Salt to the Sea

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So, dear one, I have grown old now and my Niels is gone. Receiving your kind letter brought such peace to my heart, knowing that you, Joana, Klaus, and Halinka are together in America along with a child of your own. I do understand how you have struggled for this new life. The sinking of the Gusloff is the largest maritime disaster, yet the world still knows nothing of it. I often wonder, will that ever change or will it remain just another secret swallowed 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. Emilia died, just like more than nine thousand real people who were on board the Gustloff. But Sepetys ends Salt to the Sea insisting that while war breaks families into irretrievable pieces, "those who are gone are not necessarily lost." Emilia is physically gone, but her memory lives on. Florian, Joana, Klaus, and Halinka continue to be inspired by Emilia’s bravery. And Clara and Niels, the couple who find Emilia’s body on the Danish shore, bury Emilia by a small creek near a beautiful bed of roses. Emilia loves nature and surely would have been happy in this setting. Clara insists that she thinks of Emilia often, and that Emilia is safe and loved. I love this book. It is by far my favorite. I just finished reading it. I was curious what others think about it. That's how it lead me to your blog. Looking at what happened in the past, and how people had worse than us make you rethink about the situation. I mean we are staying home and safe during this epidemic, and there are people who are running away for their lives. Off course, my heart goes to those who got lost. It makes me think about the 9300 people who got lost in the sea and the many more at their homes. It is totally an eye opening. I cannot complain about quarantine, anymore. There is so much to say about it, but I do not want to spoit anymore of it. I really recommend reading it for those who have not. Throughout the deadly journey, the team faces bombs, cruel soldiers, and a sea of ice. They seek shelter in abandoned buildings and homes.

Salt to the Sea - Wikipedia

Warning: Salt To The Sea is not an easy read. But should you read it? YES! Why Salt To The Sea Is An Essential WW2 History Novel I have many interpretations of the phrase ‘salt to the sea,” and towards the end of the novel, Sepetys uses that exact phrase in one of her chapters. Unofficial Sequel. One of the protagonists of Salt to the Sea, Joana Vilkas, is the cousin of the protagonist in Sepetys’ first novel, Lina Vilkas, who appears in Between Shades of Gray.Saving them? Is that what you call it? Is that how easily he’s duped you? This greedy imposter fills your head with rubbish and you become a traitor?” Although a young adult novel, I knew Salt to the Seawould be graphic and tragic, especially since Sepetys focuses on children and teens during WWII. Not to mention that the sinking of the IRL Wilhelm Gustoff is at the heart of this story. It could have been so easy. I could have walked across the ice myself, without the burden of the group. They could have tried to save the blind girl. Maybe they all would have drowned in the process. That would have been so much easier.

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys | Goodreads

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide. Get started Close Just as the trees were Mama’s favorite, storks were mine. I had them six months of the year. At the end of each summer the storks would leave and fly to Africa, where they’d live in warmth along the Nile for the winter. In March they would return to Poland to the nests they had left. To invite a stork to nest, families would nail a wagon wheel to the top of a tall pole. We had one in our yard. Every March we would celebrate when our stork returned to the nest. As August faded, the departure of the storks symbolized summer’s end. Insults such as "stupid," "fool," "filthy Pole," and " untermensch," a term the Nazis used to describe "inferior people." Here, Joana reflects that guilt is the price of surviving a tragic event. When a tragic event is over, survivors must deal with their own trauma. But often, they must also deal with guilt about the fact that they survived while others did not. Are you okay?” I asked, barely recognizing my own voice. His face twisted at the sound of my words.Emilia’s father. A Polish academic and mathematician opposed to the Nazi’s treatment of Polish people, especially Polish children, whom they intended to deprive of an education. During the invasion of Poland by Soviet forces… One of four narrators, Florian is a talented young restoration artist from East Prussia. He worked for the Nazis restoring European paintings. When he realizes the Nazis stole the art, he decides to take revenge by stealing the amber swan, Hitler's favorite piece from the Amber Room. Florian acts deceitfully and believes he is on a mission with this stolen piece of art. Later in the book, he shows himself as a kindhearted person and realizes that his act of revenge was pointless. Emilia Stozek The Boy In The Striped Pajamas by John Boyne– Just like Alfred buys into Hitler’s propaganda, watch as Bruno makes a deadly acquaintance as he plays with a young boy wearing these funny blue striped pajamas.

Salt to the Sea Character Analysis | LitCharts Salt to the Sea Character Analysis | LitCharts

This powerful, gorgeously written exploration of a little-known WWII tragedy proves why with only three books, Ruta Sepetys has emerged as a preeminent historical novelist in young adult literature. Salt to the Sea, which includes meticulously detailed author's notes, maps, and research and sources, is an ideal blend of historical facts, riveting drama, compelling characters, and suspense. Similar to when you watch Titanic for the first time, you know the ship is doomed but not exactly how the fictional characters will fare within that tragedy. In Joana, Emilia, and Florian, Sepetys has created three diverse characters who ultimately bond and care for each other. Once again, Sepetys adds touches of humor and romance to her history, and it works beautifully. Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide. Get started Close The German daughter of Michael and Erna Kleist, the sister of August. She and Emilia always got along during the years Emilia lived on her family’s farm. Although Else doesn’t think less of Emilia…

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Heinz is also known as the “shoe poet,” or simply, “poet.” He is an old German shoemaker. He talks with great love and emotion about shoes, which he believes are the key to health and always tell the true story about someone. Heinz is kind and caring, and he becomes a grandfather figure to Klaus. Eva Father constantly worried about me. He cried when he told me that he was sending me away to the Kleists’ farm in East Prussia for safety. I wanted to cry too. I wanted to scream and refuse. But it hurt so much to see him sad, losing all that he loved. So I assured him that he was right, it was for the best, and that I was not upset. I told him that we would see each other in a couple of year, when the war of winter turned to spring. In the aftermath of the war, she adds, Germans were hesitant to claim that they had been victims of any kind, so those who were free to discuss what had happened might have chosen not to.