I hadn't realised when I started reading this book that it was a sequel to "The boy in the striped pajamas". However, I think that made it even more impactful at the end when I realised.

The story is well written, covering several different timelines, all from the same perspective. It was an interesting read and does make you consider all the people involved in the atrocities that happened and how they ended up where they were.

As a piece of fiction, I thought it was easy to read and enjoyable, though at times, anger inducing. Which I suppose is to be expected from a novel on such a subject.

I would recommend to others.

How I neglected to read this story when I received an advance copy I do not know. I was looking back at unread digital downloads and I saw this and immediately knew I should read it. I found it very moving and so well written. John Boyne takes four periods of Gretel's life - Paris in 1946, Sydney in the early 1950s, London in 1953 and the present day. Through the whole story, the biggest question is should Gretel take any responsibility for who and what her father was? Having fled Germany with her mother, could she have spoken up as to who she was and what she had observed? Once her mother had died should she have come forward and told the authorities what she had seen? She was 12 years old - she had no say in what happened, did she condone what she saw?
This story is a must read and its content and questions on morality will stay with me for some time.
Many thanks to Netgalley/John Boyne/Random House UK for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own

I've read a few books by John Boyne books at this point and have both loved and disliked them. One of the books that I loved is The Boy in the Striped pyjamas, which is why I was incredibly excited to read this book, and I did really enjoy it, though not as much as some of Boyne's other writing.
I liked the idea of trying to deal with the themes of guilt and accountability within this setting. But this is also where the book didn't quite work for me. The book talks a lot about complicity, which I think is an interesting topic to look at, but the character we're seeing this story through, was a child during the war, and although yes, she was old enough to realise some one what was happening, and be able to tell right from wrong. I do also feel as if too much guilt was laid upon this character, considering her age at the time of the events. It felt a little odd, she wouldn't have been able to do anything, and she would have been raised in an environment that taught her that her parents and their views, were correct. So, having her entire life tainted by this guilt, and having other characters saying she needed to be punished for her complicity, felt weird.
Had we been following her mother, as the one who was the complicit one, I think it would have worked a lot better for me.
Still, overall the book was enjoyable and I do like John Boyne's writing style. It was definitely worth the read.

"All The Broken Places" by John Boyne is a poignant and intricately crafted sequel to his acclaimed novel "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas." Set decades after the events of the first book, it follows the life of Gretel, the sister of Bruno, as she navigates the shadows of her past while trying to find her place in a post-war world.

Boyne’s writing is both evocative and deeply emotional, skillfully capturing the complexities of guilt, memory, and the enduring effects of trauma. The character of Gretel is richly developed, embodying the struggles of reconciling her childhood experiences with her adult life. As she grapples with her identity and the legacy of her family's actions during the war, readers are drawn into her internal conflicts and moral dilemmas.

The novel explores themes of loss, redemption, and the search for forgiveness, providing a powerful commentary on the impact of history on individual lives. Boyne’s ability to weave historical context into the personal narrative adds depth, inviting readers to reflect on broader issues of humanity and morality.

The pacing is well-balanced, with a mix of reflective moments and gripping tension that keeps readers engaged. The emotional weight of Gretel’s journey resonates throughout the narrative, making for a compelling and thought-provoking read.

Overall, "All The Broken Places" is a beautifully written and impactful novel that will resonate with fans of literary fiction. John Boyne has created a haunting exploration of memory and responsibility that lingers long after the final page, making it a must-read for those interested in the lasting effects of history on the human spirit.

All The Broken Places is such a well told story of such a horrific time in history. Superbly written and an amazing follow up to the Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.

I have read and watched The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas and wasn't sure if I was ready to read a sequel, hence putting it off for song long. The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas was such a hard read and emotionally broke me, so it took me a while to get round to reading All The Broken Places. I particularly enjoyed how Gretel's story alternated between now and when she was younger, and I constantly wanted to keep reading one narrative when it flipped back to the other. I was slightly disappointed with the ending but am glad I finally got round to reading it.

