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Salt to the Sea
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While the Titanic and Lusitania are both well-documented disasters, the single greatest tragedy in maritime history is the little-known January 30, 1945 sinking in the Baltic Sea by a Soviet submarine of the Wilhelm Gustloff, a German cruise liner that was supposed to ferry wartime personnel and refugees to safety from the advancing Red Army. The ship was overcrowded with
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Ruta Sepetys
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I try, I really do, but Sepetys's war stories do nothing for me. Yes, I know I'm in the minority. I was one of few who didn't love her debut - Between Shades of Gray - and much preferred her second book - Out of the Easy. Now she returns to World War II and, once again, I don't get it.
As with her first novel, I feel a little uncomfortable being negative about these kinds of books. This was a horrific time when some terrible atrocities were committed and I applaud the author for always focusing o ...more
As with her first novel, I feel a little uncomfortable being negative about these kinds of books. This was a horrific time when some terrible atrocities were committed and I applaud the author for always focusing o ...more
This swift-footed, kind-hearted historical is intensely satisfying in just about all the ways a novel can be satisfying. Without further ado, here are five things you should know about it before picking it up:
1. A lot of times, historical fiction shows its work. As a history major, I don't mind a research-filled brick of a book, but I'd think carefully about who I recommended it to. Historical can be dense. Salt to the Sea is not that book: Sepetys chooses her word battles carefully for an incre ...more
1. A lot of times, historical fiction shows its work. As a history major, I don't mind a research-filled brick of a book, but I'd think carefully about who I recommended it to. Historical can be dense. Salt to the Sea is not that book: Sepetys chooses her word battles carefully for an incre ...more
I have never been so simultaneously sad and angry while reading a book in my whole life
(4.5)
This book was beautiful. It's gonna take a minute for all my thoughts to set in. Video review to come! ...more
This book was beautiful. It's gonna take a minute for all my thoughts to set in. Video review to come! ...more
Update: Here is my video review https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oubBC...
This book is a masterpiece. It takes place during WW2 and follows 4 characters as they are seeking freedom on the Wilhelm Gustloff, a ship that promises safety to all. Going into it I was very apprehensive about reading it. Historical fiction is not a genre I typically reach for. But this book blew me away. It's safe to say that this book was the best book I have read this year.
The writing in the book was so phenomenal. The ...more
This book is a masterpiece. It takes place during WW2 and follows 4 characters as they are seeking freedom on the Wilhelm Gustloff, a ship that promises safety to all. Going into it I was very apprehensive about reading it. Historical fiction is not a genre I typically reach for. But this book blew me away. It's safe to say that this book was the best book I have read this year.
The writing in the book was so phenomenal. The ...more
Such a beautiful yet tragic story. Ruta Sepetys has such a way with words. Video review to come
“How foolish to believe we are more powerful than the sea or the sky.”
ALL THE FEELS!
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys nurtured my body, it fed my soul, it made my heart soar. I also had a wave of despair and a feeling of intense longing when the book ended, coming to the unfortunate and fortunate realization that I would be experiencing a book hangover. (A phenomenon that occurs when you read something so good, you think you will never find something quite as good again)
This book was by no means ...more
ALL THE FEELS!
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys nurtured my body, it fed my soul, it made my heart soar. I also had a wave of despair and a feeling of intense longing when the book ended, coming to the unfortunate and fortunate realization that I would be experiencing a book hangover. (A phenomenon that occurs when you read something so good, you think you will never find something quite as good again)
This book was by no means ...more
Ruta's work is a gift.
...more
This book leveled me. I was unprepared. Beautiful.
“Joana Vilkas, your daughter, your sister. She is salt to the sea.”
I’ve been waiting for this book ever since I finished reading Between Shades of Grey back in August.
I’ll admit that I had very high expections for this book and I’m glad that every single one of them was met. I could not stop reading Salt to the sea, I kept telling myself just one more chapter, just one more (we all know how well that works).
I enjoyed reading from every main character and (view spoiler) ...more
I’ve been waiting for this book ever since I finished reading Between Shades of Grey back in August.
I’ll admit that I had very high expections for this book and I’m glad that every single one of them was met. I could not stop reading Salt to the sea, I kept telling myself just one more chapter, just one more (we all know how well that works).
