Historical

All The Broken Places

All The Broken Places

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  • Create Date：2022-10-01 06:53:17
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：John Boyne
  • ISBN：0857528866
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Summary

1946。 Three years after a cataclysmic event which tore their lives apart， a mother and daughter flee Poland for Paris， shame， and fear at their heels， not knowing how hard it is to escape your past。

Nearly eighty years later， Gretel Fernsby lives a life that is a far cry from her traumatic childhood。 When a couple moves into the flat below her in her London mansion block， it should be nothing more than a momentary inconvenience。 However， the appearance of their nine-year-old son Henry brings back memories she would rather forget。

Faced with a choice between her own safety and his， Gretel is taken back to a similar crossroads she encountered long ago。 Back then， her complicity dishonoured her life， but to interfere now could risk revealing the secrets she has spent a lifetime protecting。

All the Broken Places is John Boyne's masterful sequel to his classic bestseller， The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas， taking a character from that novel on a journey to a place she never goes - the past。 Through her story， he explores the aftermath of the war and the effects of a lifetime of guilt。

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Reviews

Samantha O'Loughlin ，

Following Gretel who has lived in the same apartment in London for over 60 years。 This is an evocative read that goes deep in to Gretels memories and life。 Beautifully written， despite the painful subject matters， this is a read that will keep you turning the pages。

Sara Clifford-gray ，

All The Broken Places is the follow up story to the Boy In the Striped Pyjamas – a book which had me sobbing on a packed commuter train many years ago。 This time we hear the story of 91 year old Gretel， Bruno’s elder sister who is now living in London and trying to put her dark past behind her， but she finds that she cannot shrug off the guilt of her father’s War Crimes。Now a widow with a grown up son and living in Mayfair， Gretel finds herself defending a young boy who has moved into the apartm All The Broken Places is the follow up story to the Boy In the Striped Pyjamas – a book which had me sobbing on a packed commuter train many years ago。 This time we hear the story of 91 year old Gretel， Bruno’s elder sister who is now living in London and trying to put her dark past behind her， but she finds that she cannot shrug off the guilt of her father’s War Crimes。Now a widow with a grown up son and living in Mayfair， Gretel finds herself defending a young boy who has moved into the apartment below。This is another thought provoking read yet again from John Boyne。 It is a powerful tale following on from Bruno and Shmuel。A beautiful book which will stay in your heart for a very long time。 。。。more

Ruth ，

Thought-provoking， clever but never sentimental。 An approach to the subject that isn't often taken and so carefully executed。 I'm not entirely convinced about all the coincidences that made the plot work but I'm happy to over look them。 Thought-provoking， clever but never sentimental。 An approach to the subject that isn't often taken and so carefully executed。 I'm not entirely convinced about all the coincidences that made the plot work but I'm happy to over look them。 。。。more

Joy ，

I love all John Boynes books。 This is a superb sequel to the Boy in the Striped Pyjamas。 A must read。

Kate Horgan ，

It is a good book beautifully written

Linda Kelly ，

Oh my goodness。。。he's done it again！ Beautiful book， just couldn't put it down。 If you only ever read one book ever again。。。make it this one。 Oh my goodness。。。he's done it again！ Beautiful book， just couldn't put it down。 If you only ever read one book ever again。。。make it this one。 。。。more

Craig Liken ，

Interesting story - the writing is good， but not great （unlike Hearts， or History of Loneliness）， and it is definitely a quick read - page-turner type novel。The part set in Australia didn't work for me， but I enjoyed the Paris section and the final section。The weird thing is although you spend a lot of time with the narrator， I'm not really sure that I know her all that well - maybe that is the point？ Interesting story - the writing is good， but not great （unlike Hearts， or History of Loneliness）， and it is definitely a quick read - page-turner type novel。The part set in Australia didn't work for me， but I enjoyed the Paris section and the final section。The weird thing is although you spend a lot of time with the narrator， I'm not really sure that I know her all that well - maybe that is the point？ 。。。more

