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A review by liddyleftonread
We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Although this book takes place during WWII and focuses on the lives of a Jewish family in Poland struggling to survive the atrocities of the Holocaust, their family values and love for one another is at the core. As the oldest of 4 sisters, this really struck me.
I had taken a few years off from WWII historical fiction after reading The Nightingale and All The Light We Cannot See, but this book re-opened my eyes to a topic I thought I had exhausted. We Were The Lucky Ones helped me comprehend the scale and escalation of WWII in a way I don't think I was previously able to. I kept turning to my boyfriend and saying "Did you know this happened?" Now I'm telling everyone I know that this book should be taught in schools.
It was especially interesting to read this after the year we've had. To see the (at first gradual) escalation of the war and Hitler's reign made me flash back to the widespread intolerance we've seen in our country, and its power to take over if we don't actively fight against it. Not to mention the manipulation of information sharing and propaganda tactics.
This book is beautiful, heartbreaking, and made all the more special by the fact that it's inspired by the experiences of the author's family. You won't want to skip the author's note in this one.
What I loved:
- Halina's character development
- The strength of the family's love for one another
- The timeline of WWII events serving as a silent narrator throughout the book
The way the author changed the headings from singular characters to "The Kurc Family" when they came together