Why is Between Shades of Gray so good?

While Between Shades of Gray is a powerful and important story, Sepetys' debut novel lacks the skill with words and raw emotional resonance that would make it truly, hauntingly unforgettable. Lina's narrative is simple and direct, emotions layered on one two-dimensional plane without deeper nuance or gravitas.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on thebooksmugglers.com


Is Between Shades of Gray appropriate?

Parents need to know that Between Shades of Gray is a story of horrific cruelty and violence for mature tweens and up.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on commonsensemedia.org


What is the message of Between Shades of Gray?

The main theme of between shades of gray, and the biggest lesson Lina must learn, is that even in the face of great suffering, brutality, and hate, love is the better choice. Sepetys is very deliberate in her framing of love as a choice one makes.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on supersummary.com


What war was the book Between Shades of Gray about?

This novel begins just after the invasion of Lithuania by the Soviet Union during World War II, and graphically portrays the hardships endured by those who were sent off to Soviet labor camps.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on rhapsodyinbooks.wordpress.com


How long does it take to read between shades of GREY?

The average reader will spend 6 hours and 24 minutes reading this book at 250 WPM (words per minute).
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on readinglength.com


Author Ruta Sepetys talks about the true history behind Between Shades of Gray



How long was Lina imprisoned?

In the epilogue: A man find letters written by Lina in a glass jar that was in a chest. Lina and Jonas survived, they were imprisoned for 12 years. Lina married Andrius.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on sutori.com


What does NKVD stand for in Between Shades of Gray?

Ruta Sepetys's stunning debut novel begins on June 14, 1941, as the NKVD (the Soviet secret police) pound on the door of the Vilkas family's home.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on shelf-awareness.com


Is between shades of GREY about the Holocaust?

Between Shades of Gray is the story of the genocide of the Baltic people of Eastern Europe by the Soviet Union, one that is significantly less well known than the genocide of the Jews and other minorities in the Holocaust.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on litcharts.com


What happens to Lina and Andrius?

(view spoiler) Lina and Andrius both survived. They found one another again when they returned to Lithuania and they got married.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on goodreads.com


Who is Elena in Between Shades of Gray?

Elena Vilkas is Lina's mother, and is still a woman in the prime of her life when she is deported from her home in Lithuania. Though she is a homemaker and relies on Kostas' income from the university to support the family, Elena was sent to Moscow for her schooling and is considered highly educated.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on litcharts.com


What happens at the end of Between Shades of Gray?

Lina's story ends when she sees sunlight on the horizon, and she knows they have successfully survived the winter despite the best efforts of the NKVD to have them perish. In an epilogue, construction workers in Kaunas in 1995 find letters and drawings Lina has buried in 1954.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on litcharts.com


How old is Lina in Between Shades of Gray?

Lina Vilkas: the story's 15-year-old protagonist, taken in the beginning with her mother and brother to a labour camp. She's a brave and determined girl, described as very similar to her mother. Jonas Vilkas: Lina's 10-year-old brother. He is a major character, beloved by all, including the sour Mr.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on en.wikipedia.org


Have you ever wondered what a human life is worth page number?

"Have you ever wondered what a human life is worth? That morning, my brother's was worth a pocket watch." (Chapter 7, p. 27). "I planted a seed of hatred in my heart.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on bookrags.com


Is ashes in the snow a true story?

Ashes in the Snow is based on the 2011 novel Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys, a Lithuanian-American writer who based it on the true story of Irena Spakauskiene, a 13-year-old Lithuanian girl who was deported from Lithuania to Siberia in 1941.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on baltictimes.com


Is Between Shades of Gray and ashes in the snow the same book?

Ashes in the Snow is a World War II drama film based on The New York Times best selling novel Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on en.wikipedia.org


Do Lina and Andrius get married?

Though Andrius and Lina are separated after Lina and her family are moved from the first camp, Lina's letter in the epilogue shows that the two survived, reconnected, and eventually married.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on litcharts.com


Who is Mrs Arvydas in Between Shades of Gray?

Andrius' mother is the attractive wife of a Lithuanian officer who is believed to be dead. She and her son are extremely protective of each other, and Mrs. Arvydas agrees to sleep with NKVD officers so that they do not kill Andrius.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on litcharts.com


Who is the antagonist in Between Shades of Gray?

Darth Sammy The antagonist was a mixture. In some parts it was the NKVD and confusingly in some other parts, it was herself. Sometimes ir was Andrius briefly, and a little more often the old bald man who was constantly a pessimist.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on goodreads.com


What does Peerestan mean in English?

Peerestan- Russian word that means stop.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on prezi.com


What does Kretzsky give Lina?

Though Kretszky is one of the guards who is cruel to the deportees, he begins to show signs that he questions the actions of the NKVD. Lina and Jonas are not sure why Elena speaks to him, but it appears that he has some sympathy for the deportees, since he gives Lina and Jonas firewood.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on litcharts.com


Why do you think Elena smashed all her favorite china?

Elena smashes all of her fine possessions because she does not want the Soviets to take them and enjoy them, or sell them. She decides to destroy them herself because at least then their loss is her choice, not theirs.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on litcharts.com


What special things does Elena get at the small kiosk?

Small bits of goodness mark the travel, such as when Elena bribes a guard to let her leave the train to go to a kiosk. She buys all the candy, matches, and cigarettes she can and gives them to the passengers.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on litcharts.com


How do they find out they're being separated from the men's trains?

Jonas peers through and sees men approaching the train. Though the bald man thinks they are partisans who might be able to help them, they are really men who have come to unhook train cars from each other. Lina realizes they are being separated from the men's trains.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on litcharts.com


Who is Miss grybas?

Miss Grybas is a strict teacher from the school that Lina and Jonas attend. She takes charge of engaging the children so that they have something to think about apart from the horror of their situation.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on litcharts.com
Previous question
Who is Google boss?