Lou Barber ，

Having just re-read The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas before reading its sequel I knew this was not to be a light read。 It is breath-takingly beautiful and devastating all at once。In All the Broken Places， we get to hear Gretel's story in the years after the war and the devastating loss of her nine year old brother。 We move in time from 1946 up until the present day。 Gretel is formidable now but she has suffered terribly with feelings of guilt， of grief and shame。 Haunted by her family's secrets an Having just re-read The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas before reading its sequel I knew this was not to be a light read。 It is breath-takingly beautiful and devastating all at once。In All the Broken Places， we get to hear Gretel's story in the years after the war and the devastating loss of her nine year old brother。 We move in time from 1946 up until the present day。 Gretel is formidable now but she has suffered terribly with feelings of guilt， of grief and shame。 Haunted by her family's secrets and her own， she has had to live a life of lies。 And the cost of this weighs heavy。When a new family move into the apartment below her， she is at first dreading it。 They have a nine year old son， Henry。 But Henry and her soon form a bond， and when it becomes clear that Henry is being hurt， Gretel knows she has to finally save a life - in her own way - atoning for her long-held shame。Beautifully written， deeply thought-provoking and incredibly moving， this is a triumphant sequel。 。。。more

Iain Kyle ，

I haven't read The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas however that didn't stop me being able to pick up and enjoy this book。 The author provides sufficient detail for the reader to be able to understand what has happened previously and although this is obviously just the basics it is enough。 I certainly didn't feel disadvantaged by not having read the first。This book covers several time periods for the main character who is dealing with the issues of her past and the story flows very well I didn't actua I haven't read The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas however that didn't stop me being able to pick up and enjoy this book。 The author provides sufficient detail for the reader to be able to understand what has happened previously and although this is obviously just the basics it is enough。 I certainly didn't feel disadvantaged by not having read the first。This book covers several time periods for the main character who is dealing with the issues of her past and the story flows very well I didn't actually raise just how much I had read on my first go until I put it down。 This is a very well written novel and the author has described the life of the characters and the locations extremely well。Thanks to the publisher， author and NetGalley for my advance copy for review purposes。 I am only giving this 4 stars however as it's not the type of story which I normally go for and therefore I wasn't completely gripped by it however the writing is excellent。 。。。more

Debra Feldman ，

If you read the first book， “The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas”， then this is a must read。 Beautifully written。 Pulls at your heartstrings

Jo-anne Atkinson ，

91-year old Gretel seems a quiet widow， living in a prestigious mansion block but Gretel has secrets。 When a young family moves into the flat below she befriends their nine-year old son but realises that both are in danger。 Gretel is forced to confront the past that she hides， one which would lead to her vilification， as she has a choice to save young Hugo。 Will she make a different choice to the one she made about her own brother？Much is made of this book being a sequel to The Boy In The Stripe 91-year old Gretel seems a quiet widow， living in a prestigious mansion block but Gretel has secrets。 When a young family moves into the flat below she befriends their nine-year old son but realises that both are in danger。 Gretel is forced to confront the past that she hides， one which would lead to her vilification， as she has a choice to save young Hugo。 Will she make a different choice to the one she made about her own brother？Much is made of this book being a sequel to The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas but it can be read independently and there might be a lot to be said for reading it at a distance of time as I did。 The story is a real slow-burner， Gretel's life after the war is always coloured by her family's links but bother the historical and the modern are beautifully described。 I found the ending a little forced and unreal but really it did not detract from a heartfelt story about victims。 。。。more

Tracey ，

This has been such a good read， I’ve read it in one sitting。 The sequel to the book The Boy in the Striped pyjamas has been an emotional read with gretel thinking she had escaped her past until she meets a family that triggers memories of her past。 The boy Henry reminds her of her brother Bruno and the difficult decision that she has to make has her confronting her past and finding an inner bravery to protect him。

