Published: August 3rd, 2016 by: Thorndike Press
Pages: 450
Rating: 5/5 stars
World War II is finally over in East Prussia and thousands of refugees are trying to make the escape to freedom. A ship, the Wilhelm Gustloff, promises them just that, and many board the ship making it's way to safe ground. Among the refugees are Florian, Emilia and Joana, strangers who have all got something to hide. However when tragedy strikes among the ship, the three, and the thousands others on the fated ship, must do whatever it takes to survive.
This book was a harrowing, heartbreaking and just plain beautiful piece of writing. It revolves around a tragedy of WWII not very well known, I didn't even know it myself, and that is the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff. Thousands of refugees were on this boat looking for a better life, and yet, they were doomed. Most people just know of the Titanic as the most famous ship sinking, but I think that this story is of as equal importance and deserves equal recognition.
The book is told in alternating points of view from refugees of very different backgrounds. Each and every character were so well-developed, their stories so well thought out and I fell for every one of them. I especially had a soft spot for Joana, as she was so kind and had such an amazing soul. I loved how unique each character's situation was.
What I love about Sepetys is that she sheds light on historical events not well known to the public. She doesn't skim the surface of events, she goes into these terrible and emotional things that happened to real people that need more recognition. I had no idea that this sinking had even happened because the only ship sinking I was ever taught about was the Titanic, but after reading this book I felt like I had learnt something new. Sepetys gives these victims a story to tell.
Overall, an amazing WWII book that tells a different story. I think anyone interested in history should read this book, as it will educated you on a story that you didn't even know about, but that affected a lot of people.
Have you read Salt to the Sea? What did you think?
Emily @ Paperback Princess
I'd never heard of the Wilhelm Gustloff before. This book sounds fascinating and heartbreaking.
ReplyDeleteIt definitely was! I hadn't heard about it either but once I read this I just had to research further.
DeleteI've sent a sample of Salt to the Sea to my kindle, thinking it might be a good book for one of my twins (who loves historical fiction), but I haven't read it yet. I'm wondering what you think about its reading level. The publisher recommends it for grade 7 and up. My twins are only in 3rd grade, but read a range of books, including some intended for 7th and 8th graders. Would Salt to the Sea be too "mature" for her? I'd appreciate your thoughts! Thanks.
DeleteI think it depends on how sensitive she is to strong themes, because there definitely are some strong themes in this book such as death, violence, rape and pregnancy due to rape. Personally I would think that it might be a bit too mature, but if you're comfortable with her reading about those issues then that's fine! I'm not sure how much the sample will show but you can always read it for yourself and then see if you're ok with her reading it :) It's great that they're reading books meant for 7th and 8th grade though! That's awesome!!
DeleteThank you! I haven't read the sample yet, but I will. I think rape and pregnancy due to rape would be difficult for my girls to understand at this point (we've had some discussions about these topics, but it's been pretty general). So, we'll probably wait on this book for now.
DeleteI'm so happy you liked it! I did try reading it, but I had come off from reading Blood for Blood by Ryan Graudin which also had WWII elements - so I didn't feel like reading Salt to The Sea anymore! :(
ReplyDeleteI'll mark this as one to remember though, because any book that sheds light on lesser known historical events is something I should read! :)
Definitely!! I hope you love it Geraldine, once you're in the mood for it, you'll never look back! Also, kind of random, but how have you been? I feel like we haven't chatted in a while!
DeleteSounds interesting! I hadn't heard of the Wilhelm Gustloff either.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest allied shipping disaster of WW2 was the sinking of RMS Lancastria, which went down with over 4000 casualties. Of course there's also the sinking of the Lusitania from WW1 - which killed over 1000 and brought the US into the war. (There is a lot of random trivia in my head, lol!)
Lol you do know a lot of random WWII trivia! It's good to know though, its important that we don't forget about the suffering that some people went through.
DeleteHi Emily :) I've nominated you for The Mystery Blogger Award. You can find out more here
ReplyDeleteThanks Amy :)
DeleteYOU WORDED IT PERFECTLY AHH <3 I loved your review! I do agree that Sepetys voiced out a lot of things in this book and that she gave the victims stories to tell. I personally didn't even know that this even happened, but thanks to this book, I realized (and sympathized) the horrors of the sinking. It was really heartbreaking!
ReplyDeleteI loved reading this. And I love each and every character (though not so much for Alfred haha). It was truly heartbreaking!
Jillian @ Jillian's Books
Thanks Jillian lol! Yeah it definitely brought a different take on historical fiction and I'm so thankful for that. Each and every character was special in their own way, but i totally agree with you on Alfred!
DeleteI've head SO MANY good things about this, I can't wait to check it out sometime...soon, hopefully! It's not aften that I pick up books dealing with subjects such as these and I seriously need to remedy that. Great review, Em! Thanks for sharing <3
ReplyDeleteYou should definitely read this if you don't normally go for books like these! I think it's a historical fiction must-read! Thanks Ruzaika!
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