Between shades of gray by ruta sepetys, paperback barnes. For whether love of god, love of country, love of of another human being, and love reveals to us the miraculous nature and the human spirit. She sent in an application for an art school and she got in, but then she got taken away by the nkvd. The main character, twelveyearold william page, finds himself an orphan after the war and is sent to live. Its impossible to read between shades of gray and not think about how youd cope in her situation. Despite the situation lina is placed in at the young age of fifteen, she audaciously chooses to write about the terrible cruelties the soviets are doing to those around her as well as. In 1941, fifteenyearold lina is preparing for art school, first dates, and all that summer has to offer. Between shades of gray by ruta sepetys is a deeply moving, compelling, heartwrenching, and a powerful read which is beautifully written that captured my heart from the very first chapter. Her parents, elena and kostas, also have a son, the tenyearold jonas.
Between these plot points, the author elegantly transitions between the gripping descriptions of alia and travis trying to survive and jesse almost falling into the abyss of generational hatred of islam. During world war 2, the soviet union red army and the germany nazis were battling over the baltic states for power. Featured content includes commentary on major characters, 25 important quotes, and essay topics. Goodreads members who liked between shades of gray also liked. This reminds me of the movie book holes by louis sachar. In this novel, elena is the most accomplished practitioner of love and compassion, extending it to two of the most disliked characters, the bald man and kretzsky. The beauty of this book comes from the main character, a 15 years old girl who. The screenplay was written by ben york jones, but sepetys was an active collaborator in making the film adaptation of between shades of gray, serving as executive producer and traveling to. Linas mother is my favorite character for all the small moments of grace she provides. Download the full discussion guide read an excerpt. In this book, you will venture with lina as she goes through many hardships, emotional and physical. Between shades of gray is a fictionalized account of what happened to many lithuaniansand others from estonia and latviaafter the soviet union annexed and occupied the baltic states in 1940.
This was definitely another pageturner and extremely hard to put down. Need help on characters in ruta sepetyss between shades of gray. 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. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading between shades of gray. The difference is in holes, they have to dig 5 foot holes, and in shades of gray, they have to dig 2 foot holes. Readers will readily identify with lina, whos abruptly ripped out of her comfortable life. Ruta sepetyss between shades of gray is now the film ashes in the snow.
Richard peck, newbery awardwinning author of a year down yonder between shades of gray is a story of astonishing force. Between shades of gray official book website for between. The vilkas family originally lives in lithuania, a european country, near latvia and poland. American novelist ruta sepetys is the other of the new york times bestseller, between shades of grey. Between shades of gray is a novel that will steal your breath and capture.
Between shades of gray is a wonderful historical fiction novel. Lina vilkas is fifteen years old when she and her family are deported from their comfortable middle class home in lithuania in 1941. D were coming for her, they wanted her to paint a portrait of the commander. Lina vilkas is the protagonist of the book between shades of gray. Between shades of gray is a riveting novel that steals your breath, captures your heart, and reveals the miraculous nature of the human spirit. This book gets a strong 3 for a variety of reasons. Few books are beautifully written, fewer still are important. The main character of the novel, twelveyearold william page is older than his years as a result of having to live through the tragic circumstances surrounding the civil war, including the death. The main theme of between shades of gray, and the biggest lesson lina must. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. Between shades of gray, a new york times best seller, is the debut novel of american novelist ruta sepetys.
It follows the stalinist repressions of the mid20th century and follows the life of lina as she is deported from her native lithuania with her mother and younger brother, and the journey they take to a labor camp in siberia. Between shades of gray by elizabeth anderson on prezi. Jul 19, 2016 in america, we grew up hearing about hitler and the holocaust, but stalin, the leader of one of our allies, was carrying out mass deportations, too, and many of those people died in the work camps and prisons they were sent to. But one night, the soviet secret police barge violently into her home, deporting her along with her mother and younger brother. Apr 25, 2012 in 1941, lina and her family are taken from their home in lithuania and sent to siberia where, despite horrific conditions, lina maintains hope that she will survive.
A gray haired man who is obsessed with winding his watch. Aug 15, 2012 additionally, between shades of gray made a number of best of 2011 lists including many of our own smugglivus guest authors and bloggers all this prompted me to buy the book. Between shades of gray kindle edition by sepetys, ruta. Mar 22, 2011 the building, readers learn later, is the islam peace center, where jesse must do her community service for her crime. Lina is fifteen years old when she is taken prisoner by the nkvd and it will. She has an interest in the world, her friends, and boys. Ruta sepetys was born november 19th, 1967 and eventually began her career as a lithuanianamerican writer.
