*3.5

Good story, I might've read too many war novels recently so I'm a bit burned out on them but the story is still good.

I liked it more than I expected to. There was a lot of information about what is was like to live in occupied Poland and I had never heard before.

Oppresively beautiful. I would read this book again.

Fascinating story but long winded

Don't ask why but I'm a huge fan of books that tell the story of people's lives and how they were affected during WW2. Naturally when I heard about this story I couldn't wait to read it. I really enjoyed the story as it gave me an insight into the details and history of the Nazi ideology that I hadn't really thought of before. I found myself fully engrossed in the chapters about the actual story and main characters, but, found myself bored in the chapters that to me were unnecessary and over detailed, with reels and reels of background information about characters who were not integral to the plot in my opinion. I found these tedious and found my concentration slipping away. I'm not one to not finish something I start reading and thankfully the chapters I was engrossed in were enough to keep me interested.

It's interesting for me to be able to compare this having read Schindler's List. While there is still a bit of information and names to keep track of, this was much easier to read than Schindler's List and was written with a more smooth flowing narrative. The storyline is incredible, especially as it is based on a true story (and I am all the more excited to see the movie adaptation that will be out this March).

I really enjoyed the extra details and descriptions of the animals, locations, and people in this book.

This is a fascinating tale of wartime Poland (WWII). Great descriptions of Polish culture and the heroic actions of several member of the Resistance, focusing on the zookeeper's family in Warsaw.

This book will make you want to travel to Poland. And if you happen to be Polish by heritage, this really is a must read.

Given the time period, there are atrocities described within the pages. Ackerman does not sugarcoat, but neither does she dwell on these (as Wiesel does in "Night"). Don't let the subject matter put you off.

Good read. Definitely recommend. However it reads much more akin to an essay than a novel. So while it tells a mostly historical [non]fiction story, the voice does not romanticize any plotline or narrative aspectic for the sake of drawing in readers.

This book didn't do much for me. I felt like it jumped around way too much, tried too hard to attach meaning to various events, and just generally disappointed me.

And, of course, reading Unbroken simultaneously, which I thought was superb in every way, didn't do this book any favors.