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4.49 AVERAGE
4.49 AVERAGE
emotional
informative
I started with the audiobook and hated the narrator, which made me fear that I might hate the book too, but once I got into the historical part of the story, I was hooked. Having the frame story set during the COVID lockdown was a convenient excuse to throw Matthew together with his great-grandmother and get her story. I had not previously known about the famine in Ukraine in the 30s. This book does not go into great depth of the historical facts, but really did try to emphasize the human cost and the people's suffering.
emotional
informative
sad
slow-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:
Complicated
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
informative
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book was incredible! I am so glad that it was on my state’s Battle of the Books list, and that this was the year I chose to help coach a team of students.
challenging
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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:
Yes
4.5 stars
I hated this book when I was 50% of the way through because I thought that everyone (Matthew and a little bit Mila) was being bratty. Then abruptly the entire narrative shifted, and it picked up, and it twisted and the characters grew deeply as people. This is actually an extremely good exploration of the concepts of trauma on survivors, and particularly the way that they do or do not communicate their stories. I'm going to be thinking about this for a while, especially in relation to my own grandmother and the Cultural Revolution.
My only complaints lie in the writing itself - it's just kind of poor. Narratively extremely sound, just an unenjoyable writing style. That, and the decision to anchor it with Matthew in COVID. Matthew's narration feels extremely out of place in this story because the other kids are thinking so deeply about the world they're living in, and Matthew says "I hate my mom for taking my Switch! How will I possibly survive this pandemic!" I understand that the plot device of COVID allows for Matthew to have some extra time to spend with his grandmother, but I feel like that could've been worked in to summer break, too. Supposedly, there are parallels between the famine and between Matthew's experience of the pandemic, but Matthew's character doesn't have the depth to communicate that for me. It wasn't until the final chapter that I actually felt like he was a part of the story - but maybe that was the point.
I hated this book when I was 50% of the way through because I thought that everyone (Matthew and a little bit Mila) was being bratty. Then abruptly the entire narrative shifted, and it picked up, and it twisted and the characters grew deeply as people. This is actually an extremely good exploration of the concepts of trauma on survivors, and particularly the way that they do or do not communicate their stories. I'm going to be thinking about this for a while, especially in relation to my own grandmother and the Cultural Revolution.
My only complaints lie in the writing itself - it's just kind of poor. Narratively extremely sound, just an unenjoyable writing style. That, and the decision to anchor it with Matthew in COVID. Matthew's narration feels extremely out of place in this story because the other kids are thinking so deeply about the world they're living in, and Matthew says "I hate my mom for taking my Switch! How will I possibly survive this pandemic!" I understand that the plot device of COVID allows for Matthew to have some extra time to spend with his grandmother, but I feel like that could've been worked in to summer break, too. Supposedly, there are parallels between the famine and between Matthew's experience of the pandemic, but Matthew's character doesn't have the depth to communicate that for me. It wasn't until the final chapter that I actually felt like he was a part of the story - but maybe that was the point.