In this book, kids are sent to a summer camp where they are forced to dig holes 5 feet around. I know this book has a lot of brutality, but to me i see equal portions of love in this novel. While on the train to the artic circle lina writes to andruis and hides them in the dickens book andruis gave her for her sixteenth birthday elena vilkas lina and jonass mother married to kostas vilkas long honey colored hair goes out of her way to help everybody. At the book s end, readers may want to learn more about what happened in the baltics. Between shades of grey was published march 22, 2011 and has been published in over 22 languages. Though joana is not present in the novel, lina recalls her blissful. It became the first instalment in the fifty shades novel series that follows the deepening relationship between a college graduate, anastasia steele, and a young business magnate, christian grey. Lina is fifteen when the russian soldiers arrest her. Baltic prisoners vs sovietsman vs man this conflict was something very prevalent in the minds of people during this time. Loves to write letters to her cousin joana and drawing in her sketch book. Pdf between shades of gray book by ruta sepetys free. According to an article from, people in the west did not know much about the soviet camps, or gulags, but people in the baltic countries would often have to stuggle daily for their lives against brutal treatment in soviet prison camps. Related questions and answers for characters in shades of gray.
Find books like between shades of gray from the worlds largest community of readers. Between shades of gray characters from litcharts the creators of. A tiny sliver of gold appeared between shades of gray on the horizon. Recommended resources discussion guide between shades of gray. Lina and her mother are forced to dig holes in order to get a small amount of bread. This study guide consists of approximately 32 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of between shades of gray. The between shades of grey quiz goodreads share book. Elena vilkas is linas mother, and is still a woman in the prime of her life when she is deported from her home in lithuania. Lina she is a 15 year old girl that lives in lithuania during world war ii. Ona is dehydrated which causes her duct to be clogged and the baby wont suckle. For christmas lina gave andrius a drawing she made of him, and andrius gave her a book, dickens dombey and son andrius came running into the vilkas hut saying that the n. Shades of gray is a young adolescent book set immediately after americas civil war.
This is an azaming book, you can really feel what the characters go through. There is no real resolution or end to the story it just stops without allowing the reader to gain any sense of where the main character or anyone else is at the end. He shows intelligence and dignity throughout the novel, especially when the deportees were asked to sign papers condemning them to imprisonment. It is notable for its explicitly erotic scenes featuring elements. Ruta sepetyss between shades of gray hits the big screen. Overall, the story of between shades of gray takes place in the european and asian continents. She is a precocious young lady but has the tendency to be impulsive with her words, which can get her into trouble at times. This book is way better then 50 shades of gray, they have nothing incommon. Major conflict people are getting sick and are dying.
Shades of gray is young adult historicalfiction about the aftermath american civil war. Throughout the book, septys, grapples with the capacity of the human spirit. Until one night when soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life theyve known. The main characters of this young adult, historical story are lina, jonas. Between shades of gray is a beautiful and sometimes heartwrenching book.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Between shades of gray summary from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. She is one of the main characters in sepetys third novel, salt to the sea 2016. Lina is just like any other fifteenyearold lithuanian girl in 1941. Jonas counts the number of children dying of sickness and starvation. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 344 pages and is available in hardcover format. Stalas the bald man miss grybas ona janina nikolai kretszky komorov the commander. We know a lot about what is happening in america and germany during wwii, but what is happening in lithuania. The time period of the story begins in 1941, just before the ending of world war ii.
If you really like books about history then this is the book for you. Between shades of gray summary from litcharts the creators. Lina vilkas is the major character in the book and also the narrator. Learn more at about the author born and raised in michigan, ruta sepetys is the daughter of a lithuanian refugee. Fifty shades of grey is a 2011 erotic romance novel by british author e. Between shades of gray received intensely positive. Between shades of gray isnt the type of book id normally read, but im extremely glad that i decided to read it. The main character in the novel is lina vilkas, a fifteenyearold lithuanian girl. Minor characters are memorably and vividly drawn, and the first half of the book, in particular, roars along. Between shades of gray chapters 25 through 35 summary.
And, since ive been in a historical fiction type of mood, i steeled myself for a harrowing, difficult read about the lithuanian experience in wwii. Characters all characters lina vilkas elena vilkas jonas vilkas kostas vilkas joana vilkas andrius arvydas mrs. Free download or read online between shades of gray pdf epub book. Between shades of gray characters from litcharts the.
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