Salt to the sea was an extremely well researched novel. Elizabeth wein, new york times bestselling author of printz award honor book code name verity. Among them are joana, emilia, and florian, whose paths converge en route to the ship that promises salvation, the wilhelm gustloff. Lets play sea salt bug filled ending w epilogue episode. I couldnt bear to think that this revealing, truthful story had actually come to an end. Buy a cheap copy of salt to the sea book by ruta sepetys. Be sure to download the salt to the sea discussion guide for your next book club and catch some read alikes too. Out of the blue, a russian spy walks into their offices and offers a vital piece of information. The allied forces are gaining ground both to the west and the east, and so german civilians are evacuating, fleeing violence and running towards the baltic sea where the german navy will transport them to safety. Salt to the sea summary guide book club discussion questions. Could you explain the letter at the end of salt to the sea that was addressed to florian. Salt to the sea is a 2016 historical fiction young adult novel by ruta sepetys. This young adult novel set in the closing days of world war ii is based on a reallife maritime disaster.
Get all the key plot points of ruta sepetyss salt to the sea on one page. Sepetys new book, salt to the sea, also draws on a family history from that era. As thousands of desperate refugees flock to the coast in the midst of a soviet advance, four paths converge, vying for passage aboard. Salt to the sea is a 2016 historical fiction young adult novel by ruta sepetys it tells the story of four individuals in world war ii who make their way to the illfated. And i got a suspicion its this book that is the authors true work for me salt of the sea was something she needed to turn out to keep the publishing company happy to lay another golden egg as it were by the end of the book i didnt care what happened to the characters and still hoped the book might pull off a last minute save it didnt.
For readers of between shades of gray and all the light we cannot see, international bestselling author ruta sepetys returns to wwii in this epic novel that. Salt to the sea is a powerful ya historical fiction novel set in germany and east prussia towards the end of world war 2. Its about the doomed german ship wilhelm gustloff, which was. Four young narrators from different nations experience the terrors of war.
Salt to the sea takes place in january 1945, during the final days of wwii. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. The wilhelm gustloff was packed of sick soldiers, families and specially children fleeing from the russians at the end of war. They were loaded on to the wilhelm gustloff, a majestic ship that then met a tragic end at the hands of the russians.
I love that this book uses a different narrator for each of the povs in the story. Usually wwii books break my heart and bring me to tears and salt to the sea definitely had the potential to do that but since we only get brief glimpses into the lives of the characters, i found i wasnt as sympathetic as i could have been about their tough experiences. Essentially, thats the ending of the extended versions. Your teachers might call the ending ambiguous, meaning its wide open to different interpretations. Salt to the sea summary guide book club discussion. Thousands of refugees try to evacuate as world war ii draws to a chaotic close.
Salt to the sea ruta sepetys, 2016 penguin young readers 400 pp. Salt to the sea is based one of the deadliest shipwrecks in history. Salt to the sea discussion questions the uncorked librarian. The inevitability of the ending including the loss of several characters doesnt change its poignancy, and the short chapters and slowly revealed back stories for each character guarantee the pages keep. The following version of this book was used to create. Setting and genre salt to the sea rising and falling actions salt to the sea took place during world. Desperate to flee, people are trekking across germany to board the wilhelm gustloff that will take them away from this wartorn land. Salt to the sea is a coming of age story in which the four main protagonists both make and resist the journey to adulthood in a world characterized by war and trauma. Its like a rebuke to all the lousy action movie directors whove been banging pots and pans together in our skulls.
There are four povs to the story and our main characters happen to be in the gustloff on that tragic day. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. Salt to the sea is a 2016 historical fiction young adult novel by ruta sepetys book cover illustration and design by matt jones. Each has their own secrets but in the end they are no longer secrets. Salt to the sea study guide contains a biography of ruta sepetys, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Salt to the sea summary from litcharts the creators of. In 1945, at the ending of world war ii, a lot of people are evacuating from germany due to the war. Evelyn salt is a cia agent and highly respected by all, including her boss, ted winter. The salt to the sea quotes below are all either spoken by alfred frick or refer to alfred frick.
