Between Shades of Gray

Uno de mis libros favoritos, una historia cruda de los abusos de los soviéticos sobre las naciones bálticas

This has already been much-read and much-discussed; I delayed reading it because it sounded so sad. But lately I was, uh, in the mood to wallow around in some sadness, and this definitely fit the bill. It's also beautifully written and a window into a rarely-discussed (in the US anyway) historical tragedy; I had no idea that Lithuanian (and citizens of other nations) were kept by in Russian forced labor camps well past the end of WWII.

PS although this book is hella sad it does also end on a hopeful note due to the historical framing device, whew

I don't think I will ever find a book Ruta Sepetys has written that I don't adore. Her books have set my expectations for all historical fiction astronomically high that I'm at the point where I'm okay if she's the only historical fiction author I ever read again.

Lina and her family are forcibly removed from their home in Lithuania by the Soviets in the midst of World War II. They are deported to Siberia along with several other families. Lina holds out hope that her father will come to rescue them and even attempts to get coded messages to him. With her drawing talents, she also creates secret documentation of the cruelties she and her fellow deportees are forced to endure.

I think I say this every time I read one of Ruta Sepetys' books, but I absolutely love that the story follows a part of World War II history that is not as well known as others. I consider myself fairly well-studied in this time period and I knew nothing of the atrocities discussed in the book. On top of that, the characters are so marvelously fleshed out, flaws and strengths and all. They felt as authentic as their situations, which can be difficult to find, especially in this genre.

It's safe to say I am head over heels in love with these plots and the writing. I'm curious to see the movie (retitled Ashes in the Snow) but I know it will shatter my heart. I can bear a lot more of this kind of content in books than I can on screen. Honestly though, it might be worth it if it remains true to the book.

Chiar dacă am citit abia două cărți scrise de Ruta Sepetys, pot spune că este, cu siguranță, una dintre autoarele mele preferate!! <3

From the get-go, you can tell that this is a story not often told before. Lina is a teenager, she's Lithuanian, and she loves to draw. She also fiercely loves her family and ferociously hates Stalin and the communists. Lina's story is what happens when the Soviets invade Lithuania and systematically work to imprison, through hard labor, the people who disagree with them.

The book follows her on her journey to their final destination. Throughout the story, families are separated. People are shot. Children die. There are moments of joy and triumph, but, ultimately, this story is about bringing to light the absolute tragedy these people faced and how the world ignored it, prioritizing the threat from the Nazis.

Ruta Septeys does an amazing job of finding these kinds of stories and helping us remember them. Without a doubt, a new favorite author of mine.

Finally got round to reading Between Shades of Gray, a book that has been sitting on my tbr for about two years, and what a book it was.

Along with being part of my #theunreadshelfproject, this was also book two of my #popsugarreadingchallenge2020 (Prompt: A book with a map).

It was a hugely affecting novel, a devastating account of the experiences of Lithuanians (and others) as they were forced out of their homes by the Soviet secret police and killed or forced into labour camps and prisions. Sepetys, whose grandfather was a Lithuanian military officer, has done a huge amount of research into the deportations in her quest to write this book. It is horrifying, a truly dreadful reminder of what the human race can do to one another.

But, despite the subject matter, this book was beautiful. A story of art, of hope, of the strength of those put into such awful situations and of the importance of looking after one another. I loved every word. I still cried A LOT though. ⭐️4.75/5⭐️

A gripping story of a not very well known part of history.

This is a very tragic yet beautiful story about human dignity and compassion. It's horrifying but important. More people need to read this book and also learn about the true events that this book inspired.

his is a story about sacrifice, perseverance, survival, courage and hope.

During World War II, many Lithuanians lost their precious families and were forced to abandon their beloved homes. Their stories were told as they were seen, experienced and recorded by a fifteen year old Lithuanian girl, Lina. Lina's youth and homeland were stolen from her by Stalin's reign of terror.

Along with countless other Lithuanians, Lina and her family were abruptly removed from their beautiful and peaceful homes and sent on a harrowing and dehumanizing trip with the final destination being a Siberian prison camp. This book beautifully told the stories of some of the survivors and victims.

Lina, Jonas and Andrius cared for each other, protected one another and managed to scrape up little joys and small reasons to smile and hope. These actions and traits allowed them to persevere and survive.