Jg ，

All the Broken Places is an incredibly powerful novel telling the story of what happens after the war is over through the eyes of a woman whose father ran one of the camps。 Gretel and her mother first try to hide in Paris but are discovered and humiliated for their role in the holocaust， then once her mother is dead Gretel tries to live in Australia， but ultimately lives the rest of her years in England where she marries， has a child。 She lives quite well until the age of 92 with the war on her All the Broken Places is an incredibly powerful novel telling the story of what happens after the war is over through the eyes of a woman whose father ran one of the camps。 Gretel and her mother first try to hide in Paris but are discovered and humiliated for their role in the holocaust， then once her mother is dead Gretel tries to live in Australia， but ultimately lives the rest of her years in England where she marries， has a child。 She lives quite well until the age of 92 with the war on her mind every single day。。 She keeps her true identity from people， feeling incredibly guilt and culpable for her families actions。 Perfect for book clubs because of the novels many themes and conversations this will generate。 At the age of 12， how liable is Gretel for her fathers actions？ How can she still love him？ Should she have surrendered herself and others for what they have done？ How does she see her father’s and Hitlers actions now？ What is her personal feeling about the war and the Jewish people now？ As a girl she was able to not quite see what was happening in front of her， but when she confronts violence as an old woman how does she handle what’s going on？ Told from a fascinating， little used and unusual vantage point Gretel is a character not to be pitied， not to be hated， but full of human complexities。 I’ve often wondered how the people of Germany could turn a blind eye to what Hitler espoused， but it’s becoming all too apparent how this happens in todays politics so I find All the Broken Places to be a perfect novel for right now。 My only complaint is that the chapters are not marked as to what is in the past and what is present day which becomes confusing。 I started to read a paragraph thinking it was present day and it was in the past and vice versa。 I think every chapter should be labeled at the top。 。。。more

Ana Aguerrea Alzualde ，

El autor retoma personajes de El niño con pijama de rayas。La hija mayor del comandante del campo de concentración tiene noventa y un años y vive en Londres。 Nos cuenta su vida desde que se marchó de Alemania。Con ese marco， el autor nos lleva a reflexionar sobre la culpa， el papel de los cómplices y sus reacciones， el dolor de la pérdida y el maltrato en la familia， entre otros temas。El libro tiene una escritura elegante， a la vez que sencilla。 Entretiene， engancha。 Nuevamente， un buen libro de B El autor retoma personajes de El niño con pijama de rayas。La hija mayor del comandante del campo de concentración tiene noventa y un años y vive en Londres。 Nos cuenta su vida desde que se marchó de Alemania。Con ese marco， el autor nos lleva a reflexionar sobre la culpa， el papel de los cómplices y sus reacciones， el dolor de la pérdida y el maltrato en la familia， entre otros temas。El libro tiene una escritura elegante， a la vez que sencilla。 Entretiene， engancha。 Nuevamente， un buen libro de Boyne， que nos sumerge en esa sensibilidad especial que tiene。 。。。more

