This book is a WWII story also. Our main character, Rebecca, promises her dying Grandmother to investigate their family history, to find her "inheritance". Over and over, Rebecca's grandmother (Gemma) told her the story of "Briar Rose" (or "Sleeping Beauty"). It is only when Becca digs into Gemma's past that she finds that the princess in the fairy tale WAS her grandmother! How is this connected to the Holocaust? You'll find out in this 240 page YA book.
General Rating: 3 out of 4. A stunner.
1. Was it plausible? Yes, unfortunately, it was all too plausible.
2. Was it thought provoking? Yes, see my rant from "Above Suspicion"
3. Was it engaging? Yes, very.
4. Was it uplifting? Kind of.
Language: none
Sex: reference to homosexual relationships, no descriptions. One of the main characters is a homosexual man. This bothered me a little bit just because I wasn't into reading about his party life. But it reminded me that homosexuals were tortured and killed too, along with all the others that were labeled as subhuman by the Nazis.
My recommendation: This book is worth reading. I actually found it kind of stunning. It wasn't a comfortable book, by any means. From the title, I initially assumed it was a retelling of the tale of Sleeping Beauty. Which is is, really, but in a way I could never have predicted or even imagined. [It's a book written for young adults, but is easily read by adults too, of course. I often find great favorites among YA literature.]
No comments:
Post a Comment