Well, it took me really long to finish this. I picked this because, you know, its a must read book in your lifetime.. and yes I couldn't agree more. I was disinterested in the beginning as it was like a typical teenage girl diary - her school chaos, her friends, how everybody likes her at school and want to be with her. At starting, it doesn't felt any different.

But as I progressed through halfway, I started liking it. When it came to things about war and how she and her family managed through the hiding, it became interesting, but not that much to give it full 5 stars. Well its a diary written by a 13-14 years old, so you can't expect much.

The things that I liked about Anne and her diary:
=> Her writing was good. I can say that she was ahead her time. She wrote many such things which appeared to be written by any experienced person.
=> She had great knowledge about all things at her age, for eg. I was surprised that how sexually aware she was. She knew too many things, that even I didn't knew at that age. :p
=> Best thing? She was a reader. She liked to read a lot and as well write. She always craved for good books, no doubt, that they were the only source for her to pass her time during hiding.
=> She was always hopeful. Even though she knew that they were in war and its not sure that they will make it alive, she never lost her hopes. She always looked towards her future after war. She had ambitions and she was determined to complete them.
=> She was feminist, I guess. She doesn't wanted to live her life like her mother and other ladies there. She wanted to prove herself, she wanted to earn in her life, wanted to make some difference by her writing. She thought that women are not only for household chores, they can do much more.

“Women should be respected as well! Generally speaking, men are held in great esteem in all parts of the world, so why shouldn't women have their share? Soldiers and war heroes are honored and commemorated, explorers are granted immortal fame, martyrs are revered, but how many people look upon women too as soldiers?...Women, who struggle and suffer pain to ensure the continuation of the human race, make much tougher and more courageous soldiers than all those big-mouthed freedom-fighting heroes put together!”

=> She knew how to adjust. The circumstances, that she lived in during the hiding, were really harsh and it was not possible for a 14 year to understand those and adjust accordingly. But Anne didn't complaint as much it was impossible to live, rather she adjusted there and was thankful that they are still alive.
=> She never forgot to thank God for they were alive and were in much better condition compared to many of other Jews. She always appreciated this fact and considered herself lucky

Things I didn't liked:
=> Well, most of her writing was about how everyone in Annexe hated her. I would say 80% diary was about this only. And probably the reason for this was her gloomy attitude and how everyone treated her as a child, while she wanted to be considered as an adult.
=> Her relationship with her mother. Well, its no hidden fact that most of the children at her age thinks that their parents don't care for them and always scolds them. While reading each entry about her mother, I just felt that what would have been happened if her mother had read it? How heartbroken she would have been felt.
=> At many places, I didn't liked her attitude at many places. I felt as if she was self-obsessed and could have dealt the situation differently.
=> I expected much more from this. It was merely a collection of her daily routines in Annexe, while I expected more of some final events. It would have been better if the final events, after they caught, would have been described (but obviously it was not possible in the circumstances). I wanted to know more about the war impacted and its events rather than the daily quarrels of Annexe.

But besides these shortcomes, its still an important part of our history and a very cruel one. I can't imagine myself or anyone else to live in these conditions, under those circumstances. She was truly brave.

This was not an amazing read for me, but yes it was very good. And for all the haters, i would just like to say: it is a diary and is meant to read as such.

“Anyhow, I've learned one thing now. You only really get to know people when you've had a jolly good row with them. Then and then only can you judge their true characters!”

And after finishing it, the first thing that came into my mind was - how many great things she would have written if only she would have been alive