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insearchof_wonder_ 's review for:
Children of the Stars
by Mario Escobar
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This has been on my shelf forever, and I'm glad I finally had the opportunity to read it. I enjoyed the unique perspective on WW2, which was that of two Jewish boys (12 and 8 at the start of the book) who are abandoned and searching for their parents. Their journey to find their parents has just enough adventure and misadventure and tragedy nearly missed to keep you reading but it's not too heavy.
While I enjoyed their journey, I did find the narration very stilted and the dialogue unnatural. Philosophizing was inserted into otherwise normal conversations between the boys and the adults who came in and out of their lives, and seemed jarringly out of place. I think the stilted narration was due in part to the fact that it is translated, which I understand, but still detracted from the reading experience for me personally.
I also couldn't get past the fact that their parents abandoned them but were still portrayed as being good and loving parents. I get that it was war time and all, but if I was separated from my kids - even at their older ages of 15 and 13 - during a time of war, I would move heaven and earth to be with them, even if it meant certain death for me. These boys' parents seemed perfectly happy to leave their kids in the hands of other adults and hope for the best.
While I enjoyed their journey, I did find the narration very stilted and the dialogue unnatural. Philosophizing was inserted into otherwise normal conversations between the boys and the adults who came in and out of their lives, and seemed jarringly out of place. I think the stilted narration was due in part to the fact that it is translated, which I understand, but still detracted from the reading experience for me personally.
I also couldn't get past the fact that their parents abandoned them but were still portrayed as being good and loving parents. I get that it was war time and all, but if I was separated from my kids - even at their older ages of 15 and 13 - during a time of war, I would move heaven and earth to be with them, even if it meant certain death for me. These boys' parents seemed perfectly happy to leave their kids in the hands of other adults and hope for the best.