Between Shades of Gray in What's the Name of That Book???

Oct 09, 2010 Lisa Vegan rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, orphaned-and-quasi-orphaned-kids, zz-4star, readbooks-female-author-or-illust, z2019, goodreads-author, young-adult, historical-fiction, novel, reviewed

4-1/2 stars

This was a real page turner and I never wanted to put it down. The story and characters were completely compelling. For those reasons it probably does deserve 5 stars. It’s magnificent in almost every way. I demoted it only because for me the ending was way too rushed. I’m fine with loose ends and not knowing everything, but here the epilogue and author’s note didn’t fully do it for me. They were great additions but I needed another 100 or at least 50 pages of the book proper to have 4-1/2 stars

This was a real page turner and I never wanted to put it down. The story and characters were completely compelling. For those reasons it probably does deserve 5 stars. It’s magnificent in almost every way. I demoted it only because for me the ending was way too rushed. I’m fine with loose ends and not knowing everything, but here the epilogue and author’s note didn’t fully do it for me. They were great additions but I needed another 100 or at least 50 pages of the book proper to have a fuller story. Had more been given, I’m sure this book would have gotten a solid 5 stars from me.

I loved the main character, narrator. She’s an artist and interesting in most every way, as are the other characters. The mother is basically perfect as a person and as a mother too.

The diametric opposites of which humans are capable are shown clearly in this story. I should simply feel in awe of people who kept their humanity, helped others, etc. and I do, but it’s the evil that makes the strongest mark and terrifies me and reminds me how it’s not good to be in this world in a powerless position, including against a current regime, in poverty, alone, sick/injured, etc. etc. etc. This could make a great anti-war book.

Most of the chapters have a section of some of her memories, that portion in italics, and while I always was eager to get back to the present, those sections did a wonderful job of letting the reader know what life was like for this girl and her brother, parents, and others in her community.

I guessed right re the father and re the mother and her behavior and its impact on others, especially her children. It was a lovely and crucial part of the story.

I liked how the character of Joana makes frequent appearances in this book. She’s one of the main characters in the book Salt to the Sea, another excellent book, and Lina, our main character here, makes appearances in that book, though not nearly so many. These two girls are cousins. They seem so much like real people I thought that they were based on real people, but I guess they’re totally fictional, even though it’s made clear that what happened to them were real experiences shared by many. I cannot imagine surviving such ordeals.

Highly recommended for adults and teens who like historical fiction, coming of age stories, WWII stories, who are interested in the Balkans and/or in Siberia, Soviet Union history under Stalin, family stories, art, and coming of age stories.

As usual when reading about starving people I felt hungrier than usual.

Review #2,400 ...more

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Jan 14, 2012 Emma rated it it was ok

On June 14, 1941 Lina Viklas is taken by the Soviet secret police. Along with her mother and her younger brother, Jonas, Lina is forced to leave her home in the middle of the night to board a train to be deported from Lithuania with thousands like her.

As they are taken farther and farther from Lithuania, all hope seems lost. Lina's father has been separated from the family to be sent to a prison camp. Lina's dreams of one day attending art school or falling in love are dashed. With nothing but t ...more

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Aug 10, 2011 Elizabeth rated it it was amazing

This was so good! It was based on a horrible part of WW2 that most people weren't even aware of, the Lithuanians, Latvians & Estonians and others being sent to Arctic Siberian concentration camps by Stalin, for no reason at all. Really, really good book, I recommend to anyone. ...more

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May 19, 2012 Jennifer Kronk rated it liked it

Shelves: children-and-young-adult, library-book, historical-fiction

3.5 stars. It is probably unfair to judge a young adult novel for being a little too simple but, considering the subject matter, I'm going to. This book introduced me to a time in history I knew next to nothing about. I love that. And everything surrounding the characters is complicated and confusing (I have never read a book set during WW2 that referred to Germany as being a safe place to escape to.) But the characters themselves are too thinly drawn. I wanted more of their internal life.
But, a ...more

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Oct 23, 2010 Liz rated it it was amazing

Shelves: young-adult, 5-star, historical-fiction

Between Shades of Gray is one of the most heartbreaking yet still uplifting stories I have ever read, and I thank Sepetys for sharing this story with all of us. This novel, based on historical events, is about Stalin’s brutal annexation and persecution of the Baltic region and focuses on a girl named Lina, her brother and her mother who are sent to a work camp in Siberia. While Sepetys’s story is full of struggle, it shows how powerful hope and love are, and am so glad that Sepetys has shared he Between Shades of Gray is one of the most heartbreaking yet still uplifting stories I have ever read, and I thank Sepetys for sharing this story with all of us. This novel, based on historical events, is about Stalin’s brutal annexation and persecution of the Baltic region and focuses on a girl named Lina, her brother and her mother who are sent to a work camp in Siberia. While Sepetys’s story is full of struggle, it shows how powerful hope and love are, and am so glad that Sepetys has shared her story with the world.

Without a doubt, Between Shades of Gray is the most heart-wrenching story I have read all year. I am grateful to sad stories because of the perspective they offer. It’s hard to complain about graduate school applications when I read about characters who are treated with brutality and struggling just to stay alive. Reading about Lina’s hope for outside help made me think about present day conflicts and what outsiders can do to bring cruelty to a stop.

Sepetys’s writing is beautiful because it’s simple, yet not once does it let me forget how human the characters are. I loved that Lina sought to capture every nuance of her experience through her drawings from the pain everyone felt to memories that brought happiness to everyone’s lives. It was incredible to read about how love helped Lina and her family hold on to their determination. Her narrative is also reminder of how powerful a small act of human compassion can be, and how love can pull people through the hardest times, and this element of the story brought me to tears at the end. Part of the reason I thought about this so much was because of the author video on the book’s website, which I highly recommend watching.

I’m not honestly sure if I have the words to sufficiently describe what an incredible story this is. Between Shades of Gray is an unforgettable story, and I hope that Sepetys’s dream of seeing it in classrooms and libraries comes true. If you only read one historical fiction book in 2011, make it this one. ...more

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Oct 08, 2011 Marianne rated it it was amazing

This is great historical fiction set in WWII about a girl from Lithuania who, with her mother and brother, are sent to Siberia by train--riveting details and a fascinating story.

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Aug 19, 2012 Jennie rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction

4.5. Beautifully done, but sickening.

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Feb 08, 2013 Marianne rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I really liked this historical fiction book.

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Jan 19, 2014 Ruth Soz rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult

I'm finding that I have become drawn to stories that are part of a large historical context (in this case WWII), but tell of a lesser known aspect (such as the deportation of people in the Baltic states by the Soviets). It's a reminder that there are still so many stories out there to be told. This account of 15-year-old Lina, a Lithuanian, is heartbreaking but with traces of hope towards the end. I also enjoyed the author's note. ...more

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