, and Marianne, but only sometimes. I think better writing would have meant more likable characters, which is a pretty essential part of any book.
Overall, I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either. The story itself was fine, and I liked the time skips and method of story-telling, but it wasn't very well-executed, which made it much less enjoyable than it could have been. 3.25 rounded down.
P.S. Do you think I could count this as studying for the AP World exam?
In the beginning, the writing wasn't really doing it for me. Shattuck writes in a very straightforward, simplistic way and uses a fairly limited vocabulary, which is fine, just not necessarily super thrilling to read. On top of the basic syntax, the word choice wasn't always the best. At one point, she described a situation as 'weirdly cozy,' which felt entirely too modern and out-of-place for the otherwise bleak, old-fashioned scene. At another point, she uses the term 'mental hospital,' which I thought was very generous word choice for something set in Nazi-era Germany. I tried to do some research about when the phrase 'mental hospital' came into use, but I couldn't find anything that supported its usage in the 1940s. I will say that the writing style began to grow on me, and by the end I found it somewhat pretty, but for the first two hundred or so pages, I wasn't very impressed.
My second major issue with this book was the plot: while I appreciated the general storyline and sequencing, the characters were not at all enjoyable to read about. Ania's internal struggles were interesting, but hardly explored. Other than Martin, none of the children are fleshed out, and even he is barely touched on. Benita was downright annoying to read about, and the way her character was written made it difficult for me to sympathize with her for the first half of the novel.
Overall, I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either. The story itself was fine, and I liked the time skips and method of story-telling, but it wasn't very well-executed, which made it much less enjoyable than it could have been. 3.25 rounded down.
P.S. Do you think I could count this as studying for the AP World exam?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Death, War, and Animal cruelty
cc0906's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Slavery, Racism, Racial slurs, Genocide, Fire/Fire injury, Deportation, Classism, Blood, Antisemitism, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, War, Violence, Rape, Miscarriage, Grief, Child death, Misogyny, Drug abuse, Vomit, Torture, Pregnancy, Death, Death of parent, Confinement, Abandonment, Murder, Kidnapping, Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Bullying, and Gun violence
chrispy's review against another edition
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Rape, and Violence
amymoorex's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Death
Moderate: Rape and Miscarriage
erma_z's review against another edition
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Suicide, and War
theyellowlightsaber's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I had to remember this was based on true events, and that it’s not fully fictional. The book was brought to my attention due to the film adaptation that is coming up, since this not my typical book grab. However, it brings a new life to the lives of individuals who lived during the time of Hilter and his fall, plus post-wars struggles and the trauma they have in years to come. My heart went out for Benita the most. Won’t have any spoilers here, but gosh how I wished she did follow what she wanted instead.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Sexual assault, Miscarriage, Hate crime, and Drug abuse
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