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momo1017's review against another edition
4.0
Beautiful story. I am blown away by the fact that I had never heard of the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff.
Florian “Fate is a hunter. Its barrel pressed against my forehead. “
Joana “Guilt is a hunter. I was its hostage.”
Emilia “Shame is a hunter. My shame was all around me now.”
Alfred “Fear is a hunter. It encircles is when we are unarmed and least expect it.”
Joana Vilkas, your daughter, your sister. She is salt to the sea.
To think that this is the deadliest disaster in maritime history and that I had never been taught this is incredibly heartbreaking.
NOTHING IS BLACK AND WHITE.
Florian “Fate is a hunter. Its barrel pressed against my forehead. “
Joana “Guilt is a hunter. I was its hostage.”
Emilia “Shame is a hunter. My shame was all around me now.”
Alfred “Fear is a hunter. It encircles is when we are unarmed and least expect it.”
Joana Vilkas, your daughter, your sister. She is salt to the sea.
To think that this is the deadliest disaster in maritime history and that I had never been taught this is incredibly heartbreaking.
NOTHING IS BLACK AND WHITE.
vvhiplash's review against another edition
4.0
Two back to back amazing reads of Ruta Sepetys’s work. I’ll be searching for more from this author.
jaimie_lynn's review against another edition
5.0
I wanted to take a minute before I wrote anything about this book. I wanted to digest it, if you will.
This is more of a 4.5 rating but I like it closer to 5 stars than 4.
The book didn't grab me, as in, "Oh my gosh. I have to get back to reading it!" However, it was a well written book that gave me all the feels.
I always have a problem when there are far too many people to follow. I'm all about a one or two person point of view. Anything more than that is too much. However, once I finally got a feel for everyone and could remember who was who, it wasn't too bad. Part of me feels that Alfred could have been completely cut out and everyone would have been fine.
The one thing that bothers me is how unfinished it feels. It ended so quickly and there were things that weren't addressed. But overall I can deal with it.
I didn't know anything about the WG ship so I had no idea what to expect. What a heartbreaking tragedy! Now I want to learn more about this part of the war.
I would recommend this book to everyone, to be honest. My heart sored and sank. I smiled and I cried. It was just such a great and tragic story.
This is more of a 4.5 rating but I like it closer to 5 stars than 4.
The book didn't grab me, as in, "Oh my gosh. I have to get back to reading it!" However, it was a well written book that gave me all the feels.
I always have a problem when there are far too many people to follow. I'm all about a one or two person point of view. Anything more than that is too much. However, once I finally got a feel for everyone and could remember who was who, it wasn't too bad. Part of me feels that Alfred could have been completely cut out and everyone would have been fine.
The one thing that bothers me is how unfinished it feels. It ended so quickly and there were things that weren't addressed. But overall I can deal with it.
I didn't know anything about the WG ship so I had no idea what to expect. What a heartbreaking tragedy! Now I want to learn more about this part of the war.
I would recommend this book to everyone, to be honest. My heart sored and sank. I smiled and I cried. It was just such a great and tragic story.
queenofthemoon111's review against another edition
4.0
(SPOILERSSS!!!!!****)
oh my gosh! can you give me a moment please?
i've read this in two nights and it was amazing and tragic and lovely in one!
first of all, i loved and hated the ending. Emila died! and I loved Emilia! I almost cried. all those people who had a future in mind have died! (i don't cry fast when its about books)
I loved how the friendships develept throughout the story. I also loved the relationship between Joana and Florian.
It felt very naturel to me. I also loved the character development and the continiously switching of the perspectives. there's only one thing that bothered me. they all sound the same to me, thats a little complain but it's important to me.
goshhh, I still can't get over Emilia's death and that i've finished the book!
the most tragic death for me was the death of Heinz. He was such a loving man and I loved how he cared for the little kid Klaus.
I loved that it was inspired on a real drama.
of course, it was tragiclly and i still can't get over the fact that 9thousand people who were searching for safety have died! and from those people where 5000 children!!!!! I still can't freakin' believe it!
I do love the writing style from Ruta. it's lovely and very easy written.
The only character that annoyed me a bit was Eva... goshhh...
it was sad that Ingrid died, but I could get over that. IM STILL IN SHOCK ABOUT HEINZ AND EMILIA. Emilia was freaking 15! her baby did'd even had a chance to Really meet her like with talking and stuff. I hate that war is such a tragedy with a lot of loss and I think that the people who are now living in safety must be very gratefull and especially when the've read a book about wat and about the traumas that they can give you. When i read this book i realized that i'm very lucky to live in a wealty and safe country. Those things aren't a privelege to everyone. ( I live in the Netherlands)
Overall, I LOVED THE BOOK AND THE CHARACTERS AND IT REALLY DID SOMETHING WITH ME
oh my gosh! can you give me a moment please?
i've read this in two nights and it was amazing and tragic and lovely in one!
first of all, i loved and hated the ending. Emila died! and I loved Emilia! I almost cried. all those people who had a future in mind have died! (i don't cry fast when its about books)
I loved how the friendships develept throughout the story. I also loved the relationship between Joana and Florian.