Hayley （Backpacking Bookworm） ，

All The Broken Places was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it didn’t disappoint！ I'm happy to say that it fell firmly in the sequel-I-didn’t-know-I-needed category。Spanning decades and countries in-between the present day， the book explores Gretel’s life after the war， her grief， guilt， and heavy conscience as she tries to find balance after the horrors her father inflicted at Auschwitz （and that she wasn’t completely ignorant to as much as she pretends to be）。 We follow her and All The Broken Places was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it didn’t disappoint！ I'm happy to say that it fell firmly in the sequel-I-didn’t-know-I-needed category。Spanning decades and countries in-between the present day， the book explores Gretel’s life after the war， her grief， guilt， and heavy conscience as she tries to find balance after the horrors her father inflicted at Auschwitz （and that she wasn’t completely ignorant to as much as she pretends to be）。 We follow her and her mother as they flee to France and try to blend in with the locals， changing their identities in a bid to leave their German pasts behind。 We also see Gretel escape to the other side of the world for a fresh start but alas， her nightmares continue to follow her。 In the present day， Gretel， now in her 90s lives in her affluent London apartment where she has remained since travelling to England after Sydney。 When a young boy and his parents move in downstairs， she struggles to stay calm - young boys still remind her of the time before。 But when she realises the boy needs her help， she puts her anxieties aside， accidentally getting herself mixed up in a domestic upheaval that will upend her life completely。 Gretel was one of the best flawed characters I’ve ever read about。 Her story and actions opened up so many conflicting feelings as we had to imagine how we would have dealt with certain situations and sought redemption for our actions。 As a minor character in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas， it was interesting to see things from her perspective， both during the war and the chains of events that followed。 It was beautifully written and researched， with characters both new and familiar。 The ending was both unexpected and exhilarating - it felt like the perfect closure for both Gretel and the readers。I highly recommend this one， especially for those that， like me， first discovered WW2 fiction through The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas。 I think I even enjoyed this one more which I didn't think was even possible。 Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for sending me a digital copy in exchange for an honest review。 Rating breakdownPlot/narrative - 4。8Writing style/readability - 4。8Characters - 4。7Diverse themes - 4。7Ending - 4。7Overall - 4。7 。。。more

Zoe Adams ，

4。5 stars。 This was brilliant。 Such complex themes explored so well; the writing was lyrical and beautiful， and the parallel between the two stories was just brilliantly done。 And the book is dedicated to Markus Zusak。 What more could you want from a book？

Lesley ，

I was sent a copy of All The Broken Places by John Boyne to read and review by NetGalley。 This novel， written by one of my all-time favourite authors， is a follow on from The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas。 It is all at once wonderful， terrible， poignant， harrowing and totally compelling。 We follow the life of Gretel， now in her 90s， with chapters moving between her history and the present day。 I found I was engrossed in the story， which was totally believable to me， with my emotions fluctuating eve I was sent a copy of All The Broken Places by John Boyne to read and review by NetGalley。 This novel， written by one of my all-time favourite authors， is a follow on from The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas。 It is all at once wonderful， terrible， poignant， harrowing and totally compelling。 We follow the life of Gretel， now in her 90s， with chapters moving between her history and the present day。 I found I was engrossed in the story， which was totally believable to me， with my emotions fluctuating every which way throughout。 For me this is an incredibly important book， both in what it says and how it says it – a modern masterpiece。 。。。more

Dem ，

I bought it， I read it， I loved it。 All the Broken Places by John Boyne was a thought provoking and emotional page turner for me。 His writing is immersive and compelling and I was drawn into the story from the very first page。 This is a fiction story and I am always aware when reading historical fiction stories that I may not get an extensive or satisfying portrayal of events in the past but that is fine as I have read a vast amount of non fiction books on the War and that is where I get my fac I bought it， I read it， I loved it。 All the Broken Places by John Boyne was a thought provoking and emotional page turner for me。 His writing is immersive and compelling and I was drawn into the story from the very first page。 This is a fiction story and I am always aware when reading historical fiction stories that I may not get an extensive or satisfying portrayal of events in the past but that is fine as I have read a vast amount of non fiction books on the War and that is where I get my facts and information from。 I have to admit， I wasn’t a fan of the and yet the characters stayed with me after all these years， and while I didn’t love it， I was very eager to read the sequel and see what became of these characters。The story is told from the point of view of 92 year old Gretel who has lived her life hiding her dark and disturbing past。 She doesn’t talk about her escape from Germany or her post war years in France。 She keeps the fact that she is the daughter of one of the commandant leaders in a notorious Nazi Concentration Camp well hidden and lives a quiet life in her apartment until a young family moves into the apartment below her and Gretel forms a new friendship with Henry their young son。 This is a back to basics ， well written， interesting and compelling story from John Boyne， it’s the sort of book you long to pick up each evening。 A curl up by the fire side read that just doesn’t disappoint。 I needed this book in my life as I have read a lot of mediocre novels over the past few months。I listened to this one on Audible and the narrators are excellent。 I also bought a hard back copy for my real life bookshelf。 。。。more

