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abby12251414's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
5.0
awesomebrandi's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars rounded up.
This is a nonfiction account of the lives of Janny and Lien Brilleslijper, Jewish sisters from Amsterdam, during WWII. It also includes information on many of their friends and people they met in the resistance efforts. This book was originally written in Dutch, and translated to English in 2020.
This one is hard to rate. I think the stories of what happened during WWII to the Jewish population, and others, is so important to read about. This book does not hold out at all, it is pretty darn brutal, and rightfully so, as this is a brutal topic. The reason I rated it in the threes, is because the writing just felt very stiff and odd to my tastes, personally. I am not sure if it's just a rough translation, or what, but I struggled to get through parts of it, just due to the writing. Even in the first ten or fifteen percent, I was tempted to DNF due to the writing, but I felt the story was important. Despite the writing style, I am glad I finished it.
The sisters, their spouses and their friends were in the arts movement, and the resistance movement, helping fellow Jewish people escape the Nazi regime, when they could. I thought the elements about the High Nest were interesting, the way they came together to find a little peace while they could. They were incredibly brave women and men, who fought against a terrifying regime. A lot more of this book is based within the concentration camps than the blurb suggests, so just know, this is very intense and blunt, and if you have a sensitive heart, you might need to piece this one out a bit.
Honestly, the end notes and epilogue were some of the best parts, because you get to hear about why the author wrote this book. I would have really loved a book that included more info about her interviews with survivors, and how she found all the info presented in the book. I also thought it was cool that the author provided details on a lot of the people featured in the book, as far as what happened to them during and after the war, if they survived.
All in all, a valuable non-fiction book that gives another glimpse into lives disrupted by the Nazi regime. Not the smoothest writing style for me, personally, but YMMV.
This is a nonfiction account of the lives of Janny and Lien Brilleslijper, Jewish sisters from Amsterdam, during WWII. It also includes information on many of their friends and people they met in the resistance efforts. This book was originally written in Dutch, and translated to English in 2020.
This one is hard to rate. I think the stories of what happened during WWII to the Jewish population, and others, is so important to read about. This book does not hold out at all, it is pretty darn brutal, and rightfully so, as this is a brutal topic. The reason I rated it in the threes, is because the writing just felt very stiff and odd to my tastes, personally. I am not sure if it's just a rough translation, or what, but I struggled to get through parts of it, just due to the writing. Even in the first ten or fifteen percent, I was tempted to DNF due to the writing, but I felt the story was important. Despite the writing style, I am glad I finished it.
The sisters, their spouses and their friends were in the arts movement, and the resistance movement, helping fellow Jewish people escape the Nazi regime, when they could. I thought the elements about the High Nest were interesting, the way they came together to find a little peace while they could. They were incredibly brave women and men, who fought against a terrifying regime. A lot more of this book is based within the concentration camps than the blurb suggests, so just know, this is very intense and blunt, and if you have a sensitive heart, you might need to piece this one out a bit.
Honestly, the end notes and epilogue were some of the best parts, because you get to hear about why the author wrote this book. I would have really loved a book that included more info about her interviews with survivors, and how she found all the info presented in the book. I also thought it was cool that the author provided details on a lot of the people featured in the book, as far as what happened to them during and after the war, if they survived.
All in all, a valuable non-fiction book that gives another glimpse into lives disrupted by the Nazi regime. Not the smoothest writing style for me, personally, but YMMV.
chelsiemarie1218's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
medium-paced
3.25
audiobook (Libby) - details the struggles of those impacted by the Nazi regime as they tried to eradicate the Jewish population. Their continued hope that other nations would come in and rescue them is heartbreaking. Appreciate that their story was collected and retold for all to read. It's such a sad time in the world's history that so many people went along with the Nazi regime and didn't feel there was any issue with the plan and treatment of human beings.
smorrison4's review against another edition
medium-paced
3.0
I found some of the story was stilted and was more like a list of historical facts than a story. This may have been the way I heard it, or something that was lost in the translation.
I did learn a lot about Janny and Lien Brilleslijpen by reading this book. I always find stories about the people who stood up to the Nazis very interesting. The sisters were very brave and I cannot imagine the amount of bravery they had to show during the war.
I did learn a lot about Janny and Lien Brilleslijpen by reading this book. I always find stories about the people who stood up to the Nazis very interesting. The sisters were very brave and I cannot imagine the amount of bravery they had to show during the war.
daphnevandenbergkramer's review against another edition
5.0
Ik kan veel dingen over dit boek zeggen maar ik zeg alleen; lees dit boek. 5 ⭐️
elinevk's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
skellig19's review against another edition
The writing is off-putting and that could just be the translation but it's written in the present tense which I find annoying to read. This book makes the Dutch resistance and the Holocaust kind of, well, boring. It is emotionless and detailed and doesn't capture the devastation and turmoil these sisters must have been dealing with. This book was disappointing. I do wonder if it's the translation and perhaps reading it in the original Dutch would have been better but as I don't speak or read that language, I unfortunately can't say.
rosaliekw's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0