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A review by tips2liveby
The German Girl by Armando Lucas Correa
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I'm a big fan of historical fiction, and particularly of historical fiction from the WWII era. And while the real life events this story is based on gave it lots of potential, the book fell a bit short for me.
The book follows the story of a Jewish family living in Berlin prior to the start of the war. As they begin to realize that it's not safe for them to remain in Germany, their options to escape are limited. Finally, they secure passage on a ship called the St. Louis, which will take them to Cuba as they wait for their turn to enter the U.S. Unfortunately while they are en-route, the Cuban government changes their mind about letting them enter, and the St. Louis becomes a ship full of people without a home.
The narration of this story goes between Hannah, who is the young German girl traveling on the ship with her family, and Ana, who in 2014 is Hannah's great niece who is trying to learn more about her dead father's family in Cuba.
There are two things that made me feel like this book was just "ok". First, I found something about the writing style to be off for me. Second, I just did not feel an emotional connection to the characters. It all just felt a bit bland and boring for me, when this story should have been super compelling.
Not disappointed to have read this one, but I wouldn't put it on a list of books I would recommend to people of this genre. There are just better books out there.
The book follows the story of a Jewish family living in Berlin prior to the start of the war. As they begin to realize that it's not safe for them to remain in Germany, their options to escape are limited. Finally, they secure passage on a ship called the St. Louis, which will take them to Cuba as they wait for their turn to enter the U.S. Unfortunately while they are en-route, the Cuban government changes their mind about letting them enter, and the St. Louis becomes a ship full of people without a home.
The narration of this story goes between Hannah, who is the young German girl traveling on the ship with her family, and Ana, who in 2014 is Hannah's great niece who is trying to learn more about her dead father's family in Cuba.
There are two things that made me feel like this book was just "ok". First, I found something about the writing style to be off for me. Second, I just did not feel an emotional connection to the characters. It all just felt a bit bland and boring for me, when this story should have been super compelling.
Not disappointed to have read this one, but I wouldn't put it on a list of books I would recommend to people of this genre. There are just better books out there.