I enjoyed reading from every main character and (view spoiler) ...more
Before starting 'Salt to the Sea', I had heard quite a lot of praise for the book. In fact, I was a little nervous to start it because I was afraid that it wouldn't live up to it's reputation. Thankfully, that didn't prove to be the case. This book was beautiful, devastatingly so.
Ms. Sepetys does a wonderful job of shedding light on the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff, a maritime disaster that claimed more than 9,000 lives and remains an overlooked part of history. Admittedly, I had never heard ...more
Ms. Sepetys does a wonderful job of shedding light on the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff, a maritime disaster that claimed more than 9,000 lives and remains an overlooked part of history. Admittedly, I had never heard ...more
That was sad but there was some happiness too. But some of the things put some horrific images in your head =(
Mel 🖤 ...more
Mel 🖤 ...more
Mar 02, 2016
Kai Spellmeier
added it
“War is catastrophe. It breaks families in irretrievable pieces. But those who are gone are not necessarily lost.”
A Pole with a past. A Prussian with a mission. A Lithuanian with a secret. A German with issues. One ship. Three torpedoes.
Nearly one year ago I read the highly acclaimed novel Between Shades of Grey. Now Ruta Sepetys is back, with another historical telling set against the backdrop of World War II.
Sepety's novels often talk of dark and dangerous times, with a light and comforting to ...more
A Pole with a past. A Prussian with a mission. A Lithuanian with a secret. A German with issues. One ship. Three torpedoes.
Nearly one year ago I read the highly acclaimed novel Between Shades of Grey. Now Ruta Sepetys is back, with another historical telling set against the backdrop of World War II.
Sepety's novels often talk of dark and dangerous times, with a light and comforting to ...more
Mar 14, 2016
Dannii Elle
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
young-adult-books-read,
historical-highness
First Read: August 2016, Rating: 5/5 stars
Second Read: March 2020, Rating: 5/5 stars
I am an emotional wreck! This is such a wonderfully evocative and poignant recount of such a dark period in human history. Sepetys has brought history to life in amongst these pages filled with pain, grief and heartbreak of the worst possible kind - that caused by other human beings.
This split narration follows the lives of four young individuals and their alternate opinions and stances in the war. The year is 19 ...more
Second Read: March 2020, Rating: 5/5 stars
I am an emotional wreck! This is such a wonderfully evocative and poignant recount of such a dark period in human history. Sepetys has brought history to life in amongst these pages filled with pain, grief and heartbreak of the worst possible kind - that caused by other human beings.
This split narration follows the lives of four young individuals and their alternate opinions and stances in the war. The year is 19 ...more
"What had human beings become? Did war make us evil or just activate an evil already lurking within us?"
Ruta Sepetys`s novel Salt to the Sea is the story of four individuals - Joana, Florian, Emilia and Alfred - who make their way to the ill-fated ship, Wilhelm Gustloff. This little-known unfortunate event `the sinking by Soviet torpedoes of the Wilhelm Gustloff in 1945` is mentioned as the single greatest tragedy in maritime history.
This book is about the importance of hope for survival. The bo ...more
Ruta Sepetys`s novel Salt to the Sea is the story of four individuals - Joana, Florian, Emilia and Alfred - who make their way to the ill-fated ship, Wilhelm Gustloff. This little-known unfortunate event `the sinking by Soviet torpedoes of the Wilhelm Gustloff in 1945` is mentioned as the single greatest tragedy in maritime history.
This book is about the importance of hope for survival. The bo ...more
Wow, what a beautiful, breath taking, eye opening story.
This book covers the largest loss of life in maritime history- the sinking of the German Wilhelm Gustloff in January 1945. It was torpedoed by Soviet forces during WWII. Over 9,000 people lost their lives including many civilians (including children).
