jaxi's review against another edition
I don't think I can give this a rating because who am I to rate this girl's diary, but I will say that the whole time I read this I was talking to my friends about how hard it was to read and how tragic the story was. Once I finished it, I really am so struck by how beautiful a story about the resilience of humanity it is. Anne had such a hopeful and meaningfully critical view on the world and herself. She was painfully aware of all her flaws, but talked mostly of how excited she was to improve herself and become a better person for the benefit of herself and others. It's so profoundly heartbreaking that someone so young had to experience such an extreme inner existential crisis and live in such a deep and complex fear. Throughout that, she spoke of the beauty of the world and the goodness that she believes is inherent in people's hearts. I believe that she truly felt that, but I also believe that she wanted those sentiments to be echoed into the hearts of anyone who read her diary. She knew that it would be read by others after the end of the war, and she wanted to make a positive impact on the world. I don't really know what I believe in terms of afterlife but I hope somehow the universe was able to show her just how big of an impact she ended up having.
drwozniak's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
It feels weird to rate a diary so this rating is for Selma Blair’s narration.
What strikes me, and maybe a lot of people, is how normal Frank is. Even with everything going on and the very real fear, she remains a young girl who had the same complaints, hopes, dreams, and squabbles that we all have. I really enjoyed my time with her, and Selma Blair brought her to life like I never could. I’ll be thinking of this diary for a while.
What strikes me, and maybe a lot of people, is how normal Frank is. Even with everything going on and the very real fear, she remains a young girl who had the same complaints, hopes, dreams, and squabbles that we all have. I really enjoyed my time with her, and Selma Blair brought her to life like I never could. I’ll be thinking of this diary for a while.
thea_pedersen's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
soinap's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism and War
mahsilveiram's review against another edition
Again, from my journal "é impressionante como ela escrevia bem, e como as vezes eu entendia ela muito bem, claro que não era na parte da mãe, porque a minha é ótima, mas, não sei, me sinto tão sozinha ultimamente, mas ao mesmo tempo eu tô cercada de pessoas..."
laurenjpegler's review against another edition
5.0
I can’t even begin to explain how beautiful this book truly was. It was personal, moving, funny, and utterly wonderful. A bittersweet read. It recounts Anne’s life from a month prior to her hiding up until 3 days before she’s found (1942-1944). It’s not always about her life in hiding - although that does take up a lot of the narrative - it’s also about her life as a teenage girl. Her sexuality, her turbulent relationship with her mother (and the fellow people in hiding), puberty, education, and so many other things.
As I already mentioned, it was a bittersweet read. At times it was incredibly sad. Everything was put on hold in Anne’s life due to the German regime - her school and social life, in addition to her access to any form of entertainment, nature and food. She had such a turbulent relationship with everyone in the Secret Annex, especially her mother. It was quite difficult at times to read how her mother oppresses her so much, and how independent Anne has become from her mother since going into hiding.
It was also sad to read about her internal struggles. These were especially difficult. Although the bombing and gunfire, loss of freedom, oppression on her race, and all the other things that come hand in hand with being in hiding and at war, it was the struggle with (what seems to me?) depression and anxiety that was the most difficult to read. She really struggled, and it intensified being in hiding. Her feelings, well being, just everything, was up in the air. It was distressing, especially when you consider the fact that it couldn’t be resolved. It was hopeless, and that was the most crushing aspect of the novel.
Despite this, it was also sweet to read at times. She really developed over time, flourishing, regardless of the circumstance. She grew into a wonderful and independent woman, who was witty, smart and caring. Her relationship with her father and Peter were a joy to read, and they really helped shape Anne for me. I laughed and smiled a lot considering how oppressive and distressing the situation was. Anne managed to find light and hope in the dark times. She was truly a wonderful and inspirational woman, and I’m so glad her story survived. It was a joy to read this. It’s definitely a book I’ll return to time and time again.
As I already mentioned, it was a bittersweet read. At times it was incredibly sad. Everything was put on hold in Anne’s life due to the German regime - her school and social life, in addition to her access to any form of entertainment, nature and food. She had such a turbulent relationship with everyone in the Secret Annex, especially her mother. It was quite difficult at times to read how her mother oppresses her so much, and how independent Anne has become from her mother since going into hiding.
It was also sad to read about her internal struggles. These were especially difficult. Although the bombing and gunfire, loss of freedom, oppression on her race, and all the other things that come hand in hand with being in hiding and at war, it was the struggle with (what seems to me?) depression and anxiety that was the most difficult to read. She really struggled, and it intensified being in hiding. Her feelings, well being, just everything, was up in the air. It was distressing, especially when you consider the fact that it couldn’t be resolved. It was hopeless, and that was the most crushing aspect of the novel.
Despite this, it was also sweet to read at times. She really developed over time, flourishing, regardless of the circumstance. She grew into a wonderful and independent woman, who was witty, smart and caring. Her relationship with her father and Peter were a joy to read, and they really helped shape Anne for me. I laughed and smiled a lot considering how oppressive and distressing the situation was. Anne managed to find light and hope in the dark times. She was truly a wonderful and inspirational woman, and I’m so glad her story survived. It was a joy to read this. It’s definitely a book I’ll return to time and time again.
prakr111_'s review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
4.25