It felt very naturel to me. I also loved the character development and the continiously switching of the perspectives. there's only one thing that bothered me. they all sound the same to me, thats a little complain but it's important to me.
goshhh, I still can't get over Emilia's death and that i've finished the book!
the most tragic death for me was the death of Heinz. He was such a loving man and I loved how he cared for the little kid Klaus.
I loved that it was inspired on a real drama.
of course, it was tragiclly and i still can't get over the fact that 9thousand people who were searching for safety have died! and from those people where 5000 children!!!!! I still can't freakin' believe it!
I do love the writing style from Ruta. it's lovely and very easy written.
The only character that annoyed me a bit was Eva... goshhh...
it was sad that Ingrid died, but I could get over that. IM STILL IN SHOCK ABOUT HEINZ AND EMILIA. Emilia was freaking 15! her baby did'd even had a chance to Really meet her like with talking and stuff. I hate that war is such a tragedy with a lot of loss and I think that the people who are now living in safety must be very gratefull and especially when the've read a book about wat and about the traumas that they can give you. When i read this book i realized that i'm very lucky to live in a wealty and safe country. Those things aren't a privelege to everyone. ( I live in the Netherlands)
Overall, I LOVED THE BOOK AND THE CHARACTERS AND IT REALLY DID SOMETHING WITH ME
sapphicstanza's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
deborah_tus's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
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
berlylovestoread's review against another edition
5.0
Be prepared for some graphic depictions of what happened near the end of WWII to the people caught between Stalin and Hitler. Amazing fictionalized history of this time!
librarydoc's review against another edition
5.0
Book Talk:
Refugees fleeing the advancing Russians meet and become fast friends. They travel together to a port city to escape on one of the boats, part of Operation Hannibal. The friends board the ill-fated Wilhelm Gustloff, hoping to find safety and new lives at the end of their journey.
My Thoughts:
I read Between Shades of Grey first, and I'm so glad I did. I love that the characters are connected, but also completely separate. This book is not as haunting (at least until the last few chapters) as the other, but I still liked it a lot. I was intrigued by the story of the Wilhelm Gustloff, something I never even heard of before this book.
My Recommendation:
Grades 8+ (intensity, veiled reference to rape, multiple accounts of deaths); 4.5 stars
Refugees fleeing the advancing Russians meet and become fast friends. They travel together to a port city to escape on one of the boats, part of Operation Hannibal. The friends board the ill-fated Wilhelm Gustloff, hoping to find safety and new lives at the end of their journey.
My Thoughts:
I read Between Shades of Grey first, and I'm so glad I did. I love that the characters are connected, but also completely separate. This book is not as haunting (at least until the last few chapters) as the other, but I still liked it a lot. I was intrigued by the story of the Wilhelm Gustloff, something I never even heard of before this book.
My Recommendation:
Grades 8+ (intensity, veiled reference to rape, multiple accounts of deaths); 4.5 stars
ruonilie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
callienicole's review against another edition
4.0
All I knew going into this book was that it was about the largest maritime disaster in history, at the tail end of World War 2. It took me a while to get invested in the characters, and then I was really invested, only to have a good number of them die (I don't think that's a spoiler - the book is about a ship sinking). I'm not usually a fan of books where a bunch of the people die, and I was reminded of why I don't usually read World War 2 fiction. I think it's important to remember that war, but I don't like to reflect on it for my leisure reading, because any book set during this time period can't help but be bleak and disturbing. I think I'm a little sensitive here.
Still, I can definitely see why this book is so praised left and right, and I actually enjoyed it very well, even though it's not my normal type of book. I really liked the characters by the end, and thought they were really well drawn.
The ending of this book haunted me, because dying by drowning in a cold sea at night is pretty much my worst nightmare. Still, I really liked the ending, and thought the author made it as good as it could really be.
I read it too long ago to give a proper content notes (I've forgotten specifics), so I'll just mention that there was some mild cussing, and a teenage pregnancy that resulted from rape. I loved though that the teen's baby was so well loved. She cares for her baby throughout the book, and when the baby is born, one character helps her through that emotional conflict by reminding her that this baby is part of HER and her heritage. It was a beautiful moment.
I listened to the audio of this book and it was excellent! Highly recommend reading in that format.
Still, I can definitely see why this book is so praised left and right, and I actually enjoyed it very well, even though it's not my normal type of book. I really liked the characters by the end, and thought they were really well drawn.
The ending of this book haunted me, because dying by drowning in a cold sea at night is pretty much my worst nightmare. Still, I really liked the ending, and thought the author made it as good as it could really be.
I read it too long ago to give a proper content notes (I've forgotten specifics), so I'll just mention that there was some mild cussing, and a teenage pregnancy that resulted from rape. I loved though that the teen's baby was so well loved. She cares for her baby throughout the book, and when the baby is born, one character helps her through that emotional conflict by reminding her that this baby is part of HER and her heritage. It was a beautiful moment.
I listened to the audio of this book and it was excellent! Highly recommend reading in that format.