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oceanbritch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Pregnancy and War
Minor: Child death, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Excrement, and Death of parent
maria1085's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“We the survivors are not the true witnesses. The true witnesses, those in possession of the unspeakable truth, are the drowned, the dead, the disappeared.”
It always amazes me when I read historical fiction I learn something new. Salt to the Sea is based on the real sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff in the Baltic Sea on January 30, 1945. This was the single greatest maritime disaster in history yet not many people know about it. As a history buff I like to think that I’ve learned a lot of history, but it just isn’t the case. The ship was overcrowded carrying 10,500 refugees and military personnel. Included were 5,000 children. When it was struck by three torpedoes from a Russian submarine it began to sink. It was a tragedy that took so many lives.
This hauntingly beautiful story follows four characters who become connected as they make their way to the port to escape the advancing Red Army. This novel was well researched and so well written. It’s YA, but it didn’t feel that way when I was reading it. This is my first book by Rutya Septys and it won’t be my last. She is such a prolific writer, each story was so heartbreaking but the way she connected the characters at a human level gives the reader hope.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Vomit, and Medical trauma
smartens's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Moderate: Child death, Death, Genocide, Homophobia, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Murder, Pregnancy, and War
erinlikesstories's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Vomit, Antisemitism, Grief, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Pregnancy
cammiem8's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Homophobia, Torture, and Vomit
Depicts WW2 and Nazism realistically, so expect all the violence and bigotry that goes along with that.sabthelamp's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
misssophiawilliams's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Ableism, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and War
hayleyp12's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Child death, Death, and War
Moderate: Xenophobia
Minor: Sexual assault
shybookstagramer's review against another edition
4.0
I thought this book was beautifully written and brought this tragic tale to my attention. I like how the story was told from 4 completely different perspectives so that readers can see how this tragedy affected so many different types of people. I felt for the characters. I thought they were all unique and well-written. I grew very attached to them and became so invested.
There were some moments where I didn't necessarily want some of the descriptions that I got, but they did show the horrible things that occurred.
This is a very heavy read but I think it's important that people read it because we need to learn about events like this that are never talked about.
Graphic: Ableism, Child death, Death, Racism, Violence, Antisemitism, Pregnancy, and War
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Rape, Sexual assault, and Medical content
scarletleaf's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Racism, Antisemitism, and War
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault