The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
daralexandria's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: War, Murder, Antisemitism, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Gun violence, Grief, Hate crime, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury
emcbuckett'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
4.5
Graphic: Genocide, Racism, Death, Violence, Antisemitism, and War
Moderate: Child death, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Blood, and Alcohol
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The overall story didn't really go where I was expecting it to, which is always a nice surprise. It felt more like a character driven story than anything else. There are also a lot of discussions about identity and home, which is why a lot of people connect with the book.Â
Graphic: Murder, Antisemitism, and Child death
Moderate: Sexual content, War, and Pregnancy
katesbooknook's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: War and Antisemitism
birtch'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
4.75
Graphic: Child death, Antisemitism, Death, Genocide, Racism, Blood, Murder, Grief, and Religious bigotry
maddiet425's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Genocide, Religious bigotry, Murder, Violence, Antisemitism, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, and War
Moderate: Pregnancy
mheiling's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Xenophobia, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Antisemitism, Medical trauma, Gun violence, Animal death, Grief, Genocide, Death, Blood, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Alcohol
Moderate: Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, and Stalking
Minor: Confinement, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Pregnancy, Excrement, and Sexual violence
cassalsace'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
Graphic: Murder, War, Genocide, Antisemitism, Violence, Hate crime, Gun violence, and Grief
lit_with_lauren'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
4.5
Graphic: Antisemitism and Murder
leweylibrary's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The blurb on the summary says it's great for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, but I can assure you this book is LIGHTYEARS better than that monstrosity. It's way better researched and the romance parts are soooo much less cheesy. It's still not award-winning, gorgeous prose, but it moves quickly, and has some pretty great twists near the end. I also absolutely love the symbolism that comes from the book's title.
It's also an aspect of the Holocaust that I knew nothing about and haven't see this perspective before. The author mentions in her author's note that the main group she based a lot of the story on was covered in a 1993 nonfiction book and a 2008 movie, but I've never seen them. Basically, there were thousands of Jews who hid from the Nazis in the woods, and some were really successful, including giant communities. I also haven't learned before about any of the ways that the Jews fought back, so that was a really refreshing change of pace from the other Holocaust novels I've read that are primarily straight up depressing. I love depressing in a book btw, it was just nice to see this population that always gets shit on get some revenge and be shown as more than victims.
Quotes:
- She was not Jerusza's--she never had been, and she knew that now. But neither was she her German father's. She belonged only to herself, a dove of the dark forest, the forest that called to her now. (270)
- Full dark had fallen, but the sky was clear, and a half moon lit their way, the stars tiny pin pricks of light and a blackening sky. The children all looked up and awe, and even Leon, who at 70 was the oldest among them, side and contentment. "It has been many months since we've fully seen the stars," He said, and the group murmured their assent. "You can hardly make them out above the trees. They disappeared even the forest, don't they?"
"So do we, if we're lucky," Moshe said, and a few of the others laughed.
"Yes," Leon said, tapping his trust, we're once upon a time, the star of David had marked him as a lesser citizen, as a target for elimination. But the forest knew no difference when it came to race, religion, or gender; it smiled and frowned upon all of them in equal measure, sometimes providing protection, sometimes peril. "By the grace of God, maybe we all be vanishing stars." (293) - "Who are you here?" He touched her chest, just above her left breast, and then he left his palm against her skin. She could feel her heart beating against his hand..."You are a warrior. You are a hero, and a fighter, and a savior. You are a caretaker and a lifegiver." (321)
- She hadn't it was happening, but somehow along the way, they had all become her family, each and every one of these refugees. She had thought she was teaching them how to live, but now she realized that in many ways, she had been the student all along. (336-37)
Graphic: Antisemitism, Genocide, and Murder