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  • Between Shades of Gray

  • Written by: Ruta Sepetys
  • Narrated by: Emily Klein
  • Length: 7 hrs and 47 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (31 ratings)

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Between Shades of Gray cover art

Between Shades of Gray

Written by: Ruta Sepetys
Narrated by: Emily Klein
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Publisher's Summary

An international best seller, a number-one New York Times best seller, and now a major motion picture!

Ruta Sepetys's Between Shades of Gray is now the film Ashes in the Snow!

"Few books are beautifully written, fewer still are important; this novel is both." (The Washington Post)

From New York Times and international best seller and Carnegie Medal winner Ruta Sepetys, author of Salt to the Sea, comes a story of loss and of fear - and ultimately, of survival.

A New York Times notable book

An international best seller

A Carnegie Medal nominee

A William C. Morris Award finalist

A Golden Kite Award winner

Fifteen-year-old Lina is a Lithuanian girl living an ordinary life - until Soviet officers invade her home and tear her family apart. Separated from her father and forced onto a crowded train, Lina, her mother, and her young brother make their way to a Siberian work camp, where they are forced to fight for their lives. Lina finds solace in her art, documenting these events by drawing. Risking everything, she imbeds clues in her drawings of their location and secretly passes them along, hoping her drawings will make their way to her father's prison camp. But will strength, love, and hope be enough for Lina and her family to survive? A moving and haunting novel perfect for fans of The Book Thief.

Praise for Between Shades of Gray:

"Superlative. A hefty emotional punch." (The New York Times Book Review)

"Heart-wrenching... an eye-opening reimagination of a very real tragedy written with grace and heart." (The Los Angeles Times)

"At once a suspenseful, drama-packed survival story, a romance, and an intricately researched work of historial fiction." (The Wall Street Journal)

"Beautifully written and deeply felt... An important book that deserves the widest possible readership." (Booklist, starred review)

©2011 Ruta Sepetys (P)2011 Penguin Audio

What the critics say

Winner, Indies Choice Book Award

“Few books are beautifully written, fewer still are important; this novel is both.” (The Washington Post)

"Beautiful...a superb though grueling novel.” (The Wall Street Journal)

What listeners say about Between Shades of Gray

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Could I still love and have hope under such wrenching circumstances?

Loved everything - characters, plot. Depiction of despair and hope, community and kindness. The resiliency of the human spirit.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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watch out: spoiler alert

I really enjoyed this book, at least, right up to the end. I was SO disappointed that there was no information provided about their release!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A dark, yet compelling story of merit

I knew virtually nothing of the exille of the Baltic regions under Stalin at the onset of WWII. Ruta Sapetys does not euphemize-- this is the story of the brutallic treatment of Lithuanian exiles.

A complementary read to The Book Thief (though far more mature in content).

I didn't love the narration, unfortunately. I found the character's voices far too unnatural.

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