Ruta Sepetys

WINNER OF THE CILIP CARNEGIE MEDAL 2017 It's early 1945 and a group of people trek across Germany, bound together by their desperation to reach the ship that can take them away from the war-ravaged land. Four young people, each haunted by their own dark secret, narrate their unforgettable stories. Fans of The Book Thief or Helen Dunmore's The Siege will be totally absorbed. This inspirational novel is based on a true story from the Second World War. When the German ship the Wilhelm Gustloff was sunk in port in early 1945 it had over 9000 civilian refugees, including children, on board. Nearly all were drowned. Ruta Sepetys, acclaimed author of Between Shades of Grey, brilliantly imagines their story. 'Ruta Sepetys is a master of historical fiction' Elizabeth Wein, author of CODE NAME VERITY

Salt to the Sea

It's early 1945 and a group of people trek across Germany, bound together by their desperation to reach the ship that can take them away from the war-ravaged land. Four young people, each haunted by their own dark secret, narrate their unforgettable stories. This novel is based on a true story from the Second World War. When the German ship the Wilhelm Gustloff was sunk in port in early 1945 it had over 9000 civilian refugees, including children, on board. Nearly all were drowned

Natalie Unsinn 

Had this guy been broadsided with a brick at some point?

amelia <3

Any book by Ruta sepetys is amazing and yeah this was not an exception especially after/while reading between the shades of grey

Stella

aulia vidia sasmitaratri

"Apa yang tengah terjadi pada umat manusia? Apakah perang membuat hati kami jadi iblis, atau sudah membangunkan iblis yang bersembunyi di dalam hati kami?"
ㅡ P. 74

Melalui buku ini, saya banyak mempelajari sejarah baru yang tidak pernah disampaikan oleh guru semasa sekolah. Jujur saja, empat perspektif yang digunakan dalam karya ini membuat saya beberapa kali bingung; tetapi saya terus mencoba untuk membaca dan membalik setiap halamannya; menerka apa yang sekiranya akan terjadi dan siapa yang akan bercerita selanjutnya.

Alur yang menegangkan dari setiap pertemuan yang terjadi. Awal pertemuan hingga bagaimana mereka berada di kapal. Saya juga menikmati terjemahan yang disuguhkan. Namun, beberapa kali saya merasa kurang nyaman dengan halaman yang hanya memuat satu kalimat saja. Terkesan mubadzir. 

"Perang adalah malapetaka. Menghancurkan keluarga menjadi kepingan yang tak dapat lagi dipersatukan."
ㅡ P. 357

chateau

"How foolish to believe we are more powerful than the sea or the sky."
...was the initial part of my crying session.

I know nothing about Wilhelm Gustloff and everything behind its curtain before i read this book. It's such a pathetic and ignorance of me for know nothing about nine thousands souls who was longing for their lives once upon in the Balctic Sea, without nothing to grip on, even their hopes.

I give this book an easy solid five!

Winter 1945. WWII. Four refugees. Four stories.

Each one born of a different homeland; each one hunted, and haunted, by tragedy, lies, war. As thousands desperately flock to the coast in the midst of a Soviet advance, four paths converge, vying for passage aboard the Wilhelm Gustloff, a ship that promises safety and freedom. But not all promises can be kept . . .

This paperback edition includes book club questions and exclusive interviews with Wilhelm Gustloff survivors and experts.

Source: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/311729/salt-to-the-sea-by-ruta-sepetys/9780142423622

A quick read for a little over 500 pages book. Alfred’s chapter is such a joke, I want him to make sense for once. God forbid, he wouldn’t. The tension was escalating rapidly when I read back-to-back from Joana to Florian chapters and all of a sudden Alfred with Italic letters.. so unserious.

Beautiful.. enchanting.. heartbreaking.. I wanted them to survive, I wanted them to have their happy endings. Every single kind soul. Nearing the ending, I am filled with overwhelming grief and gratitude at the same time.. I couldn’t ask for a better resolution.

🏹

A quick read for a little over 500 pages book. Alfred’s chapter is such a joke, I want him to make sense for once. God forbid, he wouldn’t. The tension was escalating rapidly when I read back-to-back from Joana to Florian chapters and all of a sudden Alfred with Italic letters.. so unserious.


