Ratings11
Average rating4.3
1946. Three years after a cataclysmic event which tore their lives apart, a mother and daughter flee Poland for Paris, shame and fear at their heels, not knowing how hard it is to escape your past. Nearly eighty years later, Gretel Fernsby lives a life that is a far cry from her traumatic childhood. When a couple moves into the flat below her in her London mansion block, it should be nothing more than a momentary inconvenience. However, the appearance of their nine-year-old son Henry brings back memories she would rather forget. Faced with a choice between her own safety and his, Gretel is taken back to a similar crossroads she encountered long ago. Back then, her complicity dishonoured her life, but to interfere now could risk revealing the secrets she has spent a lifetime protecting.
Reviews with the most likes.
All the Broken Places is an astonishing follow up to The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. John Boyne is at the top of his game as he skilfully takes us back to the holocaust and forward to modern day London. Gretel is an amazing central character whose guilt plays heavy on her as she moves away from the past.
compelling enough narrative but would not recommend for anyone wanting to read/learn about the holocaust and the second world war, was really terrible in that regard.
Featured Series
2 primary booksThe Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is a 2-book series with 2 primary works first released in 2006 with contributions by John Boyne.