I read “The Boy In the Striped Pyjamas” many years ago and when I came across this book which is a sequel of sorts, I felt compelled to read it.
The earlier book was definitely a crossover novel and could be read by both adults and older children. “All The Broken Places” is for adults. It contains some very difficult themes including grief, guilt and how much complicity a child can have in the actions of their parents,
Gretel is a 92 year old widow, living alone in a block of flats in London. She mainly keeps herself to herself although she looks out for her neighbour Heidi who suffers from dementia. Gretel’s son Caden visits occasionally but she generally seems to be a very solitary person.
When new neighbours move downstairs and some disturbing events occur, Gretel begins to flash back to her earlier life which began in Berlin in 1931. Her father whom she loved was living a life appropriate to Germany at this time and Gretel and her family were caught up in it.
As the years pass, Gretel discovers she cannot escape her past no matter how far she travels and even in her advanced years she cannot forget or forgive herself.
Gretel is a flawed character- her early life affects how she perceives herself but she is also human and although she herself does some awful things she also tries to atone for all she feels she has done and allowed to happen.. She is human and in the way of all humans she is flawed.
What can I say about this book that is not a superlative? It’s absolutely brilliant! It might be one of the best books I’ve read this year. You don’t have to have read “The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas” but it does explain some of Gretel’s motivation.
It really made me think about the perpetrators of the Holocaust, of how they lied to themselves, believing that following orders did not make them guilty, yet hiding after the War because deep down they knew the truth and the difference between right and wrong.
I highly recommend All The Broken Places as a thought provoking and interesting read- definitely deserving every one of the five stars I have given it!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my review copy

Wow what a sequel. I was hooked throughout to learn of what happened after they lost their brother and son.

Gretal and her mother move out of Germany to start a new life. Getal eventually ends up in London away from her mother. She lives a good life but is always troubled by what happened to her brother.

When a new family moves into the apartment block she lives in and see him suffering, she sees this as a chance for her to re write her past.

This story is told through a dual timeline. It is beautifully written.
This is a beautiful story about grief and guilt. It will make you feel all the emotions

I haven’t read The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas for years and years but I remember how powerful and heart wrenching it is and I was curious as to how a sequel would work. Having now read All the Broken Places, I can say that the sequel is just as powerful and thought provoking as its predecessor. This is a book full of questions of morality, guilt and redemption. It is gripping, beautifully written and at times genuinely heartbreaking.

The book follows Gretel, the sister from The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, and her life after the war. She is not always a wholly likeable character, often brittle and certainly immensely damaged, and yet, I found her completely captivating and deeply compelling to follow. Her entire life has been overshadowed by the inescapable spectre of her family’s culpability in the holocaust and her guilt is constant and unrelenting. As an old woman, she finds herself in yet another traumatic situation and has to decide whether to act to protect a young boy in danger. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is tense, provocative, elegant and emotional, and will live in its readers minds for a long time to come.

All The Broken Places is the sequel to The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, and this time the story is told from the perspective of Gretel, Bruno's older sister.

Now in her nineties and living in a prestigious London address, Gretel's long concealed memories of her brother are wrenched to the surface by a boy who moves in to the apartment below.

Deftly switching between past and present, we learn heartbreaking details about the family's time at Auschwitz, what happened to the family afterwards, and explore feelings of guilt, complicity and grief.

A very emotional read examining difficult issues such as how culpable a young person may be in the context of the events unfolding around them, whether they can ever atone for the crimes of their loved ones, as well as the people who deliberately looked the other way and didn't challenge the evil taking place around them.

I absolutely LOVED this book. I thought book 1 was amazing, but I think I loved this one even more. Interesting, intriguing, Boynes did a wonderful job of bringing history up to date. I’m late in getting to this one and yet I found myself trying to make this book last longer! My favourite book of the year so far.

