Salt to the Sea

Product Information

Unfortunately, you know that not everyone will make it–this is historical fiction based largely on true accounts. The youth starve and handle near-fatal injuries while trying to find light in a simple berry or abandoned fireplace dance.

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys | Goodreads

A young Lithuanian nurse, Joana flees from her home, leaving behind her family. She is brave, selfless, and a skilled, multilingual nurse. Empathy and compassion pour from her soul. Part of Joana’s story is a crossover with Between Shades of Grey, Sepetys other infamous YA Baltic novel. 2. Florian This book was by no means a walk in the park or a box of Godiva chocolates. It is like you are on an emotional roller coaster, with upside down turns, twists, and drops. It will tear at your insides, it makes you want to cry and shriek.. "why is this happening" ? By the time the group of refugees finally arrives to the port of Gotenhafen, their lives are increasingly intertwined. Joana and Florian fall in love. Emilia views Florian as proof that there are good men in the world. At Gotenhafen, they all depend on Alfred’s help to get boarding passes. What had human beings become? Did war make us evil or just activate an evil already lurking within us?” Florian, p. 102Plus, before we traveled to the Baltics on a whirlwind road trip tour around Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, I craved more Baltic and eastern European history. Growing up I had no idea where these countries even landed on a map.

Salt to the Sea - Penguin Random House

Approximately 10,000 people were aboard; most were civilians, including around 5,000 children. Approximately 1,000 survived. Sepetys, Ruta (March 22, 2011). Between Shades of Gray (First; Hardcovered.). Philomel Books. ISBN 9780399254123. Many of us know the tales of German and Polish Jews during the Nazi reign, far less know what Lithuanian refugees faced. Even fewer will know of the tragedy this book is about. I like that. Historical fiction that teaches me something is always appreciated. However, a few history lessons is truly all I took from this book. Alfred is the German ‘soldier’ who you just want to slug. You know you were thinking it too. Alfred is an entitled, weak, and self-disillusioned young man in Hitler’s army.By sharing the stories of 4 teens from different areas surrounding the Baltic Sea, Sepetys asks readers to remember and honor these brave and innocent souls. Most importantly, Sepetys sheds light and gives voice to an overshadowed part of history that deserves so much more attention. I am certain everyone heard your proclamation. It almost sounded like pride. And for some reason those words are now caught, like a hair, in the drain of my mind. The Boy In The Striped Pajamas by John Boyne– Just like Alfred buys into Hitler’s propaganda, watch as Bruno makes a deadly acquaintance as he plays with a young boy wearing these funny blue striped pajamas.

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys Plot Summary | LitCharts Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys Plot Summary | LitCharts

Heinz is also known as the “shoe poet,” or simply, “poet.” He is an old German shoemaker. He talks with great love and emotion about shoes, which he believes are the key to health and always tell the true story about someone. Heinz is kind and caring, and he becomes a grandfather figure to Klaus. Eva It’s a letter from the doctor in Insterburg saying you’re good at dealing with blood and guts, Joana. I’m sorry, but I don’t call that an opportunity,” she said.once again, ruta sepetys has created a story that so easily allows you to slip into the shoes of the main characters. even though these characters and i are separated by generations and lifetimes, i still felt so connected to them, joana especially. the writing in this is relatively easy and plain, but i think that simplicity ensures the story is unobstructed by anything that might take attention away from the importance of it, which is nice. Sepetys, for me, writes some of the most detached accounts of WW2 atrocities. It honestly shouldn't be that hard to evoke sympathy or some feeling for these poor people, but I genuinely felt nothing. You know those expendable people that get gunned down in movies while the hero runs from the bad guys? The ones who the camera brushes over and we never think about again? That is how I felt when learning of all the casualties and brutality in this book.

Alfred Frick Character Analysis in Salt to the Sea | LitCharts Alfred Frick Character Analysis in Salt to the Sea | LitCharts

As with her first novel, I feel a little uncomfortable being negative about these kinds of books. This was a horrific time when some terrible atrocities were committed and I applaud the author for always focusing on the unknown, but no less true, parts of history. This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( July 2023) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Emilia and Florian meet when Florian saves Emilia from a Russian soldier. The couple runs into Joana as she is traveling with a group of refugees. Everyone is attempting to make it to West Germany to board ships and save their own lives. Six years ago, the day our stork left, Mama left too. She died giving birth to what would have been my younger brother.

Salt to the Sea takes places in East Prussia in January 1945. Thousands of refugees try to evacuate as World War II draws to a chaotic close.