Just when you think this war has taken everything you loved, you meet someone and realize that somehow you still have more to give.


Beautiful.. enchanting.. heartbreaking.. I wanted them to survive, I wanted them to have their happy endings. Every single kind soul. Nearing the ending, I am filled with overwhelming grief and gratitude at the same time.. I couldn’t ask for a better resolution.

** spoiler alert **
           "Did war make us evil or just activate an evil already lurking within us?"

What a masterpiece. This is so heart-wrenching, beautiful, thoughtful, and everything it is tragic. This is stunning historical fiction based on World War II and I really love learning new things. Yeah, Wilhelm Gustloff. So many things that happened during World War II have been forgotten by history.

Salt to the Sea is about the tragedy of the Wilhelm Gustloff, one of history's few people didn't know. Is about a long and brutal journey by Lithuanian refugees in the midst of the turmoil of World War II. In a desperate attempt to survive when troops of the Soviet Union began to drive Germany backward, the refugees were finally evacuated via the sea route, and Wilhelm Gustloff unexpectedly drowned in a burst of Soviet submarine torpedoes. It killed up to 9.400 people—making it one of the largest maritime tragedies in history.


 CHARACTERS 

Rather than plot-driven, this book is character-driven. I really love how writer used four alternating POV; Joana, Florian, Emilia, and Alfred and focused of the character's life. They are all connected by one horrible fate: Wilhelm Gustloff brings them all together. They brought a deep wound inside their hearts. They tried to save each other's lives while they were not even sure if they can save themselves.

 Joana Vilkas:  The cousin of Lina Vilkas, the main protagonist in Ruta Sepetys' debut novel, Between Shades of Gray (2011). Joana is a 21-year-old woman fleeing from her native country Lithuania, who had repatriated to Nazi Germany with her family in 1941 to escape capture from the Soviet Russian forces. She develops a romantic relationship with Florian Beck, whom she calls "the Prussian". She is a crossover character from another book by Sepetys.

 Florian Beck:  A young Prussian art restoration apprentice carrying a valuable amber swan that he stole from the Amber Room, after discovering that he is a puppet of Erich Koch's. He develops a romantic relationship with Joana.

 Emilia Stożek:  A 15-year-old Polish girl from Lwów who was raped by Russian soldiers not far from Nemmersdorf. She is caught in an illusion that a boy named August, a member of the family she was working for, was the source of her pregnancy. She planned on finding him after the war. She gives birth to a daughter, Halinka, whom she saves and hands over to Florian during the sinking before dying and being washed up in Bornholm, Denmark.

 Alfred Frick:  An eager, delusional young German who adheres to Adolf Hitler's propaganda (he quotes Mein Kampf) and thinks highly of himself. His thought processes and secrets are revealed via letters he mentally composes to Hannelore, a Jewish girl back in his hometown. He dies after a struggle with Emilia. (cr. Wikipedia)


 PLOT 

Takes place in East Prussia in 1945, the book follows four central characters as they evacuate their home countries: Emilia, a teenage, Polish orphan; Florian, a restoration artist from East Prussia; Joana, a Lithuanian nurse; and Alfred, a Nazi.

Emilia and Florian meet when Florian saves Emilia from a Russian soldier. The couple runs into Joana as she is traveling with a group of refugees. Everyone is attempting to make it to West Germany to board ships and save their own lives.

Throughout the journey to the evacuation ships, the refugees get to know one another. It is revealed that Emilia is eight months pregnant after an assault by Russian soldiers; Florian, the restoration artist, is on the run for stealing a piece of art from the Amber Room; and Joana feels responsible for some of the deaths of her family. By the time the group reaches the evacuation ships, their relationships are solidified. It is clear that Joana and Florian have fallen in love, and Emilia sees Florian as a symbol of good men.

At this point, the group comes into contact with Alfred who is their only hope of getting tickets to the boats. They board the Wilhelm Gustoff.

