2.94 AVERAGE


I really liked this book. I read the book then watched the movie Jo Jo Rabbit. I enjoyed both, but glad I read the book first.

This was apparently the basis for Jojo Rabbit but has none of what was great about the movie. Not that it is poorly written but the story and characters are so disturbing and depressing that I struggled to get through it.

I did not like this book.  It seemed like the author skirted around information that was very important to the plot line, never coming out and stating exactly what was happening.  For that reason by the end of the book I wasn't entirely sure what the characters in the book knew and even if the characters in the book were real or imagined.  Besides that I found the book very slow moving and not at all captivating.  I did end up finishing it, but barely.
jasper_wildlife's profile picture

jasper_wildlife's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 61%

It's genuinely so boring, I have been trying to finish this since junior year of high-school (I am now a college junior) and it just fucking sucks.
challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
dark reflective slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I would have enjoyed this book more if it cut off around page 200 or so. The most impactful scenes in the book are in there, and I felt like the author lost me around 2/3rds into this book. Up to that point, I was very intrigued and I felt like it was one of the better WW2 books I've read (it's not my favourite genre anyway), but the final 100 pages dragged on.
I did like the perspective, at the start. Kind of hard to see how easily someone is radicalised when school is involved too, and I wish that was the focus of this book instead. The ending with Elsa and life after the war detracted from the impact this book had on me at the start.
Still, decent book. Just skip the final 100 pages. 

3.75 (oddly specific, but still)
dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
challenging dark emotional slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
slow-paced
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes