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ishanigs12's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
It is very easy to forget that there were really people like this. We need to remember, always, never forget.
I was especially impressed with the narrative, it transports you to the time effortlessly and straight to the brutality of war and conflict. The author is a master storyteller of epic proportions. I cannot wait to delve into more of her work.
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Antisemitism, Grief, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Classism
dfrye626's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
It taught me so much about WWII and from a perspective you don't typically think or hear of in regards to WWII (women and France).
I would definitely recommend being in a good headspace before reading this book due to the difficult topics covered.
Heartbreaking yet beautifully written. I will likely read this book again and will be thinking of it in the years to come.
Graphic: Death, Grief, and War
Moderate: Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Mass/school shootings, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Miscarriage and Terminal illness
ashdawn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The book was very similar to looking at a pointillism painting. From a distance, it's actually a good story overall. It shares some of the women's work in war resistance and was enjoyable to read. The ending especially was heartbreaking but fantastic. There are much better historical fiction books with more accuracy though.
Also like a pointillism though, when looking at it closer though, details blur to oblivion, and that was part of what really bothered me about this one. Things like:
- Creating a fictional town to set the story in. Yes, it's historical fiction, so details can be made up, but it would have been so much more inspiring and interesting to have it take place during/in real bits of WW2.
- Not all of the characters get aged correctly. There are several scenes where a time frame has been mentioned, but a younger character is still the same age they were in a scene that was timeline wise 3ish years prior to current. This is especially problematic when one of them becomes a major plot point *because* of his age at the time of events.
- Struggles with scenery/time of year. Not only do some of the characters themselves not age, the landscape also struggles to fit into correct timelines. There were some scenes for example, that apples (fall), cucumbers (summer), and snow on the ground in Pairs (winter) were all happening at the same time. In the same vein, another scene made sure to note that there was knee-deep snow, yet a bike was able to be easily stolen, *ridden through the snow*, and not leave tracks.
- Character motivations sometimes made sense, but were sometimes just incredibly dumb choices.
- What happened with the Friedmans? Kinda should have been a *Major plot point* to hiding them, and we just....never hear anything else about hiding them, their survival, close calls, moving them somewhere else. Nothing.
Also, like most of the books I've read by this author, make sure to look up trigger warnings before reading. On top of everything you would expect from a book set in Nazi occupied France during WW2, there are also miscarriages, grief, a very large prejudice against refugees, etc (which seems like a common theme to this author).
Graphic: Genocide, Torture, Antisemitism, Abandonment, War, and Deportation
Moderate: Infertility, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, and Grief
tiffy22's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I'm putting this incredible book in my 'favourite books of all time' pile.
This intense story showed me the side of WWII that isn't mentioned as much as it should be, the brave women. What an informative and inspiring story!
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, and War
steenmies's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Violence, Antisemitism, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Infertility, Miscarriage, and Lesbophobia
sariereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Infertility, Miscarriage, Sexual violence, Slavery, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Classism, and Deportation
amarie95's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and War
joanamatos's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death, Violence, Grief, and War
Moderate: Sexual violence and Deportation
Minor: Alcoholism
debbbuh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Violence, Antisemitism, and War
Moderate: Child death and Sexual violence
matildaesandell's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
The end of this book was perfect in every way, and I don’t often say that. I also like how the mystery of who is narrating keeps you hooked until the end.
I think upon a reread this book could become a 5-star read for me. It fell short by just a smidge because I felt a bit lost and bored for the first maybe 30% of the book. However, now knowing the characters and loving the characters the way that I do I think I would have the patience and appreciation for it.
Graphic: Violence, Xenophobia, and War
Moderate: Sexual violence and Slavery