Salt to the Sea

By: Ruta Sepetys

Narrated by: Jorjeana Marie, Will Damron, Cassandra Morris, Michael Crouch

Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins

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)

Beautiful heartbreaker

This is an absolutely beautiful performance of a powerful, haunting story. Right up there with The Book of Aron and The War that Saved My Life and Echo....a quartet of life changing books about WW II, all recent. You'll carry these characters in your heart for a loooong time.

Magnificent!

Another magnificent read by Ruta! A detailed depiction of the tragedy of war as seen through the eyes of four young adults.

Heartbreaking and Beautiful

This was one of the best audio books I have listened to. In the genre of WWII literature it stands out, partly because it highlights a little-known chapter of the war in Germany. Sepetys' prose is beautiful, even as she describes a dark time in history. The four main characters are deeply developed and having four different narrators added to the effectiveness of the story. I would give it 10 stars if there were that many available!

Salt to the Sea

Ruta Sepetys in her historical fiction, Salt to the Sea, begins with Operation Hannibal, Germany's momentous effort to evacuate thousands of civilians and troops as a conquering Stalin advances through Eastern Europe in early 1945. Sepetys in this convergent novel brings to this frantic setting a band of courageous refugees who pool their survival skills to brave the bitter cold. Together they walk with the suffering throng toward the snowy coast where a fleet of ships waits to take them to safety.

Once they arrive, they are relieved to find shelter aboard the majestic Wilhelm Gustloff, but their joy soon turns to fear when they discover that are the overloaded ship is a moving target. What happens next is considered by chroniclers to be the worst disaster in maritime history. Yet, the characters Sepetys creates give a human face to this little known catastrophe that overshadows even that of the Titanic.

Poetic prose used here painted haunting images that I'm sure will stay with me for a long time.

Gripping

This is probably the most emotionally gripping book I have ever read. It is not for the faint of heart but so worth a read! It amazes me that this story in history is not very well known. I had never heard of it. Titanic is such a well known part of history so why isn't this one? I don't know but it should be. So many lives were lost and shouldn't just be forgotten. This true story was fascinating and impossible to put down. But most of all, it was utterly heartbreaking. Everyone should read this book!

Captivating Audio Book

My spouse and I listened to this book while we traveled out of state and back. Captivating and emotional story line with great presentation by the readers. Highly recommend!

Very sad but accurate book

Spoiler alert: I liked that the author developed each character and you are jumping from each character to see their point of view. World War II has so many horrific events but this was one I had not heard of- the sunken cruise line that is.

Wonderful and Real!

This book was amazing and brought historically little know facts to the front of a thrilling story.

History to be remember

I was so glad to learn about this part of history. I had never heard of the sinking of the ship. So much tragedy.

This is your next quiet heart string tug

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This book has an extremely personal and engaging style of wrapping the reader in. The characters are all diverse enough to stand out, but the auther weaves a good conjoined knowledge base between all of them. Sepetys illustrates each of the four's personal worlds and views in a way that also subtly allows the reader to gain clarity to small details mentioned earlier when someone else was speaking.

The imagery of WWII it provides is stunning. I would love to direct this as a film.

The two most relatable characters have an intriguing plot line that draws the most attention as one might expect, but I really like that the more annoying two (more human really) had excellent character development.

I choked up and I felt for these character. I hope you read it. It sticks, I promise.

Any additional comments?

The final moment of the Polish girl really, really, meant something to me. As a reader, it was the perfect depiction of the character's true light.