Reading Don Quixote

Nuria de Faragó

I thought that the book was amazing, it really does a good job of conveying the
hardships that they had to undergo. My favourite part of the book was the part
after they arrive at Trofimovsk, because after a devastating series of events,
they get there and people are dying, Lina is being told the horrible news of her father’s death and little afterwards her mother dies... This is my favourite part because I think it is a moment so devastating that you have to be really strong to be able to pull through and go on with your life especially in those hard
conditions and she manages to do so which I feel is an incredible and powerful moment.

Rebeca Feito

I have really loved this book as it shows a realistic story of what people had to live in a not very far past.My favourite part of the book is when the girl has to change to another campsite and the boy she was in love with sees her off. It was a very beautiful and sad moment at the same time because they have to separate from each other. Another lovely moment was when they helped each other to be able to survive.To be honest, when I started reading it, it seemed a bit boring but then I fell in love with it and I ended it up in 3 days.

Irene Peña

I couldn’t put down this book when I started reading it. I found it very interesting, as well as heart-breaking.I loved that it was narrated by a teenager, as I was able to empathize more with all the characters. My favourite part was when Lina, her mom and the rest of the people who met when working for the NKVD celebrated Christmas. I really loved that scene because they celebrate happily in spite of their circumstances. It really got me touched and made me realized how grateful I have to be. One thing I didn’t like of the book was not being shown how Lina and Andrius met each other again twelve years later.It would have been nice to know how this reunion was.

lithuanian book-Alejandra Castillo

Irene Cermeño

I was told to make a critic about this book, but sincerely, it leaves little to comment. It has anincredible and realistic plotwhichmakes you see throughthe history that we study with other eyes. The only comment that I would makeisthat the plotgoes more slowly from the moment she says goodbye to Andrius until when they finally get to a frozen place. It seems to me that the best part of this story isthe end, where a lot of emotions growup, firstly with the mother’s detahfeeling sorrowful, and then reading the timecapsule and realising that Andrius isLina ́s husband, getting incredibly happy.

Lucía Izquierdo

I personally really liked this book. I loved that it is based on real events. The author tells it in such detail that it seems that you are part of it. I found very interesting the parts where they were in the concentration camps and the painful punishments. I also liked the love story between Lina and Andrius, I didn't expect them to end up being husband and wife. The only thing I didn't like about the book was the slowness of the train chapters. But apart from that, I think it's a book that tells a entertaining story that everyone should read someday.

Inés Sebastián

This book, for me, was amazing and I loved it. It was very emotional and moving. Lina´s mother is my favorite character; I love her courage and goodness toward the soldiers. It is impressive how she can respect others more than they respect her. Another think that is interesting is the evolution of her little brother. It was so innocent at the beginning but he must change therefor the circumstances. It is amazing his willingly to live and how he manages to fight for his family. My favorite scene is the last one. We realize that Lina finally gets married and goes away with her boyfriend. Before that I thought the boyfriend died. It was a relief.

Celia Fernández

Personally, I really liked the book, it was a very fast and interesting reading. I
enjoy reading autobiographical books which are based on real events because
it makes the story more exciting! The only comment that I would make is that
some of the flashbacks in the book left me kind of lost and confused, but overall
it was very easy to read.
It shocked me how many people went through this tragic experience, and I think
reading it from Lina’s perspective, who was my age at the time, really made me
empathize with her. This book was an emotional rollercoaster! I have to admit
that I teared up a bit when Lina’s mom died and then got extremely happy when
I found out she ended up with Andrius.

