Salt to the Sea
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Beschreibung
Beiträge
Historical fiction not only for young readers
Four people, four fates crossing somewhere in East Prussia during the last days of World War II. Each of them carrying a minor or major secret with them… Forced to unite, they’re facing one of the biggest maritime ship disasters of WWII, the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff in the Baltic Sea. Despite the heavy topic, the book is easy to read. It’s written in simple language without a single unnecessary word. The chapters are short and changing between four perspectives that are still easy to distinguish. They’re mostly ending with a cliffhanger that keeps the reading flow up all the time. The plot itself is fictional, but the book keeps very close to the real historical events. The backstorys of the four POVs are nevertheless super authentic and represent the single stories of so so so many people. The end was the most beautiful not-so-happy happy ending I‘ve ever read. The story hit me right in the heart, maybe because my own family’s roots are also connected with East Prussia. This might have been my most emotional read of 2023!
How foolish to believe we are more powerful than the sea or the sky. You might have seen this book around lately, quite a lot, on BookTube and Blogs. But what you might not have seen, is THIS video interviewing the author, Ruta Sepetys, about the book and the history behind it. I did not want to pick up „Salt to the Sea“ before I’ve seen the video. I thought it was an over hyped kind of book, a hype I did not want to be part of, especially because historical fiction is usually not my genre. But to hear Ruta Sepetys talk about a tragedy that took 9.343 lives, that took place so close to Germany and is part of our history as well as everyone else’s… yet I had never heard of it before. I needed to know more. I had to read „Salt to the Sea“ and I think you should too. Because: These souls were desperate for someone, anyone, to know their story. […] We know the villains names. We teach the villains names. But we don’t know the victims names. 9.343 people perished on the Wilhelm Gustloff. Each one had a story. Ich weiß was ihr denkt. Ein Buch in dem es um Flüchtlinge geht, braucht man das gerade jetzt auch noch? Ja, braucht man! Ich traue mich aber fast gar nicht, darüber zu schreiben. Traue mich fast gar nicht zu schreiben, dass manchen Menschen, die man z.B. in den Nachrichten sieht, ein Buch wie „Salt to the Sea“ mal gut tun würde. Um zu sehen wie dumm ihre Denkweise ist. Dass Flüchtlinge auch „nur“ Menschen sind. Söhne, Krankenschwestern, Müttern,… Menschen mit Geschichten. Birds squawked overhead, issuing a warning. I knew the legends of the birds. Seagulls were the souls of dead soldiers. Owls were the souls of women. Doves were the recently departed souls of unmarried girls. Was there a bird for the souls of people like me? Ruta Sepetys wollte die Geschichte der Menschen erzählen, die bei dem Schiffsunglück der Wilhelm Gustloff ums Leben kamen. Oder nein, Unglück ist das falsche Wort. Schließlich wurde die Wilhelm Gustloff von drei Torpedos eines russischen U-Boots versenkt. „Einfach so“, fast 10.000 Seelen, verloren auf See. Denkt mal darüber nach, ob ihr schon mal von dem Schiff „Wilhelm Gustloff“ gehört habt? Was etwa zur gleichen Zeit in Berlin passiert, weiß bestimmt jeder. Dass die meisten von uns (ich nehme mich da nicht aus) von 10.000 Unschuldigen, die am Ende des zweiten Weltkriegs ums Leben kamen, noch nie etwas gehört hat, ist traurig und schockierend zugleich. Jeder sagt immer, es ist wichtig dass wir in der Schule etwas über die Kriege lernen, aber wieso lernen wir nur etwas über die Monster, nicht aber über die Opfer? So it had happened. Evacuation orders had been issued. Germany was finally telling people what