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    Between Shades of Gray
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    Between Shades of Gray
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    Between Shades of Gray
    Audiobook7 hours

    Between Shades of Gray

    Written by Ruta Sepetys

    Narrated by Emily Klein

    4.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

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

    From New York Times bestseller Ruta Sepetys, author of Salt to the Sea

    A New York Times notable book
    An International Bestseller
    A Carnegie Medal Nominee

    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 for readers of The Book Thief
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateMar 22, 2011
    ISBN9781101484630
    Unavailable
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    Reviews for Between Shades of Gray

    4.5/5

    1,317 ratings198 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I have read several historical fiction books covering aspects of WWII, but never one that covers Stalin's persecution of the Baltic states. In fact, even though I knew that he had annexed these areas, I had no idea that so many people had been illegally imprisoned or killed.

      The story begins in 1941 when Lina Vilkas is fifteen and excited about her future as an artist. She has just been accepted into a prestigious art program. Stalin's annextion of her home country of Lithuania is a fact, although the actual takeover is not part of this story. The family is living happily until the moment their home is invaded by the NKVD and they are dragged away in the middle of the night. Along with her mother and brother, Lina is condemned as an enemy of the Soviet state. They're forced onto a train that makes a long, horrendous journey to Siberia, where many of the arrested die along the way. Through her artwork, Lina tries to make contact with her father. She draws everything and hides her art so it will not be found. Her emotions pour out into her work and the descriptions are wonderful. Lina is strong and willful. She refuses to die and give up anything to the Soviets. She even finds love along the way. The Soviets tried to take everything from her life, but they can't break her. It is truly humbling to read the accounts of the atrocities that occurred during this campaign. The fact that these people never gave up and some eventually returned to their home countries is mind blowing. The will to live is a powerful thing.

      This is a book of Historical Fiction, although to write this book, Ruta Sepetys met with people who had survived the deportations and their family members, as well as historians and government officials. She also listed books she used for some of her research. The impetus for her was her father's family who were caught up in the deportations. Make sure to read the author's note at the end of the book. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.
    • 5/5
      "Between Shades of Gray" begins in 1941 on the night when fifteen-year-old Lina and her family are arrested as political criminals for being anti-Soviet. This is not a happy story. After a horrific train ride across country, Lina, her family and other Lithuanians are taken to labour camps in Siberia. Here they have to work and survive in the most horrendous conditions.Beautifully written, the author does not try and hide the ugliness and atrocities that the prisoners face daily. Yet amidst these horrors there are glimpses of happier times in Lina's life as she remembers moments with her cousin and father. This book shows the extremes of human behaviour. On the one hand the guards' brutality makes the reader wonder how people can treat others this way, but despite this, the prisoners take risks and band together to help each other survive. Ultimately, this is a book of hope, strength and friendship in the most heinous of circumstances. Whilst I have read countless Y.A. books about the Holocaust, this is the first book I've come across highlighting the atrocities innocent people faced at the hand of Stalin. Highly recommended.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book, couldn't quit reading....I love small chapters, so important for a person with a short attention span! Whatever it was titled, it was a fascinating story of mans inhumanity to man...the 1940's weren't that long ago, how could the world sit by and let those atrocities happen? What is going on today in 2019? what will people 80 years from now say about us and how we allowed things to happen?
    • 3/5
      The book is written as teen literature, but the story is so troubling that perhaps it is more "manageable" from the voice of a child. I was unaware of the people from these Eastern European nations who were forced into work camps in Siberia by the Russians - they faced horrors from both Stalin and Hitler. It is a sad, sad tale, but an important one.
    • 5/5

      "Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Peteys
      Such a small book with such an astounding story inside.
      We all know about Hitler and what he did, but not so much about Stalin. He murdered over 20,000,000 innocent people and tortured countless others.
      This is a sad story of historical fiction, yet there are glimmers of hope. The majority of this well researched and documented story takes place inside the arctic circle aka The North Pole. Imagine not seeing the sun for 180 days.
      You will understand the title as you read the last couple of pages where your spine will tingle.

