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what_katie_read_in_ca's review against another edition
5.0
Probably one of my top five reads for 2015 so far!! Breathtaking and amazing in so many ways...Review to follow!
littlelibraryoflaura's review against another edition
5.0
Oh, what a gorgeous book. I devoured it. Just heart-wrenchingly beautiful.
hangngt_'s review against another edition
5.0
i finished this book months ago but I put off giving a review.
Honestly, I can't say much about it except it's AMAZING. Absolutely astonishing. I just love it.
Honestly, I can't say much about it except it's AMAZING. Absolutely astonishing. I just love it.
mkyarian12's review
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
phillippswm's review against another edition
emotional
informative
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? Yes
5.0
spenkevich's review against another edition
4.0
‘Just when you think this war has taken everything you loved, you meet someone and realize that somehow you still have more to give.’
On January 30th, 1945, the German transport ship Wilhelm Gustloff was sunk in the Baltic Sea by a Soviet Submarine. 9,343 people were lost and while German personnel were on board, half of the passengers were children and most of them war refugees, making it the deadliest maritime disaster in history. ‘War is catastrophe. It breaks families in irretrievable pieces,’ writes Ruta Sepetys in her second novel, Salt to the Sea ‘but those who are gone are not necessarily lost.’ The novel becomes a tribute of sorts to those who perished in the tragedy, showing not only the horrors of war but also the sparks of hope and humanity that keep people moving forward. Salt of the Sea follows four characters caught between German occupation and the advancing Red Army as they attempt to flee by boat, each a reminder that the tragedies of war knows no borders. The narrative moves between a Lithuanian nurse, a young and pregnant Polish girl, A Prussian thief, and a German soldier, each giving a unique perspective on the advancing events and keeps the story feeling endlessly fresh and surprising. A well-researched and heart wrenching story that is as complex as it is compelling, Salt to the Sea is a moving tribute to those trapped in war and a reminder of humanity in the most inhumane of times.
The Wilhelm Gustloff
Despite being the largest loss of life at sea, I had never heard of the Wilhelm Gustloff. Everyone knows the story of the Titanic and the sinking of the Lusitania is a commonly known sinking of a civilian vessel during wartime where 1,195 people were killed. In a conversation with Time Magazine, Sepetys offered several theories why so few have heard of it, namely that the Nazi ‘were amidst an evacuation and they didn’t want it to affect morale. They also were trying to hide the fact they were losing the war.’ In her research she learned that ‘survivors reported that when they spoke of it, there was a knock on their door, and they were told, ‘Why are you telling stories about some ship? That didn’t happen.”’ Whatever the reason, Sepetys has ensured the tragedy and those who suffered from it will be remembered and honored through this rather beautiful book. It is a perfect subject for Sepetys, as she aims to give voice to “hidden histories” and many of her books tell of events occurring in places and to people that aren’t usually centered in tellings about that era. Her words on this are quite powerful:
Here we find those caught in land no longer German, not yet Soviet, stuck in a war that has been lost but has yet to be won, and everyone exists in their own sort of inbetween where they aren’t yet dead but life feels dangerously thin.
‘I moved from body to body, treating blisters, wounds, frostbite. But I had no treatment for what plagued people most the most. Fear.’
Much of the novel occurs in a space where hardships have been endured and trust is hard to come by. The characters are fearful of anyone they do not know—especially due to their various nationalities and many have secrets to keep—and they forego names for descriptions like “the wandering boy,” “the knight,” or my favorite, “the shoe poet” for a cobbler who reads the life of the survivors based on their shoes. ‘The shoes always tell the story.’ The spirit to survive keeps them going and the small bits of humanity occasionally break through the mistrust. Though the idea of distrust and lies is a larger theme in the novel that is full of deceit and self-deception. Alfred, the rather repulsive character who has fully embraced Hitler and Nazism, writes heroic letters to a girl back at home speaking of his great deeds as a soldier, though when the perspective shifts we discover he is meek and only trusted with odd tasks like toilet cleaning. Moments like this keep your spirits up in such a bleak book, although Alfred’s nearly comic-book vilanny feels a bit off-beat with the rest of the novel.
‘What had human beings become? Did war make us evil or just activate an evil already lurking within us?’
I really enjoyed the shifting perspectives here, especially as it keeps the chapters short and staccato’d, making it easy to just keep reading one more page, one more page, just one more…until suddenly you’ve plowed through the book (the emotional intensity helps too). That said, we are left with only a shallow depiction of each character though through them all it comes together to be something greater than the sum of its parts. Still, for such a haunting novel the characters could have been fleshed out a bit more. Most of the novel is them attempting to escape and embark the ship, their one shred of hope to survive the war:
This is a book of both hope but also tragedy, and always a reminder that military attacks tend to spill the blood of the innocent or those just hoping to get away.
I really enjoyed this and want to send a huge thank you to Maddie for recommending this one. I love the pace of this book and it reminds me of something you’d read for a class in high school and end up loving the rest of your life. I wish I had read this for a class actually. ‘When the survivors are gone, we must not let the truth disappear with them,’ Sepetys writes, ‘please, give them a voice.’ She achieves this marvelously in Salt of the Sea.
