I first learned about #Collaboreads from Kristin's blog and the bookworm in me rejoiced.
Finding new books to read is a never-ending quest for me so this link up is pure gold. Here is the criteria:
A theme for the month is chosen
Pick your book
Read. You get a whole month!
Friend's Favorite for December had me reading Jenna Blum's Those We Save Us. I was sent this book from Andrea for the Mommy and Me Book Exchange earlier this month.
Goodreads Synopsis:
"For fifty years, Anna Schlemmer has refused to talk about her life in Germany during World War II. Her daughter, Trudy, was only three when she and her mother were liberated by an American soldier and went to live with him in Minnesota. Trudy's sole evidence of the past is an old photograph: a family portrait showing Anna, Trudy, and a Nazi officer, the Obersturmfuhrer of Buchenwald.
Driven by the guilt of her heritage, Trudy, now a professor of German history, begins investigating the past and finally unearths the dramatic and heartbreaking truth of her mother's life.
Combining a passionate, doomed love story, a vivid evocation of life during the war, and a poignant mother/daughter drama,Those Who Save Us is a profound exploration of what we endure to survive and the legacy of shame."
Riveting:
This book hits close to home; my papa grew up in Germany during Hitler's reign and it makes me so sad and so thankful he made it through that horrifying time. The author writes beautifully about a grim and depressing time in history.
Elements:
The two main character's, mother Anna and daughter Trudy, have a strained relationship but you feel for both women and want both to have closure though it comes at a price for both.
Associate:
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Both stories are written from a female veiw point during the time of the Nazi Reich.
Design:
The book cover gives no indication to the content of the story but I'm a mother and a preschool teacher, so putting a cute little girl on the cover piques my interest. The text is clear and easy to read and the alternating view points kept me engaged.
Stars:
3 our of 5.
As well written as this story is, I can't love it solely because of the horrible association I have with the actual historical event, does that make sense?
Oh man, I LOOVED that book!!!
ReplyDeleteJen@Jpabstfitness
Did you like The Book Thief? How would you rate this in comparison to that? I need some new books to read and I loved The Book Thief. If this is as good or better, I might need to check it out!
ReplyDeleteSounds like an interesting read. I have been meaning to read The Book Thief for quite some time now. Maybe I'll add both of these to my list!
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