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El Secreto De Mi Madre (2013)

by J.L. Witterick(Favorite Author)

4.09 of 5 Votes: 3

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Nube de tinta

review 1: My Mother's Secret follows from a few different perspectives. First is Helena- who lives with her mother in Poland. Helena's family is not Jewish so are safe, however the Nazi's are invading their homeland. Helena talks about how her mother is allowing two families and a man to live in their house- all of which are either Jewish or wanting to be safe. Their is a a doctor and his wife and their son, an Jewish family, and then a solider who never actually wanted to become a solider. I really loved this book and flew through it. I did want to mention the book is mostly fiction and was merely inspired by a woman who helped save lives of 15 Jews in Poland. I found the set up of the story very neat, and really enjoyed all of the characters. With each death or description of anot... moreher family, it made me feel sad and sorry for them. Overall, a very enjoyable and fast read. Five incredible stars.
review 2: 4.5/5Dang, this little book packs quite a punch!My Mother’s Secret is a Holocaust novel based on a true story. Franciszka is a Polish woman living in the small town of Sokal, Poland, with her teenage daughter, Helena. When Poland gets invaded by the Germans, the two women hide two Jewish families and a defecting German soldier in their tiny home, all without any of them knowing about each other. For more than a year, Franciszka must keep this secret and outsmart everyone to keep them all alive.First and foremost, the Holocaust fascinates me and I will read anything about it that I can get my hands on. It is, without a doubt, one of the biggest tragedies the world has ever seen. One of my all time favorite college courses was a Holocaust literature class that opened my eyes to an abundance of literature about the Holocaust touching on many of the lesser known stories and topics about this tragedy. While this book, like all Holocaust books, was incredibly heart-wrenching and just plain sad, it was a true treat to read about some of the rare do-gooders whose hearts seem impossibly huge. That these two women would care for and hide people that they hardly even knew speaks wonders and volumes about the human spirit and makes you believe that there is good in the world, even amidst the worst of things and the worst of times. It is rare to be uplifted by a Holocaust story, and this one manages to do this, even despite all the sadness that is also involved.I have to admit, the first little bit of the book had me a bit bored to start. The story is narrated by several different characters and starts out with Helena. I think I just wasn’t into it right away because Helena’s part didn’t touch as much on what she and her mother were doing, and focuses a lot on her romantic relationship. When it switches to some of the people that are in hiding, however, I couldn’t stop reading. For real. I stayed up really late and read the last 150 pages in one sitting. I needed to know how it would end and it was totally worth the late night.This story is very short and fast, filled with quick, sparse chapters, but as I said, it REALLY packs a punch and will leave you emotionally reeling. I will forever have this story and these people etched into my mind. The fact that these people were real people makes it that much more jarring and touching to me. If only all of us could be just HALF as good as Franciszka and her daughter, the world would be a better place.For anyone who reads Holocaust literature, I highly recommend this one. It’s a different side of things, and a viewpoint that I was so touched by. If you’re not a Holocaust reader but enjoy historical fiction or inspirational stories, I recommend this to you as well.Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. less

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