4.5/5
‘Those memories, they are the coals that shield my heart from frost.’
On January 30th, 1945, the German transport ship Wilhelm Gustloff was sunk in the Baltic Sea by a Soviet Submarine. 9,343 people were lost and while German personnel were on board, half of the passengers were children and most of them war refugees, making it the deadliest maritime disaster in history. ‘War is catastrophe. It breaks families in irretrievable pieces,’ writes Ruta Sepetys in her second novel, Salt to the Sea ‘but those who are gone are not necessarily lost.’ The novel becomes a tribute of sorts to those who perished in the tragedy, showing not only the horrors of war but also the sparks of hope and humanity that keep people moving forward. Salt of the Sea follows four characters caught between German occupation and the advancing Red Army as they attempt to flee by boat, each a reminder that the tragedies of war knows no borders. The narrative moves between a Lithuanian nurse, a young and pregnant Polish girl, A Prussian thief, and a German soldier, each giving a unique perspective on the advancing events and keeps the story feeling endlessly fresh and surprising. A well-researched and heart wrenching story that is as complex as it is compelling, Salt to the Sea is a moving tribute to those trapped in war and a reminder of humanity in the most inhumane of times.
The Wilhelm Gustloff
Despite being the largest loss of life at sea, I had never heard of the Wilhelm Gustloff. Everyone knows the story of the Titanic and the sinking of the Lusitania is a commonly known sinking of a civilian vessel during wartime where 1,195 people were killed. In a conversation with Time Magazine, Sepetys offered several theories why so few have heard of it, namely that the Nazi ‘were amidst an evacuation and they didn’t want it to affect morale. They also were trying to hide the fact they were losing the war.’ In her research she learned that ‘survivors reported that when they spoke of it, there was a knock on their door, and they were told, ‘Why are you telling stories about some ship? That didn’t happen.”’ Whatever the reason, Sepetys has ensured the tragedy and those who suffered from it will be remembered and honored through this rather beautiful book. It is a perfect subject for Sepetys, as she aims to give voice to “hidden histories” and many of her books tell of events occurring in places and to people that aren’t usually centered in tellings about that era. Her words on this are quite powerful:
‘Every nation has hidden history, countless stories preserved only by those who experienced them. Stories of war are often read and discussed worldwide by readers whose nations stood on opposite sides during battle. History divided us, but through reading we can be united in story, study, and remembrance. Books join us together as a global reading community, but more important, a global human community striving to learn from the past.’
Here we find those caught in land no longer German, not yet Soviet, stuck in a war that has been lost but has yet to be won, and everyone exists in their own sort of inbetween where they aren’t yet dead but life feels dangerously thin.
‘I moved from body to body, treating blisters, wounds, frostbite. But I had no treatment for what plagued people most the most. Fear.’
Much of the novel occurs in a space where hardships have been endured and trust is hard to come by. The characters are fearful of anyone they do not know—especially due to their various nationalities and many have secrets to keep—and they forego names for descriptions like “the wandering boy,” “the knight,” or my favorite, “the shoe poet” for a cobbler who reads the life of the survivors based on their shoes. ‘The shoes always tell the story.’ The spirit to survive keeps them going and the small bits of humanity occasionally break through the mistrust. Though the idea of distrust and lies is a larger theme in the novel that is full of deceit and self-deception. Alfred, the rather repulsive character who has fully embraced Hitler and Nazism, writes heroic letters to a girl back at home speaking of his great deeds as a soldier, though when the perspective shifts we discover he is meek and only trusted with odd tasks like toilet cleaning. Moments like this keep your spirits up in such a bleak book, although Alfred’s nearly comic-book vilanny feels a bit off-beat with the rest of the novel.
‘What had human beings become? Did war make us evil or just activate an evil already lurking within us?’
I really enjoyed the shifting perspectives here, especially as it keeps the chapters short and staccato’d, making it easy to just keep reading one more page, one more page, just one more…until suddenly you’ve plowed through the book (the emotional intensity helps too). That said, we are left with only a shallow depiction of each character though through them all it comes together to be something greater than the sum of its parts. Still, for such a haunting novel the characters could have been fleshed out a bit more. Most of the novel is them attempting to escape and embark the ship, their one shred of hope to survive the war:
‘The Wilhelm Gustloff was pregnant with lost souls conceived of war. They would crowd into her belly and she would give birth to their freedom.’
This is a book of both hope but also tragedy, and always a reminder that military attacks tend to spill the blood of the innocent or those just hoping to get away.
I really enjoyed this and want to send a huge thank you to Maddie for recommending this one. I love the pace of this book and it reminds me of something you’d read for a class in high school and end up loving the rest of your life. I wish I had read this for a class actually. ‘When the survivors are gone, we must not let the truth disappear with them,’ Sepetys writes, ‘please, give them a voice.’ She achieves this marvelously in Salt of the Sea.
4.5/5
‘Those memories, they are the coals that shield my heart from frost.’
julesmq's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
pipernme's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
hazelmerevandran's review against another edition
4.0
My heart is broken, because the world is so unfair. A beautiful and tragic read, and as sad as I am, I loved this book.