Reviews

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

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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

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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.

punkgremlin's review against another edition

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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

katandco's review against another edition

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medium-paced

4.0

alishabuford's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective fast-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

5.0

misaqi's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad medium-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

5.0

I really LOVED this book. Gretel is a complex character and I loved reading about her journey. Usually, when a book has two timelines, I prefer one over the other, but in this book, I honestly enjoyed both and was not bored or overwhelmed. I actually liked this book more than "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas"!

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