Reviews with content warning for Genocide - The Postcard

Reviews tagging 'Genocide'

The Postcard by Anne Berest

50 reviews

adrienneleigh's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad 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

4.5

This is a beautiful book. I especially enjoyed the second half where the narrator investigates her grandmother’s story. I loved the detective story, the interactions between Anne and Lelia, and learning about the French Resistance. I’m looking forward to checking out the forums and attending the event with the translator.

Content Warnings

karenleagermain's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Wow. I started the audio version yesterday and just couldn't stop listening.

The memoir starts with a mystery that is not solved until the final pages of the book. Anne Berest becomes obsessed with a postcard that was sent to her mother. The postcard contained the names of four family members that died during the Holocaust. These are the author's great grandparents, great aunt, and great uncle. Berest's grandmother was the only person in her family that survived. There is no other identifying information on the postcard and Berest's grandmother has already died.

Using her mother's research, Berest pieces together her family history in an attempt to understand who might have sent the postcard. While thinking about her family history, Berest also thinks about what it means to be Jewish in contemporary times.

The primary themes are remembering the past, bearing witness to the past, and remembering those who have died. Although this is about one family, the scope is enormous and this is an important story, reminding the reader to never forget what happened during the Holocaust.

One more note, The Postcard is a translated work, originally written in French. It's published by Europa Editions. I mentioning this because Europa Editions publishes incredible books and I think it's important to read books published in different countries.

Content Warnings

francescaguardo's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Currently a 4-4.5 but need time to think about it

Content Warnings

leslie_overbookedsocialworker's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional mysterious reflective 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? No

5.0

Content Warnings

kristinj1's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional informative reflective relaxing sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Wow this was a good book! It was interesting to read this with the real world backdrop of the war happening in Gaza and Israel. I have an even deeper understanding of what Jewish people have experienced, what it was like in places like Paris before deportation began, how they believed that if they followed the rules they'd be okay. I see now why, at the end of the book, she says why they don't obey orders. Oh, and the reintroduction of "returnees" to France! I hadn't read about any of that before.

Content Warnings