While on the boat the story progresses. Emilia gives birth; Joana works as a nurse; Florian hides from Nazis who are looking for him. One day, Russian torpedoes hit the Wilhelm Gustoff. Quickly, the ship sinks, and thousands die. However, Joana, Florian, and Emilia's baby can escape on a lifeboat along with a boy named Klaus. Emilia, on the other hand, finds herself on a different lifeboat with Alfred, the Nazi. It comes to light that Emilia is Polish and the Nazi attempts to kill her. Ultimately, both Emilia and Alfred perish.

The book concludes with a glimpse into the future. Joana and Florian live in the United States. They have Emilia's baby, the boy Klaus, and a child of their own. In a letter sent by Clara Christensen, a Danish woman, it is told that Emilia's body was found washed up on shore, and she was buried. (cr. Wikipedia)



The world-building is very mediocre. It's easy to read and well written. To be honest, this is not a perfect story, sorry to say, I think the plot is messy. I actually didn't find about the Wilhelm Gustloff tragedy that I expected before.

"When the survivors are gone, we must not let the truth disappear with them. Please give them a voice."

. Buku ini adalah buku Mami Ruta pertama yang aku baca dan aku langsung jatuh cinta. Definisi 

I'm head over heels for this book, really

Buku ini sendiri udah aku belu cukup lama, tapi belum sempat aku baca. Bahkan ketika aku sedang mencari buku dengan tema Perang Dunia, aku lupa dengan keberadaan buku ini. Tapi karena aku ikut salah satu 

, pacarku mengingatkan aku dengan buku ini.

Satu kata SERU. BENAR-BENAR SERU. Aku bingung harus menggambarkan dan menceritakan buku ini seperti apa karena aku rasa kalimat sederhanya yang aku punya nggak bisa menggambarkan segimana bagusnya buku ini menurutku.

Kalau biasanya sebuah buku akan berganti sudut pandang ketika bab-nya berganti, justru buku ini rasanya berganti sudut pandang setiap kali kita pindah halaman. Buku ini sendiri ada empat sudut pandang, Florian, Joana, Emilia dan Alfred. Di mana keempat orang ini menyimpan rahasianya masing-masing yang membuat aku terbengong-bengong.

Buku ini juga berhasil bikin aku patah hati, apalagi waktu kepergian Inggrid, Emilia dan 

Selama baca buku ini juga aku seperti belajar sejarah, diajak jalan-jalan ke daerah-daerah sebelum terjadi perubahan wilayah. Aku juga jadi tahu peristiwa tenggelamnya kapal Wilhelm Gustloff yang jauh lebih menyayat hati dibanding dengan tenggelamnya kapal Titanic dan atau Lusitania (yang baru aku tau dari buku ini) yang kisahnya lebih mendunia.

memang benar adanya, seolah bisa menggambarkan para korban perang saat itu.

Semua kejadian yang ada di dalam buku ini adalah kejadian-kejadian yang sebenarnya terjadi, kecuali tokoh-tokohnya yang fiksi. Ruang Amber, Operasi Hannibal dan Wilhelm Gustloff sendiri adalah hal yang nyata ada dan terjadi saat itu.

Selain keseruan belajar sejarahnya, aku dibuat greget maksimal sama interaksi Florian dan Joana. Mereka berdua adalah penggambaran kisah yang manis, menurutku. Sukses besar bikin aku senyum-senyum sendiri diantara ketegangan-ketegangan yang ada di buku ini.

. Sepertinya aku akan terjun bebas sama buku 

ℛ.

Belum pernah rasanya aku seattached ini sama buku historical fiction. Buku ini adalah buku Mami Ruta pertama yang aku baca dan aku langsung jatuh cinta. Definisi love at the first sight. I'm head over heels for this book, really.

Buku ini sendiri udah aku belu cukup lama, tapi belum sempat aku baca. Bahkan ketika aku sedang mencari buku dengan tema Perang Dunia, aku lupa dengan keberadaan buku ini. Tapi karena aku ikut salah satu reading challenge, pacarku mengingatkan aku dengan buku ini.

Satu kata SERU. BENAR-BENAR SERU. Aku bingung harus menggambarkan dan menceritakan buku ini seperti apa karena aku rasa kalimat sederhanya yang aku punya nggak bisa menggambarkan segimana bagusnya buku ini menurutku.