The book is told in very short chapters from 4 different characters: Florian, a Prussian man fleeing his post, Emilia, a pregnant 15 year old Polish girl, Joana, a Lithuanian medical assistant, and Alfred, a young Nazi. Most of the book (about 75% ...more
The book is told in very short chapters from 4 different characters: Florian, a Prussian man fleeing his post, Emilia, a pregnant 15 year old Polish girl, Joana, a Lithuanian medical assistant, and Alfred, a young Nazi. Most of the book (about 75% ...more
“On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland from the west. On September 17, 1939, Russia invaded Poland from the east. I remembered these dates. Two warning nations gripped Poland like girls fighting over a doll. One held the leg, the other the arm. They pulled so hard that one day, the head popped off. The Nazis sent our people to ghettos and concentration camps. The Soviets sent our people to gulags and Siberia. I was nine years old when it started. People changed. Faces shrived and sunk, li ...more
YOWZA SHE DOES IT AGAIN
In both of Ruta's books, somehow my tears get saved until the moment I close the book, then everything I just read collapses down on me and it gets me choked up. I really really liked Between Shades of Grey because of its ending, and I was so excited to hear about Ruta's second book following non-German (mostly) WWII. I've mentioned before that i'm not a fan of books that are told by a handful of characters. I think they're hard to get into, can be confusing, and none of t ...more
In both of Ruta's books, somehow my tears get saved until the moment I close the book, then everything I just read collapses down on me and it gets me choked up. I really really liked Between Shades of Grey because of its ending, and I was so excited to hear about Ruta's second book following non-German (mostly) WWII. I've mentioned before that i'm not a fan of books that are told by a handful of characters. I think they're hard to get into, can be confusing, and none of t ...more
⸨ Your daughter, your sister.
She is salt to the sea, ⸩
This was my first book by Ruta Sepetys, and it won't be last.
I have already bought "Between Shades of Gray",
and "Out of the Easy" is on it's way. :D
I am obsessed with this remarkable author.
She is so inspiring, and down to earth.
Most importantly, she is a powerful storyteller.
I loved the way this book is written.
There are 4 POVs and each chapter is about 2-4 pages long.
There are no unnecessary details, which i highly app ...more
the sinking of the wilhelm gustloff is the deadliest disaster in maritime history, with losses dwarfing the death tolls of both the titanic and lusitania combined. and yet, most people have never heard of it. myself included.
if one of the greatest catastrophes ever recorded has become so forgotten, just think of all the small horrors people suffered during WWII that we will never even know about. my heart just aches them and the nightmares they lived through. which is why i will always apprecia ...more
if one of the greatest catastrophes ever recorded has become so forgotten, just think of all the small horrors people suffered during WWII that we will never even know about. my heart just aches them and the nightmares they lived through. which is why i will always apprecia ...more
SPECTACULAR!!
5 giant and well-worthy stars!!
Oh dear, what a beautiful masterpiece this book is... I honestly don't know what to say about it, except for the fact that the book is so heart-wrenching and thoughtful. Throughout this one, the truth reveals to oneself about the destructive consequences of the war between the Russians and the Germans during World War II, which have caused the tragic deaths of thousands of innocent victims that is indeed too emotional yet truthful to bear.
What a phenom ...more
5 giant and well-worthy stars!!
Oh dear, what a beautiful masterpiece this book is... I honestly don't know what to say about it, except for the fact that the book is so heart-wrenching and thoughtful. Throughout this one, the truth reveals to oneself about the destructive consequences of the war between the Russians and the Germans during World War II, which have caused the tragic deaths of thousands of innocent victims that is indeed too emotional yet truthful to bear.
What a phenom ...more
This book crushed me! Despite having read and learned so much about this terrible time in our world history, I am amazed that there are constantly new aspects of it I didn't know before, which continue to stun and sadden. Salt to the Sea, in particular, touched me because it mirrored, to a degree, what my grandmother and her family experienced. My grandmother, her little brother, her widowed mother and aunt had to flee from Silesia to escape the Russians, which is similar to why the characters i
...more
Well that was enlightening, emotional, and a page-turning read!
SALT TO THE SEA by RUTA SEPETYS is a Historical Fiction novel that is engaging, heart-wrenching, and a powerful read with an extremely interesting plot that grabbed my attention from the very first chapter. This was definitely another page-turner and extremely hard to put down.
The last few books that I have read lately have either had an embossed dustjacket or cover and this is no exception as this one has a partially embossed dustja ...more
SALT TO THE SEA by RUTA SEPETYS is a Historical Fiction novel that is engaging, heart-wrenching, and a powerful read with an extremely interesting plot that grabbed my attention from the very first chapter. This was definitely another page-turner and extremely hard to put down.
The last few books that I have read lately have either had an embossed dustjacket or cover and this is no exception as this one has a partially embossed dustja ...more
4.5 stars
ow, my feelingsssssssss
ow, my feelingsssssssss
::: FULL REVIEW NOW POSTED ::: 4.5 stars
WOAH. What an incredible book! It was vastly different than the usual books I read. I'm usually a pretty hardcore Romance genre reader, but this story swept me away! I read it in a single day and had tears in my eyes in the end (letters always make me cry) and I keep thinking about this story in the back of my mind. I just can't let go.