Boris ，

Книга， която сякаш е писана от Маргарет Атуд。 Интересна и странна - няма как да не е странна， когато ранните години на героинята започват в близост до концлагер в Полша и стигат чак до следпандемиен Лондон през 2022 г。 Много интересни посоки на разкзазване， но до края имах усещането， че тези посоки нямат крайна дестинация。 В последните страници обаче се сервира един огромен джонбойнски обрат， който изтри впечатленията， че пътешествията на героите нямат крайна точка。 Обратът изкриви всичко прочет Книга， която сякаш е писана от Маргарет Атуд。 Интересна и странна - няма как да не е странна， когато ранните години на героинята започват в близост до концлагер в Полша и стигат чак до следпандемиен Лондон през 2022 г。 Много интересни посоки на разкзазване， но до края имах усещането， че тези посоки нямат крайна дестинация。 В последните страници обаче се сервира един огромен джонбойнски обрат， който изтри впечатленията， че пътешествията на героите нямат крайна точка。 Обратът изкриви всичко прочетено преди това。 Нещо， което винаги съм ценял високо в литературата。Хората， които много харесват Фуриите ще се изкефят на макс тук。 。。。more

Jennifer ，

Brilliant！ Totally absorbing。 This sequel to The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is a fascinating take on guilt， deception and reflection of a time that no matter what， Gretel can never escape。

Leigh Alexandra ，

Emotional at every turn of the page 💚

Tara Book Queen ，

Dare I say this book is better than the first？ Apart from answers that the reader might have to the many questions left after The Boy in The Striped PJ's， Gretel's story was shocking。 There were many twists and turns that I didn't expect to see ， but Gretel's guilt and her main secret was also astonishing。 A must read！ Dare I say this book is better than the first？ Apart from answers that the reader might have to the many questions left after The Boy in The Striped PJ's， Gretel's story was shocking。 There were many twists and turns that I didn't expect to see ， but Gretel's guilt and her main secret was also astonishing。 A must read！ 。。。more

Carol Barnes ，

Given what a fantastic and moving book "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas" is， it is difficult to believe that the author could follow it up successfully。 He has certainly managed to do do with his latest book which is incredibly moving， heartfelt and left me both grieving and at the same time with some hope in the humanity of people。 The story follows the life of Gretel， the daughter of an SS officer who is put in charge of one of the camps processing Jewish prisoners。 How does she cope with the f Given what a fantastic and moving book "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas" is， it is difficult to believe that the author could follow it up successfully。 He has certainly managed to do do with his latest book which is incredibly moving， heartfelt and left me both grieving and at the same time with some hope in the humanity of people。 The story follows the life of Gretel， the daughter of an SS officer who is put in charge of one of the camps processing Jewish prisoners。 How does she cope with the fact that her father is a living man but at the same time capable of committing such terrible atrocities due to his beliefs in nazism and Hitler。 The book follows Gretel throughout her life and shows how her upbringing affects her own approach to life and survivors guilt。 An excellent book worthy of being made into a film。 Let's hope that such writings as well as the historical tomes on this subject mean that we will never forget man's inhumanity to man and such atrocities will not be repeated。 。。。more