In 1941, a 16yearold aspiring artist and her family are deported to siberia amidst stalins brutal dismantling of the baltic region. Before starting salt to the sea, i had heard quite a lot of praise for the book. Aug 29, 2016 overall, salt to the sea is a story of survival, war, loss and redemption that will leave the reader thinking about it for a long time to come. Her novels between shades of gray, out of the easy, and salt to the sea have won or been shortlisted for more than forty book prizes, and are included on more than sixty state award lists. Florian finds emilia in the forest and saves her from being shot by a russian soldier. Apr 29, 2019 find salt to the sea discussion questions here.
She was pretending to be latvian pg 182 in the book salt to the sea. Climax the climax in the story was when all of the main characters heard a loud bang and the lights went out on the ship. The word salary comes from the word salt, so salt is another way of saying labor, worth, value. Even if you havent read salt to the sea, you may love these intriguing questions about ya lit and historical fiction. Salt to the sea summary and study guide supersummary. Read an exclusive excerpt from salt to the sea by ruta. Salt to the sea npr coverage of salt to the sea by ruta sepetys. Salt to the sea, by ruta sepetys the new york times. In 1945, world war ii is drawing to a close in east prussia and thousands of refugees are on a desperate trek toward freedom, almost all of them with something to hide. My favorite version is the directors cut extended version, which to me provides the most appropriate ending to the story, because it is an ending yet just a beginning and its an ending that turns the. Ruta sepetys on salt to the sea, sinking of the wilhelm. I was blown away by this book and educated by the events explained in it, as i was. Salt to the sea, which includes meticulously detailed authors notes, maps, and research and sources, is an ideal blend of historical facts, riveting drama, compelling characters, and suspense.
Joana is a young lithuanian nurse who was sent away by her family for her own protection. Feb 17, 2016 on its final voyage, germanys wilhelm gustloff carried soldiers and thousands of civilians, many of them children. Salt to the sea by ruta sepetys posted on february 10, 2016 though i applaud ruta sepetyss attention to historical detail and her dedication to shedding light on the important true story of the largest maritime disaster in history, salt to the sea somehow falls short of true emotional resonance. Salt to the sea booktalk with ruta sepetys spoiler free duration. However, to kill the humans, you must summon minions of varying types. The book follows four different characters and their experiences with operation hannibal during wwii. Alfred growing up, the poet with klaus, emilia having fun with young florian and joana, and i wish she described their futures and how they recovered from it all. Her books have won or been shortlisted for over forty book prizes, are included on over twenty state reading lists, and are currently in development for film and television.
He was wounded and says koch appointed you as his personal nurse. Upon receiving salt to the sea in the mail which was one of my most anticipated reads of 2016, i put it on my stack to read immediately, and thankfully had an opportunity to do just that after finishing up my prior read. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in salt to the sea, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Masterly craftedthe wall street journal for readers of between shades of gray and all the light we cannot see, bestselling author ruta sepetys returns to wwii in this epic novel that shines a light on one of the wars most devastatingyet unknowntragedies. Its ending was definitely different than normal, which is good. The wilhelm gustloff is a tragedy greater than the titanic. Salt to the sea takes places in east prussia in january 1945. The character of alfred frick in salt to the sea from. As the novel begins, she is traveling through the dangerous and frigid prussian countryside with a ragtag. Two unrelated people florian and emilia meet by chance after he saves her from an attacker, and together they seek shelter in. Related to joana because at the end of the book, she said that if someone died, they would be the salt to the sea the letter at the end of the novel it explains how all of the main characters ended up after the war ended. This study guide consists of approximately 43 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of salt to the sea. I was blown away by this book and educated by the events explained in it, as i was with both of ruta sepetys other books.