This is a sequel to the boy in the striped pyjamas which I watched as a film before I read the book. This is a poignant story of Gretel who is in her nineties and lives in London in a luxury apartment. She has a secret to hide and, as a consequence keeps herself to herself most of the time. However, when a young boy moves in downstairs she can’t help but befriend him and her secret can’t stay safe for too much longer,

It's no secret that I am a huge fan of John Boyne. With a newly established book club that I host in work (public library) my first selection was this book.
To say it went down well is an understatement. I was delighted it was such a success. I absolutely loved every single minute of this book. There were bits I really didn't see coming, even though I was totally engrossed, John's writing draws me so far into the story, the world could grind to a halt and I wouldn't notice.
Loved loved loved

Unfortunately I will be unable to give feedback on this book. I requested this book and had intentions of reading it. However my taste in books has changed and I do not feel that a review from me would do the book justice

What a tale. I loved The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas and this was just as good.

We follow Gretel in her later years in this one., and find out more about her life after the war - where she went and what happened to her.

There are many revelations throughout, some that are hinted at early on but don’t get revealed until much later in the book. Some I didn’t even see coming.

Amazing and harrowing, and a real page turner

Gretel Fernsby has a terrible secret that she’d rather others didn’t know. If you’ve read The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, you’ll recognise the name: Gretel is the daughter of the camp Commandant of Auschwitz.

In short chapters, flashing between the past and the present, we learn about 91 year old Gretel’s past, and what happened when she and her mother escaped Germany.

Gretel is very well off, living in an expensive block of very large flats in central London. She doesn’t really have any friends, and seems to keep her true self from everyone including her son.
She is confronted with the memory of her younger brother, Bruno, when a boy of his age moves in to the downstairs flat. She realises that his father is violent, and his mother is abused. Gretel can’t let this kind of violence happen again.

The characters in this were superb. Whilst the first book had its problems with historical accuracy, I feel that this book centred more around trauma, guilt and shame. Gretel carries all of these things around with her forever. She feels culpable for what happened in the camp - even though she was both a child and female. In retrospect, she is able to see what was wrong with the nazi regime, but at the time would have been brainwashed. She wouldn’t have known a time where Jews and other “undesirable” minorities would have been treated any differently. The wonder is that she went on to learn that this was wrong. The trauma that she carries with her from the death of her brother, learning about what her father was guilty of, and occurrences in Paris, is lifelong.

From Gretel’s life experiences to those of her downstairs neighbour, everything is handled with compassion and tact. Again, it’s not perfect, but then neither are humans. And that is what this book shows above all: that we can learn from our mistakes if we are willing to do so.

A powerful sequel to The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas that just has to be read. I was a huge fan of The Boy in the striped pyjamas, meeting John at author readings for my master's degree so I had to read this sequel which is equally poignant. The continuation of Gretel's story gives the reader so many moral quandaries to ponder about grief, guilt and punishment. Heartbreaking and provoking. The allegorical references are stunning.

Gretel is an old woman living in a flat following her escape from Germany after the Second World War. When a family moved into the flat below she has a chance to save a young boy - something she should have done years ago during the war.

The boy in the Striped Pyjamas is a book that I read a while ago and has always stayed with me and when I saw that there was a follow up book I knew I needed to read it. This book was so good - told from the older sisters perspective and the guilt that she went through for years because of what happened. I liked how the new storyline was also woven into it - yet another powerful book by this author and one that I would read again.

I read the Boy in the Stripped Pyjamas many years ago when it first came out and really impacted my teeange mind. I was really curious to see how this new story would link to the original one and really afraid that it wouldn’t make it justice.

Now that I have finished it, I’d say overall this book delivered a very interesting story that had enough details and touches to “pay homenage” to the first book but was strong enough to stand on its own. Although it took me a little bit to warm to the story, I soon started forgotting about the boy and became more and more intrigued about the girl and the woman she became.

It has a detph and quite a few twists that I was not expecting but positively surprised me. I can definitively recommend this story to historical fiction readers and fans of the author.