Brutal story with one of the most romantic and heartfelt letters and prose I've read.

I found this book to be fairly over-rated. The writing itself was nothing special and (definitely personal preference talking here) I don't like reading other people's letters. The letters and journal entries became repetitive, and while the overall story was interesting and moving, I did not feel that it really came to life for me. The epilogue gave such scathing criticism of Aimee/Lilly herself that it made me wonder why the author wrote the book at all, as it did seem that her distaste for the woman colored the entire account.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

The book has an unusual structure. It's partly epistolary as it includes excerpts from the lovers' letters and Aimee's diary entries. There are also "sessions" with people in the book; with whom the author had interviewed. The book felt like a documentary though I don't mind the structure. The sessions provide insight of the war and of the relationship between Aimee and Jaguar from an outsider's view.

This is first and foremost, a love story during the time of war and oppression; during an ethnic cleansing. One of them is a Jew. Ok, so you know how that ends. The romance begins with mutual attraction and infatuation which then foster into a bond that is more intimate and precious between the two. The love between Aimee and Jaguar feel very relatable, which is something hard to come by for me. Though their declaration of love for each other are at times repetitive (via letters, poetry), I enjoyed them. I thought they were beautiful.

Feel your heart grow as they fall in love with each other, care for each other; then feel it shrink and ache when they were forcefully separated and when Lilly (Aimee) spiraled into depression and full-time longing and mourning for Felice (Jaguar).

Note: When Elisabeth Wust and Felice Schragenheim are together, they are Aimee & Jaguar. Otherwise they are Lilly and 'Lice/Fice, etc. I just thought it was a nice thing to notice. Love gives you a new identity and perhaps that was the identity that mattered most to Aimee and Jaguar.

Ich möchte dem Buch eigentlich mehr Sterne geben, da ich es super interessant fand.
Doch leider war der Schreibstil bisschen verwirrend und kompliziert, was das Lesen wiederum beeinträchtigt hat.
Wer sich aber für diese Zeit interessiert und gerne sowohl persönliche Geschichten als auch allgemeine Informationen zu den Umständen erhalten möchte, sollte das Buch unbedingt lesen.