Review: Salt To The Sea
Salt To The Sea
By Ruta Sepetys
Ruta Sepetys Salt To The Sea is an amazing piece of historical fiction, hands down. I had such an easy time getting into the book right from the start. The plot was mesmerizing with its great imagery of places, characters and the actions of what was happening around them. I loved how the chapters were very short, for myself it helps to understand what is going on better. I also feel how Ruta switched up the chapters from one of the character's viewpoints than the next chapter has the same event be told from another character's viewpoint.
The four main characters Joana, Florian, Emila, and Alfred each move the story forward in their own way, each having a different backstory. With their own problems and guilts, in this way, it helps to have multiple points of views within the story. One of my favorite parts of how Salt To The See was written, is that there are lots of backstories telling you what happened before all the characters meet in the end. In most books, a ton of backstories can be confusing, making it much harder to really get into and enjoy what is taking place in the storyline. That reason is that you have to think so much about what is going on and where everything is taking place. In Salt To The Sea, you definitely do not have a problem keeping track of events, which with most books that is a big issue. Salt To The Sea is the very opposite and is very easy to understand, as well as enjoying for you get to understand more about each character. Plus what has happened in this war that shaped them into who they are in the present of the book.
I really enjoyed this book because it had great visual descriptions, as well as being able to understand the struggles of what each and every one of the characters are going through. Even if what has happened to them is not something most people have ever gone through. You start to feel the struggles, friendships, and love for of each of them, not only are they the characters of the book but they start to become your friends as well, and you want the best for them all.
One thing that intrigued me about the book was that you get a completely different point of view of WWII one that you would not normally have. I always learned that the Allies were the "good guys" of WWII and that they protected everyone, that is not the case with all of them. As part of the Allies was the Soviet Union, yes they helped Brittan and the United States, but the things that they did to innocent refugees trying to flee their countries because of the Soviet Union invading toward Germany. They raped, pillaged, and killed innocent people and they knew it too. Including people that could speak Russian and communicate with them. The Soviet Union's way of trying to invade Germany was just as bad as what Germany was doing to the Polish, Jews, Russians, Serbs, Spanish Republicans, Trade Unionists, Ukrainians, handicapped, mentally ill or mentally retarded. So after reading this book, I got to understand that when Germany was taking in the refugees who were of German descent were not bad in that instance. Even if they didn't let certain people be saved, they still took in lots of people.
Overall this book was such a great read, I think that everyone should read this to open our eyes and understand that there are always two sides to a coin and the same applies to that of life/ history. Just like in history normally we only learn one side of the story and not the other because history books are written by the authors and what THEY want us to learn. That is why it is good to read and understand that not always what the history books tell us is 100% accurate. Someone can't just be all good or all bad, the human race doesn't work like that. That is what we need to gather from the book and apply it to our everyday lives, learning from our past mistakes.
Reading Ruta Sepetys Salt To The Sea has opened my eyes and I can't wait to read her other two books. (which I have started reading Between Shades Of Grey, which is in the point of view of Joana's cousin Lina)
If you want to buy this book there will be an Amazon, Barnes and Nobel book links below.
By Ruta Sepetys
Ruta Sepetys Salt To The Sea is an amazing piece of historical fiction, hands down. I had such an easy time getting into the book right from the start. The plot was mesmerizing with its great imagery of places, characters and the actions of what was happening around them. I loved how the chapters were very short, for myself it helps to understand what is going on better. I also feel how Ruta switched up the chapters from one of the character's viewpoints than the next chapter has the same event be told from another character's viewpoint.
The four main characters Joana, Florian, Emila, and Alfred each move the story forward in their own way, each having a different backstory. With their own problems and guilts, in this way, it helps to have multiple points of views within the story. One of my favorite parts of how Salt To The See was written, is that there are lots of backstories telling you what happened before all the characters meet in the end. In most books, a ton of backstories can be confusing, making it much harder to really get into and enjoy what is taking place in the storyline. That reason is that you have to think so much about what is going on and where everything is taking place. In Salt To The Sea, you definitely do not have a problem keeping track of events, which with most books that is a big issue. Salt To The Sea is the very opposite and is very easy to understand, as well as enjoying for you get to understand more about each character. Plus what has happened in this war that shaped them into who they are in the present of the book.
I really enjoyed this book because it had great visual descriptions, as well as being able to understand the struggles of what each and every one of the characters are going through. Even if what has happened to them is not something most people have ever gone through. You start to feel the struggles, friendships, and love for of each of them, not only are they the characters of the book but they start to become your friends as well, and you want the best for them all.
One thing that intrigued me about the book was that you get a completely different point of view of WWII one that you would not normally have. I always learned that the Allies were the "good guys" of WWII and that they protected everyone, that is not the case with all of them. As part of the Allies was the Soviet Union, yes they helped Brittan and the United States, but the things that they did to innocent refugees trying to flee their countries because of the Soviet Union invading toward Germany. They raped, pillaged, and killed innocent people and they knew it too. Including people that could speak Russian and communicate with them. The Soviet Union's way of trying to invade Germany was just as bad as what Germany was doing to the Polish, Jews, Russians, Serbs, Spanish Republicans, Trade Unionists, Ukrainians, handicapped, mentally ill or mentally retarded. So after reading this book, I got to understand that when Germany was taking in the refugees who were of German descent were not bad in that instance. Even if they didn't let certain people be saved, they still took in lots of people.
Overall this book was such a great read, I think that everyone should read this to open our eyes and understand that there are always two sides to a coin and the same applies to that of life/ history. Just like in history normally we only learn one side of the story and not the other because history books are written by the authors and what THEY want us to learn. That is why it is good to read and understand that not always what the history books tell us is 100% accurate. Someone can't just be all good or all bad, the human race doesn't work like that. That is what we need to gather from the book and apply it to our everyday lives, learning from our past mistakes.
Reading Ruta Sepetys Salt To The Sea has opened my eyes and I can't wait to read her other two books. (which I have started reading Between Shades Of Grey, which is in the point of view of Joana's cousin Lina)
If you want to buy this book there will be an Amazon, Barnes and Nobel book links below.
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