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“You can’t prepare yourself for the magnitude and emotional impact of this powerful novel.” —John Irving, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The World According to Garp

“Exceptional, layered and compelling…This book moves like a freight train.” —Amy Bloom, New York Times bestselling author of In Love

From the New York Times bestselling author John Boyne, a devastating, beautiful story 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 12. She doesn’t talk about the grim post-war 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.

All The Broken Places moves back and forth in time between Gretel’s girlhood in Germany to present-day London as a woman whose life has been haunted by the past.  Now, Gretel faces a similar crossroads to one she encountered long ago. Back 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….

From the Publisher

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0B14GBSYH
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pamela Dorman Books (November 29, 2022)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 29, 2022
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 4465 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 399 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0593653440
Reviewer: Scientistsas
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: What would you do if faced with the unthinkable?
Review: I very rarely if ever write book reviews as quite frankly, I don't know why anyone would be interested! However, this book was remarkable in so many ways that I simply had to write a review. The lead character, a 91 year old woman is written so well I could almost believe she existed and I knew her. The acerbic whit, the strength, the "realness" of her was so refreshing in these days of overwritten exaggerated characters who cry out to be seen by the reader. In truth, those are not the people who are the most fascinating in real life, are they? So why do we give them so much of the page?The setting of the story goes back and forth between present day London and WWII Europe (prior, during and after the war), however it never feels disjointed. Somehow it flows so smoothly even when jumping around. And when all of the pieces come together, it is immensely satisfying.I highly recommend the book for anyone who likes to think, laugh and has ever wondered what they would do when faced with the unthinkable...

Reviewer: dewey
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: wow
Review: What a powerful story! Very well written and thought provoking. Thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend! Takes on some tough topics in a considerate manner , allowing the reader to think about their lives and situations within the world,the essence of guilt, and right vs. wrong

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: Bay Area book lover
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: a real page turner
Review: I enjoyed this book a lot. I liked the alternating past and present of the book and how it fit together. I felt the end was over the top, but it was well written and very entertaining. The main character was compelling as well. Very entertaining novel!

Reviewer: Kathy
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A MUST read!
Review: What a compelling, gut wrenching sequel to Boy In The Striped Pajamas. Twists and turns with such depth in characters. Absolutely loved it!

Reviewer: Phedora O.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: I’m a sucker for WW2 stories…..
Review: This is the best WW2 story I’ve read yet. I like the way the author wove so skillfully between the past and the present. I also like the surprise ending. This story was masterfully narrated by an elder woman who spoke her painful truths so eloquently even while concealing them behind her persona. I love this story!

Reviewer: Linda Hubbell
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Suspend logic
Review: I thought this book to be an interesting read. I enjoy historical fiction, so this novel reads well in that regard. But it stretches the imagination to think that Gretel’s mother, a German trying to hide her German nationality, would go to Paris with her 15 year old daughter after the war. It’s not logical! Perhaps, if they had gone to Switzerland or Sweden or another country that had been neutral during that period it might make sense. But really, you have to suspend belief to think she would have gone to Paris.Then, I find it hard to believe that Gretel had so much guilt. She was a child/teen when the events happened. She lived in a controlling environment and had been essentially brainwashed from an early age. It was like being in a cult. She knew right from wrong in the context of which she had grown up. This is not to absolve her of all actions, but really the guilt seems overdone considering the lack of control she had over anything. A psychologist could best speak to this, but we do know that a persons brain is often not fully developed until their late to mid- twenties. The heavy guilt about the war did not ring true. Maybe she would have some about her brother, but the rest just seemed a contrived story line. Perhaps if she had been in her late teens this overwhelming guilt trip might make sense.Also, the fact that Gretel did not realize that David was so obviously Jewish given his surname and her background does not ring true. Again, have to suspend belief and go with the storylineI have not read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, so perhaps that would have given greater context to this novel. I found the storyline regarding Heidi and her concern for Henry much more believable and realistic. Although, in some ways I question how likely it was that she and her husband would ended up living in the same building as her daughter that she had given up at birth.Overall, an enjoyable story as long as you don’t think logically about certain aspects of the novel.

Reviewer: Amazon Customer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: special
Review: Honest, beautifully written and enlightening To put yourself into the position of our heroine Gretel is the question throughout the book. “To live in another’s shoes”. Do we really know?

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: 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.

Reviewer: Sheila
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: All the Broken Places is a sequel to John Boyne's "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas". The Boy.... was, I thought, ridiculous, because anyone who understands Auschwitz knows beyond doubt that what happened in that first book would have been absolutely impossible. No-one could sit somewhere unmolested, let alone lift the bottom wires of a fence to allow in a visiting friend. That first book was seen by me as an exercise in ignorance and money-making. "All the Broken Places" is, however, completely different. It is totally absorbing and impossible to put down. Simply, it is the story of "the boy's" sister and mother post-war. It eventually takes us into his sister's life as she ages, living in England, her great fear being that her true identity and history will be uncovered and revealed. The story is tense, exciting, psychologically astute, and impossible to forget. I loved this book and recommend it to all those who enjoy literary fiction. Five stars.