Kalau biasanya sebuah buku akan berganti sudut pandang ketika bab-nya berganti, justru buku ini rasanya berganti sudut pandang setiap kali kita pindah halaman. Buku ini sendiri ada empat sudut pandang, Florian, Joana, Emilia dan Alfred. Di mana keempat orang ini menyimpan rahasianya masing-masing yang membuat aku terbengong-bengong.

Buku ini juga berhasil bikin aku patah hati, apalagi waktu kepergian Inggrid, Emilia dan Opi Heinz, rasanya aku ingin menangis.

Selama baca buku ini juga aku seperti belajar sejarah, diajak jalan-jalan ke daerah-daerah sebelum terjadi perubahan wilayah. Aku juga jadi tahu peristiwa tenggelamnya kapal Wilhelm Gustloff yang jauh lebih menyayat hati dibanding dengan tenggelamnya kapal Titanic dan atau Lusitania (yang baru aku tau dari buku ini) yang kisahnya lebih mendunia.

Kutipan,

para penyintas bukanlah saksi yang sesungguhnya. Para saksi sesungguhnya, yang tahu kebenaran yang tak terungkapkan, adalah orang-orang yang tenggelam, mati, dan menghilang.

memang benar adanya, seolah bisa menggambarkan para korban perang saat itu.

Semua kejadian yang ada di dalam buku ini adalah kejadian-kejadian yang sebenarnya terjadi, kecuali tokoh-tokohnya yang fiksi. Ruang Amber, Operasi Hannibal dan Wilhelm Gustloff sendiri adalah hal yang nyata ada dan terjadi saat itu.

Selain keseruan belajar sejarahnya, aku dibuat greget maksimal sama interaksi Florian dan Joana. Mereka berdua adalah penggambaran kisah yang manis, menurutku. Sukses besar bikin aku senyum-senyum sendiri diantara ketegangan-ketegangan yang ada di buku ini.

Kalau boleh aku bilang, buku ini sangat worth to read and worth to buy. Sepertinya aku akan terjun bebas sama buku historical fiction dan buku-buku Mami Ruta Sepetys  yang lainnya.

nina 

“What had human beings become? Did war make us evil or just activate an evil already lurking within us?” 

SPOILER-FREE 
Historical fiction has always peaked my interest; while it may be a story on the page, it in no way detracts from the fact that this was harsh reality that many people faced. Salt to the Sea was no different. It was beautiful, it was heartbreaking, and I was deeply moved by Ruta Sepertys' words. Not even 100 years has passed since WW2 tore apart the lives of people around the globe. Countries were pittted against each other on different sides, as if one side was good and the other was evil, but they were all the same in that everyone suffered. Such unspeakable and unimaginable acts of pure evil against innocent people showed an ugly and horrible streak in humanity. We insist we have changed in present day, that we have learnt from the past, that we are different from our ancestors, but are we? History may give us that chance to be better. 

The narrative followed four young people of four different nations: a German, a Prussian, a Pole and a Lithuanian. Like the millions of children born of war, they were forced to carry the burdens of their countries, an affliction they not only didn't deserve, but were forced to uphold for no other reason than that they were born there. Seeing the atrocities through their eyes was all the more upsetting. Millions of people lost their lives to this war. All of them had a family, all of them have a legacy, all of them have a story. Books and stories are their legacies. Thank you, Ruta for giving them their voice.

To Joana, Florian, Emilia and Alfred. Guilt, fate, shame and fear are no longer your hunter. You can finally stop running.

Sherry

Depicted the horrors of war. So many civilians struggled, and made me feel fortunate to be born in this time. 

I liked most of the characters except for Alfred. I know he's meant to be unlikeable, but everytime the story switches to his narrative, I don't even want to read it. Joana and Florian I especially liked, and they're soooo cute together.

Death was prevalent, something has been on my mind a lot lately. Ypu can see the complete disregard for life and individuality during wartime, which is brutal, but also makes the relationships developed during this time extra precious.

Syahla Aurel

What had human beings become? Did war make us evil or just activate an evil already lurking within us?

I liked how much history this book taught me, but I had hoped it would have focused more on the disaster itself rather than just the characters who just happened to be the victims of the wreckage.