they should have said months ago. Run for your lives. Vielleicht sind historische Romane also doch was für mich. „Salt to the Sea“ war auf jeden Fall der richtige Einstiegspunkt in das Genre. Wir begleiten vier Personen auf ihrem Weg zur „Wilhelm Gustloff“, drei davon Flüchtlinge, die unterschiedlicher nicht sein können, aber mit vielen anderen zusammen arbeiten um sicher und lebendig zum Schiff zu gelangen. Was sich unheimlich mutig und rührend anhört (und auch liest) macht einem aber auch das ganze Buch lang Bauchschmerzen. Denn man schließt die Menschen ins Herz, obwohl man genau weiß dass sie in ihr verderben rennen. Habt ihr schon mal Titanic geguckt, und für Kate und Leo gehofft, dass die Titanic es doch irgendwie noch an dem Eisberg vorbei schafft? Das ist das „Grundrauschen“ von „Salt to the Sea“, nur etwa 10.000-mal schlimmer. Everyone knew the story of the big ships, Titanic and Lusitania. I looked toward the thousands of corpses floating in the water. This was so much larger. More than ten thousand people had been on board the Gustloff. The gruesome details of the sinking would be reported in every world newspaper. The tragedy would be studied for years, become legendary. Darüber hinaus stecken starke Figuren in dem Buch, Menschen, Seelen, mit denen man leidet, jubelt und weint. Die Handlung von „Salt to the Sea“ berührt, die Geschichte und die 10.000 Seelen wird man so schnell nicht vergessen. Wer jetzt gerne noch etwas über Schreibstil etc… wissen möchte, der ist (es tut mir leid) verrückt. Darüber möchte ich bei einem solchen Buch nicht reden. Denn die Geschichte ist wichtig, vielleicht heute noch wichtiger, als sie noch vor 1-2 Jahren gewesen wäre. Jeder sollte sie lesen, jeder sollte mit dem Begriff „Wilhelm Gustloff“ etwas anfangen können, und jeder sollte mal durch die Augen der Flüchtlinge sehen, wenigstens auf diesen 400 Seiten. p.s.: for an awesome English review, check out what Maggie Stiefvater had to say HERE
"Guilt is a hunter. I was its hostage."
Nachdem ich etwas gebraucht habe, in das Buch hineinzufinden, war ich wirklich in den Bann gezogen, gefesselt und mitgenommen von diesem historischen Jugendroman. 1945. Wir folgen drei Figuren unterschiedlicher Herkunft auf ihrer Flucht vor der roten Armee. Alle haben ihre Geheimnisse und doch wachsen sie als Gruppe zusammen. Das Schiff Wilhelm Gustloff soll sie und tausende weitere Menschen in Sicherheit ans deutsche Festland bringen. Der Rest ist Geschichte... Ab einem gewissen Zeitpunkt, flog ich nur so durch die Seiten. Es ist wirklich tragisch, was während des zweiten Weltkrieges alles geschah, worüber man aber teilweise kaum Bescheid weiß. Umso wichtiger, dass Sepetys diesen fiktionalen Roman schrieb, der nicht nur Jugendliche, sondern auch alle anderen daran erinnert, was alles geschehen ist.
Once again Ruta Sepetys has written a wonderful, meticulously researched historical novel. Salt to the Sea is set at the end of the Second World War. It tells the fate of a group of refugees fleeing from the Russians in East Prussia and their escape to the Wilhelm Gustloff. The story is told from four different perspectives - a Lithuanian nurse, a pregnant Polish girl, a German art restorer and a sailor on the Wilhelm Gustloff - and each character has his or her secret. The book doesn't spare the reader the gruesome details of the war but it is never overly brutal. I still think Between Shades of Grey is Ruta Sepetys' masterwork but Salt to the Sea comes close. I guess readers who (unlike me) aren't familiar with the fate of the Wilhelm Gustloff the largest loss of life in a single ship sinking in history with approx. 9,400 victims will enjoy this book even more. I knew what was coming but especially the final 50 pages and the detailed afterword really made this a five-star read for me. I wish there were more books like this. Widely recommended!
