isbrooken's review against another edition
4.0
This story has two timelines: 1940’s France and 2005 (present). Eva is a young woman in France during the Nazi takeover.
Details are given - enough so you understand where, what, and when, but not in horrific clarity of what happened during this time.
This book focuses on the impact of the war on children - having to become new people, even some too young to remember their past.
This is a story of love and family.
I expected the book to take a certain direction based on what we find out in the books present (2005) about what happened in the 1940’s - there were unexpected surprises due to opinion and misinformation - it was hard to find loved ones after being separated.
*Warning* There are many times Eva stares death in the face and lives, some quite unrealistic or ‘lucky’ - welcome to fiction.
Details are given - enough so you understand where, what, and when, but not in horrific clarity of what happened during this time.
This book focuses on the impact of the war on children - having to become new people, even some too young to remember their past.
This is a story of love and family.
I expected the book to take a certain direction based on what we find out in the books present (2005) about what happened in the 1940’s - there were unexpected surprises due to opinion and misinformation - it was hard to find loved ones after being separated.
*Warning* There are many times Eva stares death in the face and lives, some quite unrealistic or ‘lucky’ - welcome to fiction.
jmund's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
sierranevada005's review
4.0
This book was so wonderful! I loved all of the characters, they were super well written and fully fledged. I thought it captured the complexity of humanity very well, especially during a time of war. The story was very well-paced, and my only complaint is that the plot was a tad predictable. It didn't take away too much from the overall impact though! A solid 4 stars.
renbooks's review
2.0
While I found the story interesting, I really, really, really, really hated the way the author writes dialogue to the point that it was very detrimental to the enjoyment of the book. In real life, people don't use each other's names every sentence that they speak to each other. In dialogues between Eva and the priest, he literally used her name 75% of every time he spoke (and it happened with every other character way too much as well). I listened to the audiobook and it was VERY apparent and annoying. An editor could have fixed this but for some reason chose not to? Seemed like the author was just very enamored with the character names she chose.
Eva: "Father, blah blah blah"
Priest: "But EVA, blah blah blah"
Eva: "But Father, blah blah blah"
Priest: "Eva, blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah, Eva!!"
Eva: "Blah blah blah"
Priest: "Yes Eva, but blah blah blah"
And so on for a whole conversation. I also didn't think the love story added anything to this book, and the ending was predictable and unrealistic. If you really like WW2 fics, you will probably enjoy this one, but I wouldn't really recommend it.
Eva: "Father, blah blah blah"
Priest: "But EVA, blah blah blah"
Eva: "But Father, blah blah blah"
Priest: "Eva, blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah, Eva!!"
Eva: "Blah blah blah"
Priest: "Yes Eva, but blah blah blah"
And so on for a whole conversation. I also didn't think the love story added anything to this book, and the ending was predictable and unrealistic. If you really like WW2 fics, you will probably enjoy this one, but I wouldn't really recommend it.
jennipiccalo's review
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
cc06's review
5.0
All time favorite books. Just the right of romance and a story that had me fully engrossed beginning to end.
natalya_c14's review
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
melissaw12's review
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
bookish_blonde's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
5 wonderful stars! My favorite thing about this book was that it did not read just like "another WWII historical fiction"! I loved Evas character. Her moms character frustrated me so much. Eva was a stong female lead. I loved the reading experience of her growing into herself. The overall story line of the idea of the book of the names was beautiful and heart wrenching. First by this author but won't be my last!
crazyladybugg's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0