Ally

Winter, 1945. Four teenagers. Four secrets. 
Each one is born of a different homeland; each one hunted, and haunted, by tragedy, lies...and war. As thousands of desperate refugees flock to the coast in the midst of a Soviet advance, four paths converge, vying for passage aboard the Wilhelm Gustloff, a ship that promises safety and freedom. Yet not all promises can be kept. 
Inspired by the single greatest tragedy in maritime history, bestselling and award-winning author Ruta Sepetys lifts the veil on a shockingly little-known casualty of World War II. An illuminating and life-affirming tale of heart and hope.

Will you ever realized, that the history we learned on our school— it has sort kind of beneficial for some parties to published? Or, somehow, will that ever change or will it remain just like another secret swallowed by the war; surrender by the sea with a lot of agony? 

It has been the second book of Ruta Sepetys that laid on my bookshelf (after I Must Betray You) and this prove me to say all of her writings are masterpiece. Basically, a historical fiction already can convince me. I, also, have seeking my surroundings about how they talked about this book and recommended me as ‘at least you need to read it once in your life time’ and voila—I probably just found one of my best reading I had this year. 

Writing this review right on Sunday morning since I had my late caffeine intake with my family gathering the other night, so I stayed up all night to finish this book on one sitting that lead me to buried in tears at the end. This story started from four different characters (which is quite new for me, but I just read the other book with five characters so it still makes sense and toleratable). Emilia, a teenage, Polish orphan; Florian, a restoration artist from East Prussia; Joana, a Lithuanian nurse; and Alfred, a Nazi. 

At first it came the a realization that I was quite struggling to notice their characteristics and differentiate them. But as time goes by, I found it very well. The story became more interesting after anti-climax (300th pages and above). Also, as this book was categorized as a young adult, the language usage are so light and insightful— which makes the knowledge and message from this book were easily delivered to the readers. Even so, I highlighted many special phrases or quotes that hit close to home. I probably will give a solid five stars if there were more poetic phrases laid in each page— but it’s still great as it comes!

Salt To The Sea is a book about survival, the loss of everything but we still have something to give (I was shivering while writing this, help), and a light of hope. I believe why this book was talked in almost everywhere since that was how the meaningful and uniqueness of the author deliver are beyond this world, are wider than this sea. I highly recommend you to read it for a bit of knowledge (since the main character are from exactly different backgrounds and purposes of life), sense of belonging and how we— well, basically learn to be grateful to live in this era and can see our family everyday. 

“War is catastrophe. It breaks families in irretrievable pieces. But those who are gone are not necessarily lost.”

diya

Missions, pasts, secrets, kindess and hatred; intertwined.

A tale of fate, survival and hope, this war story is quite blissfully captivating. A lovely myriad of characters, from different countries, of different ages, survivors of different consequences and all on the same path for survival, leaving a dent in your heart with every page you turn, revealing a bit more about them. This is my first Sepetys book and it was indeed a good one. 

I took up this book the moment I finished reading "The Tattooist of Auschwitz" by Heather Morris and I am glad I did. Where Heather's book was a true story based on the atrocities taken out by Nazi sympathizers, this is a fictional story about the true tragedy off the bay of Gotenhafen and how even though a war will get over, it leaves everything ruined through its path.

Heavy with emotions and historical facts, this book makes one wonder which side to choose. Where the entire world knows about what happened in the concentration camps, what about those who never shared the same ideologies and nonetheless faced the same fate based on religion and regionism. 

This book is without a doubt one of those very few reads where you find that every single word has a purpose. How you slowly try to peel it off, layer by layer and then you find out that there are more layers to go, and all you can do is hold on to your breath and hope you do not shed a tear more than you already have. And even if you've managed to hold it back and hold it in, the moment you close the book, you collapse, head in your hands, salt tearing out and there is no turning back what history has taught us.

“Your daughter, your sister. She is salt to the sea.”