      1941, fifteen-year-old Lina is preparing for art school, first dates, and all that summer has to offer. But one night, the Soviet secret police barge violently into her home, deporting her along with her mother and younger brother. They are being sent to Siberia. Lina's father has been separated from the family and sentenced to death in a prison camp. All is lost.
      Lina fights for her life, fearless, vowing that if she survives she will honor her family, and the thousands like hers, by documenting their experience in her art and writing. She risks everything to use her art as messages, hoping they will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know they are still alive.
      It is a long and harrowing journey, and it is only their incredible strength, love, and hope that pull Lina and her family through each day. But will love be enough to keep them alive?
      Between Shades of Gray is a riveting novel that steals your breath, captures your heart, and reveals the miraculous nature of the human spirit.
    • 4/5
      The story of Lina in 1941 Lithuania. She's held captive by the Russians with her mom and brother in Siberia. Lina uses art to cope with the conditions. In the author's note, it says than many used art and buried capsules in the arctic so others could learn the truth of what happened to them there. Many characters are a wonderful example of love for others. "Her cup overflowed with love for everyone and everything around her, even the enemy." p. 234
    • 5/5
      Need More Stars!
      Set mostly in Siberia, this was a fast-paced novel following a young girl on the edge of womanhood, who unexpectedly finds herself a WWII prisoner. One of the most heartbreaking parts of Lina's journey was that she continually expected a sudden end to the chaos and madness around her. Somehow, she is able to hold onto a hope and optimism despite the often cruel treatment her family experiences.

      One of the best parts of this book is that it gave me a glimpse into the horrors Stalin committed during WWII that I haven't really heard about before. I am like 99% positive we did not discuss the deportation and imprisonment of over 100k Lithuanians at all during World History, either at the high school level or the the college level. I have already skimmed the wikipedia coverage and have a few non-fic books on my list to learn more.

      The worst part of the book for me is the very abrupt ending. At the end of the first chapter or two, as Lina's family is being taken from their home, she looks into a mirror and says it will be the last time she does so for over a decade. So we know right away she not only survives but she is held captive for ten years; but the story only follows her for about 18 months, and then ends with a time capsule letter found decades later that is only a page or so long and just barely wraps up the story line.

      Overall, I loved this book.
    • 5/5
      I received this book as a first reads winner and I am thrilled to have been selected. When I read the description and saw the beautiful cover of the book, I knew I wanted to read it. This book did not disappoint. Ruta Sepetys is a beautiful writer. I felt myself transported back in time and placed right next to Lina and her family. I could see them on that cattle train and smell the stench of being on there for a week with no bathroom, no water, no sunlight, and no air. I could feel the lice crawling on my face as Lina flicked it off her Mom’s eyebrow. Ruta makes you care for every one of the characters, even the soldier who Lina hates.

      You always hear about what Hitler did to the Jews, but I wonder how many people know what Stalin did to the Lithuanians and others he felt opposed him. This book makes me want to learn more about the hardships of these courageous people. The one downside of the book was the ending. I want to know more of the story. I want more details. It’s a mystery what happens to Lina, her brother and their friend Andrius. I read this book in about 24 hours and that included sleeping and working an 8 hour day. I couldn’t put it down. Thank you Ruta for such a beautiful story that breaks my heart and makes me glad there are people like Lina who no matter how bad the situation, triumphs over evil.
    • 5/5
      I really loved this book. I can't really find the words to sum it up but it was definitely very powerful. It grabbed me from the very first page and I found it almost impossible to put down. The story itself is really grim and harrowing but told in a beautiful manner. There is so much emotion packed into this novel- each feeling and image was as strong as the next. It was really easy to feel for and relate to Lina, she was incredibly likable and told her story well. I also liked that I picked up a lot of historical information, particularly from Author's Note at the back. I didn't really have much knowledge of events such as this beforehand and I like that I can walk away from the book having learned something. I would certainly recommend Shades of Gray to anybody- it's a very unique and powerful experience.

      For more of my reviews and recommendations, visit my blog: here
    • 5/5
      A superb example of Young Adult literature that eclipses its genre and intended audience, this work of historical fiction depicts with brutal honesty and sublime tenacity the horrific consequences of totalitarian rule. Told through the eyes and words of Lina, a sixteen-year-old Lithuanian girl, Sepetys’ novel tells the story of her family’s deportation from Vilnius to Siberia in the early years of World War II. Separated from her father, Lina, her mother, and her younger brother Jonas endure violence, extreme cold, forced labor, starvation, and humiliation at the hands of the NKVD (predecessor of the KGB). This is not a pleasant tale to read, yet Sepetys’ clear and exquisite prose captures both the horror of Lina’s experience as well as the beauty of her hope.
    • 5/5
      This book. Oh my word ...

      Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys is one of those books that really got to me. Memorable, horrible, beautiful, and complex, this book is a must-read if ever there was one.

