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bookshappythoughts's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
πΈππ πππ πΉπ£π πππ βπππππ€
By @johnboyneauthor
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas absolutely broke my heart. The intensity of following that little boy innocently under that fence was just the most upsetting situation.
All the Broken Places follows Gretel Fernsby an elderly woman that leads a quiet life, not many people know about her past, her escape from Germany, her troubled, distant mother or her father, the commandant of one of the most notorious Nazi concentration camps!
Gretel befriends a young 9-year-old boy from the apartment below when she finds him tearful after a violent argument between his parents.
Henry reminds Gretel of her brother that she lost almost 70 years ago. She must do all in her power to help this boy even if it means revealing her true identity.
π’ Emotional
π§ Twists and relevations
π«Ά Protection and lies
π€ Guilt, grief, and remorse
I read this book with the lovely @e.j.harper_author
We had an interesting discussion about how Gretel could live with the guilt of what she knew for so many years without revealing information about the situation at the time.
I guess the feeling of fear and survival is so strong that it makes a person insular and, in a sense, only able to think about themselves.
Jean and I were not sure about the ending of the book, I won't give anything away, but we were wondering if their could have been an alternative. π€
I loved the fact that this story followed a character years after the horrific event, and the meeting of old characters really brought depth and emotion to the story.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and I do understand why Boyne chose the ending he did!
βοΈβοΈβοΈβοΈβοΈ from me!π€
By @johnboyneauthor
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas absolutely broke my heart. The intensity of following that little boy innocently under that fence was just the most upsetting situation.
All the Broken Places follows Gretel Fernsby an elderly woman that leads a quiet life, not many people know about her past, her escape from Germany, her troubled, distant mother or her father, the commandant of one of the most notorious Nazi concentration camps!
Gretel befriends a young 9-year-old boy from the apartment below when she finds him tearful after a violent argument between his parents.
Henry reminds Gretel of her brother that she lost almost 70 years ago. She must do all in her power to help this boy even if it means revealing her true identity.
π’ Emotional
π§ Twists and relevations
π«Ά Protection and lies
π€ Guilt, grief, and remorse
I read this book with the lovely @e.j.harper_author
We had an interesting discussion about how Gretel could live with the guilt of what she knew for so many years without revealing information about the situation at the time.
I guess the feeling of fear and survival is so strong that it makes a person insular and, in a sense, only able to think about themselves.
Jean and I were not sure about the ending of the book, I won't give anything away, but we were wondering if their could have been an alternative. π€
I loved the fact that this story followed a character years after the horrific event, and the meeting of old characters really brought depth and emotion to the story.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and I do understand why Boyne chose the ending he did!
βοΈβοΈβοΈβοΈβοΈ from me!π€
susanjanette's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
leoniethom's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
peppes's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
jenkilduff's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
Not sure what the overall point of the book is - doesnβt add any more than the original
crayzikat's review against another edition
challenging
sad
medium-paced
4.25
Very good book. I think I'll have to read The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas now. Tough to imagine the protagonist's choices and how she kept her secret her entire life, even from her kids. It was a moving story.
emmajane66's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
mhinnen's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
John Boyne is an exceptional writer. All the Broken Places pulled me right in. Entering the past and present of 91-year-old Gretel, we learn her most shameful secrets. While Greta tries to make herself accountable, she never takes public responsibility and in fact, lives a pretty privileged life even while she is mentally tortured by the understanding that her 12-year-old self was part of a Nazi family and her father was hung for war crimes. She spends much of her life hiding.
The book is written seemingly sympathetic to Gretel . . . is it her fault that she was born into a family and lived a pleasant life on the other side of the fence where crimes against humanity were being committed? We see how her upbringing gave her a taste of power and eventually put her on the run. But she never really makes any reparation to the Jewish community or even meaningful repentance. Even the emotions she feels about her 9-year-old neighbor who is abused seem to be more about her brother who died during their time as Nazis than the millions who died because of her family's complicity. There are moments when we see her humanity, but at the end of the day, it seems that Hitler's charisma corrupted her soul.
I didn't realize until I read the author's note that this is a sequel to the Boy in the Striped Pajamas which I haven't read. Because of this, there are some gaps about what happened to her brother in All the Broken Places that I imagine are revealed in the first novel.
The book is written seemingly sympathetic to Gretel . . . is it her fault that she was born into a family and lived a pleasant life on the other side of the fence where crimes against humanity were being committed? We see how her upbringing gave her a taste of power and eventually put her on the run. But she never really makes any reparation to the Jewish community or even meaningful repentance. Even the emotions she feels about her 9-year-old neighbor who is abused seem to be more about her brother who died during their time as Nazis than the millions who died because of her family's complicity. There are moments when we see her humanity, but at the end of the day, it seems that Hitler's charisma corrupted her soul.
I didn't realize until I read the author's note that this is a sequel to the Boy in the Striped Pajamas which I haven't read. Because of this, there are some gaps about what happened to her brother in All the Broken Places that I imagine are revealed in the first novel.
punkgremlin's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0