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sofi0518's review against another edition
5.0
What a beautiful book. Three world tragedies in one tale - the Holocaust, the Cuban Revolution and 9/11. I was personally touched by the last two and always intrigued and horrified by the first. Have the tissues ready, you’ll need them!
angevba's review against another edition
4.0
Es difícil calificar este libro, tomando en cuenta que aunque es ficción, se basa en hechos reales, lo cual le da un toque bastante agridulce.
La historia en general es cautivadora, pero lo que más me gustó fue el final, me parece que se cerro el círculo de todo lo que nos venían contando en esta trama a dos voces.
La historia en general es cautivadora, pero lo que más me gustó fue el final, me parece que se cerro el círculo de todo lo que nos venían contando en esta trama a dos voces.
kimreadz's review against another edition
3.0
There were several reasons I picked this one up. The first was the cover with the ship — it reminded me of the Titanic, and if you know me, you know I am a sucker for Titanic stories! It wasn’t the Titanic, but a ship named the St. Louis, and of course, I also like anything St. Louis. Then I learned it was a WWII era novel about the Jews who attempted to flee Germany and were left stranded on a ship. I’d heard about this event, but really didn’t know the details, so I wanted to know more.
Unfortunately this book was not all that I’d hoped it would be. It was very slow to get started and even after 100 pages, I was not fully invested in the story. There are two stories being told at the same time in the book and they take place decades apart. One is the story of 11 year old Ann, set in present day New York and Cuba. Anna has grown up without her father and learns she has an elderly great-aunt living in Cuba. The second story is the story of the great-aunt, Hannah; her story begins when she was age 11. The story slips back and forth between the two narrators. Usually I enjoy this method of storytelling, but for some reason it didn’t work for me this time. I think it may be because Anna and Hannah were very similar in personality and experiences, and this made it hard for me to remember whose story I was reading at the time.
The story has parallels with world events today and I think this book will make an excellent book club selection. Topics to discuss include the actions of the various characters in the book and their actions influenced the outcome of the story, the events of WWII, and the how the events of the story relate to the current refugee crisis.
My rating: 3½ Stars
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book for review purposes.
Unfortunately this book was not all that I’d hoped it would be. It was very slow to get started and even after 100 pages, I was not fully invested in the story. There are two stories being told at the same time in the book and they take place decades apart. One is the story of 11 year old Ann, set in present day New York and Cuba. Anna has grown up without her father and learns she has an elderly great-aunt living in Cuba. The second story is the story of the great-aunt, Hannah; her story begins when she was age 11. The story slips back and forth between the two narrators. Usually I enjoy this method of storytelling, but for some reason it didn’t work for me this time. I think it may be because Anna and Hannah were very similar in personality and experiences, and this made it hard for me to remember whose story I was reading at the time.
The story has parallels with world events today and I think this book will make an excellent book club selection. Topics to discuss include the actions of the various characters in the book and their actions influenced the outcome of the story, the events of WWII, and the how the events of the story relate to the current refugee crisis.
My rating: 3½ Stars
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book for review purposes.
adryins's review against another edition
5.0
Durisimo. Sobre todo al estar contada, la primera parte, desde la perspectiva de una niña, que no entiende que tiene de malo. En esta tremenda historia, acompañamos a hanna desde berlin a su exilio en la havana y su larga y desdichada vida, que realmente terminó, el dia que ser judía, se convirtió en un delito. Vemos como esta niña quedó estancada y como la humillacion, la falta de empatia y el resentimiento y perdida marcan su vida. La historia esta contada en dos lineas temporales haciendo notable como el pasado siempre nos encuentra. Pero tambien cuenta la importancia de la identidad.
lottie1803's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
teganpitt47's review against another edition
informative
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
3.0
yedidah72's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting historical fiction about a sad point in history. Wasnt always crazy about the writing style, but it was a good story and worth the read.