      It's a heavy read, which I expected, but I think one of my heart strings actually snapped due to the horrors this wonderfully complex girl (Lina - the protagonist) had to face. And the burden one carries on their shoulders, after realising this ACTUALLY happened to people, well it makes you wonder how humans can be so incredibly cruel to one another. The story revolves around Lina, and her family, and the people who posed a threat to the Soviet Regime during WWII. These people - most of them being scholars, free-thinkers, activists, as well as their thinkers - are shipped away from their homes in the Baltic States of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, to faraway labour camps and/or sold into slavery. Lina, and her family, are split up, sent to Serbia to work (and/or die) in a labour camp, before they are shipped to the North Pole. The things they have to face - near starvation, death, slave labour, and so much more - are dreadful to think about, and yet these things happened. Worst of all, the world pretty much forgot about them ...

      Regardless of how intense the book is, though, it's well-written. And it's definitely one of my top historical fiction reads. Everyone should read it. My only problem with this book is that I feel it should've been a part of a series, because I don't think the true horrors have been told yet. Really, Ruta Sepetys needs to go back to Lithuania and collect more of these tales, wrap them up in a companion novel, and show us what happens to nations when people don't care.

      Between Shades of Gray is definitely, definitely something you need to read.
    • 4/5
      “Love is the most powerful army.”I am not a huge fan of historical fiction and rarely grab for this genre, but I have heard so many good things about this author, so I decided to pick up the audiobook when it was available from my library.This was so powerful and emotional. This tells the story about Lithuanians displaced to Siberian work camps during World War II. This was very real and I like how the author shares her thoughts at the end of the novel including working with some of those who had to deal with these horrible events. This is not something you hear about often, and I think if you love history, you will love this.Overall, this was amazing and I cannot wait to read more from Ruta Sepetys.
    • 4/5
      4-1/2 starsThis was a real page turner and I never wanted to put it down. The story and characters were completely compelling. For those reasons it probably does deserve 5 stars. It’s magnificent in almost every way. I demoted it only because for me the ending was way too rushed. I’m fine with loose ends and not knowing everything, but here the epilogue and author’s note didn’t fully do it for me. They were great additions but I needed another 100 or at least 50 pages of the book proper to have a fuller story. Had more been given, I’m sure this book would have gotten a solid 5 stars from me.I loved the main character, narrator. She’s an artist and interesting in most every way, as are the other characters. The mother is basically perfect as a person and as a mother too.The diametric opposites of which humans are capable are shown clearly in this story. I should simply feel in awe of people who kept their humanity, helped others, etc. and I do, but it’s the evil that makes the strongest mark and terrifies me and reminds me how it’s not good to be in this world in a powerless position, including against a current regime, in poverty, alone, sick/injured, etc. etc. etc. This could make a great anti-war book.Most of the chapters have a section of some of her memories, that portion in italics, and while I always was eager to get back to the present, those sections did a wonderful job of letting the reader know what life was like for this girl and her brother, parents, and others in her community.I guessed right re the father and re the mother and her behavior and its impact on others, especially her children. It was a lovely and crucial part of the story.I liked how the character of Joana makes frequent appearances in this book. She’s one of the main characters in the book Salt to the Sea, another excellent book, and Lina, our main character here, makes appearances in that book, though not nearly so many. These two girls are cousins. They seem so much like real people I thought that they were based on real people, but I guess they’re totally fictional, even though it’s made clear that what happened to them were real experiences shared by many. I cannot imagine surviving such ordeals.Highly recommended for adults and teens who like historical fiction, coming of age stories, WWII stories, who are interested in the Balkans and/or in Siberia, Soviet Union history under Stalin, family stories, art, and coming of age stories.As usual when reading about starving people I felt hungrier than usual.Review #2,400
    • 4/5
      After the annexation of the Baltic countries, the Soviet Union began mass deportations of Latvians, Estonians, and Lithuanians from their native countries to labor camps and prisons, claiming they were enemies of communism. Lina is a Lithuanian girl whose family is deported in 1941. She is an artist with a particular love for Edvard Munch because he painted things as he actually saw them. During much of the book, Lina is hopeful that one of her drawings will make its way to her father and he will come to rescue them. The story takes us through a couple of years of Lina’s life during this deportation. She makes friends along the way and through all the hardship, she tries very hard to keep hope alive, if not for her own sake, then at least for her mother and brother.While history classes in America cover the Holocaust in Nazi Germany, we rarely hear about similar mass deportations and concentration/labor camps elsewhere in the world. Having taken a couple of Russian history classes in college, I wasn’t completely unfamiliar with this unfortunate period in Baltic history, but I had no idea about the scale of the deportations and imprisonments of the Baltic people until I read this book. It’s an important story to tell, and I’m glad the author felt the need to tell it after visiting some of her relatives in Lithuania and hearing tales of what happened. The book ends on a note of hope, and then flash-forwards a few decades and fills in a few details. I wish some of those details had been fleshed out a bit more rather than just stated in the epilogue, but I see why the story ended where/when it did. I really liked the book, but it’s not an easy read. Lina’s situation is horrific and that comes through loud and clear on every page. People interested in historical fiction, particularly during times of great struggle, will want to read this book. Those wishing to learn a bit more about an often-overlooked period in history may also wish to read it.
    • 4/5
      I will not go into the details of the story, nor will I offer my opinion regarding the events described. This is hardly the place for me to do something like that. Instead, I will comment upon how Ruta Sepetys' novel made me feel.