Cathy ，

I have the feeling I may be one of the few people in the world who has not read The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas or seen the film adaptation。 I wondered if this would effect my appreciation of this， its sequel; the answer is a definite no。 In fact All The Broken Places may be one of the most memorable and thought-provoking novels I read this year。 It’s one of the reasons why I’ve found it so difficult to write a review that will do it justice。 （I’m still not sure I have。）Moving between past and pr I have the feeling I may be one of the few people in the world who has not read The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas or seen the film adaptation。 I wondered if this would effect my appreciation of this， its sequel; the answer is a definite no。 In fact All The Broken Places may be one of the most memorable and thought-provoking novels I read this year。 It’s one of the reasons why I’ve found it so difficult to write a review that will do it justice。 （I’m still not sure I have。）Moving between past and present， we gradually learn about Gretel’s childhood and the impact her proximity to the horrific events of the Holocaust has had on her。 Having had an early taste of what her identity becoming known might result in， the majority of Gretel’s life has been spent hiding her past， adopting new identities when disclosure is threatened， moving to new places and being in a constant state of watchfulness。In addition， she has lived with a constant sense of guilt – at the dreadful things that took place ‘on the other side of the fence’ and her part in the death of a loved one。  ‘Guilt was what kept you awake in the middle of the night or， if you managed to sleep， poisoned your dreams。 Guilt intruded upon any happy moments， whispering in your ear that you had no right to pleasure。 Guilt followed you down streets， interrupting the most mundane moments with remembrances of days and hours when you could have done something to prevent tragedy but chose to do nothing。’ Managing those feelings of guilt has meant repressing unwelcome memories。 There are photographs Gretel can’t bear to look at， a location she refers to only as ‘that other place’， a name she can’t bear to say。There are a number of occasions on which Gretel is challenged about her defence that she was ‘just a child’ and had no knowledge of what was taking place。 And， that even if it was true， she did nothing after the war to help bring the perpetrators to justice。 In fact that she took deliberate steps to avoid this。 When， soon after the end of the war， she is presented with indisputable evidence of what occurred and how close she was to that cruelty， the effect on her is so unbearable it results in a catastrophic act and the destruction of a relationship。In the book there are not just broken places but broken people too。 Gretel， of course， but also her mother， and Gretel’s new neighbour Madelyn。There are moments of light amongst the darkness。 For example， Gretel’s tender relationship with her vulnerable neighbour， Heidi， and the way she bonds with young Henry。 And Edgar， Gretel’s late husband， whom we meet at the very beginning of their relationship， is a wonderful model of devotion， understanding and acceptance。All the Broken Places is an unsparing exploration of how the sins of the past can weigh on individuals and the burden of complicity。 ‘By doing nothing， you did everything。 By taking no responsibility， you bear all responsibility。’ The book poses some difficult questions。 If someone you love commits terrible acts is it right to still love them？ Can anything you do ever make up for the sins of others？ Is taking one life to save another justified？I’m not sure the actions Gretel takes at the end of the book represent sufficient reparation given the scale of the evil that occurred in ‘that other place’ but I got the sense Gretel thought they did and she viewed the consequences of her actions as a kind of justice， as the punishment she deserved。In his afterword， the author states his belief that， for all the mistakes in her life and her complicity in evil， Gretel’s story is still worth telling but it’s up to the reader to decide if it’s worth reading。  My conclusion is an unequivocal yes。 。。。more

