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A review by montigneyrules
No One Is Here Except All of Us by Ramona Ausubel
3.0
#readingchallenge2023 (my book that is Historical Fiction)
I agree with a fellow reviewer, I’ve been sitting on this review for a while, having a hard time with determining my rating. I struggled to connect with most of the novel, often debating DNF or pushing on- the delivery was vague in some sections, while too focused in other sections, creating a disconnect in the story, with some parts less compelling to follow.
I feel the disconnect with this was because the narrator of the story was the child- therefore the beginning was very child-like- with the story meant to grow and develop as she developed- but reading solely about their beginning anew from the perspective of a child was disconnecting.
While the premise was intriguing, the concept of the village forgetting (ignoring) time & reality because of their belief narration- in the beginning-was too heavily focused on their daily life surrounding their religion, and was not what I was expecting. It lacked the element I enjoy most within historical fiction novels, which is learning history-
It wasn’t until the later portion of the novel, in which the events of the Holocaust finally meet up with the characters, did I begin to connect with the story.
The later story showed the persecution & migration, the terrible losses & resiliency of hardships, which is what I had expected from the novel. The later story showed an insight into the Holocaust struggle, different than I’ve ever encountered. So many WWII novels focus on people impacted trying to return to normalcy & community, so this glimpse into the preferred isolation was something new & powerful to discover…when it was finally shown.
A fresh perspective of WWII, but within a struggle of a story, where I didn't connect with any characters.
I agree with a fellow reviewer, I’ve been sitting on this review for a while, having a hard time with determining my rating. I struggled to connect with most of the novel, often debating DNF or pushing on- the delivery was vague in some sections, while too focused in other sections, creating a disconnect in the story, with some parts less compelling to follow.
I feel the disconnect with this was because the narrator of the story was the child- therefore the beginning was very child-like- with the story meant to grow and develop as she developed- but reading solely about their beginning anew from the perspective of a child was disconnecting.
While the premise was intriguing, the concept of the village forgetting (ignoring) time & reality because of their belief narration- in the beginning-was too heavily focused on their daily life surrounding their religion, and was not what I was expecting. It lacked the element I enjoy most within historical fiction novels, which is learning history-
It wasn’t until the later portion of the novel, in which the events of the Holocaust finally meet up with the characters, did I begin to connect with the story.
The later story showed the persecution & migration, the terrible losses & resiliency of hardships, which is what I had expected from the novel. The later story showed an insight into the Holocaust struggle, different than I’ve ever encountered. So many WWII novels focus on people impacted trying to return to normalcy & community, so this glimpse into the preferred isolation was something new & powerful to discover…when it was finally shown.
A fresh perspective of WWII, but within a struggle of a story, where I didn't connect with any characters.