      I cannot remember the last time I cried over a novel. It must have been long ago. With Between Shades of Gray, it was hard to restrain myself from the very first chapters. During the last ten chapters, it became unbearable. Without spoiling a single thing, this book is harrowing, nightmarish, dark. Is it really YA fiction? Hard to say, it depends on what each one of us define as YA fiction. Would I give it to my daughter if I had one? Absolutely, without any hesitation.
    • 4/5
      The language is simple and in keeping with a YA book, but the story is adult and wrenching not for the faint-hearted. It describes the story of Lina and her mother and young brother who are torn from their home in Lithuania and deported. That is, sent in cattle movers to labour camps. There they are worked to the bone on a meager pittance of food, and mocked and inhumanely treated by the Soviet guards.Lina's mother holds the family, and the group, together in that she shows compassion for everyone, even the young guards that mistreat them. She has hope that decency will prevail and that this horror has to end. But as the horrors continue, she continually acts selflessly and with more thought for others than herself. She is a powerful character who seen through the eyes of her daughter, is as a mother just is.The power of this story is not fully realised as the characters are relatively superficially described. Events are described in a single sentence, and the emotions felt are those of the reader, rather than being so immersed in a character that you feel their feelings. This is perhaps the case in most YA novels, and why they are so easy to read. Also why I always feel I miss out a little.
    • 5/5
      Teenager Lina is forced to grow up quickly when her family is uprooted from their home in Lithuania and relocated to Siberia. Unfortunately, she doesn't make the transition quickly enough. She continues to pout, complain, and feel sorry for herself long after she should have recognized the gravity of her family's situation and how her careless words and actions could make a terrible situation much worse. Despite my frustration with Lina as a character, her story is told so well that I forgave her her faults. The story is based on the author's family and their experiences, and this adds authenticity to the events and characters described in the book.
    • 4/5
      Story of a young Lithuania girl who is taken to Siberia by Russians with the intent of genocide, to rid Lithuania of the the Lithuanians and the Russian take over of these countries. The hardship of growing up under these conditions. The main character is a young girl who is an artists and who grows up under great hardships in Siberia. The author's epilogue tells of her desire to tell the story of another group who suffered under a program of genocide by Russians.
    • 3/5
      Really tough subject matter, but an aspect not often covered in WWII fiction. Probably easier to read because it is YA and therefore keeps descriptions simple but real. There is hope in the story, even though it is so heavy and dark. A very appropriate title.
      The nationalities are different and the locations are different, but otherwise the themes are similar to Jewish stories of deportment and concentration camps: survival depends on hope, humanity, and community.
      May I who live here and now be ever grateful for what I have.
    • 4/5
      It's always fascinating to discover new aspects of war and history I had never learned or considered before. This is no exception. A brilliant and sad look at Lithuania being screwed by both sides of the war.
    • 4/5
      Compelling, heart-wrenching story of 15-year-old Lina's life in a Soviet labor camp after the Russian invasion of Lithuania. There are obvious parallels, both thematically and tonally, with Holocaust survivor stories (being transported via cattle cars, e.g.). Yet the drama of day-to-day life in the labor camp / work farm sets this book apart. The clean prose and warmly-drawn characters are an added bonus.
    • 4/5
      This story touched me in a way I could barely explain. I felt so much disgust and anger that I could tear the book apart. It gave me so many goose bumps that I didn't remember for a quite while how smooth skin felt like.Yes, you were all right; this is a powerful story, full of emotion, that will make your soul bleed and your eyes tear.It's strange how can you find love and hope in such a hopeless place... The story was not as brutal as I thought it would be, but it broke my heart in many other ways:It was their hope that broke me down, their smiles, their jokes, and Lina's memories from long gone happy times (As a side note I should mention how much I loved the transition from present to past, how one scene melted into another, how the past faded right in front of my eyes).It was the love that killed me softly, it was seeing that those broken hearts could still find inside them the force to care when there wasn't almost any good left for them in the world.And it was their force to keep going that made me love this book, because they were stronger when their body was weak, when their life was fading away, when they still held tightly to their dreams - even though they knew those were never to come true again.The cover is absolutely perfect - It shows all the hope that filled their hearts, even when some of them were giving up their last breath. It reveals a piece of the settling, but also it shows that in all that coldness with which they were treated very few people showed them (just a bit of) mercy.
