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Salt to the Sea cover art

Salt to the Sea

By: Ruta Sepetys
Narrated by: Jorjeana Marie, Will Damron, Cassandra Morris, Michael Crouch
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Publisher's Summary

New York Times best seller! For fans of Between Shades of Gray and All the Light We Cannot See, best-selling author Ruta Sepetys returns to WWII in this epic novel that shines a light on one of the war's most devastating - yet unknown - tragedies.

World War II is drawing to a close in East Prussia and thousands of refugees are on a desperate trek toward freedom, many with something to hide. Among them are Joana, Emilia, and Florian, whose paths converge en route to the ship that promises salvation, the Wilhelm Gustloff. Forced by circumstance to unite, the three find their strength, courage, and trust in each other tested with each step closer to safety. Just when it seems freedom is within their grasp, tragedy strikes. Not country, nor culture, nor status matter as all 10,000 people - adults and children alike - aboard must fight for the same thing: Survival.

Told in alternating points of view and perfect for fans of Anthony Doerr's Pulitzer Prize-winning All the Light We Cannot See, Erik Larson's Dead Wake, and Elizabeth Wein's Printz Honor Book Code Name Verity, this masterful work of historical fiction is inspired by the real-life tragedy that was the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff - the greatest maritime disaster in history. As she did in Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys unearths a shockingly little-known casualty of a gruesome war, and proves that humanity and love can prevail, even in the darkest of hours.

©2016 Ruta Sepetys (P)2016 Listening Library

Critic Reviews

“Jorjeana Marie, Will Damron, Cassandra Morris, and Michael Crouch perform mesmerizing narration worthy of Sepetys’s spectacular novel. Verdict Libraries with even the most limited audio budgets will want to invest.” (School Library Journal, starred review)

“The talented narrators excel in capturing the tone of their characters...[They] work together to create a vivid and well-rounded reading experience, [and] bring forth the truth of the wartime experience.” (Booklist, starred review)

“The four narrators (Jorjeana Marie, Will Damron, Cassandra Morris and Michael Crouch) are superbly cast...The story’s plot and pacing translate beautifully to the audio medium.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

What listeners say about Salt to the Sea

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Everyone should know this story!

Everyone should read this book and get to know the story! Also, this was such a smooth read so I recommend it to everyone including those that are looking for a slightly shorter read.

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  • Overall
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Excellent

Exceptional writing. An engrossing story revolving around a group of refugees during the second world war. Very moving and excellently narrated by several actors.

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  • Overall
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I loved it

It really opened my eyes two WW|| I think writing it trough the eyes of youths was a good idea😁

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  • Overall
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Why don't we all know about this tragedy?

I love that this author finds parts of history that have been tucked away and shines a much needed spotlight on them. Thankyou Ruta, it was a great read.

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    1 out of 5 stars

Just didnt do it for me.

Any additional comments?

This book had the selling point for me: Its another 'All the Light we Cannot See". So its with this expectation that I got it... Also I actually knew about the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff, this all meant that for me the planets were aligning and I had an awesome book on my hands, one that would close 2017 and be a great start to awesome novels read in the early 2018. Unfortunately this didn't live up to my expectations.
For me I felt the author's true heart was not in the book or its characters. I felt she was going through the motions to try to write a good book on par with her earlier success 'Between Shades of Grey'. 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 didn't care what happened to the characters and still hoped the book might pull off a last minute save.. It didn't.. How the sinking was treated was rushed and anti climatic. Its simply a deus machine to wrap up the 'nazi stolen treasure side plot' (LOL yep theres actually a nazi stolen treasure sub plot which overarches its clichéd ugly head all through most of the novel)...
Sigh.. I wish this could have been a great book as we finally have a book that deals with the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff and hopefully this maritime disaster can enter the popular cultures mind like the Titanic and Lusitania. But I don't think people will still be talking about this book by the end of 2018.. Its too mediocre.

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