The characters, both main and supportive, were multi dimensional and well developed.

Between Shades Of Gray is another story which needed to be told, experienced and remembered.

cafatokra tört a szívem.

Goddamn, the Soviets were bastards. Coming in with a Canadian education that didn't talk much about WW2 whatsoever, this book was an eye-opener. I've been to the KGB museum in Vilnius, which despite being very analytical and textbook about the situation, still managed to ruin my day. Between Shades of Gray is more of a social look at the same people, following them as they're deported from their homes in Lithuania, and eventually are moved to Siberia. It's a heart-wrenching tale, but is somehow wrapped in themes of hope, the preservation of the human spirit, and an unwavering amount of coöperation with those around you.

5/5, strongly recommended.

*Audiobook Review

Appears I'm in the minority here. Let me start off with this: World war II was brutal, and this book covers a very important topic. It is a solemn reminder that non-jews were also affected and persecuted. In this case, it focuses on the Lithuanian people.

So why two stars?
- Audiobook narration. Oh god... where do I start? It was like Barbie narrating the holocaust. There was too much bubbly personality shining through. It was great for the flashback scenes, but completely took me out of their suffering. Made it sound like they were at a summer camp.
- Cliche love interest, hold heroine, artistic, misunderstood enemy, etc. Honestly, felt like the publisher made her include these to qualify as a YA novel. I enjoyed the non YA cliche moments.
- Ridiculous main character. She was outspoken, made brash decisions, stole, fought back. Maybe some real prisoners where like that, but I expect she'd have been shot the first time she spoke out.
- unrealistic. A man with a broken leg survives, while women are murdered for sobbing. Yes, it's eventually explained, but it was far fetched.

Was there any good?
Yes!
- suffering. There were some incredibly heartbreaking scenes. They reminded me of classics like Schindler's List, and The Pianist. I thought they were very strong images that young readers should be more aware of.
- theme/plot/story. The story was strong. I didn't know about the Lithuanian tragedy before this book. I applaud it for brining attention to their suffering.


Overall, The topic was incredibly important, but the YA stereotypes cheapened the story. The audiobook narration was way too bubbly and ruined the book. I know I would have enjoyed it more if I had read it in regular book format.

If you asked me about historical fiction a year ago, I'd probably said that it wasn't my thing. But thia book is SO GOOD.
Berlatar belakang di negara Lithuania, salah 1 dari 3 negara baltik (Latvia & Estonia 2 lainnya) yg dicaplok oleh Uni Soviet. Lina Vilkas beserta keluarganya dideportasi dr negara & rumahnya di Lithuania yg telah diduduki Rusia sejak setahun lalu. Ayahnya berada du grup terpisah, Lina bersama ibu & adiknya berada di grup wanita & anak2. Mereka dibawa ke kamp demi kamp sampai mereka tiba di kamp arktik. Mereka diperlakukan spt tahanan perang, tdk diberikan makanan layak & bekerja melebihi kapasitas mereka.
Isi bukunya mmg suram, itulah kenapa ketika aku membaca The Kite Runner dgn latar belakang konflik Iran, aku merasa gk cocok karena isinya sangat menyesakkan. Namun ketika mencoba lagi genre historical fiction ini aku suka...

Usually when my husband comes to bed I'm already asleep but the last couple of nights when he turns in for the night I was still up reading this book and he would say “you must really like that book”. I don't know if I would say I like it, its not an enjoyable book. It was hard to read but I couldn't put it down and last night when my husband was ready to sleep I only had a few pages left so I continued to the end wanting to see what note the author chose to leave the book on and she ended it thankfully on a bit of hope. After reading the horrors the characters went through (horrors based on true stories) I was grateful the little bit of hope she gave in the end. This was such an important story to tell and one I had not known about until I picked it up. I highly recommend it to everyone.

This is a YA novel, but I found the simplicity works for the story. The main character and narrator is Lina, a 15 year old Lithuanian girl, so it makes sense for the writing to be simple.

The story outlines events just prior to, and during WWII, when the Soviets annexed the Baltics (Lithuania, Latvia & Estonia), and those considered anti-Soviet were murdered, imprisoned or deporting into slavery. Separated from her father, Lina is taken by train with her mother and brother to a workers camp in Siberia, and then further on, into the arctic circle.

