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storytimereviews 's review for:
Salt to the Sea
by Ruta Sepetys
4.5 stars. I loved this book! A must read if you like historical fiction. Haunting. Tragic yet inspiring. Informational. This book will stay with you long after you read the last page. One of my favorite quotes: “Just when you think this war has taken everything you loved, you meet someone and realize that somehow you still have more to give.”
It’s WWII and Rita Sepetys masterfully tells the true story about the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff from the POV of four fictional characters: Florian, Joana, Emilia, and Alfred. The torpedoed ship is the deadliest disaster in maritime history. 9,000+ lives were lost—mostly civilians of which nearly half were children. These losses dwarf the death tolls of the famous ships Titanic and Lusitania. Yet remarkably, most people have never heard of it. I certainly had not.
You will learn a lot about this tragic yet inspiring event. You’ll meet wonderful characters that come from different homelands and backgrounds. Each character brings such a strong element to the reader, including supporting characters such as the endearing and wise Opi the shoemaker. I enjoyed the perspective of each character as their lives converge and strangers become entwined as a family.
This book switches viewpoints every couple of pages which made it hard in the beginning to follow, but then you quickly become engrossed and the story comes together beautifully.
My only dislike is the ending, which was abrupt, then quickly jumped ahead twenty years. I would’ve liked to have seen a much smoother transition, thus the 4 out of 5 stars.
Contents: (S) No sex. Some kissing. References to rape. (V) Wartime violence. Violence and death from the ship sinking. (L) No swearing nor degradation of deity.
It’s WWII and Rita Sepetys masterfully tells the true story about the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff from the POV of four fictional characters: Florian, Joana, Emilia, and Alfred. The torpedoed ship is the deadliest disaster in maritime history. 9,000+ lives were lost—mostly civilians of which nearly half were children. These losses dwarf the death tolls of the famous ships Titanic and Lusitania. Yet remarkably, most people have never heard of it. I certainly had not.
You will learn a lot about this tragic yet inspiring event. You’ll meet wonderful characters that come from different homelands and backgrounds. Each character brings such a strong element to the reader, including supporting characters such as the endearing and wise Opi the shoemaker. I enjoyed the perspective of each character as their lives converge and strangers become entwined as a family.
This book switches viewpoints every couple of pages which made it hard in the beginning to follow, but then you quickly become engrossed and the story comes together beautifully.
My only dislike is the ending, which was abrupt, then quickly jumped ahead twenty years. I would’ve liked to have seen a much smoother transition, thus the 4 out of 5 stars.
Contents: (S) No sex. Some kissing. References to rape. (V) Wartime violence. Violence and death from the ship sinking. (L) No swearing nor degradation of deity.