Between Shades of Gray in Around the World

Aug 18, 2012 Rusalka rated it liked it

Shelves: europe, ylto-topplers, own, historical-fiction, original-52-books-around-the-world, central-eastern-europe, around-the-world

I am actually still reading Anna Karenina. But some of the lovely people who are doing the Around the World Challenge invited me to do their own 24 hour challenge for the weekend. It is all Olympic in theme, and therefore I am reading European books for Team Europe today.

I picked this up at the start which was midnight my time last night. I ripped through 8 chapters before bed. This quick amount of reading annoyed me. I hate the fact that people who are writing from young adults or children feel I am actually still reading Anna Karenina. But some of the lovely people who are doing the Around the World Challenge invited me to do their own 24 hour challenge for the weekend. It is all Olympic in theme, and therefore I am reading European books for Team Europe today.

I picked this up at the start which was midnight my time last night. I ripped through 8 chapters before bed. This quick amount of reading annoyed me. I hate the fact that people who are writing from young adults or children feel like that is an excuse to write badly. Or that if they write badly, then they change their audience to young adults and children. I think that is patronising. And not to mention I feel this must just turn off kids from reading. Thank you J.K. Rowling for cementing this trend (although she obviously didn't turn kids off reading but is a terrible writer).

And that's what I felt with the first 60pp of this book. However picking it up again this morning has made me change my mind somewhat. I couldn't for the life of me work out how we were going to see a happy ending to the book, or even an ending. I was pleasantly surprised that it was accomplished.

The story is of Lina, her brother and her mother who are Lithuanians who are taken from their homeland by the secret Soviet police/military and then are forced in to work camps and hard labour in Russia and Siberia. This occurs during WWII and you have this interesting insight again (like in Purge) of the people dealing with Stalin and hoping that Hitler will save them, only to realise that Hitler is just a monster from the West, as opposed to one from the East.

I feel so sorry for the people of Eastern Europe. They seem to have been forgotten by us in the West after we dealt with Hitler and the Japanese. As long as people were not attacking us and people like us (US, UK, Aus, France, Germany, Austria etc), we were kind of happy to leave them be behind their Iron Curtain. Where is seems that those people who fell on the wrong side of the curtain endured the horrible crimes that existed in the War for 40 years longer. That to me seems inexcusable...

But back to the book. It picked up pace, the flashbacks began to fit, and the writing began to flow. Despite the few typos (what is with editors these days?) it was an enjoyable YA read. A great introduction to the horrors of the Soviet regime. Well great and enjoyable as it can be in the circumstances. 2.5 stars.

For more reviews visit http://rusalkii.blogspot.com.au/ ...more

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May 16, 2012 Kat rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: udate, wwii, ya, historical-fiction

Most of the information and books I have read about World War II is focused mainly on Western Europe and the plight of the Jewish people. So when I saw that Between Shades of Gray was set in Lithuania, I was intrigued - sure, I had heard the figures of how many Lithuanian and Estonian civilians died in WWII, but I had no idea what had actually happened to all those millions of people.

Between Shades of Gray tells a harsh, heartbreaking story of one family and their treatment at the hands of the s ...more

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Jun 14, 2017 GoBeIt rated it it was amazing

Excellent. Thoughtful, insightful, important historical fiction that sheds light on truths that have been deliberately hidden and voices that were silenced. Ruta Sepetys is such a graceful writer that this novel is enjoyable and heartbreaking, and guides the reader gently into these harsh realities. I recommend it for everyone.

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Jan 27, 2015 Preethi rated it really liked it

Shelves: awesom-otic, cute-happy-relive-joy-of-reading, notable-history-moment, brain-fodder, ebook, love-the-author, love-luuurve-lou, wanderlust-or-about-a-country, memorable-women-or-about-women, coming-of-age

I've read about Stalin's Russia before, thanks to Rand and Orwell, and have had a fair idea of how life was then. This book taught me about the Baltic story, as heart wrenching as the ones told by Holocaust survivors. These atrocities are not to be spoken even today, and these three countries are free now, without a grudge on the Russians. True, love wins over everything.

This is a very well written book, enough to make you grip at the pages in shiny,and feel for the characters in it. For Lina,Jo ...more

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