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jamanji's review
adventurous
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I enjoyed reading this book every step of the way. The writing is masterful and the author’s ability to manipulate the plot and intertwine two seemingly unrelated lives into one is remarkable.
**SPOILER ALERT**
I did not expect the ending, especially Werner’s death. it was surprising and abrupt that one of the main characters was killed in one simple sentence. The irony of his death at the hands of German machinery when he himself was a slave to German machinery was not lost on me. I did obviously hope for a happy ending for Marie and Werner (why didn’t he just take off his damn uniform), but I guess it’s more poetic this way.
**SPOILER ALERT**
I did not expect the ending, especially Werner’s death. it was surprising and abrupt that one of the main characters was killed in one simple sentence. The irony of his death at the hands of German machinery when he himself was a slave to German machinery was not lost on me. I did obviously hope for a happy ending for Marie and Werner (why didn’t he just take off his damn uniform), but I guess it’s more poetic this way.
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence, Excrement, Sexual assault, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, War, Rape, Antisemitism, Forced institutionalization, Terminal illness, Murder, Kidnapping, Genocide, Death, and Cancer
bibliodiaries's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Violence
Moderate: Rape
theotheleo's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Physical abuse, Mental illness, War, and Grief
Moderate: Rape, Terminal illness, and Sexual violence
Minor: Antisemitism and Genocide
marsapril's review
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-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
4.25
such a beautiful, beautiful book.
i find the ww2 very interesting, i wanted to inform myself about it through a book, and this one was perfect.
what happens : we follow two stories : werner’s, a german boy, and marie-laure’s, a french girl, who’s blind. the two stories are told in parallel (opposite sides of the war), until marie-laure and werner meet at the end of the book. (don’t expect them to meet sooner, it’s only in the last 100 pages that they have their first interactions)
positive points :
- the writing is beautiful. it’s very poetic, and there are some very powerful sentences.
- short chapters : a chapter is 3 pages maximum, and even if the book is 531 pages long, we get through it easily.
negative points :
- the middle of the book was a bit slow.
- i had trouble mesmorizing the names (mostly of the german officers) because there was so many.
overall, i think this book deserves to be studied in class.
it’s very informative, and it shows that not every german soldier was a “bad guy”. some, like werner, didn’t had the slightest idea of what they were doing, because of the brainwashing.
i find the ww2 very interesting, i wanted to inform myself about it through a book, and this one was perfect.
what happens : we follow two stories : werner’s, a german boy, and marie-laure’s, a french girl, who’s blind. the two stories are told in parallel (opposite sides of the war), until marie-laure and werner meet at the end of the book. (don’t expect them to meet sooner, it’s only in the last 100 pages that they have their first interactions)
positive points :
- the writing is beautiful. it’s very poetic, and there are some very powerful sentences.
- short chapters : a chapter is 3 pages maximum, and even if the book is 531 pages long, we get through it easily.
negative points :
- the middle of the book was a bit slow.
- i had trouble mesmorizing the names (mostly of the german officers) because there was so many.
overall, i think this book deserves to be studied in class.
it’s very informative, and it shows that not every german soldier was a “bad guy”. some, like werner, didn’t had the slightest idea of what they were doing, because of the brainwashing.
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape
kfrickle's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-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
2.0
Honestly, I enjoyed the book at the beginning. Then toward the middle, it started to get into details that were too much for me. (Sexual Content) I did like the main characters, Werner and Marie, which is why I continued on with the book. I would say that there are some content warnings (minor descriptions on rape, and child death). It went down hill for me, and overall it was just not a book for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, and Cancer
Minor: Rape
ellaensorcelee's review
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Honestly this book needed to be 200 pages shorter. Good plot, characters, and writing style, but it really dragged at times.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
gab_l23's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Death
Minor: Rape
hahamama's review
adventurous
sad
slow-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, War, Violence, and Bullying
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Rape
violence, point-blank shootings, bombings, torture, rape, starvation, bullying.smm_'s review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
This book is incredible. From beginning to end the book keeps you captivated. The intertwined stories, and independent stories, of Marie-Laure, Werner, Fredrick, Etienne, Daniel and many more characters are as moving as it gets. The final 150 (or so) pages will make it hard to put this book down. The ending of this book is especially moving, romantic, inspiring and hopeful. This tops off an incredibly constructed plot and culminates the tremendous character development that this book has to offer.
If you have not already done so, give this a read. You will not regret it!
If you have not already done so, give this a read. You will not regret it!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
windmillofwords's review
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.75
Poetic. A work of art. Didn't have the ending I hoped for though. And the beginning was slow going. Took me a moment to find my stride. All around it was a moving story and one that stays with you. It feels as though it will become one of the Classics of it's time.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Gun violence
Minor: Rape and War