2024 the best books new york times review

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“You can’t prepare yourself for the magnitude and emotional impact of this powerful novel.” —John Irving

From the New York Times bestselling author John Boyne, a stunning tour de force about a woman who must confront the sins of her own terrible past, and a present in which it is never too late for bravery

Ninety-one-year-old Gretel Fernsby has lived in the same well-to-do mansion block in London for decades. She lives a quiet, comfortable life, despite her deeply disturbing, dark past. She doesn’t talk about her escape from Nazi Germany at age twelve. She doesn’t talk about the grim postwar years in France with her mother. Most of all, she doesn’t talk about her father, who was the commandant of one of the Reich’s most notorious extermination camps.

Then, a new family moves into the apartment below her. In spite of herself, Gretel can’t help but begin a friendship with the little boy, Henry, though his presence brings back memories she would rather forget. One night, she witnesses a disturbing, violent argument between Henry’s beautiful mother and his arrogant father, one that threatens Gretel’s hard-won, self-contained existence.

Immersive, chilling, unputdownable, All the Broken Places moves back and forth in time between Gretel’s girlhood in Germany and present-day London. Here, Gretel is at a similar crossroads to the one she encountered long ago. Then, she denied her own complicity, but now, faced with a chance to interrogate her guilt, grief, and remorse, she can choose to save a young boy. If she does, she will be forced to reveal the secrets she has spent a lifetime protecting. This time, she can make a different choice than before—whatever the cost to herself.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Books (November 28, 2023)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0593653440
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0593653449
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 0.76 x 7.91 inches
Reviewer: Becky
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Excellent book!
Review: Wow! A difficult topic to be sure - the atrocities of the German concentration camps and the aftermath. But, I loved the way the story was written flipping back and forth between then and now. I really liked that the back and forth was every few pages- too fast to loose track. Well written, lots of emotion and different perspectives and a few unexpected twists. I thought a great book!

Reviewer: Disappointed in Newport
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: It's an easy read.
Review: We close this book for our book club. This book had lots of twists and turns. It was very entertaining with a few twists and turn that I didn't see until I read further.It would make an entertaining movie.

Reviewer: Dianne Chambers
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Gretel 's story is worth reading
Review: The sequel to The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is captivating, moving and as expected, quite sad. This is the exploration of Gretel's life, her guilt and her atonement. I could hardly put this down, even toward the end (which was shocking, but rushed). No regrets reading this one...if you've read The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, then you really SHOULD read this.

Reviewer: Tina N
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: gripping story.
Review: This book is not your average good vs evil type of book. It explores complex human behaviors & is deeply entertaining along the way. I couldn’t put it down.I loved it so much, that I looked for other works by this author.I only wish I had read “the boy in the striped pajamas” first, so that I wouldn’t have gotten some of the plot from this book.

Reviewer: Kimberly Stefanick
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: I wish it was longer
Review: An incredible tale that reads like a movie. I did not want it to end, and the questions its left me asking about myself, it has not.

Reviewer: Amazon Customer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great read.
Review: This story caught my attention right away. The story itself was very interesting but it flowed easily from chapter to chapter. Even though each chapter moved from one time period to another, it was easy to stay focused. It was suspenseful so it forced me to keep reading. Great book, I highly recommend for book clubs.

Reviewer: Lee Carr
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: This was an Excellent Read!
Review: Although the changes in place, age, and location were a bit disconcerting overall this was an excellent book with a satisfying ending! I liked it so much that now I have to read “The Boy In the Striped Pajamas”.

Reviewer: teri
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A different twist to a WWII (Holocaust )story
Review: After reading many novels about WWII and the Holocaust, I stayed clear from reading books about that time period. My friends and I are avid readers of historical fiction, but it seemed we burnt out on that topic. However, All the Broken Places was well written, fast paced, and suspenseful. John Boyne created such a deep character, who you loved and loathed. He enlightened my awareness of the struggles/guilt of POSTwar Germans who were part of the Nazi regime, not by choice and the young “innocent “ Germans. I highly recommend this book with a different twist and perspective. I’m looking forward to reading another Boyne novel.

Reviewer: Kindle Customer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: You cannot put it down, great storytelling, mixing past and present in a seamless way. This is a must read

Reviewer: Peter Fowler
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This is by no means a book for young people as the original was. It is sophisticated, clever, twisted, dark and startling. As with so many John Boyne novels, it is the wonderful arc of the narrative and the complexity of the characters which drives the book. This is brilliant. I don't know why I put off reading it for so long. Thank you for a deeply satisfying read.

Reviewer: Wilfried Fux
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Ich kann das Buch sehr empfehlen. Ich habe bereits den Vorgänger verschlungen und auch dieses Buch ist nicht leicht aus der Hand zu legen. Gretel betrachtet die Welt anders als Bruno, steht ihm aber um nichts nach. Sehen wir die Welt im vorigen Buch durch die Augen eines Kindes, so nehmen wir dieses Mal die Sicht der Erwachsenen Gretel in ihren unterschiedlichen Lebenslagen wahr. Sie ist sich ihrer Verantwortung bewusst, scheut aber die Auseinandersetzung mit der Vergangenheit. Die vielen Stränge ergeben am Ende ein in sich geschlossenes Bild und man versteht wie aus der 12-jährigen Gretel die Frau wurde, die sie mit 91 schließlich ist.

Reviewer: C
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: .

Reviewer: Abhijeet
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Brilliantly written book about a subject that is not explored much, the war from the perspective of those who were children then. The writing style is very engrossing and it’s a difficult book to put down.