Naiya

I’ve read this book twice now and it still is one of my top 3 reads. This was the second historical fiction I’ve read in my life. It was never a genre I could say I enjoyed because I had never read it before. Between Shades of Gray and Salt to the Sea (both by Ruta Sepetys) we’re books I needed to read for school but I was able to choose them myself if they fit a certain criteria. Both books were 5 ⭐️. I would recommend this book to someone who needs to get into the historical fiction genre and is fascinated with the history of Nazis and Soviets. This story follows four perspectives: Florian, Joana (the cousin of Lina from Between Shades of Gray), Alfred, and Emilia. This is such a beautiful story written about a tragedy that not many can say they know about.

Melissa Palmer

Book #132 Read in 2015
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

I have loved each of this author's books; I think her writing just gets better with each new book. In this one, told by multiple characters, an odd group of people are trying to remain safe in the war between Nazi Germany and Russia. Each character has quite the story and together, they are a sort of unique family. This is a quick read and will immediately engross readers. This book also covers the greatest maritime disaster in history....one that I knew nothing about. High schoolers and adults would love this book. I highly recommend it. I received a copy of this book from Amazon Vine in exchange for a honest review.

http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com

This is the 1st historical fiction that I really got into and liked. I learned things about WWII that I didn’t before and I’ll think about this book for a long time. 

Liz Hunsaker

Although this book was a bit anti-climactic, it was realistic. Normal everyday people don't have grand endings where they end up killing Hitler. So it was nice to see the characters grow closer and develop. I loved everyone except Alfred. He's well written though. 

Teeeeeesha

Courtney

This book was amazing! If you've ever read Kristen Hannah's The Nightingale, Salt to the Sea is definitely on par with being another great work of historical fiction! The characters were very well written out in first person, and gave an exhilaratingly emotional depth to this amazing story! I had no prior knowledge of the tragic events that befell the Wilhelm Gustloff during WWII! This book gives so much insight as to the dangers the evacuees faced from both the Germans and Russians during that time!

Beatrix Haase

Damn this book was good. I couldn't put it down. Full review to come. I want to read all of her books. Love her writing!!!

Sofia Nunes

mercy

Jamieson

war is catastrophe. it breaks families into irretrievable pieces. but those who are gone are not necessarily lost.


in all honesty I was kind of diappointed by salt to the sea. A definite case of it's not you, it's me .. but still. I was disappointed. 

I'd been promised a really beautiful book with Salt to the Sea. I was promised a book that would make me cry and a book that would move me and change my life and I didn't ... feel that about it. 

There are aspects of this book that are really nice. Lots of it is very quotable and Ruta Sepetys writing is definitely good, it's really rich. But something about this book just didn't draw me in .. I felt like I was reading it at arms length. 


  

  
  

  
  



First of all I will say I adored the dedication for this book. In truth I didn't know about the Wilhelm Gustloff's sinking, and that was very hollowing to me. I think it was a good choice of event to fictionalise - in that it brought light and sympathy to an event I think is pretty unknown even though it shouldn't be, and Ruta Sepetys handled it with care, sensitivity and grace. 

My main issue with this book is that I felt nothing for the characters. I don't know why I didn't care about them ... but I didn't. The only character I was very drawn into was The Shoe Poet and the little boy. But the main characters did nothing for me, and maybe it was because I knew what was going to happen to them - but I never got attached, and that made it hard for me to invest in the emotional, tragic side of the story. 

I read Salt to the Sea in March and it hasn't left any lasting impact on me. I pretty much closed it and thought .. well, that was alright, moving on! And I don't think thats the kind of reaction you're supposed to have. That feeling of grief and tragedy and sadness? I just never had it. Am I just heartless? I don't know. I enjoyed the characters stories overall! But I just wasn't invested, and the fact that a few months on I can't remember any names says a lot honestly. 


  “I wept because i had no shoes, 
until i met a man who had no feet.”
 


I don't think people should put off Salt to the Sea if they're considering it - I KNOW this book is beautiful, I see the way that it is beautiful and tragic, and horrific in that way that other tragedies like Titanic are. It all just didn't work for me, for me something didn't mesh right. I know I enjoyed the last 100ish pages, but the rest I didn't feel much for. I would like to try Between Shades of Grey though.

O mare de lacrimi

alex

i forgot how to act when i realized that joana was lina’s cousin (from between shades of gray). also, ruta sepetys, HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO OPI?????

Salt to the Sea

Reviews

Highlights