Julia Mozos

Even though it’s a really sad story, I loved this book. I’m not a big fan of historical novels, but this one got me thinking a lot. I liked the fact that the main character was young, it helped me feel more identified with her. Undoubtedly, the best character was Elena, always putting her kids before her. She’s incredibly strong, even in the situations they live. I think she’s wonderful.
My favourite scene was the end; I was almost crying thinking they would never
see each other again. Maybe the only part I disliked was that there are some characters that have an open ending, I mean, we don’t really know what happened to them. In any case, I enjoyed reading it a lot

Lucía Villarroel

Irene Mozos

My favourite part was when Andrius gave Lina the book she wanted for her birthday. It isnot only the reason that it might be difficult for him to find it because of the situation they were living, but also because I think it’s really beautiful that in that horrible moment oftheir lives, they were able to love each other and find love. I didn’t like the moment they were forced to be separated, but I guess they end together because of the final part. To be honest, this book surprised me in a very good way, and I have really enjoyed it.

Andrea Izaguirre

Well, I liked this book a lot because it is a story based on real events and that makes it so exciting! I like reading this book because I have learned a lot about how people lived in past and the problems that existed in society, but what I have loved the most is how the main character tells the story from her notebook, drawing, writing and sending messages to her father because I think that she uses a very original way of telling was happening to her and her family. And finally, I would like to comment a negative aspect of this book, wich is the flashbacks; I didn´t like when it goes to tell things from the present and things from the past because it confused me and sometimes I was lost reading those parts.

Reading "Between Shades of Gray"

Marta Muñoz Cruz

In my opinion “Beetwen Shades of Grey” is a very entertaining book; first of all, because it is a story based on real events about Lithuania’s history, so the author tries to tell us how its people felt in that catastrophic moment. It’s stunning how the author describes the moments with lots of precision; the characters, the way that soviets treated them... It shocked me the way Lina tries to communicate with her father through drawings. Of course, the love story between Lina and Andrius is fantastic, and finally, I would like Lina ́s mother not to die. In conclusion, it is a very interesting book and I recommend everyone to read it.

Alejandra de Evan Díaz.

I ́ve really enjoyed this book because, despite dealing with topics such as drama, sadness, love and, very rarely, joy, I think that it is appropriate for all ages. What I like the mostis when the main charactermaintains expectation (like whenshe thinks her brother is going to get well or whenshe thinks she will see her father and Andrius again). I actually think that the fact that she always had hope made the people around her also have it.If I had to choose my favourite part, I would choose when, at the campsite, they all helped eachother even though they knew that if they saw them, they could take them away and kill them.

Ana Renedo

It has been really interesting to readthis book because I think everyone could read it and it has a beautiful message, which is that we must keep faith and be hopeful although we are going through a difficult situation.
One of my favourite partsinthe bookis when Lina helps the people around her when they needed help at the campsite, knowing that this could be something dangerous and that soldiers could kill her.To conclude I think the positive personality of the main character is a good influence for the reader.

Javier Parrondo

I found this book very interesting and I couldn't put it down when I was reading it because it has intrigued me a lot. The story is told by the main character, who is my age. My favourite part of the book is the final one, when they are in the Arctic and Jonas and Janina are sick and a doctor from the NKVD cured them. But the thing that I didn't like about the book is that the final is an open one and that the rhythm is too slow, because they spend a lot of time in the same place.

Daniel Cisneros

For me, the book lacks a bit of rhythm and action because there are parts where almost nothing happens. The topic on which it is based seems quite interesting to me due to the fact that the period of the Second World War and what happened back then seems pretty cool to me. One of the things that struck me most is the harshness of the actions and how well it shows the hard life that these types of families repressed by the Soviet regime had. This novel reminds me a lot of Anne Frank's Diary, but I like that it is set in Russia and that it is far from everything related to the Nazi’s world, which is something very typical in lots of books.

Diego Álvarez

Martina Casero Moreno

To be honest I think it is a fantastic book. It was really interesting and exciting to read it because with this book I have learned new things about the history of Lithuania and how it was in the past. My favorite character without any doubt is Lina because I love the way she tells the whole story through her notebook. I really like the way the story is told because It is easy understand but one negative thing I can say is that the flashbacks about going from the past to the present has sometimes made me confused. It was a pleasure to read this book, I loved it so much.