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meganlowe10's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
ceryni's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
literhottie's review against another edition
I wanted to like this really badly, because it’s gotten so much praise, but unfortunately this didn’t do anything for me :(
from the beginning it was clear I was out of my comfort zone, which is not the author’s fault, but did contribute to the fact that I couldn’t enjoy it. I tripped & stumbled over every other word tbh. got tired of googling translations & definitions by like chapter four.
from the beginning it was clear I was out of my comfort zone, which is not the author’s fault, but did contribute to the fact that I couldn’t enjoy it. I tripped & stumbled over every other word tbh. got tired of googling translations & definitions by like chapter four.
drea923's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-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
The two parallel stories of Marie-Laure and Werner had me fully invested and the interconnectedness of their lives was so beautifully written. This was a great historical fiction novel!
emkeplinger95's review against another edition
I didn't have the brain capacity for it when I had access to the book. Needed something lighter
ronnie_z's review against another edition
2.0
This is not a two because it was poorly written—in fact, this book has some of the most beautiful prose I've seen in a long while. I felt moved and caught up by the descriptive language in ways that it made the backdrop of WWII feel like white noise, something that the book was very much trying to convey through the eyes of everyday, normal people. Someone in a review said it made the war palatable, a PG-13 version of it. On one hand, I'm almost glad for it—war comes with so much triggering content, and requires some mental fortitude to get into. Here, everything happened like it was in a dreamlike state. Towards the end, a rape scene was glossed over in a way that felt so incredibly hamfisted that it sent me spiraling into displeasure. I found that I couldn't finish the book with the same note of enjoyment I had when I started.
The constant shifting of perspectives and timelines between chapters is also a lot to keep up with. I think it would have worked well in smaller, more sporadic chunks, to highlight specific parts of the story, but it made the entire book feel spread thin. It took so long for the story to piece together that by the time it did, the characters crossed paths for barely a day before life steamrolled right on, and the entire experience left me feeling rather indifferent to what happened to the characters and how. Incredible, lackluster characters.
The constant shifting of perspectives and timelines between chapters is also a lot to keep up with. I think it would have worked well in smaller, more sporadic chunks, to highlight specific parts of the story, but it made the entire book feel spread thin. It took so long for the story to piece together that by the time it did, the characters crossed paths for barely a day before life steamrolled right on, and the entire experience left me feeling rather indifferent to what happened to the characters and how. Incredible, lackluster characters.
the_dave_harmon's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
bethaniekay's review against another edition
4.0
This book was so much more than I expected from the synopsis, so don't let it fool you into thinking it's just another story about WWII. In a way, it reminded me a little of Sarah's Key - maybe with a bit of Monuments Men thrown in.
The two parallel stories of Werner (in Germany) and Marie-Laure (in France) seem like they have no connection, but as the novel unfolds across time and space, the connection becomes apparent. I found myself sucked into the story, not just because the narrative from each of their lives was interesting, but because of the way the author writes. His imagery and prose are beautiful, without being long-winded or fluffy. I devoured this book, both because the writing was wonderful, and because I truly cared about the characters and wanted to know what would happen to them.
There are only two small things that keep me from giving this book a 5-star rating. One is the continual change in POV and time/place. A rotating change in POV isn't difficult, but when you throw in a change of year and location, it gets a bit hard to follow. I realize that some of this was done to build up the suspense, and to gradually reveal secrets, but it's still not my favorite format. The second thing that bothered me was the unanswered question about the diamond. For me, a perfect book is one that wraps up all the storylines with a nice neat bow at the end, so you feel satisfied that there were answers for the major questions, even if you don't like the answers. Well, after all the hoopla about the diamond, we're left without really knowing what happened to it. I'm sure that was done on purpose, but to me it was a bit of a disappointment.
Overall, this was an excellent book - one of the better ones that I've read in a long time. I'll be recommending this to others.
The two parallel stories of Werner (in Germany) and Marie-Laure (in France) seem like they have no connection, but as the novel unfolds across time and space, the connection becomes apparent. I found myself sucked into the story, not just because the narrative from each of their lives was interesting, but because of the way the author writes. His imagery and prose are beautiful, without being long-winded or fluffy. I devoured this book, both because the writing was wonderful, and because I truly cared about the characters and wanted to know what would happen to them.
There are only two small things that keep me from giving this book a 5-star rating. One is the continual change in POV and time/place. A rotating change in POV isn't difficult, but when you throw in a change of year and location, it gets a bit hard to follow. I realize that some of this was done to build up the suspense, and to gradually reveal secrets, but it's still not my favorite format. The second thing that bothered me was the unanswered question about the diamond. For me, a perfect book is one that wraps up all the storylines with a nice neat bow at the end, so you feel satisfied that there were answers for the major questions, even if you don't like the answers. Well, after all the hoopla about the diamond, we're left without really knowing what happened to it. I'm sure that was done on purpose, but to me it was a bit of a disappointment.
Overall, this was an excellent book - one of the better ones that I've read in a long time. I'll be recommending this to others.
bethaniekay's review against another edition
4.0
I decided to re-read this book before the Netflix series is released next week. I'd forgotten many of the details of this story, so I'm glad to have had a refresher.
The intertwining, yet seemingly unrelated at first, stories of Werner and Marie-Laure are both intriguing and so utterly sad in their own ways. It really highlights how many victims there were on all sides of the war, and how they and their families and friends all suffered.
Although I'm not always a fan of continual changes in POV and timeframes, I can understand the need to do so in this novel, to build the suspense and not give away key details until the right time.
Along with the continual change in POV and time/place, the only other thing that prevents me from giving this book a 5-star rating is the unanswered question about the diamond. For me, a perfect book is one that wraps up all the storylines with a nice neat bow at the end, so you feel satisfied that there were answers for the major questions, even if you don't like the answers. Well, after all the hoopla about the diamond, we're left without really knowing what happened to it. I'm sure that was done on purpose, but to me it was a bit of a disappointment. I know there were clues and we can extrapolate, but I would've still liked a concrete answer.
Overall, an excellent novel and I can't wait to see how it's adapted in the Netflix series.
The intertwining, yet seemingly unrelated at first, stories of Werner and Marie-Laure are both intriguing and so utterly sad in their own ways. It really highlights how many victims there were on all sides of the war, and how they and their families and friends all suffered.
Although I'm not always a fan of continual changes in POV and timeframes, I can understand the need to do so in this novel, to build the suspense and not give away key details until the right time.
Along with the continual change in POV and time/place, the only other thing that prevents me from giving this book a 5-star rating is the unanswered question about the diamond. For me, a perfect book is one that wraps up all the storylines with a nice neat bow at the end, so you feel satisfied that there were answers for the major questions, even if you don't like the answers. Well, after all the hoopla about the diamond, we're left without really knowing what happened to it. I'm sure that was done on purpose, but to me it was a bit of a disappointment. I know there were clues and we can extrapolate, but I would've still liked a concrete answer.
Overall, an excellent novel and I can't wait to see how it's adapted in the Netflix series.
canlewis's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0