Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
*Note* My brain likes to play the song association game. Words/phrases will trigger a song/lyrics in my head, where that song will then live for a while. My challenge to myself for 2023 is to write down the song that was stuck in my head while reading each book this year/list a song that I feel captures the spirit of the book. As the first book I finished in 2023, this review will be the first to feature an associated song.
2.5..maybe 3 stars...sigh, I just can't seem to get into a book lately. I had high hopes for this book but I didn't enjoy the characters or story. It was soooo wordy, so juvenile at times, even though it was covering a heavy topic. I don't know, it just wasn't for me.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
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:
Complicated
I had high hopes for a new backdrop in a WWII novel, but I feel like there were too many characters and side stories that didn’t have the proper time to develop. Felt rushed at the end and threw in a few plot twists that felt forced and inconsistent.
Certainly more than just a love story between two young people, but a story of love between a father and daughter, love in friendships, love in times of tragedy and a war filled world, and love and belief that you can overcome anything that life throws at you.
Beautiful story about human perseverance and the power of love. It is a WW II novel, but the it had a unique perspective because the father-daughter main characters are Greek and traveling across Europe. Instead of Auschwitz, prisoners are sent to a work camp where in addition to manual labor, they perform. The descriptions were so lovely, I could see each scene in my mind.
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:
Yes
I never do this…this was a big ol DNF!!! I was so bored. I got half way through and felt like it was never ever ever going to end and by that point I had lost interest in knowing the ending. The writing was merely ok and the research on the time period was pretty poor. I returned it to the library unfinished… I’m sorry to the book…I tried!
I quite enjoyed the ending, but it was very easy to put down for more than half the book. It wasn’t bad, per se, just “meh” for about 2/3rds of the book. It wasn’t until the last third that I would start reading this over other books in my ever growing collection.