[3.5]
This book was so beautiful and heart-wrenching. I loved it so much. This book has four main points of view, and I loved this aspect in this book. Everyone had their own voice, so that it didn't get confusing. These four characters give us different perspectives on the story, which is very important in historical fiction novels in my opinion. If such books only have one point of view it might get a little one-sided. But this book did everything so perfectly. Because the characters are all from different countries we can really see how war effected all of these countries, all of these people. It was amazing. But let's talk about each character individually: Florian: He was by far my favorite character. I loved his voice so much, and his story too. I feel like he stayed true to himself, no matter what happened throughout the story. He was that one character that seems very rude and cold on the outside, but is still so kind and would sacrifice his live for the ones he loves. I ADORE such characters. Joana: Her character was the most vital to the story in my opinion, and I loved how she just kept the whole crew stuck together. Without her, these people would have gotten lost long ago. She cares so deeply about other people, no matter where they come from, no matter what intentiosn they have. She doesn't care about anything but helping people, and that's what I found most astonishing about her. I really admire such people. Emilia: She was definitely the character I felt most compassion towards. How COULD THEY? How could anyone do that? I was so touched and saddened by her story, and I rooted for her all the way. I felt her fears, her sadness, her struggle, it was heart-breaking, and nobody should experience what she experienced. Still, it is important that also such topics get adressed in YA books nowadays in my opinion, because more light needs to be shed on them! Alfred: Well, what to say about him? I always wondered why he never sent any letters to the one he loved, and the reveal made me so sad and it made me feel bad for him. Even though throughout most part of the story I didn't like him too much, he is still an important part in the story, and it was important that also his POV got chosen, and the story got told through his eyes. The Group: The Shoe-Poet, the Child, they were not part of the main four characters, but they hold a special place in my heart. Even though they were side-characters so much depth was given to them, and I felt so close to these characters een though we only got to see a bit of their story. I would LOVE a book about these characters. Their past, their future, everything. I just need to know MORE. The author does an amazing job with revealing the character's past bit by bit, not all at once, so that you are still on the edge of your seat the whole time. The secrets that were revealed over the course of this story were just so interesting, so heart-breaking, it was amazing. The writing was amazing and the characters really grew so close to me in these few pages, I loved all of them. I will definitely check out more books by this author. 5/5 ★
💔
Beschreibung
Beiträge
Historical fiction not only for young readers
Four people, four fates crossing somewhere in East Prussia during the last days of World War II. Each of them carrying a minor or major secret with them… Forced to unite, they’re facing one of the biggest maritime ship disasters of WWII, the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff in the Baltic Sea. Despite the heavy topic, the book is easy to read. It’s written in simple language without a single unnecessary word. The chapters are short and changing between four perspectives that are still easy to distinguish. They’re mostly ending with a cliffhanger that keeps the reading flow up all the time. The plot itself is fictional, but the book keeps very close to the real historical events. The backstorys of the four POVs are nevertheless super authentic and represent the single stories of so so so many people. The end was the most beautiful not-so-happy happy ending I‘ve ever read. The story hit me right in the heart, maybe because my own family’s roots are also connected with East Prussia. This might have been my most emotional read of 2023!
