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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
Loved it! Had elements of all my favorites right now-music, self discovery, a little romance, faith and history.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
I have always had a soft spot for Holocaust stories, maybe because of the great tragedy that managed to also birth light on some places. The Butterfly and the Violin perfectly captured that concept for me, with a woman who faces such hardship, yet plays beautiful music.
Often times, I find it difficult to go from on perspective to another when the characters live in different time periods. However, Kristy managed to describe each period with details that kept them distinct in my mind. The change between war torn Austria and modern California pulled me right in.
There is not much I can say that I did not like. Perhaps when Vladamir, an other wise suave gentleman, referred to his heart as a "ticker". All in all, I really enjoyed seeing the Holocaust threw the eyes of Sera and Adele. and hope to read more by Kristy Cambron.
I received this book through Litfuse in exchange for an honest review.
Often times, I find it difficult to go from on perspective to another when the characters live in different time periods. However, Kristy managed to describe each period with details that kept them distinct in my mind. The change between war torn Austria and modern California pulled me right in.
There is not much I can say that I did not like. Perhaps when Vladamir, an other wise suave gentleman, referred to his heart as a "ticker". All in all, I really enjoyed seeing the Holocaust threw the eyes of Sera and Adele. and hope to read more by Kristy Cambron.
I received this book through Litfuse in exchange for an honest review.
The Butterfly and the Violin ended up being a book that worked for a challenge. If it wasn't for a WW2 category, I don't think I would've read this on my own. After reading it, I'm down to dive into the next book of this series.
In it, you will meet a couple of characters - William, Sera, Adele, Vladimir, Penny, and Omara. Just to name a few. After meeting them, I can tell you that I liked some and was invested in others a bit more. Honestly, it doesn't feel weird to me when it comes to this book. I mean the plot and pacing went by but I just kind of zoned in and out of things still. I blame work and people calling my constantly when I was listening to this book.
Other than that, I liked the book and that's about it.
In it, you will meet a couple of characters - William, Sera, Adele, Vladimir, Penny, and Omara. Just to name a few. After meeting them, I can tell you that I liked some and was invested in others a bit more. Honestly, it doesn't feel weird to me when it comes to this book. I mean the plot and pacing went by but I just kind of zoned in and out of things still. I blame work and people calling my constantly when I was listening to this book.
Other than that, I liked the book and that's about it.
*WARNING: Not for the faint of heart!*
Words cannot describe what a fantastic job Kristy Cambron did with her debut novel, The Butterfy and the Violin! I'm this split-time novel, she tells the fictional story of a young woman who is separated from both her love and her life of privelege. She is sent to live in the confines of Auschwitz-Birkenau, where she must make the choice to give up and die, or live for God and for hope.
This is such a powerful story of a modern-day woman dedicating years to uncover the story of a sweet concert violinist turned brave Auschwitz prisoner. In searching for Adele's story, Sera is challenged to let go of the past and live for the future. While living in Auschwitz, Adele is challenged to stand with her friends, and trust the Lord with every breath she breathes. They are both very courageous young women who require a little push to realize the full potential they are being called to live to. That is what most drew me to love these women!
While this is a story of love and romance, it is also one of heartache and cruelty. It is a bleak reminder of our world's history and the gruesome lives some of the world's bravest people were forced to live. Yet, this is also a story of beauty from ashes, of redemption, of hope, and of letting go of the past and living for the future.
There were very few flaws I saw in this book. While it would have made for a longer read, I would have liked to see Sera and William's story unfold at a little slower of a pace. It seemed rather unbelievable how quickly they developed feelings for each other and how fast their relationship moved. However, the rest of the story was so amazing it more than made up for my petty complaints!
I would not recommend this to young readers due to the intense, and possibly frightening, scenes played out before/during life in the Auschwitz concentration camp.
Words cannot describe what a fantastic job Kristy Cambron did with her debut novel, The Butterfy and the Violin! I'm this split-time novel, she tells the fictional story of a young woman who is separated from both her love and her life of privelege. She is sent to live in the confines of Auschwitz-Birkenau, where she must make the choice to give up and die, or live for God and for hope.
This is such a powerful story of a modern-day woman dedicating years to uncover the story of a sweet concert violinist turned brave Auschwitz prisoner. In searching for Adele's story, Sera is challenged to let go of the past and live for the future. While living in Auschwitz, Adele is challenged to stand with her friends, and trust the Lord with every breath she breathes. They are both very courageous young women who require a little push to realize the full potential they are being called to live to. That is what most drew me to love these women!
While this is a story of love and romance, it is also one of heartache and cruelty. It is a bleak reminder of our world's history and the gruesome lives some of the world's bravest people were forced to live. Yet, this is also a story of beauty from ashes, of redemption, of hope, and of letting go of the past and living for the future.
There were very few flaws I saw in this book. While it would have made for a longer read, I would have liked to see Sera and William's story unfold at a little slower of a pace. It seemed rather unbelievable how quickly they developed feelings for each other and how fast their relationship moved. However, the rest of the story was so amazing it more than made up for my petty complaints!
I would not recommend this to young readers due to the intense, and possibly frightening, scenes played out before/during life in the Auschwitz concentration camp.
I enjoyed this book...
The author does good job of creating the distinct atmosphere of both time periods in the book without them getting jumbled.
I loved reading the WWll parts with Adele. Even though the content is heavy with the holocaust, it doesn't feel overly burdened by the horrid details of the concentration camp. The author does not rely solely on the atrocities of the nazi's to shockingly fill each chapter. Those details are in the background - a pit in your stomach as you read; but not the complete focus of the pages. You are learning the story of Adele and what happened to her and her orchestra companions.