jessica ，

i visited auschwitz for the first time a few months ago and， at the end of the tour， the guide recommended some books to read to continue our education of the holocaust and the crimes against humanity that occurred during it。 he also adamantly warned us away from JBs well-known book ‘the boy in the striped pajamas，’ as it spreads some harmful inaccuracies。 the museum even took to twitter about it （source）。 so i was curious as to the purpose of this sequel。 i picked it up hoping the story would b i visited auschwitz for the first time a few months ago and， at the end of the tour， the guide recommended some books to read to continue our education of the holocaust and the crimes against humanity that occurred during it。 he also adamantly warned us away from JBs well-known book ‘the boy in the striped pajamas，’ as it spreads some harmful inaccuracies。 the museum even took to twitter about it （source）。 so i was curious as to the purpose of this sequel。 i picked it up hoping the story would be a way for JB acknowledge the criticism he has faced over the past 16 years and try to right his wrongs。 however， its very much just him doubling down and one of the things that makes ‘the boy in the striped pajamas’ dangerous is present in this book （i。e。 trying to manipulate the reader into sympathising with （some） nazis）。i love so many of JBs other books and they will always hold a very dear place in my heart。 but， when it comes to this particular situation/story， JB is showing his true colours as a person and im not sure i personally like the look。but to each their own。 readers who can understand that this is a work of fiction with specific flaws should have no problem with it。 and while i do think there might be some decent underlying intentions with this sequel and， from a narrative standpoint， i found the story engaging， i honestly wouldnt recommend it to someone looking for a novel about the holocaust or its effects after the war。thanks for the ARC， penguin group。 ↠ 2。5 stars 。。。more

Inishowen Cailín ，

It is a riveting follow-up to The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas， and it works incredibly well as a standalone。The story is told with a dual timeline of Gretels post-war life and the present。 The frequent shift between past and present made compulsive reading and I devoured this book in one day。Gretel is a very human and complex character who grappled with grief， guilt and fear for her entire adult life。 She kept her identity secret for a lifetime and even as an old woman the thought of confronting It is a riveting follow-up to The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas， and it works incredibly well as a standalone。The story is told with a dual timeline of Gretels post-war life and the present。 The frequent shift between past and present made compulsive reading and I devoured this book in one day。Gretel is a very human and complex character who grappled with grief， guilt and fear for her entire adult life。 She kept her identity secret for a lifetime and even as an old woman the thought of confronting her past and opening old wounds would leave her emotional and upset。 There was no way she could right the wrongs of her past but I thought it fitting that she had the chance to make a difference in one little boy's life and in a way atone for her sins。A couple of things about Gretel's life appeared odd to me- On the run from Nazi hunters and the like she and her mother chose Paris to hide in after the war and with their German accents not well disguised。 Also， when Gretel was slightly older she didn't recognise that David was Jewish。 These little oddities aside， the book is very fast-paced， and dark but greatly entertaining。 Some people might get hung up on whether the book is historically accurate but as a work of fiction， it works。 It is simply inspired by events in WWII and at the same time， it raises thought-provoking questions about what faced the ordinary Germans who had to adapt to post-war Europe。 。。。more

Buzzy ，

All The Broken Places" is the long awaited sequel to "The Boy in The Stripped Pyjamas"。 It is helpful to either have read， or be aware of the plot if "The Boy In The Stripped Pyjamas" before you read this。 Boyne assumes you have read it and doesn't reiterate it at any point。Gretl Fernsby is a 91 year old widow living in a flat London。 But she has a past， a dark past， which she has gone to lenghts throughout her life to hide and now she is going to have to face her guilt。 I won't go into the plot All The Broken Places" is the long awaited sequel to "The Boy in The Stripped Pyjamas"。 It is helpful to either have read， or be aware of the plot if "The Boy In The Stripped Pyjamas" before you read this。 Boyne assumes you have read it and doesn't reiterate it at any point。Gretl Fernsby is a 91 year old widow living in a flat London。 But she has a past， a dark past， which she has gone to lenghts throughout her life to hide and now she is going to have to face her guilt。 I won't go into the plot in any more detail so not to spoil the book for anyone。This is a book about Guilt。 Different types of guilt， guilt by association and guilt due to personal actions。 Can a child be guilty because of the actions of a parent ？ How do we deal with the said guilt ？ Do we make reparations？ Do we ignore it or do we come to terms with it。 A wonderfully written sequel that keeps you turning the pages。 Would definitely recommend。 。。。more