How foolish to believe we are more powerful than the sea or the sky. You might have seen this book around lately, quite a lot, on BookTube and Blogs. But what you might not have seen, is THIS video interviewing the author, Ruta Sepetys, about the book and the history behind it. I did not want to pick up „Salt to the Sea“ before I’ve seen the video. I thought it was an over hyped kind of book, a hype I did not want to be part of, especially because historical fiction is usually not my genre. But to hear Ruta Sepetys talk about a tragedy that took 9.343 lives, that took place so close to Germany and is part of our history as well as everyone else’s… yet I had never heard of it before. I needed to know more. I had to read „Salt to the Sea“ and I think you should too. Because: These souls were desperate for someone, anyone, to know their story. […] We know the villains names. We teach the villains names. But we don’t know the victims names. 9.343 people perished on the Wilhelm Gustloff. Each one had a story. Ich weiß was ihr denkt. Ein Buch in dem es um Flüchtlinge geht, braucht man das gerade jetzt auch noch? Ja, braucht man! Ich traue mich aber fast gar nicht, darüber zu schreiben. Traue mich fast gar nicht zu schreiben, dass manchen Menschen, die man z.B. in den Nachrichten sieht, ein Buch wie „Salt to the Sea“ mal gut tun würde. Um zu sehen wie dumm ihre Denkweise ist. Dass Flüchtlinge auch „nur“ Menschen sind. Söhne, Krankenschwestern, Müttern,… Menschen mit Geschichten. Birds squawked overhead, issuing a warning. I knew the legends of the birds. Seagulls were the souls of dead soldiers. Owls were the souls of women. Doves were the recently departed souls of unmarried girls. Was there a bird for the souls of people like me? Ruta Sepetys wollte die Geschichte der Menschen erzählen, die bei dem Schiffsunglück der Wilhelm Gustloff ums Leben kamen. Oder nein, Unglück ist das falsche Wort. Schließlich wurde die Wilhelm Gustloff von drei Torpedos eines russischen U-Boots versenkt. „Einfach so“, fast 10.000 Seelen, verloren auf See. Denkt mal darüber nach, ob ihr schon mal von dem Schiff „Wilhelm Gustloff“ gehört habt? Was etwa zur gleichen Zeit in Berlin passiert, weiß bestimmt jeder. Dass die meisten von uns (ich nehme mich da nicht aus) von 10.000 Unschuldigen, die am Ende des zweiten Weltkriegs ums Leben kamen, noch nie etwas gehört hat, ist traurig und schockierend zugleich. Jeder sagt immer, es ist wichtig dass wir in der Schule etwas über die Kriege lernen, aber wieso lernen wir nur etwas über die Monster, nicht aber über die Opfer? So it had happened. Evacuation orders had been issued. Germany was finally telling people what they should have said months ago. Run for your lives. Vielleicht sind historische Romane also doch was für mich. „Salt to the Sea“ war auf jeden Fall der richtige Einstiegspunkt in das Genre. Wir begleiten vier Personen auf ihrem Weg zur „Wilhelm Gustloff“, drei davon Flüchtlinge, die unterschiedlicher nicht sein können, aber mit vielen anderen zusammen arbeiten um sicher und lebendig zum Schiff zu gelangen. Was sich unheimlich mutig und rührend anhört (und auch liest) macht einem aber auch das ganze Buch lang Bauchschmerzen. Denn man schließt die Menschen ins Herz, obwohl man genau weiß dass sie in ihr verderben rennen. Habt ihr schon mal Titanic geguckt, und für Kate und Leo gehofft, dass die Titanic es doch irgendwie noch an dem Eisberg vorbei schafft? Das ist das „Grundrauschen“ von „Salt to the Sea“, nur etwa 10.000-mal schlimmer. Everyone knew the story of the big ships, Titanic and Lusitania. I looked toward the thousands of corpses floating in the water. This was so much larger. More than ten thousand people had been on board the Gustloff. The gruesome details of the sinking would be reported in every world newspaper. The tragedy would be studied for years, become legendary. Darüber hinaus stecken starke Figuren in dem Buch, Menschen, Seelen, mit denen man leidet, jubelt und weint. Die Handlung von „Salt to the Sea“ berührt, die Geschichte und die 10.000 Seelen wird man so schnell nicht vergessen. Wer jetzt gerne noch etwas über Schreibstil etc… wissen möchte, der ist (es tut mir leid) verrückt. Darüber möchte ich bei einem solchen Buch nicht reden. Denn die Geschichte ist wichtig, vielleicht heute noch wichtiger, als sie noch vor 1-2 Jahren gewesen wäre. Jeder sollte sie lesen, jeder sollte mit dem Begriff „Wilhelm Gustloff“ etwas anfangen können, und jeder sollte mal durch die Augen der Flüchtlinge sehen, wenigstens auf diesen 400 Seiten. p.s.: for an awesome English review, check out what Maggie Stiefvater had to say HERE
"Guilt is a hunter. I was its hostage."