    • 5/5
      Between Shades of Gray came to me in a box from LitKit, which, SO SADLY, is now defunct. When I first saw the book I thought, "Uhh...what are they doing to me?" which is a terrible thing because this book was published before that other book that has "shades" and "gray" in the title. I haven't read the other one but I feel confident this one was better because it was better than most anything else I've read this year.It's technically a YA novel, though I'm not exactly sure what the criteria is for that. Either way, it's a really depressing and yet somehow heartwarming story about a group of Lithuanians who were sent to a work camp in the Arctic Circle during World War I. So many people die and everyone is subject to the most horrible of all horrors. God damn this book shook me. But -- inside all that there's a coming-of-age story, there's a young romance, there's some glimmers of hope in a truly hopeless situation. And there's burning bodies alive and digging their own graves and other awful, terrible things that make me feel weird about even saying that parts of this book were enjoyable.But they were. The writing was tight and lovely and haunting. I loved everything about this book. It's certainly, easily the best book I've read in 2016.
    • 4/5
      Given the subject matter of this book, it would not be quite accurate to say that I enjoyed it. However, I am glad to have read it. It was well written, and I really cared about what would happen to Lina and her family. Also, the book brought to life a part of history that I wasn't too familiar with.I understand why the author chose to end the story where she did. Still, the conclusion felt a bit abrupt, and there were questions I would have liked to have seen answered.Overall, I am happy this book was recommended to me, and I would definitely read more by this author.
    • 5/5
      Excellent account of the Soviet Union's treatment of the Baltic States during World War II. Follows Lina's family (father, mother, Lina, and younger brother Jonas) as they are quickly taken from their home in Lithuania to various work camps. Death and evil cruelty follow them in their quest for survival. On a par with Anne Frank and Holocaust stories of pain and the fight to survive. Great read!
    • 3/5
      When the Russians marched into Lithuania, they treated dissidents and their families almost as harshly as Hitler treated Jews. This story is told from the point of view of Lina, a young teenage girl from an affluent family who is forced into labor and a treacherous journey to Siberia with her mother and brother, while their father was imprisoned.Although Lina and her Mother are admirable characters, and it was interesting to learn about the Soviet cruelty during WWII, the novel is slow paced and somewhat lacking in originality.
    • 3/5
      Between Shades of Gray illuminates an aspect of WWII that is not commonly known in the western world. It tells the story of a Lithuanian teen-ager who is sent to work in labor camps in Siberia with her mother and younger brother. Written for a YA audience, the book does an adequate job of describing how difficult it was to survive without being overly grim. The author has done her research and has managed to set the scene without it feeling like she's regurgitating what she'd read. It hasn't been long since the archives held in eastern Europe have been opened and I hope that the future will bring us many more books and articles, both non-fiction and fiction, that broaden our understanding of Europe in the twentieth century.
    • 4/5
      A powerful story about one of the often-neglected areas of WWII, Stalin's brutalization of the Baltic states and Eastern Europe. The atrocities committed under Stalin are too often lost in the shadow of the Holocaust (in US survey history courses, at least--we still have a tendency to try to justify the fact we were allied with him), so I'm glad for this book and the reminder it serves. It's written in first person, in a simple, declarative style; for the most part it works, but not always. The narrator, Lina, often sounds too young even for a 15/16-year-old; a lot of her figures of speech are childish and clumsy. Towards the end of the book the author resorts to telling, not showing, and a lot of the plot points feel rushed and skimped as a result. For example: what happened to Kretzky? Are we supposed to assume he deserted? Where exactly did he go, if so? The end itself came all at once; I could have done with a bit more resolution. But all-in-all this was a strong debut effort, full of likable and well-rounded characters, faithful to the grimness of its setting without being hopeless.
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed this book. It was amazing and very informational. I learn something that I didn't know about.
    • 5/5
      This book was captivating. I couldn't put it down. It's about a Lithuanian family who is imprisoned by the Russians. The book will tear out your heart. The family endured so much. Although it's fiction there are som facts in the book. It always bothers me that people coul do this to each other. This was a great read. Loved the characters. Loved how the story was told. It had a grace to it. It was just so good.