Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys

38 reviews

creolelitbelle's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

• 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? No

5.0

Parts of history are not taught or discussed as often as others, and those are the times and events I enjoy most reading about. Sepetys's books are always eye-opening and emotional, but I appreciate the peek inside fictional accounts of what real people experienced. Between Shades of Gray (or Ashes in the Snow, depending on the edition) is no different. Multiple scenes brought tears to my eyes. What Lina, her family, and others with her suffer is heartbreaking, but she manages to never lose hope or love. Flashbacks of her memories connect to her current events very well and give a solid contrast between the warm, safe life Lina used to know and the bitter, cold life she suffered at the hands of Soviets. I love how her art and writings are incorporated into the narrative and tie into how deportees really chronicalized their trauma. 

The strangest deja vu feeling crept over me while reading the book, making me feel like I'd read it before. I hadn't, and I can only explain that feeling by thinking back to an adult historical fiction book by Heather Morris that was set in a Soviet labor camp or gulag. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Genocide, Deportation, Death, Racial slurs, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Confinement, Murder, Chronic illness, and War

Moderate: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Alcohol

Minor: Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Suicide

misterbugman's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

• 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deportation, Grief, Sexual harassment, Death, Police brutality, Violence, War, Torture, Trafficking, Antisemitism, Genocide, Racism, Sexual assault, Murder, and Religious bigotry

pastorscratchy1reads's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Self harm, Racial slurs, War, Xenophobia, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Genocide, Death of parent, Death, Violence, Deportation, Torture, Physical abuse, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief

Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Antisemitism, Cursing, Blood, Child abuse, and Alcohol

I just wish the ending was a little more clear. Like did Lina's father actually survive? What happens to Jonas? How does Lina find Andrius again?

mayakay's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense fast-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? No

5.0

I loved this book, I read it in one weekend :)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Grief, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Child death, War, Genocide, Physical abuse, Suicide, Emotional abuse, Death, Slavery, Police brutality, and Deportation

Moderate: Sexual assault, Hate crime, Sexual harassment, and Gun violence

Minor: Blood, Alcoholism, Pregnancy, and Cursing

Lina's mother did not have to die(!!!!), does she find her father(???), and does Andrius find her??

I need a sequel but this book cannot have a sequel.

w3nda1's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Death of parent, Violence, Deportation, Emotional abuse, Death, Suicide, Grief, and Murder

scholastic_squid's review against another edition

challenging dark 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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

The Soviets are f*cked up. I am glad I bought a historical non-fiction about all this part of history as I will continue my journey of learning about Russian and Ukraine. 
The story told here is fictional however many of the experiences that occurred throughout were from actual events that happened to those imprisoned by Stalin. Lina was deported from Lithuania to Russia up into the Arctic Circle along with her mother and younger brother. Lina turned 16 before heading to the AC, while her brother was still around 12. If the imprisoned didn’t die from malnutrition, they were shot by the NKVD (later known as the KGB). Stalin was arguably worse than Hitler and would have done far more damage if left to his own devices. He killed 20 million ppl around the same time that Hitler killed approximately the same amount. That’s 40 million people gone within an approx 10 year timeframe. That would be the entire state of California….

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Self harm, Religious bigotry, Grief, Terminal illness, Sexual harassment, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Child death, Violence, Pregnancy, Murder, Gaslighting, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Deportation, Torture, Suicide attempt, Genocide, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Death, and Chronic illness

yanskeedoodle's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Grief, Sexual assault, Violence, Xenophobia, Physical abuse, Suicide, Deportation, Slavery, Murder, Racism, and War

jennswan's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, Deportation, Genocide, Forced institutionalization, Grief, War, Hate crime, Death, and Child death

Moderate: Excrement, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts

lizziaha's review against another edition

3.0

I found it hard to connect with the characters, and the end felt unsatisfying. I almost wish that we had seen at least a little of the twelve years after the end of the book. And while this book is definitely not about romance, since romance was part of the epilogue, I wish we’d seen a little more of it throughout the book. I think that Sepetys always includes characters that don’t exist within comfortable lines of morality, but in this book it felt rushed and not fleshed out enough. I do kind of want to reread Joana’s story in the other book though. I didn’t remember enough from my read several years ago. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, War, Suicide, Torture, Death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Deportation, Rape, Death of parent, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Xenophobia, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Child death, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Antisemitism

Minor: Animal death

oceanwriter's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense 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? No

5.0

I don’t think I will ever find a book Ruta Sepetys has written that I don't adore. Her books have set my expectations for all historical fiction astronomically high that I’m at the point where I’m okay if she’s the only historical fiction author I ever read again. 

 

Lina and her family are forcibly removed from their home in Lithuania by the Soviets in the midst of World War II. They are deported to Siberia along with several other families. Lina holds out hope that her father will come to rescue them and even attempts to get coded messages to him. With her drawing talents, she also creates secret documentation of the cruelties she and her fellow deportees are forced to endure. 

 

I think I say this every time I read one of Ruta Sepetys’ books, but I absolutely love that the story follows a part of World War II history that is not as well known as others. I consider myself fairly well-studied in this time period and I knew nothing of the atrocities discussed in the book. On top of that, the characters are so marvelously fleshed out, flaws and strengths and all. They felt as authentic as their situations, which can be difficult to find, especially in this genre. 

 

It’s safe to say I am head over heels in love with these plots and the writing. I’m curious to see the movie (retitled Ashes in the Snow) but I know it will shatter my heart. I can bear a lot more of this kind of content in books than I can on screen. Honestly though, it might be worth it if it remains true to the book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Child death, Gun violence, and Death of parent

Moderate: War, Sexual assault, and Suicide