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stephtoro's review against another edition
2.0
I waivered between two and three stars. If I could give it 2.5 I would but I'm feeling somewhat generous because I enjoy WWII history and historical literature so three stars it is.
Interesting plot. The writing was meh. The dialogue was unrealistic in every way. Catherine is presented the reader as basically perfect in every way-- she's a gourmet cook! A stunning beauty! An amazing lawyer!-- but she is crippled by insecurity and constantly whining about how inadequate she is. It's also extremely annoying (and unbelievable) that an educated American woman in 2004 is so incredibly ignorant about even basic facts of the holocaust. She "shivers" every time an upsetting fact arises in the narrators story and is incredulous at the violence the Nazis inflicted on the Jewish population, like this is all news to her. At one point the narrator, a self-educated octogenarian from Poland, teaches her (a lawyer!) about the Dred Scott case, which every law student has read.
The narrator's story was interesting enough to keep me going but the writing really wasn't great. It does all wrap up with a neat little unsurprising bow though so I guess it gets a point for closure, but even then I was expecting something a little more... Complex.
And after writing all this, I've changed my mind. Two stars.
Interesting plot. The writing was meh. The dialogue was unrealistic in every way. Catherine is presented the reader as basically perfect in every way-- she's a gourmet cook! A stunning beauty! An amazing lawyer!-- but she is crippled by insecurity and constantly whining about how inadequate she is. It's also extremely annoying (and unbelievable) that an educated American woman in 2004 is so incredibly ignorant about even basic facts of the holocaust. She "shivers" every time an upsetting fact arises in the narrators story and is incredulous at the violence the Nazis inflicted on the Jewish population, like this is all news to her. At one point the narrator, a self-educated octogenarian from Poland, teaches her (a lawyer!) about the Dred Scott case, which every law student has read.
The narrator's story was interesting enough to keep me going but the writing really wasn't great. It does all wrap up with a neat little unsurprising bow though so I guess it gets a point for closure, but even then I was expecting something a little more... Complex.
And after writing all this, I've changed my mind. Two stars.
kolson687's review against another edition
4.0
Well researched historical novel about Poland under the Nazi regime. I could tell it was written by a lawyer as there are a lot of legal details. Great first novel.
jgtruesdell's review against another edition
5.0
Great from beginning to end, I had a hard time putting it down. This is one of the rare ones where the past and present are seamless and gripping.
zniman99's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
4.5
jeneenhiller's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
ninasbooks57's review against another edition
5.0
It took a bit to get into the story- but definitely worth sticking with it!
hirvimaki's review against another edition
2.0
As my ranking of two stars indicates, this book was OK. And it truly was. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't really that good. An interesting premise, a kind-of-unique twist in the flooded field of Holocaust books, the story just doesn't deliver what it could have. The writing is less than perfect, with enough erratum to be an ever-present distraction. The characters are more stereotypes than developed personalities who seem to only function as conveyances of didactic information. However, the story really does manage to pull you along and it is an easy read - grammatical errors notwithstanding.
katievgood's review against another edition
3.0
I thoroughly enjoyed Ben’s story; however, I found myself cringing and skipping my way through the book each time the author switched to present day with Liam and Catherine. Their characters were so annoying and lacked depth in my opinion. I mean, the fact that Catherine could barely LISTEN to Ben’s story and had to keep stopping to take breaks because she didn’t have the “strength of character” to bear it?! Seriously? You are sitting in your cushy office listening to the story of this man’s LIFE and you can’t bear it? That just completely turned me off to her as a character. The book would have been much more enjoyable if the author would have spent less time on Catherine’s journey.
lilays43's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0