Gratitude

by Joseph Kertes

Book Overview

March 1944: War's darkest period descends upon Hungary's Jews. By the time it ends in January 1945, over half a million Jews will have been murdered. Gratitude tells the story of that period, through... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0143053590
• ISBN13: 9780143053590
• Release Date: March 2009
• Publisher: Penguin Books Canada
• Length: 516 Pages
• Weight: 1.16 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 5.2" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

This book is excellent.

This book is excellent. Since I've read it, I have given it as a gift to two friends. Wonderful background of Budapest, interesting characters and what drives their actions and conflicts. Very informational and creates a story from several view points. It is action packed from the first page and makes you want to know (have to know) what happens to all of these people. I highly recommend this book.

terrible mailing service

I ordered 3 copies on Mar. 8th and paid for speedy delivery the first one cameon. 17th and tho other two Mar. 23rd..will not order again as these were for book club and came late as well as my being charged spe d delivery and that did not happen Regina Austin Barer

Must read book

Gratitude is one of the most moving books I have ever read. You would not think there could be another book that could say something entirely new about Jews and the Holocaust. Amazingly, Gratitude does. Dispensing with the stereotypes that too often pass for characters, Gratitude is one of the very best books about Jews during this period, which is saying a lot, given its stiff competition. Gratitude is also a spellbinding read. You cannot put it down! Of all the novels that have come out in the past year, this one is easily among the top five.

a must read

Gratitude is the best book about WWII and its horrific effects on the human condition that I have ever read. Bravo Joseph Kertes - and thank you for writing about a difficult subject with such honesty, clarity, and compassion.

Give a gift to last

Saying Gratitude is a story about the Holocaust is like saying Gone with the Wind is a story abut the Civil War. Yes, the Holocaust provides the backdrop, but the book is a sweeping saga of love, betrayal and redemption. Joe Kertes explores the human soul and discovers that those one expects to be good are often evil, and those one expects to be evil, show uncommon kindness and compassion. Quite simply, once you begin, you can not put the book down. Gratitude is a wonderful gift this season for anyone on your list who wants to be swept up in a story destined to become a modern classic.

A Compellingly Fresh Take on History We Thought We Knew

Gratitude is a remarkable addition to the writing about the second world war and the holocaust. More than that, it is a piercing analysis of human psychology. We all know who the enemy was and we all know how many suffered, but what we so rarely have seen in writing on this subject is the complexity of human emotion and motivation. In this novel, victims are not saints by virtue of their suffering - they are human beings who stay complicated as they are made to suffer. The novel can be praised for its family story and its depiction of a place we know so little about - Hungary in the Second World War was a kind of sideshow for most Westerners - most important of all, though, is what it tells us about how people act under pressure, both for good and for ill. This is a very worthy read.