Nachdem ich etwas gebraucht habe, in das Buch hineinzufinden, war ich wirklich in den Bann gezogen, gefesselt und mitgenommen von diesem historischen Jugendroman. 1945. Wir folgen drei Figuren unterschiedlicher Herkunft auf ihrer Flucht vor der roten Armee. Alle haben ihre Geheimnisse und doch wachsen sie als Gruppe zusammen. Das Schiff Wilhelm Gustloff soll sie und tausende weitere Menschen in Sicherheit ans deutsche Festland bringen. Der Rest ist Geschichte... Ab einem gewissen Zeitpunkt, flog ich nur so durch die Seiten. Es ist wirklich tragisch, was während des zweiten Weltkrieges alles geschah, worüber man aber teilweise kaum Bescheid weiß. Umso wichtiger, dass Sepetys diesen fiktionalen Roman schrieb, der nicht nur Jugendliche, sondern auch alle anderen daran erinnert, was alles geschehen ist.
Once again Ruta Sepetys has written a wonderful, meticulously researched historical novel. Salt to the Sea is set at the end of the Second World War. It tells the fate of a group of refugees fleeing from the Russians in East Prussia and their escape to the Wilhelm Gustloff. The story is told from four different perspectives - a Lithuanian nurse, a pregnant Polish girl, a German art restorer and a sailor on the Wilhelm Gustloff - and each character has his or her secret. The book doesn't spare the reader the gruesome details of the war but it is never overly brutal. I still think Between Shades of Grey is Ruta Sepetys' masterwork but Salt to the Sea comes close. I guess readers who (unlike me) aren't familiar with the fate of the Wilhelm Gustloff the largest loss of life in a single ship sinking in history with approx. 9,400 victims will enjoy this book even more. I knew what was coming but especially the final 50 pages and the detailed afterword really made this a five-star read for me. I wish there were more books like this. Widely recommended!
[3.5]
This book was so beautiful and heart-wrenching. I loved it so much. This book has four main points of view, and I loved this aspect in this book. Everyone had their own voice, so that it didn't get confusing. These four characters give us different perspectives on the story, which is very important in historical fiction novels in my opinion. If such books only have one point of view it might get a little one-sided. But this book did everything so perfectly. Because the characters are all from different countries we can really see how war effected all of these countries, all of these people. It was amazing. But let's talk about each character individually: Florian: He was by far my favorite character. I loved his voice so much, and his story too. I feel like he stayed true to himself, no matter what happened throughout the story. He was that one character that seems very rude and cold on the outside, but is still so kind and would sacrifice his live for the ones he loves. I ADORE such characters. Joana: Her character was the most vital to the story in my opinion, and I loved how she just kept the whole crew stuck together. Without her, these people would have gotten lost long ago. She cares so deeply about other people, no matter where they come from, no matter what intentiosn they have. She doesn't care about anything but helping people, and that's what I found most astonishing about her. I really admire such people. Emilia: She was definitely the character I felt most compassion towards. How COULD THEY? How could anyone do that? I was so touched and saddened by her story, and I rooted for her all the way. I felt her fears, her sadness, her struggle, it was heart-breaking, and nobody should experience what she experienced. Still, it is important that also such topics get adressed in YA books nowadays in my opinion, because more light needs to be shed on them! Alfred: Well, what to say about him? I always wondered why he never sent any letters to the one he loved, and the reveal made me so sad and it made me feel bad for him. Even though throughout most part of the story I didn't like him too much, he is still an important part in the story, and it was important that also his POV got chosen, and the story got told through his eyes. The Group: The Shoe-Poet, the Child, they were not part of the main four characters, but they hold a special place in my heart. Even though they were side-characters so much depth was given to them, and I felt so close to these characters een though we only got to see a bit of their story. I would LOVE a book about these characters. Their past, their future, everything. I just need to know MORE. The author does an amazing job with revealing the character's past bit by bit, not all at once, so that you are still on the edge of your seat the whole time. The secrets that were revealed over the course of this story were just so interesting, so heart-breaking, it was amazing. The writing was amazing and the characters really grew so close to me in these few pages, I loved all of them. I will definitely check out more books by this author. 5/5 ★
💔