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Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

37 reviews

oceanwriter's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Ruta Sepetys has become one of my favorite historical fiction authors. Her books stand out from others in the genre thanks to the lesser-known/talked about events she chooses to build her plots around. 
 
Joana, Florian, and Emelia narrate their journeys learning up to their departure on the fated Wilhelm Gustloff. In contrast to them is Alfred, a Nazi assigned to the ship. While Alfred’s section of the book is largely focuses on his career and his ‘promised’ future, Joana, Emelia, and Florian’s stories focus on their pasts and hopes of escape. 
 
Despite the extremely short chapters, I found the story was slow to build. Toward the last third, it picked up immensely. The sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff is the worst disaster in maritime history with a death toll nearing 10,000. Ruta Sepetys does a wonderful job of capturing the tragedy. Although the book is about fictional characters, the reader still gets a sense of the individuals who suffered through it. 
 
Compared to The Fountains of Silence and I Must Betray You, it took a significantly longer time for me to get wholly into the plot given how quickly the four POVs jumped around. The lead-in and backstories took up most of the pages. The wait was well worth it even though it's a heartbreaking read. 
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lostintheplot's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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alisonfaith426's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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natalie183's review against another edition

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emotional informative tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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emily_koopmann's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative reflective sad fast-paced

4.75

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arlingtonchamberofgay's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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pucksandpaperbacks's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
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amberinbookland's review against another edition

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dark emotional inspiring sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes

3.75

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books_for_life3000's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense fast-paced
  • 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

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lsmith725's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional informative sad tense fast-paced
  • 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

I highly recommend this book, but read the physical book.  The audiobook just confused me.  The combo of short chapters that switch perspectives and the foreign names/terms just left me lost when listening, but wasn't a problem at all when I was reading the physical book.

I was captivated.  This book is beautiful.  The people in it and the beautiful language are just so well done.  Ruta Sepetys has done her research for sure.  You will cry, smily, and learn a lot with this one.
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