Between Shades of Gray, by Ruta Sepetys We were missing some members this month as we met downtown at Martine Cafe, but we still had a rousing discussion of a book that we collectively gave 4 stars.
Leslie's review of the book is here on Compass Book Ratings.
Alison said, "Highly recommended for both young adults and adults. An important story, beautifully written!"
Karen said, "I debated for a long time about how many stars to give this book. What I liked about it, was that it tells a story that has not been told already. This is the first book I have ever read about Stalin's treatment of the Lithuanians during WWII. It is told through the eyes of Lina, a young artist, taken with her family and falsely charged then imprisoned in a Siberian work camp. I loved the portrayal of a loving family. I always felt a little disengaged from the story though. In fact, half way through I picked up another book, and read it instead, then returned to this. Overall, it is worth discovering. I also liked this quote from the author at the end, "They chose hope over hate and showed the world that even through the darkest night, there is light....love reveals to us the truly miraculous nature of the human spirit."
Sue said, "Moving story of the horrors endured by a Lithuanian family forcibly relocated to Siberia by Soviets during WWII. It's based on true stories from survivors of the forced labor camps and contains some truly horrific moments. It's definitely an older YA novel as it could be disturbing to younger readers and contains some language during stress situations. It's an important story that is well-told. I really loved it."
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