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tranjody's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
hasna03's review against another edition
5.0
“If I have learned anything in this long life of mine, it is this: in love we find out who we want to be; in war we find out who we are.”
War changes a person in ways that you can never imagine, you can never really recover from it. War makes you do things, things beyond the total concept of righteousness and wrongdoings, sacrifices you would make to save your loved ones.
So The story takes place in 1939, when Germany starts taking over France. It follows two polar opposite sisters. Vianne who is meek, calm, she has a daughter named Sophie, her husband has been drafted to war, basically she is trying to survive. And Isabelle who is naive, immature yet wants to do things rather than sitting around in the middle of war.
The writing, it made me feel like I was there, like things were happening in front of my eyes. I could feel the hopelessness, the desperation, the fear, the dread. And it made me attached to the characters very quickly. To be honest, I can never understand what the war truly felt like, or what it felt like to live in the aftermath of the terror and the sacrifices they had to make to survive. It is truly heartbreaking and gruesome. It made me feel grateful to be living in a time where we could breathe without the constant fear of being shot down dead or losing our loved ones to war.
“Men tell stories. Women get on with it. For us it was a shadow war. There were no parades for us when it was over, no medals or mentions in history books. We did what we had to during the war, and when it was over, we picked up the pieces and started our lives over.”
The characters are wonderful. The sisters start off very differently but they both have such character development. They grow into such strong, courageous, powerful women that do incredible, heroic things behind the scenes. They are both so different from each other and I adored them both so much. The side characters are also wonderfully developed. There's such strong friendship between Vianne and her neighbour Rachel. There's a German soldier named Beck who was billeting at Vianne's house. His character arc is complex. It compels readers to question his intentions. Is he good? Is he bad? Is he a bad guy pretending to be good? Will he be this good under pressure? And even though captain Beck was a Nazi, I really wanted Beck's character to be more fleshed out. He was in a way key to Vianne's survival. And his character was something that shows not all bad guys are all bad and vice versa. His character arc makes you think about the total generalized view of people about a person depending on which side you are on.
I didn't quite like how Romance was handled. Although it has very low role in the whole story. Our characters spend weeks/months together and we get to read like two to three paragraphs/sentences. And they are already in love at that point. Because of that, it feels abrupt,underdeveloped. But again, it plays a very mild role here. I also understand that it is there to depict the fact that romances can develop even in the midst of war.
“Wounds heal. Love lasts. We remain.”
Finally this is a very very Impactful, heartbreaking book with compelling characters, atmospheric writing and a story that's going to stick with me for long.
War changes a person in ways that you can never imagine, you can never really recover from it. War makes you do things, things beyond the total concept of righteousness and wrongdoings, sacrifices you would make to save your loved ones.
So The story takes place in 1939, when Germany starts taking over France. It follows two polar opposite sisters. Vianne who is meek, calm, she has a daughter named Sophie, her husband has been drafted to war, basically she is trying to survive. And Isabelle who is naive, immature yet wants to do things rather than sitting around in the middle of war.
The writing, it made me feel like I was there, like things were happening in front of my eyes. I could feel the hopelessness, the desperation, the fear, the dread. And it made me attached to the characters very quickly. To be honest, I can never understand what the war truly felt like, or what it felt like to live in the aftermath of the terror and the sacrifices they had to make to survive. It is truly heartbreaking and gruesome. It made me feel grateful to be living in a time where we could breathe without the constant fear of being shot down dead or losing our loved ones to war.
“Men tell stories. Women get on with it. For us it was a shadow war. There were no parades for us when it was over, no medals or mentions in history books. We did what we had to during the war, and when it was over, we picked up the pieces and started our lives over.”
The characters are wonderful. The sisters start off very differently but they both have such character development. They grow into such strong, courageous, powerful women that do incredible, heroic things behind the scenes. They are both so different from each other and I adored them both so much. The side characters are also wonderfully developed. There's such strong friendship between Vianne and her neighbour Rachel. There's a German soldier named Beck who was billeting at Vianne's house. His character arc is complex. It compels readers to question his intentions. Is he good? Is he bad? Is he a bad guy pretending to be good? Will he be this good under pressure? And even though captain Beck was a Nazi, I really wanted Beck's character to be more fleshed out. He was in a way key to Vianne's survival. And his character was something that shows not all bad guys are all bad and vice versa. His character arc makes you think about the total generalized view of people about a person depending on which side you are on.
I didn't quite like how Romance was handled. Although it has very low role in the whole story. Our characters spend weeks/months together and we get to read like two to three paragraphs/sentences. And they are already in love at that point. Because of that, it feels abrupt,underdeveloped. But again, it plays a very mild role here. I also understand that it is there to depict the fact that romances can develop even in the midst of war.
“Wounds heal. Love lasts. We remain.”
Finally this is a very very Impactful, heartbreaking book with compelling characters, atmospheric writing and a story that's going to stick with me for long.
madi_wimmer's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
tense
slow-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
4.0
courtneymonay's review against another edition
5.0
Did I know what to expect going in? Yes of course. Did I know that it was going to be that emotional? Kinda. I am speechless. This was such an amazing historical fiction book. The author made me feel like I was there experiencing it with the characters and I’m just heartbroken. Thinking about this historical event already makes me sad and angry, but putting myself in victims shoes is a whole nother feeling. I would give them 10 stars if I could. A MUST read
shayreadsalot's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
kris23hicks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
andygreynoso95's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
sarah_brant's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this book! From the very beginning I couldn't stop reading. My heart aches for all of the characters, and even more for the people who actually experienced the tragedies mentioned in the book. Not only was it a historical fiction, but also commented on family dynamics and the power of love. Can't wait to recommend to anyone who hasn't read it yet.
adship2009's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
One of the best books of the year.
The last 20% I couldn't stop 😭
The last 20% I couldn't stop 😭
zee_83's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Beautifully written and heartbreaking.