Difficult time to read another book about the genocide of the Jewish people in WWII when a different genocide is currently going on in the World (Ukraine.)
I almost put the book down a couple times but the writing was compelling and so is the story.
In reality, pretty incredible that any Jews at all were actually able to escape Nazi persecution let alone survive in the forests of Eastern Europe. The research (detailed in the authors notes at the end of the book) made the reading about how they eked out an existence very authentic. To think of the lives they had prior to German invasion and fast forward to the unfathomable position they found themselves in during this horrific period in time was depressing and dreadful. Yet, also really demonstrated the will of the human spirit to survive. The evil actions of humanity never fail to give me pause tho ~ will we ever evolve to a higher plane of existence??
The main character, Yona, had a very unusual story but it was central to the survival of so many. She certainly wasn't insulated from heartbreaking experiences either. I enjoyed the beginning of the book which had a magical "fairytale-ish" feeling to it (and felt less threatening then the middle & ending) and was also fascinated by Jerusza. Too bad there weren't more pages devoted to her.
As hard as this was to read (in light of current events) I liked it much better than the previous book I'd read by this author ('The Book of Lost Names.')
I almost put the book down a couple times but the writing was compelling and so is the story.
In reality, pretty incredible that any Jews at all were actually able to escape Nazi persecution let alone survive in the forests of Eastern Europe. The research (detailed in the authors notes at the end of the book) made the reading about how they eked out an existence very authentic. To think of the lives they had prior to German invasion and fast forward to the unfathomable position they found themselves in during this horrific period in time was depressing and dreadful. Yet, also really demonstrated the will of the human spirit to survive. The evil actions of humanity never fail to give me pause tho ~ will we ever evolve to a higher plane of existence??
The main character, Yona, had a very unusual story but it was central to the survival of so many. She certainly wasn't insulated from heartbreaking experiences either. I enjoyed the beginning of the book which had a magical "fairytale-ish" feeling to it (and felt less threatening then the middle & ending) and was also fascinated by Jerusza. Too bad there weren't more pages devoted to her.
As hard as this was to read (in light of current events) I liked it much better than the previous book I'd read by this author ('The Book of Lost Names.')