The present day chapters felt so much more 'blah' to me, and very repetitive. (The woman: "I've been hurt before...how can I ever open my heart again...I want to love but how can I ever love again...I want to pursue a relationship but I've been hurt before...")
Ok - I think I understand that you are afraid to open your heart up again. Let's not rehash that at every turn. It just felt like there was no depth or development for that character. And look - I can't even remember her name! I found myself trying to just get through the modern day chapters so I could read more about Adele.
The author does good job of creating the distinct atmosphere of both time periods in the book without them getting jumbled.
I loved reading the WWll parts with Adele. Even though the content is heavy with the holocaust, it doesn't feel overly burdened by the horrid details of the concentration camp. The author does not rely solely on the atrocities of the nazi's to shockingly fill each chapter. Those details are in the background - a pit in your stomach as you read; but not the complete focus of the pages. You are learning the story of Adele and what happened to her and her orchestra companions.
The present day chapters felt so much more 'blah' to me, and very repetitive. (The woman: "I've been hurt before...how can I ever open my heart again...I want to love but how can I ever love again...I want to pursue a relationship but I've been hurt before...")
Ok - I think I understand that you are afraid to open your heart up again. Let's not rehash that at every turn. It just felt like there was no depth or development for that character. And look - I can't even remember her name! I found myself trying to just get through the modern day chapters so I could read more about Adele.
This was an oddly light read for being a WWII book that partially takes place in a concentration camp. It was a good, fast read. It felt a bit too much like a romance novel to me, especially the modern day part of the story, which seemed fairly unnecessary. The older part was much better and I liked seeing the war from the perspective of a young Austrian woman whose stents supported Hitler. However, it didn't really go deep enough for me and just skimmed the surface of what could have been a much better story. The narration style of going back and forth between modern and historical during WWII and the mystery element reminded me of Sarah's Key, which is a much stronger, serious book. Despite that, I did enjoy it. If you like Christian fiction or romance novels you'll probably like it.
“These prisoners—the ones who painted or wrote poetry or played in the orchestra—they refused to let the spirit die.” ~Kristy Cambron, The Butterfly and the Violin~
Kristy Cambron’s debut novel, The Butterfly and the Violin, tells the story of two women: Sera James in present day and Adele Von Bron in 1942. Sera is an art dealer who becomes fascinated by a painting she saw once as a girl—of a young female violinist with piercing blue eyes. It’s a painting of haunting beauty, and Sera is compelled to chase it down.
As she does, we discover the subject is Adele Von Bron, once a celebrated Austrian violinist, who ends up imprisoned in a concentration camp for smuggling Jews out of Vienna. Surprisingly, the painting was not commissioned when Adele was rich and famous. Instead, the canvas captures Adele the prisoner, who found a way to honor God with her music even in Auschwitz, an Adele matured & refined by suffering.
We learn that this particular masterpiece so captivates Sera because it speaks of hope in the worst of circumstances—and that’s what I love about this story.
For Adele’s story is one of hope and joy amidst heartbreak and loss. Adele’s legacy is powerful enough to help Sera break free of her own selfish bubble of personal pain and reach out for life and love.
The Butterfly and the Violin reminds us that even when men try to remake the world in their own image, they can never erase God’s image in us. And all that is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent & worthy of praise cannot be silenced for long.
What I liked best . . .
Two storylines—present day with a link to the past (my favorite plot device)
The old-Hollywood-movie feel of Sera’s contemporary romance
Adele’s riveting Holocaust storyline
Vladimir’s big heart & unfailing kindness
Omara’s strength & courage
Dancing on the banks of the River Seine on a sunny Paris day
The Standing-Ovation-Worthy ending of Adele’s personal Holocaust experience!!!
My favorite quote . . .
“For the first time in her life she felt beautiful in her weakness, feeling God’s strength uplifting her from all sides.”
***Thanks to Kristy Cambron & Litfuse for providing a copy for me to review.
Kristy Cambron’s debut novel, The Butterfly and the Violin, tells the story of two women: Sera James in present day and Adele Von Bron in 1942. Sera is an art dealer who becomes fascinated by a painting she saw once as a girl—of a young female violinist with piercing blue eyes. It’s a painting of haunting beauty, and Sera is compelled to chase it down.
As she does, we discover the subject is Adele Von Bron, once a celebrated Austrian violinist, who ends up imprisoned in a concentration camp for smuggling Jews out of Vienna. Surprisingly, the painting was not commissioned when Adele was rich and famous. Instead, the canvas captures Adele the prisoner, who found a way to honor God with her music even in Auschwitz, an Adele matured & refined by suffering.
For Adele’s story is one of hope and joy amidst heartbreak and loss. Adele’s legacy is powerful enough to help Sera break free of her own selfish bubble of personal pain and reach out for life and love.
The Butterfly and the Violin reminds us that even when men try to remake the world in their own image, they can never erase God’s image in us. And all that is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent & worthy of praise cannot be silenced for long.
What I liked best . . .
Two storylines—present day with a link to the past (my favorite plot device)
The old-Hollywood-movie feel of Sera’s contemporary romance
Adele’s riveting Holocaust storyline
Vladimir’s big heart & unfailing kindness
Omara’s strength & courage
Dancing on the banks of the River Seine on a sunny Paris day
The Standing-Ovation-Worthy ending of Adele’s personal Holocaust experience!!!
My favorite quote . . .
“For the first time in her life she felt beautiful in her weakness, feeling God’s strength uplifting her from all sides.”
***Thanks to Kristy Cambron & Litfuse for providing a copy for me to review.
Interesting, but a little far fetched and predictable. Kind of like a Hallmark movie.