I have to admit I wasn't aware that this happened, and despite having travelled to the Baltics for a few weeks, my knowledge around the history of these countries is pretty vague.

Despite the nearness of this title to those other ridiculous books, I enjoy the tie in from title to story line. There are interesting characters, who surprise in simple, but positive ways.

Three stars from me.

I will not go into the details of the story, nor will I offer my opinion regarding the events described. This is hardly the place for me to do something like that. Instead, I will comment upon how Ruta Sepetys' novel made me feel.

I cannot remember the last time I cried over a novel. It must have been long ago. With Between Shades of Gray, it was hard to restrain myself from the very first chapters. During the last ten chapters, it became unbearable. Without spoiling a single thing, this book is harrowing, nightmarish, dark. Is it really YA fiction? Hard to say, it depends on what each one of us define as YA fiction. Would I give it to my daughter if I had one? Absolutely, without any hesitation.

I've never read an Historical Fiction novel before so I wasn't really sure what to expect when I pick this book up. Honestly this is a subject I personally don't know much about at all. I knew after reading the first couple of chapters that I was really going to like this book. Ruta was really pulling at my heartstrings with this one. I found myself tearing up a few times and then other times I was found myself disgusted with some of the things that was happen. I really enjoyed the fact that with everything bad that was happening a couple of characters were still able to find love. I found this book to be a little slow paced but even so I wasn't able to put it down. When I finished the book I was kind of shocked with how it ended I was thinking this couldn't be the end I wanted more I needed more.

beautiful with no comparison. Such a work of art

This is a must read book. It is great that some light is shed on this dark time. I must confess that this book really made me feel so depressed. I don't feel bad about that. I just think I'm sensitive to the plight of what others may have gone through.

This book turned out to be both better and worse than I expected.
I started out with really high expectations, hoping that with a theme such as it had. a young artist deported to Siberia in 1941 under Stalin's orders, would result in a really great read. I was expecting a strong piece of heart-wrenching writing that'd be like a window into the lives of some of the people who had to go through the hell of WWII. I didn't think it was too much to expect, which is why after the first few pages I was a little perturbed. There is something about the style of writing that doesn't sit well with me. I found myself reading a story that would've blown me away with its pain and brutality if it had only been written better. I was so disappointed, in fact, that if I were the type to put down books easily I'd have put this one down.
That is not to say that it's a bad book though, because the story was an interesting one. That is where the book was better than I expected – considering how much the style of writing unsettled me, I hadn't expected to like the story told, the bare happenings depicted. Yet I found that I liked them, that I found potential in it.
Overall, a book that could have been better, but isn't so bad if you expect little from it.

I wish I could give this more stars. What a powerful and terrifying book. Terrifying because it was real. Terrifying because stuff like this is still happening around the world to some point. It shows how evil and bad mankind was in the course of history and still is today. But it also never stops to show the different side. Love and care within people, even in the darkest of all hours. An important story.

(First of all, let me make one thing very, very clear....This is not that Shades of Gray. I can't imagine a situation in which I would force myself to spend even an hour reading that book. Not my cuppa tea. Not even close. Wish so much that this wonderful book had a title that didn't confuse people about its story. Sigh. Oh well.)

Between Shades of Gray is the first story I've ever read about the people who were sent to Siberia during Stalin's reign in Russia. It's a story based on the true events related by members of the author's family to Sepetys. And it is a painful story, a difficult story to read, because it is based on true events. Despite this, it's a story that should be read and thought about and talked about with young people and adults, too.

I bought this book ages ago, so of course I never got a chance to read it (I never get to read the books I own because my library stack is always so huge). Until now. I expected to LOVE it, and it is really, really good. I've never read anything about this topic in history, Lina is an awesome character. I especially loved her mother and brother. I thought everything was very realistic. I did, however, have some problems with the story. First, much of the book is the train ride to the first work camp. Then, we make it through the first winter at the second camp and then the book ends. Lina was imprisoned for ten or twelve years. What the hell happened in the other ten years? Second, the letters to Joana and the emphasis on Joana. The bits would appear at the end of the chapter and almost completely rip me out of the story and put me somewhere else and then I had to force myself back into the story line.
Overall, this is a great effort and an excellent historical novel. I'm so glad I finally got around to reading it.

An excellent book. The realistic portrayal of both the situation and the people made this book feel genuine, without being preachy.