While flying an Allied fighter plane from Paris to England, American ATA pilot and amateur poet, Rose Justice, is captured by the Nazis and sent to Ravensbrück, the notorious women's concentration camp. Trapped in horrific circumstances, Rose finds hope in the impossible through the loyalty, bravery and friendship of her fellow prisoners. But will that be enough to endure the fate that’s in store for her?
Elizabeth Wein, author of the critically-acclaimed and best-selling Code Name Verity, delivers another stunning WWII thriller. The unforgettable story of Rose Justice is forged from heart-wrenching courage, resolve, and the slim, bright chance of survival.
Wow…this book literally took my breath away. I have an
extreme interest in World War II, especially what was going on in the
concentration camps so I was really excited to read this book. I haven’t read
Code Name Verity, but I’m going out to buy a copy as soon as I can after
reading Rose Under Fire.
Wein’s writing is magnificent in the way that I could tell
the character (Rose) was changing just by reading differences in the emotions
in her journal writings and poetry. She starts out as this really ignorant,
stereotypical American ATA pilot and by the end of the book, she’s like a brand
new person who doesn’t take anything for granted and sees life through brand
new eyes.
I felt attached to a lot of the characters and since this is
a story about a character surviving in a concentration camp…well, let’s just
say I cried (and I never cry when reading). For example, hearing about the
Rabbits (Polish women who were experimented on) and what happened to them made
my heart ache. The different characters-Roza, Lisette, Gitte, Karolina, and
Irina-were easy to love and each had a different personality that I loved. The
author used the whole situation to make their relationships strong and realistic
and I felt as though this was how camp prisoners really survived (which it
was).
This book is a must read and the poetry written by the main
character Rose Justice really added to the emotion. It was a different kind of
writing where I felt the main character was speaking with me and trying to
connect and tell a story. Whether you like historical fiction or not, you need
to read this book.
*Received an ARC from the publisher Disney Hyperion, in no way does it affect my opinion of the book
I have yet to read Code Name Verity yet but it is on my TBR pile. Like you I have always had an interest in World War II and find books that have that setting to be some of my favorite, although always heart wrenching. Thanks for the review. I will add this one to my TBR pile.!
ReplyDeleteKay @ It's a Book Life
Code Name Verity is AMAZING. I'm glad you liked Rose Under Fire because it's one of my most anticipated releases - I can't wait to read it!
ReplyDeleteI did not want to read this book until I got saw this review. Now I have a feeling I need to read this as soon as I can. Any time someone says that everyone has to read it i tend to put it up pretty far on my to read list.
ReplyDeleteGreat review!
DaydreamerN :)
Http://www.daydreamerN.blogspot.com
Well, Danam I heard mixed things about Code Name Verity, so i am not sure about reading it
ReplyDeleteBut it does look good, i have to admit
Your reader,
Soma
http://insomnia-of-books.blogspot.com/
The only Holocaust book I read was Night by Elie Wiesel and since I loved that one so much I'm not sure if I want to read something else like it. I didn't care much for Code Name Verity, it was a bit too textbook like, but I hope you like it more than I did!
ReplyDeleteAlise @ Readers in Wonderland