ktlong's review
3.0
I normally love novels written during this time period but I found this one to be just ok. The writing is above par and I imagine had the author finished the manuscript it would have been a wonderful story with great insight to the French during this time .However I finished the book thinking "it isn't done" and I was left wanting to know what happens to the characters. I would have rather read about the authors life prior to her death in a concentration camp then a novel that was not finished.
chloegwen16's review
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
sarablacks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
amethyst_hearts_books's review
5.0
This was very beautifully written.
I listened to the audiobook version.
I listened to the audiobook version.
milica95's review
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
jones11's review against another edition
4.0
Compassionate and piercing. Shockingly insightful for a narrative of an experience ongoing. The story, though a great experience, is obviously a draft, and the appendixes only made me more sad that a finished and complete book will never be completed.
chunkybexy's review
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
librarian_lisa_22's review
4.0
I read this for a second time, this time savoring the language and better understanding the context. It's a beautiful book, much deeper than it appears, and so sad because of the author's fate.
teighan_campbell's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
mary_k's review against another edition
4.0
I had seen the movie version and some members of my bookclub said I must read the book too so here i was. A bit of an eerie feeling here too as not only is this is a posthumous novel, but the author actually kind of knew it would be a posthumous novel; and if her daughters hadn't kept the notebook, it would not have been done. The book revolves mainly around the exodus from Paris with mothers and daughters escaping the Nazi occupation and whose husbands were mostly pows and the perils involved along the road. It is split into 2 parts (“Storm in June and "Dolce") and the second part is mostly based on the German soldiers who lodged with French families (no choice given to the families) but there is an overlap of the same characters from each part. The book carries an appendix at the end of notes from the writer, who wrote on the work in progress and thoughts inspired by the situation in France, she had a lot of big plans for more parts, sadly they never happened. Sadly the writer died in Auschwitz and her husband was also killed while inquiring about his missing famous-writer wife. The letters her husband wrote are also in the appendices, this time, the appendix IS A MUST READ.