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alicethemermaid11's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Racism, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Mental illness, Miscarriage, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Abortion
sofxaim's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This book was (in my opinion) much better than The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. It's a hard question to tackle; can a 12-year-old be held responsible for the despicable actions of her father and a whole nation? I think the author did a great job of giving Gretel's position the nuance it deserved.
I would have liked to see what happened withMadelyn and Henry, but I suppose Gretel could and would never know.
I would have liked to see what happened with
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Antisemitism, Suicide attempt, Murder, Alcohol, and War
graberry's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
5.0
This is the best book I've read in a long time. It's a human, emotional story about one of the most inhumane events in human history - the Holocaust.
The story describes the life of Gretel after the events at Auschwitz and World War 2. The novel brings you through her life during 1940s Paris to Sydney and London in the 50s to present day, post-pandemic London and her constant battle with her post-war conscience. I love how the book was divided between the present day and the other time periods, every second chapter you were brought back to the past. I was always itching to get to the next chapter and the next.
I loved learning about Gretel. John Boyne writes a very complex and nuanced character in Gretel. My feelings towards her kept changing. I was constantly changing between feeling empathy, sympathy, annoyance and cheering her on. My attitudes were being pushed from pillar to post and there was this internal tug of war going on making me feel uncomfortable, while also sitting on the edge of my seat. He deals beautifully with the different forms of guilt.
I definitely recommend this book to any reader. The copy I read was borrowed but I'll definitely be buying a copy to read it again.
The story describes the life of Gretel after the events at Auschwitz and World War 2. The novel brings you through her life during 1940s Paris to Sydney and London in the 50s to present day, post-pandemic London and her constant battle with her post-war conscience. I love how the book was divided between the present day and the other time periods, every second chapter you were brought back to the past. I was always itching to get to the next chapter and the next.
I loved learning about Gretel. John Boyne writes a very complex and nuanced character in Gretel. My feelings towards her kept changing. I was constantly changing between feeling empathy, sympathy, annoyance and cheering her on. My attitudes were being pushed from pillar to post and there was this internal tug of war going on making me feel uncomfortable, while also sitting on the edge of my seat. He deals beautifully with the different forms of guilt.
I definitely recommend this book to any reader. The copy I read was borrowed but I'll definitely be buying a copy to read it again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship
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