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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
sad
medium-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
inspiring
medium-paced
emotional
informative
inspiring
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
Set during the events of WW2, we follow Lena Papadopoulus, a grecian girl who was paralyzed due to infantile polio, as her life transpires. We meet her father, Theo, the travelling circus he works for as an illusionist, and Alexandre, a jewish french boy hiding from the SS as Theo’s apprentice.
We see as Lena’s life changes after meeting Alexandre, how she begins thinking about going to university and begins physiotherapy to regain mobility and strength in her legs. Suddenly, everything crumbles when Nazis take Theo and Alexandre to Theresienstadt, a concentration camp and “model town”, where they are forced to perform and survive in harrowing conditions. As Lena is left to fend for herself and under the impression that her family and loved ones are all dead, she picks up her pieces and moves to England to fulfill her dreams of medical school.
This book was really a pleasure to read. The circus was magical and the times after were so vivid and heartbreaking. I learned quite a bit about the Second World War from this book, as I went down a rabbit hole googling the real camp of Theresienstadt. I truly felt the entire round of emotions reading this story.
We see as Lena’s life changes after meeting Alexandre, how she begins thinking about going to university and begins physiotherapy to regain mobility and strength in her legs. Suddenly, everything crumbles when Nazis take Theo and Alexandre to Theresienstadt, a concentration camp and “model town”, where they are forced to perform and survive in harrowing conditions. As Lena is left to fend for herself and under the impression that her family and loved ones are all dead, she picks up her pieces and moves to England to fulfill her dreams of medical school.
This book was really a pleasure to read. The circus was magical and the times after were so vivid and heartbreaking. I learned quite a bit about the Second World War from this book, as I went down a rabbit hole googling the real camp of Theresienstadt. I truly felt the entire round of emotions reading this story.