Nicola Smith ，

All the Broken Places is a sequel to John Boyne's classic book， The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas。 However， where that book was aimed primarily at children， All the Broken Places is an adult book focusing on Gretel， the older sister of Bruno， the boy who nobody who has read The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas can forget。 This is a book that John Boyne had been thinking of writing since The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas was published and it truly is a triumph。Gretel is 91 and living in a flat in London when All the Broken Places is a sequel to John Boyne's classic book， The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas。 However， where that book was aimed primarily at children， All the Broken Places is an adult book focusing on Gretel， the older sister of Bruno， the boy who nobody who has read The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas can forget。 This is a book that John Boyne had been thinking of writing since The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas was published and it truly is a triumph。Gretel is 91 and living in a flat in London when a family， including a 9 year old boy named Henry， move into the flat below her。 She's kept herself to herself over the years， not wanting to draw attention to herself or her shocking past， but the arrival of Henry leads her to make decisions that threaten to shake her life to its very core。Gretel's story is told in the present day but also with sections going back to Paris just after the war， Sydney a little later， and then London in the 1950s， giving a real sense of the direction Gretel's long life has taken。 Whilst not always the most sympathetic character， I absolutely loved Gretel， a quite feisty yet secretive woman whose bold voice stands out。 My favourite sections were set in the present day as she meets with her neighbour and her son， and gets to know Henry。 But there's such darkness to the story too， with Henry having an unsettled home life which impacts on Gretel's hard-won privacy， and of course there is the legacy of the evil she encountered in her childhood in Berlin and 'that other place'。This is another wonderful book from Boyne who never fails to delight me with his extremely varied yet consistently brilliant stories。 All the Broken Places most notably asks the questions: are we responsible for the sins of our fathers and are we culpable if we know of atrocities but choose self-preservation？ Incredibly thought-provoking and moving， I thought this was a sweeping and magnificent read。 。。。more

Julie Friar ，

Greta and her mother leave Auschwitz and Germany after the war to escape their past and escape retribution by hiding under false identities。 How can they find peace and a new life？ This follow up book is just brilliant and well worth the wait。Great characters， especially Gretel with an excellent storyline that sans decades。 Cannot recommend this book highly enough。

Irene ，

I love the fact that John Boyne used the time in lockdown to write the story of Gretel， sister of the boy who perishes in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas。 Alternating between 2022 and other years between WW2 and the present， the narrative moves seamlessly from time to time， place to place。 It made me wonder if the chapters were written in the sequence they follow in the book， or if the author wrote all of 2022， then all of 1946， etc， before slotting the sections together。 Either way， it all fits I love the fact that John Boyne used the time in lockdown to write the story of Gretel， sister of the boy who perishes in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas。 Alternating between 2022 and other years between WW2 and the present， the narrative moves seamlessly from time to time， place to place。 It made me wonder if the chapters were written in the sequence they follow in the book， or if the author wrote all of 2022， then all of 1946， etc， before slotting the sections together。 Either way， it all fits together beautifully。 Gretel is a fascinating character。 As a girl during the war， she is confused， vulnerable， flirtatious - in short， full of contradictions， just as an adolescent girl would be given her circumstances。 As an independent woman， her life revolves around hiding her true identity。 As an old woman， she is forthright in her views。 Her life-long feelings of guilt are still strong， but she has wit and charisma。 I particularly liked certain observations such as the contrast between theatre and cinema audiences， and her thoughts about her neighbours。 Little things like this make her come alive。Parts of the book are brutal and difficult to read， but despite this， whenever I wasn't reading， I was longing to pick it up again。 Picking up on comments by another reviewer， I don't think the book was too long。 Indeed， I'd have been happy to read more。 And I challenge the assertion that Henry's injuries would have been picked up in school。 We read all too often that yet another child has 'slipped thought the net' and died at their parent's hand， failed by teachers and social services。I was more than a little surprised by the ending but on reflection it brings Gretel's life full circle。To conclude， this is the best book I've read in a long time。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=All The Broken Places

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=All The Broken Places&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,All The Broken Places&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0