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joannakatz4's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I listened to this audiobook with my 13 year old. It was similar in theme to that Oscar winning film Life is Beautiful. It was very well written and the characters were compelling. The prose was spare and starkly poetic on surviving WWII in Poland. But I didn’t give it 4 stars because the last 20% took a steep plunge into more depressing and disturbing scenes. Even my son said it felt like a different person wrote the ending. Of course there was no happy ending for millions in that historic time and place but the final chapters broke the magical hopeful heart of the main character.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Pedophilia, Suicide, Antisemitism, Grief, and Death of parent
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