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runjnee's review against another edition
4.0
What a lovely little gem of a book. No Holocaust account/story fails to tug at my heart, and this is no different. Beautifully written, in a lovely voice; my heart is heavy even hours after finishing it.
There was one abrupt shift in POV near the end, but I guess the formatting was a bit funny since I was reading an ebook. There were a couple of other minor jumps in the narration as well, but I never felt them to be jarringly obvious.
The blurb basically tells you everything you need to know about the story. The violin is my second favourite instrument (behind the cello), but oh the loving attention to detail here may very briefly have shoved it up a bit. What a wonderful little thing to focus on when the setting is such a heavy theme.
I don't know if the translator has done a good job, but I was certainly enthralled by the read. I can only hope to write something as evocative as this story. It's a very short read and I would recommend it to anyone.
There was one abrupt shift in POV near the end, but I guess the formatting was a bit funny since I was reading an ebook. There were a couple of other minor jumps in the narration as well, but I never felt them to be jarringly obvious.
The blurb basically tells you everything you need to know about the story. The violin is my second favourite instrument (behind the cello), but oh the loving attention to detail here may very briefly have shoved it up a bit. What a wonderful little thing to focus on when the setting is such a heavy theme.
I don't know if the translator has done a good job, but I was certainly enthralled by the read. I can only hope to write something as evocative as this story. It's a very short read and I would recommend it to anyone.
books_with_lauren's review
1.0
Read my review here: http://laurencaton.wordpress.com/2011/02/19/the-auschwitz-violinreview/
eveaada's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
5.0
Sometimes you start reading a book with your bookmark ready. Later you close the book and realise that you didn't need that bookmark since you couldn't put the book down before turning to the last page. This is one of those books.
isabelmariasanchezgarcia's review against another edition
3.0
Por norma general, no me gustan demasiado los libros de novela de ficción histórica, pero si hay un tema que me interesa es el III Reich. Leo todo cuanto puedo relacionado con ello ("La bibliotecaria de Auschwitz", "El Tatuador de Auschwitz", "El Diario de Anne Frank", "Once" de Morris Gleitzman, etc.) y, a pesar de que este libro no ha añadido mucho a mi cosecha personal, ha sido mi primera novela en catalán y me hace sentir bastante orgullosa.
nuriadi's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
book_concierge's review
2.0
Translated from original Catalan by Martha Tennent
2.5**
From the book jacket: In the winter of 1991, at a concert in Krakow, an older woman with a marvelously pitched violin meets a fellow musician who is instantly captivated by her instrument. When he asks her how she obtained it, she reveals the remarkable story behind its origin…
My Reactions
I really wanted to like this book … no … I wanted to love this book. But it missed the mark for me. I think that is because it felt unfinished.
The basic story line is engaging and what kept me reading, but there were huge gaps that left me hungry for more detail. Anglada began with a date in 1991, so we know where we are at when the violin first makes an appearance. And the next chapter begins Daniel’s story (the luthier who crafted the violin) as he struggles to survive in the concentration camp. In bits and pieces we learn of the conditions, the sadistic doctor, the capricious whims of the commandant, the deprivations, the dreams and nightmares, and the fragile friendships formed. But suddenly Daniel is crafting a violin and we don’t know why. Or how he got the tools and materials. I actually went back to the previous chapter and re-read, thinking I must have dozed off and accidently skipped ahead. But I hadn’t.
Eventually we are able to piece together the story, but not until there are a few more abrupt changes in time frame that not only were disorienting, but made me feel that parts of the story were left out. In summary, while the story line played the reader’s heartstrings like a violin virtuoso, I felt that the book was unfinished.
2.5**
From the book jacket: In the winter of 1991, at a concert in Krakow, an older woman with a marvelously pitched violin meets a fellow musician who is instantly captivated by her instrument. When he asks her how she obtained it, she reveals the remarkable story behind its origin…
My Reactions
I really wanted to like this book … no … I wanted to love this book. But it missed the mark for me. I think that is because it felt unfinished.
The basic story line is engaging and what kept me reading, but there were huge gaps that left me hungry for more detail. Anglada began with a date in 1991, so we know where we are at when the violin first makes an appearance. And the next chapter begins Daniel’s story (the luthier who crafted the violin) as he struggles to survive in the concentration camp. In bits and pieces we learn of the conditions, the sadistic doctor, the capricious whims of the commandant, the deprivations, the dreams and nightmares, and the fragile friendships formed. But suddenly Daniel is crafting a violin and we don’t know why. Or how he got the tools and materials. I actually went back to the previous chapter and re-read, thinking I must have dozed off and accidently skipped ahead. But I hadn’t.
Eventually we are able to piece together the story, but not until there are a few more abrupt changes in time frame that not only were disorienting, but made me feel that parts of the story were left out. In summary, while the story line played the reader’s heartstrings like a violin virtuoso, I felt that the book was unfinished.
ellejaoy's review against another edition
With only 109 pages this should of been a breeze to read through but it took much longer than expected. The choice of words seemed nearly obnoxious at times and the sentence structure was unpleasant throughout the book (lets be clear that I feel hypocritical saying this - but I make no claim to be a writer). Being an Historian, the plot felt recycled. This has been done to death and adding in intricate details of violins and classical music certainly didn't attract me more to the story. I was bored throughout and only sheer will power kept me from putting it down.
karinlib's review
3.0
The Violin of Auschwitz is the story of a violin, made in Auschwitz, by an inmate as a result of a bet between the commandant and the sadistic camp doctor. It isn't the most powerful story of the Holocaust, but I think it is worth reading.
magy's review
3.0
The story in general is phenomenal. The idea of putting parts of real Nazi documents at the start of each chapter is genius and really bring the story to life. However, the story didn't advance as much as I wanted it to. The pacing was too slow. I feel like if the author took out some pages, it wouldn't have impacted the story at all. Some part was unnecessary and didnt bring anything to the story.