crikhopit's review against another edition
1.0
I really did not like this book. The premise is that Anne Frank's sister, Margot, survives the war and moves to Philadelphia, pretending to be a Christian woman named Margie from Europe. The year is 1959, the same year the movie version of her sister's book arrived in theaters. "Margie" works for a Jewish law firm (she's a secretary) that suddenly decides they want to defend Jews from WWII who are being persecuted by their "Nazi" boss.
Meanwhile, Margie's inner dialogue reveals that it was HER - and not Anne - who loved Peter and that Anne's diary was mostly a work of fiction: a diary of made-up stories. She also claims that Anne was killed by bullets meant for her, as she jumped off a cattle car and hid in the woods.
ALSO, Margie is in love with her boss, who is Jewish, but thinks she's a Christian, so he won't love her in return. Whew.
Ignoring the fact that this book was probably written by a 15-year-old, it was so insulting to the memory of Anne Frank and her infamous diary. To even fictionally claim that Anne's diary was make-believe is to alter history. We know Anne and her sister both died from typhus in the camps.
This book read like some really messed up fan fiction.
Meanwhile, Margie's inner dialogue reveals that it was HER - and not Anne - who loved Peter and that Anne's diary was mostly a work of fiction: a diary of made-up stories. She also claims that Anne was killed by bullets meant for her, as she jumped off a cattle car and hid in the woods.
ALSO, Margie is in love with her boss, who is Jewish, but thinks she's a Christian, so he won't love her in return. Whew.
Ignoring the fact that this book was probably written by a 15-year-old, it was so insulting to the memory of Anne Frank and her infamous diary. To even fictionally claim that Anne's diary was make-believe is to alter history. We know Anne and her sister both died from typhus in the camps.
This book read like some really messed up fan fiction.
isabellazorich's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
2.25
nursenell's review against another edition
4.0
This was an interesting story. It's a fictional account based on Margot Frank surviving the Holocaust and how she deals with her Jewish identity after she has come to the United States. She and Peter, who was in hiding with the Frank family, had made a pact to meet in Philadelphia after the war, if they survive. She becomes obsessed with finding him but then when her sister's diary is made into a movie that becomes a best selling movie she comes to reevaluate her life and her reasons for hiding her identity.
froydis's review against another edition
4.0
Thanks to Edelweiss and Riverhead Paperback for early access to this title.
Excellent book - very moving. This is such an interesting concept to me: Everyone knows of Anne Frank and her diary, but nobody knows much about her sister, Margot, who was also in the annex. This is a piece of speculative fiction that, as the author says in her afterword, gives Margot her happy ending. The author does a remarkable job in portraying Margie's psychological and emotional state, her conflicts with both her past and present, and complex emotions about her sister's diary and her surviving father. For teens, this would be an interesting book to read in conjunction with Anne Frank's diary, as it would spark some very interesting conversations about the nature of the war and those who survived what, for us, is almost unimaginable. Highly Recommended!
Excellent book - very moving. This is such an interesting concept to me: Everyone knows of Anne Frank and her diary, but nobody knows much about her sister, Margot, who was also in the annex. This is a piece of speculative fiction that, as the author says in her afterword, gives Margot her happy ending. The author does a remarkable job in portraying Margie's psychological and emotional state, her conflicts with both her past and present, and complex emotions about her sister's diary and her surviving father. For teens, this would be an interesting book to read in conjunction with Anne Frank's diary, as it would spark some very interesting conversations about the nature of the war and those who survived what, for us, is almost unimaginable. Highly Recommended!
nlkdonahue's review against another edition
5.0
I couldn't put this book down. Finished it in less than 24 hours.
eileen_critchley's review against another edition
3.0
Everyone knows who Margot Frank was, but we don't know her nearly as well as her sister Anne, which is a shame. It's too bad her diary wasn't also recovered after the war, as less of her story would have been lost to history.
I found the premise of this book interesting, but unfortunately some of the writing fell into pet peeve territory for me (constant descriptions and reminders of a character's physical traits.. Joshua's "brown curls" (although at one point they were described as "chestnut", perhaps he was sitting in the sun), his "gray-green eyes", Peter's eyes "blue like the ocean". Also the cringey phrase "I released a breath I didn't realize I was holding". The repetitive mention of the cardigan and it's purpose.. we get it. Overall, the writing felt a little YA to me.) These didn't ruin the book for me to the point where I didn't finish it, but I did find it distracting at times.
I do like stories like this-alternate history, what might have been. It made me think also about Light Perpetual, which I read last year. That book was also about people lost in WWII but was more speculative and about less well known people. Perhaps the execution wasn't quite on the money for me with this one. It almost felt like Margot and her story were a bit trivialized. Maybe I didn't like the "happy ending" spin on what was ultimately such a tragic story. I wish it were true, and that Margot, Anne, Peter, and millions of others had had the opportunity to go on and live a full life.. But it did make me think about Margot, and reminded me of how very sad her story, and that of so many others, is.
{library, kindle}
I found the premise of this book interesting, but unfortunately some of the writing fell into pet peeve territory for me (constant descriptions and reminders of a character's physical traits.. Joshua's "brown curls" (although at one point they were described as "chestnut", perhaps he was sitting in the sun), his "gray-green eyes", Peter's eyes "blue like the ocean". Also the cringey phrase "I released a breath I didn't realize I was holding". The repetitive mention of the cardigan and it's purpose.. we get it. Overall, the writing felt a little YA to me.) These didn't ruin the book for me to the point where I didn't finish it, but I did find it distracting at times.
I do like stories like this-alternate history, what might have been. It made me think also about Light Perpetual, which I read last year. That book was also about people lost in WWII but was more speculative and about less well known people. Perhaps the execution wasn't quite on the money for me with this one. It almost felt like Margot and her story were a bit trivialized.
Spoiler
also to me felt a bit unrealistic that she wouldn't have contacted her father? Some of her feelings towards Anne were less grief, more jealousy in parts{library, kindle}
jenp1980's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0