Reviews

Those Who Are Saved by Alexis Landau

ecb_15's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

heidirgorecki's review

4.0

A very heartfelt and well written look at both the difficulty refugee French Jews escaping WW2 faced, and the difficult choices mothers had to make and literally war with during that time. All during the book I kept asking myself what choice I would make if I hadn’t known how the war ended, and I can’t say I actually know, proving how insurmountable that choice would have been for those mothers.

I also love how the authors note at the end personalizes the mothering aspect of it and how she related. I felt that in her explanation and it further identified the story for me.

kittykornerlibrarian's review against another edition

3.0

This was a good book that kept me engaged but it was a darker read than I'm looking for right now. Vera and her husband Max are Russian Jews who have assimilated into Paris society in the years before World War II and the German invasion of France. When they are summoned to the work camps, they decide to leave their daughter Lucie in the care of her governess in a small village on the coast of France. When they discover that their survival depends on leaving the country and emigrating to America, it's too dangerous to find Lucie and take her with them. Vera feels guilty and obsesses over their decision while Max refuses to think about or discuss it. They try to make a new life together in Beverly Hills, California where Max gets work as a composer. But Vera is driven by her guilt to go back to France after the war to find Lucie, and Max refuses to go with her. This discusses themes of motherhood, guilt, marriage, and fidelity. It was pretty dark.

taytayc23's review

challenging emotional hopeful slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

I liked this one but it was an incredibly slow start and I only really became interested when

Spoiler

Vera goes back to France to begin her search for Lucie.

…everything before that seemed like fluff.

Spoiler

The but about Sasha’s father

has me wondering if there’s going to be a second book? 

bexcapades's review against another edition

dark emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

bethgramon's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.0

"One page? One singular page to wrap up this long and slow-paced story? You've got to be kidding me", is what went through my mind immediately after finishing this book. I was settled in for at least 3 heartwarming chapters but instead I got less than 1 paragraph. But I guess that's the sign of good character writing, to leave your readers wanting to learn more about your character's lives following the end of the book.
This was an interesting WW2 read, a rather different point of view from the ones I'm used to reading. I enjoyed it! I grew more and more involved with the plot as the book went on. Overall I'd definitely recommend as an inbetween book, it won't change your life but it will change your week.

burrowsi1's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative reflective 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? No

3.5

lonloveslit's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

THOSE WHO ARE SAVED BY ALEXIS LANDAU

⭐⭐⭐⭐.75

Vera and her husband Max are starting to hear things on the radio. The Nazis are starting to move in on France and the couple are called into an internment camp. Hearing rumours about the conditions in these camps, they can't picture their young daughter Lucie there awaiting whatever might happen to her there. So they face a life-changing decision; should they leave her behind?

This was a heart-wrenching take on the horrors of WWII. I was on the edge of my seat throughout, frustrated with Max for letting Vera slip away, desperate for her to find Lucie with all the near-misses. It was so well-written, I can't wait to read more from this author! I would have liked to see more about some characters as it was (rightly so) very focused on Vera and Lucie, but I loved it all the same.

fleurdevie's review against another edition

emotional inspiring sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

4.25

foxandbooks's review against another edition

3.0

Max and Vera are Russian Jews living in France. They have a daughter, Lucie who was born in France. Seeing how the war is going they have Lucie Baptized in the Catholic faith in hopes that by her being born in France and being " Catholic" that it would keep her safe. So when they realize they need to leave France, they leave Lucie with the governess and escape ultimately to America and California. All of this makes for an interesting story. Vera feels extreme guilt for leaving her daughter behind, and that guilt wats at her until one day she leaves her husband and decides that as soon as the war is over she is going to go get Lucie.

Enter Sasha, a veteran of WW2 and a character that I am still trying to figure out. He has a story, and eventually he meets Vera, becomes infatuated and decides he will help her find her daughter. He never knew his father and his mother never spoke of him. Sasha's story is convoluted and just never seemed to flow.

And that brings me to the last few chapters of this book. This is where the story really picks up. Sasha's mother passes away and his step father gives him a letter from her. The letter basically tells him the story of his father. By this time Vera is in France looking for her daughter, Lucie and Sasha decides to join her. The last few chapters of this book were amazing...UNTIL THE ENDING!!! I had to back up and make sure I didn't just read it wrong... I didn't. It ended abruptly and left me frustrated. 3⭐

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin/ Putnam for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.