Not a review. Shelved as did not finish. I may or may not ever come back to this. I wanted to try to read all the Candace Fleming nonfiction books my liNot a review. Shelved as did not finish. I may or may not ever come back to this. I wanted to try to read all the Candace Fleming nonfiction books my library had. Unfortunately, this one was turning my stomach. Granted, I should have been able to tell the content was going to be TOUGH by the title, so my bad, but I've read plenty of true crime, watched plenty of true crime, so I didn't think there would be such a big issue for me to overcome....more
I doubt I ever return to this one. I wanted to like this one a thousand more times than I actually did. The number one problem I had with this one is tI doubt I ever return to this one. I wanted to like this one a thousand more times than I actually did. The number one problem I had with this one is that no matter how many words I read, pages I read, chapters I completed, I never once felt like I comprehended/followed any of the story in a meaningful way. Going back a few pages didn't help--every time I tried. It's not that I didn't comprehend *any* of the story. Set in Hungary in 1956, a girl and her aunt (I believe) are about two weeks from their attempting to leave the country. If they can last that long without being disappeared. Her parents were disappeared, pardoned only after their deaths. Her other family, many friends, "disappeared" during the Second World War at the hand of Nazis. It's the two of them against the world, except, she does have some friends. As much as you can have friends--if you open your heart up to trusting anybody. There's always the danger of knowing too much, seeing too much, saying the wrong thing, doing the wrong thing, etc. I got so far as to know she has someway, somehow come across her dead father's journals. And even after she throws them away, they find their way back to her somehow, someway??? I know that she's met two strangers that seem to know too much about her??? I know she's taking risks--though every day is a risk, no matter if you stay home or go out. I am confused to how these two new strangers relate to her. I am confused by the opening quotes for each chapter. I don't know if those quotes have anything at all to do with the plot, the story, the characters. I'm just so confused. It's like working a puzzle without a picture on the box to help you out. You don't even know what it's supposed to be. ...more
I wanted to love this one. But the lack of table of contents in the kindle edition made it more than challenging to use. Since the book of common prayI wanted to love this one. But the lack of table of contents in the kindle edition made it more than challenging to use. Since the book of common prayer requires a lot of flipping back and forth, putting together a lot of pieces into a whole, without a table of content I just don't see it being worth it. I love the idea of creeds and confessions (and catechisms) from the Reformed faith being included. But I didn't want to have to flip through one page at a time to find them. ...more
Definitely a dnf for me. I made it through the first two books of this one--barely. And it's the bare in barely that is getting me. This one is SO expDefinitely a dnf for me. I made it through the first two books of this one--barely. And it's the bare in barely that is getting me. This one is SO explicit and graphic. And not in a two consenting adults way. Emphasis on consenting and adults.
These days trigger warnings are commonplace--or maybe I just spend a little too much time on social media and YouTube. If a post-it note flagged every place a trigger warning was needed--for violence (like murder, beatings), for sexual assault (rape, rape of CHILDREN, inappropriate behaviors and actions with CHILDREN), then this book would use a whole pad. And it's being marketed as a book great for teens.
If adults want to read about adults assaulting children--then okay, market it as being for adults. But don't say this is a book for teens and young adults. Don't pat it on the back and say HOORAY let's read about some dark, bleak things that may have happened sometimes in the past sometimes.
Perhaps all the sexually graphic content just happened in book two within four or five chapters. Maybe the rest of the book completely and totally redeems the mess that came before.
I haven't met all six teens that star in this book--though most have at least been mentioned. Maybe some characters aren't horrible, despicable, disgusting human beings. (And not all characters are despicable because they are rapists or sexually immoral. Maybe they're despicable because they are racist or sexist or whatever.)
I rarely DNF a book. In fact, I had to create a shelf for DNF for this one book. I usually push through a book once I've invested a 100+ pages. I do. I'm stubborn. I'm committed. Even when I know a book isn't for me, I try my best to push through and finish so that I can say I FINISHED. (Sometimes I do stop a book a few chapters in and say, this isn't for me. I'm going to move on.)
Perhaps some readers are more sensitive and bothered than others. Reading all the glowing five stars reviews, I do wonder if we did read the same book. The reviews don't mention the rape/assault of children...or the explicit nature of the sexual content. (Again I'm not going to target the encounters that are between consenting adults.)
Disturbing scenes that enter the mind can haunt it. And these scenes are HAUNTING as you can get. ...more
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