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While I enjoyed the content of this book, the format took away from the narrative a bit. It's the story of several refugees making their way to a Prussian port near the end of WWII. I liked that some characters were more trustworthy than others and it's a very readable book. But the extremely short chapters and constant switching from one narrator to another ultimately left me feeling a bit less connected to the characters than I might otherwise have been.
If you're a fan of Sepetys' other work, ...more
If you're a fan of Sepetys' other work, ...more
I liked this book; it has a lot going for it - great storytelling, memorable characters, hidden plot twists - and it sheds light on a forgotten piece of history. Set during the waning days of World War II, East Prussians, Poles, and Lithuanians flee the advancing Soviet troops for relative safety in Western Germany. More than 10,000 refugees will board the doomed Wilhelm Gustloff, a re-purposed cruise ship meant to hold fewer than 2,000. Among them are Joana, a Lithuanian nurse; Amelia, a Polish
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Excellent book showing the convergence of several people into a port in East Prussia/Poland during Operation Hannibal in 1945. It's a masterful work of different perspectives, fears, tragedies, and braveries. To get a glimpse of the humanity behind a little known (but devastating) event in World War II, read this. I found it to be Sepetys's best book yet.
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Jul 02, 2017
Terri
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
blue-hen,
teenbookgroup
Powerful!
Beautiful and tragic. I love the use of fast-paced, short chapters, the slow reveal of secrets, and multiple POVs. And I appreciate the respect shown to those who suffered in this book (basically everyone). I really enjoy Ruta Sepetys's writing style and look forward to reading her other works.
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Nov 12, 2016
Linnea
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
young-adult,
historical-fiction
Jan 29, 2022
Cass Sadek
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
pop-sugar-2021,
read-harder-2021
