Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys
Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys
25 Rating(s)
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Between Shades of Gray

Author: Ruta Sepetys

Narrator: Emily Klein

Unabridged: 7 hr 46 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/22/2011

Synopsis

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the award-winning author of Salt to the Sea comes a “superb” (The Wall Street Journal), “eye-opening” (Los Angeles Times) novel of survival and hope in the darkest of places—the inspiration for the major motion picture Ashes in the Snow

"Few books are beautifully written, fewer still are important; this novel is both." —The Washington Post

WINNER OF THE GOLDEN KITE AWARD • A CARNEGIE MEDAL NOMINEE • A WILLIAM C. MORRIS AWARD FINALIST • A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST YOUNG ADULT BOOK OF THE CENTURY

A knock comes at the door in the dead of night, and Lina’s life changes in an instant. With her young brother and mother, she is hauled away by the Soviet secret police from her home in Lithuania and thrown into a cattle car en route to Siberia. Separated from her father, Lina secretly passes along clues in the form of drawings, hoping they will reach his prison camp. But will her letters, or her courage, be enough to reunite her family? Will they be enough to keep her alive?

A moving and haunting novel about loss, fear, and ultimately, survival, Between Shades of Gray is a tour de force of historical and emotional storytelling.

About The Author

Ruta Sepetys (www.rutasepetys.com) is an internationally acclaimed author of historical fiction published in over sixty countries and forty languages. Sepetys is considered a "crossover" novelist as her books are read by both teens and adults worldwide. Her novels Between Shades of Gray, Out of the Easy, and Salt to the Sea are all New York Times bestsellers, international bestsellers, and Carnegie Medal nominees. Her books have won or been shortlisted for over forty book prizes, are included on over thirty state reading lists, and are currently in development for film. Born and raised in Michigan, Ruta now lives with her family in Nashville, Tennessee. Follow her on Twitter @RutaSepetys.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Maggie on July 04, 2011

This is not a pretty book. Even though I found this novel exceptionally well-written, it was not a pleasure to read. It’s about Lithuanians displaced to Siberian work camps during World War II. It was pretty unflinchingly brutal, but here’s why I think you ought to read it: 1. It is a side of World Wa......more

Goodreads review by Sasha on February 07, 2017

Really loved this book and it's story because I personally have never heard about this side of the war before and I'm so grateful I know about it now.......more

Goodreads review by Emily May on March 30, 2012

Um... so I'm a bit torn on this one but I'm going to rate it 3.5 stars. I think what made it worse was all the bloody hype (like with Matched) that made me think this was going to blow my mind and it kind of just, well, didn't. It was an interesting history lesson. My knowledge of Soviet activiti......more

Goodreads review by Barbie on March 24, 2019

My thoughts in a nutshell Between Shades of Gray is a harrowing read. My thoughts will be shorter this time because I couldn't say anything about this horrid occasion. :-( The story is about… Skip over this point if you don't like the sneak peek. A Lithuanian girl Lina and her family will be deported......more

Goodreads review by Maja (The Nocturnal Library) on October 10, 2011

Exactly a year before, the Soviets have begun moving troops over the borders into the country. Then, in August, Lithuania was officially annexed into the Soviet Union. When I complained at the dinner table, Papa yelled at me and told me to never, ever say anything derogatory about the Soviets. He se......more

Quotes

Praise for Between Shades of Gray:

“A superlative first novel. A hefty emotional punch.”--The New York Times Book Review

“Few books are beautifully written, fewer still are important; this novel is both.”--The Washington Post

"Beautiful…a superb though grueling novel.”--The Wall Street Journal

“An eye-opening reimagination of a very real tragedy written with grace and heart.”--Los Angeles Times

“An engrossing and poignant story of the fortitude of the human spirit in a dark time in Lithuanian history.”--Associated Press

 “Brave Lina is a heroine young and old readers can believe in.”--Entertainment Weekly

 “Please read this small window into a tragedy.”--NPR

“Beautifully written and researched, it captures the devastation of war while celebrating the will to survive.”--Family Circle

* “A harrowing page-turner.”--Publishers Weekly, starred review

* “A gripping story.”--School Library Journal, starred review

* “Bitterly sad, fluidly written…Sepetys' flowing prose gently carries readers.”--Kirkus, starred review

* "Beautifully written and deeply felt…an important book that deserves the widest possible readership.”--Booklist, starred review

“A haunting chronicle, demonstrating that even in the heart of darkness ‘love is the most powerful army.'”--The Horn Book Magazine

“Stalin deported and murdered millions, but he could not destroy the seeds of memory, compassion, and art that they left behind. From those seeds, Ruta Septeys has crafted a brilliant story of love and survival that will keep their memory alive for generations to come.”--Laurie Halse Anderson, bestselling author of Speak and Wintergirls

“In terrifying detail, Ruta Sepetys re-creates World War II coming of age all too timely today. Between Shades of Gray is a document long overdue.”--Richard Peck, Newbery Award–winning author of A Year Down Yonder

“Between Shades of Gray is a story of astonishing force. I feel grateful for a writer like Ruta Sepetys who bravely tells the hard story of what happens to the innocent when world leaders and their minions choose hate and oppression. Beautiful and unforgettable.”--Susan Campbell Bartoletti, Newbery Honor–winning author of Hitler Youth

“Sepetys has penned a harrowing and heartbreaking novel. Beautifully written and important.”--Harlan Coben, international bestselling author of Shelter

Awards

  • Indies Choice Book Award
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