dragongirl271's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Antisemitism
arthur_pendrgn's review against another edition
3.0
The first half reads as a history book than as a memoir. It is a chronology, which omits the fact that she was married. The second half allows us to know Francoise better. This is not a criticism; merely an observation. She certainly paints pictures of the French character and its war-time racism that most tomes skim. I would like to know how she fared in Switzerland.
its_van_vulpen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deportation, Genocide, Suicide, Antisemitism, War, Religious bigotry, Self harm, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Blood, Child death, and Death
ptoridactyl's review against another edition
4.0
Yes,we learn about the Holocaust and everything that happened in school, but we don't read alot about survivor stories and stories of those lost. So for us to have the ability to translate pieces and read them is amazing
booklvrkat's review against another edition
4.0
A beautiful & poignant story. I didn't realize this was a real life story, I'd just heard so many good things about it, that I wanted to read it.
readlikefire's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
3.0
bkish's review against another edition
5.0
During this time of great crisis in the world this book is relevant altho it is about the persecution of the Jewish people (I a a Jew) during era of nazi germany and it carried over to other countries occupied by germany and here most of Francoise's life is in France. She herself was from Poland. A great lover of books and fluent in other languages she opened in 20s with her husband (he is not mentioned in this memoir) a french literature bookstore in Berlin. She was there on Kristallnacht and she left shortly after for Paris.
This book she wrote under a different title in 1945 about her life and her decision to take care of herself and not be deported or sent to a death camp. She mentions a few of the camps in France - Gurs and Drancy. So this is a woman who goes through Hell to stay alive
When french military in support of nazi plan to destroy all jewish people were rounding people up in Vichy (not sure which city as she moved to different places in France to stay alive) she was faced with letting them take her or fleeing..
"the instinct of self preservation had won out. The bitterness of this truth weighs on me still and will to the end of my days"
This is an extraordinary rendering of a time that should never have happened
from Judy G
This book she wrote under a different title in 1945 about her life and her decision to take care of herself and not be deported or sent to a death camp. She mentions a few of the camps in France - Gurs and Drancy. So this is a woman who goes through Hell to stay alive
When french military in support of nazi plan to destroy all jewish people were rounding people up in Vichy (not sure which city as she moved to different places in France to stay alive) she was faced with letting them take her or fleeing..
"the instinct of self preservation had won out. The bitterness of this truth weighs on me still and will to the end of my days"
This is an extraordinary rendering of a time that should never have happened
from Judy G