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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
Interesting idea, but poorly executed - is probably how I would describe this book. It juxtaposes the present and the past, showing us main character Becca and her sisters as children, as their grandmother tells them a story very like Sleeping Beauty; and Becca as an adult after her grandmother's death, trying to figure out more about her grandmother's past. This leads her to the discovery that her grandmother was held in a Nazi extermination camp, and suddenly she starts to wonder if the story where 'everyone fell asleep' is just a story.
I think the main problem with this book was that it didn't know what it was - was it young adult, historical fiction, mystery, fairy tale? All of those on the surface, but none of those in substance, I guess. I snoozed through most of it and skimmed at least the last half. The characters were absolutely one dimensional and their interactions stilted. I found myself easily predicting what was going to happen and just not caring either way.
It was very clearly written for a 'younger' audience, but the sign of a good YA book is that it doesn't talk down to its audience, which this one did. Add it to the 'do not bother' list, friends.
I think the main problem with this book was that it didn't know what it was - was it young adult, historical fiction, mystery, fairy tale? All of those on the surface, but none of those in substance, I guess. I snoozed through most of it and skimmed at least the last half. The characters were absolutely one dimensional and their interactions stilted. I found myself easily predicting what was going to happen and just not caring either way.
It was very clearly written for a 'younger' audience, but the sign of a good YA book is that it doesn't talk down to its audience, which this one did. Add it to the 'do not bother' list, friends.
This was one of the most haunting tales I have read, and it is worth it. I picked it up because I thought it was a unique concept. Sleeping beauty set during the Holocaust is not something you read every day. It was completely different from what I expected, but in such a good way. Yolan has a mastery over the writing that echoes the feeling of the story and of the Holocaust. A beautiful read for the lover of fairy tales or the lover of historical fiction
Under no circumstances can you refer to a book on the Holocaust as an "easy" read but Briar Rose somehow sucks you in and you simply devour this pseudo-fairy tale. Very graphic imagery, some language and mature concept.
Highly, highly recommended for grades 9 and up.
Highly, highly recommended for grades 9 and up.
This is a fictional take on Sleeping Beauty with the backdrop of WWII. It’s a fast but devastating read. Although all the characters are made up, their experiences are real to those who survived the war.
I find it hard to rate this book because I found it so terribly depressing. I don't want to say I "liked" it, because I didn't, per se. I am not happy that I read it, but I don't think it was a waste of time, either. The way the stories intertwined was interesting and it was well written (I believe) but I won't be reading it again. Definitely not something to read if you need a pick-me-up.
1.25/5 stars
this just seems like a good idea, poorly executed. the writing style reminded me a lot of nancy drew for some reason - maybe because of how frequently it described appearances? but it was wordier and try-hardier. it was super boring and disappointing. the payoff of the reveal was not even close to worth it; the romance was gross and deeply unnecessary. this was not a fun reading experience AT ALL.
bottom line: do not recommend. bleh.
this just seems like a good idea, poorly executed. the writing style reminded me a lot of nancy drew for some reason - maybe because of how frequently it described appearances? but it was wordier and try-hardier. it was super boring and disappointing. the payoff of the reveal was not even close to worth it; the romance was gross and deeply unnecessary. this was not a fun reading experience AT ALL.
bottom line: do not recommend. bleh.
Quite a sad story, but such a realistic twist on a classic story that left me pondering the inspiration for fairy tales.
I expected this book to end badly...but I was wrong. Where I was expecting everyone dies, I got, "They all lived happily ever after"...mostly. :P
I plan on reading this book again in the future...and I'm looking forward to it.
I plan on reading this book again in the future...and I'm looking forward to it.
This is hella dated now (it would actually be a pretty interesting candidate for that modernization trend that's so popular today, since the research methods and all would be TOTALLY different), but it's still rather good, and I could see it doing well transferred to screen. (I volunteer to adapt it.) The end is a bit rushed, as you might expect from something that makes so much of its mystery, but all in all, it's quite compelling, and it's interesting how it's totally about adults more than about children, and since Elizabeth Wein has made such stories about young adults (as in "adults who are young" and not teens) in WWII so popular, this might get a lot of readers were librarians to sell it as a readalike. Also, if you want more YA about 18-25-year-olds, this one's it.
Anyway. Very interesting way of using the fairy tale but not obsessively relying on its every aspect as a metaphor, even if, as I said, the end gets rushed and tries to explain too much too quickly. A good read overall.
Anyway. Very interesting way of using the fairy tale but not obsessively relying on its every aspect as a metaphor, even if, as I said, the end gets rushed and tries to explain too much too quickly. A good read overall.
Not a typical read and I read it for a book challene=h=ge. This is the story of a grandaughter honoring a promise she made her grandma as she was dying in a nursing home. After the funeral a box is found which contains old newpaper clippings photographs and other papers giving more questions than answers. This leads her on a journey to find her family roots and learn who her grandmother was so many years ago.