Whenever I'm going through a major book hangover, I like to try and switch up the genre I read. Given my intense love of ...more
WOAH. What an incredible book! It was vastly different than the usual books I read. I'm usually a pretty hardcore Romance genre reader, but this story swept me away! I read it in a single day and had tears in my eyes in the end (letters always make me cry) and I keep thinking about this story in the back of my mind. I just can't let go.
Whenever I'm going through a major book hangover, I like to try and switch up the genre I read. Given my intense love of ...more
Sepetys does it again with this "sequel" to Between Shades of Grey. Another heart-wrenching tale of WWII involving not very well known Russian/German conflicts and the innocent people affected by them.
If you are a fan of historical fiction, WWII fiction, or using up a couple boxes of tissues because of a good tear-jerker, this is a great book to check out. ...more
If you are a fan of historical fiction, WWII fiction, or using up a couple boxes of tissues because of a good tear-jerker, this is a great book to check out. ...more
1.5⭐️
NO. JUST. NO.
Absolutely infuriating.
✨ Expectations vs. reality:
Misleading synopsis.
I expected a book that recounted the worst maritime tragedy in recorded history. I got... well, let’s not.
This was supposed to be about the Wilhelm Gustloff, a German military transport ship which was sunk in 1945 by the soviets in the Baltic Sea and one that cost in estimate, 9,400 lives, making it the largest maritime disaster in history.
And though I have no problem with character-driven books (actuall ...more
NO. JUST. NO.
Absolutely infuriating.
✨ Expectations vs. reality:
Misleading synopsis.
I expected a book that recounted the worst maritime tragedy in recorded history. I got... well, let’s not.
This was supposed to be about the Wilhelm Gustloff, a German military transport ship which was sunk in 1945 by the soviets in the Baltic Sea and one that cost in estimate, 9,400 lives, making it the largest maritime disaster in history.
And though I have no problem with character-driven books (actuall ...more
Mar 19, 2017
Hirdesh
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-fiction
""A momentary quiet followed, leaving nothing but the sound of the wind and waves. We bobbed up
and back, up and back, waves lapping and curling, the sound of crying filtering through the dark.""
Intense and Glorified writing and character.
Exceptional narration.
My favorite character- Shoemaker
"“I wept because i had no shoes,
until i met a man who had no feet.”
"That is class of writing when reader thinks whether the story is fiction or reality, Just like story line of movie- THE WORDS."
Historica ...more
and back, up and back, waves lapping and curling, the sound of crying filtering through the dark.""
Intense and Glorified writing and character.
Exceptional narration.
My favorite character- Shoemaker
"“I wept because i had no shoes,
until i met a man who had no feet.”
"That is class of writing when reader thinks whether the story is fiction or reality, Just like story line of movie- THE WORDS."
Historica ...more
Ahh man I take back what I said about Emilia being annoying. She was not. Not one bit.
This was such a beautiful book! I'm mad at myself for not reading it sooner. ...more
This was such a beautiful book! I'm mad at myself for not reading it sooner. ...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Historical Fictio...: Salt to the Sea | 7 | 13 | Apr 21, 2022 01:18PM | |
| Salt to the Sea: Half-Way Point | 2 | 16 | Nov 14, 2021 05:01PM |
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#1 New York Times Bestselling Author and Winner of the Carnegie Medal.
Ruta Sepetys was born and raised in Michigan in a family of artists, readers, and music lovers. The daughter of a refugee, Ruta is drawn to underrepresented stories of strength through struggle and hopes to give voice to those who weren't able to tell their story. Her award-winning historical novels are published in over sixty c ...more
Ruta Sepetys was born and raised in Michigan in a family of artists, readers, and music lovers. The daughter of a refugee, Ruta is drawn to underrepresented stories of strength through struggle and hopes to give voice to those who weren't able to tell their story. Her award-winning historical novels are published in over sixty c ...more
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29 trivia questions
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“I wept because i had no shoes,
until i met a man who had no feet.”
—
429 likes
until i met a man who had no feet.”
“I became good at pretending. I became so good that after a while the lines blurred between my truth and fiction. And sometimes, when I did a really good job of pretending, I even fooled myself.”
—
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