Briar Rose is a Holocaust story, but it is so much more. Becca's grandmother, Gemma, tells her granddaughters the story of Briar Rose. Briar Rose's tale is much like Sleeping Beauty's, only more haunting. On her deathbed, Gemma reveals that she is Briar Rose. Becca promises her grandmother that she will solve the mystery that is her life.
What follows is Becca's journey to discover the story of Gemma's life. Jane Yolen has crafted a beautiful story that also reveals some of history's most horrifying moments. What I most enjoyed about Yolen's tale is that she has chosen to incorporate the punishments taken on homosexuals, a topic that is rarely seen in literature about the Holocaust.
This fictional story is geared toward older, more mature readers. Not only because of the frank discussion of homosexuality, but also because of the vivid descriptions of the killing fields of Chelmno. I have read many, many true and fictional accounts of the Holocaust. Briar Rose is one of the most beautiful stories I have read about the atrocities of the Holocaust.
Friday, March 26, 2010
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