Salt to the sea tells of four passengers on the illfated wilhelm gusloff, a luxury cruise liner turned into supply and medical ship, last voyage on the baltic sea in 1945. This was the climax because the ship had been torpedoed. Hannelore for much of the novel, reveals that hannelore was jewish. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one. Masterfully craftedthe wall street journal for readers of between shades of gray and all the light we cannot see, ruta sepetys returns to wwii in this epic novel that shines a light on one of the wars most devastatingyet unknowntragedies.
Young adult author ruta sepetys revisits the ships 1945 sinking in salt to the sea. Two unrelated people florian and emilia meet by chance after he saves her from an attacker, and together they seek shelter in a barn, where they meet other. This young adult novel set in the closing days of world war ii is based on a real life maritime disaster. My favorite version is the directors cut extended version, which to me provides the most appropriate ending to the story, because it is an ending yet just a beginning and its an ending that turns the whole story on its head, says noyce. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature.
Why you shouldnt skip ww2 novel, salt to the sea the uncorked. Were pretty sure the ending of rebecca was meant to be a little confusing. In alternating, fast paced chapters, salt to the sea follows four young protagonists at the end of world war ii. In the book salt to the sea, why couldnt emilia speak when she was trying to get on the ship. This 40page guide for salt to the sea by ruta sepetys includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis, as well as several more indepth sections of expertwritten literary analysis. It is always so welcomed when this happens and it makes the audiobook a priceless experience.
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. Sepetys knows her subject well and is able to clearly voice each of the teens fleeing the fall of germany. World war ii is drawing to a close in east prussia and thousands of. As the title of the book suggests, salt is an important recurring image throughout the novel. This is not a fixed location but it is where most of the. Oct 22, 2019 sea salt is a top down realtime rts where you play as the god dagon. Extremely well written, and i loved how you saw the perspectives of multiple characters, it gave you a really good. Salt to the sea summary from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. He is a young boy who really doesnt care about anyone but himself. This has changed my perspective on what people in wwii went through because initially. The following version of this book was used to create this study guide. I was about half way through it when i wasnt sure if i was going to like it by the end or not. These notes were contributed by members of the gradesaver community.
Salt to the sea by ruta sepetys book club discussion. New york times bestseller and winner of the carnegie medal. It winds your clock tight and the alarm doesnt go off for 100 minutes. Could you explain the letter at the end of salt to the sea that was. One only has to read the authors note at the end to realise that sepetys has written about. One girls passion for art and her never ending hope will break the silence of history. The novel ends on a bittersweet note when florian, twentythree years later, reads a letter from a woman who discovered emilias raft on her beach in denmark a. The story also touches on the disappearance of the amber room, a work of art stolen by the nazis that has never been recovered. The question and answer section for salt to the sea is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. It was sudden, unexpected, and as much as you hate it, you love it.
It tells the story of four individuals in world war ii who make their way to the illfated mv wilhelm gustloff. Salt to the sea by ruta sepetys goodreads share book. In fact, i was a little nervous to start it because i was afraid that it wouldnt live up to its reputation. Sepetys is considered a crossover novelist, as her books are read by both teens and adults worldwide. In salt to the sea the hard truths of her herculean research are tempered with effortless, intimate storytelling, as her warm and human characters breathe new life into one of the worlds most terrible and neglected tragedies. Salt to the sea by ruta sepetys although a young adult novel, this tale of the end of world war ii and the refugee ship wilhelm gustloff will also appeal to all who like historical fiction. This is the greatest maritime disaster in history but is largely an.
Binh describes how salt can mean different things depending on where it comes from. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Feb 04, 2016 the sinking of the wilhelm gustloff, with its vast loss of life, provides the plot for salt to the sea by ruta sepetys, a story of world war ii refugees from several nations. As the characters grapple with the obstacles in their past and present circumstances, the novel explores themes related to redefining family and overcoming the past by telling the truth.
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