Published: 1971
Genre: Memoir
Grade Level: Adult
-Trigger Warning: Grief
-Movie Rating: PG-13
Audiobook:
Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne
Length: 9hrs 22min
Recommend: Yes!
Blurb (from goodreads):
At one time Corrie ten Boom would have laughed at the idea that there would ever be a story to tell. For the first fifty years of her life nothing at all out of the ordinary had ever happened to her. She was an old-maid watchmaker living contentedly with her spinster sister and their elderly father in the tiny Dutch house over their shop. Their uneventful days, as regulated as their own watches, revolved around their abiding love for one another. However, with the Nazi invasion and occupation of Holland, a story did ensue.
Corrie ten Boom and her family became leaders in the Dutch Underground, hiding Jewish people in their home in a specially built room and aiding their escape from the Nazis. For their help, all but Corrie found death in a concentration camp. The Hiding Place is their story.
Disclaimer: My review of this memoir is not in any way a reflection upon the author or their life. I am a book reviewer, I review books… not people.
My Scores: Re-read
Writing Style: Top Notch
There’s a reason why this novel became a classic. The writing is absolutely amazing, top notch work.
Memoirs are usually not well written, and for good reason. It’s hard! Trying to explain your life in a way that’s understandable and interesting to someone else is ridiculously hard!
Ten Boon made it seem easy. The voice is engaging, unique, introspective, and relatable. There were also skillfully used literary devices, like foreshadowing and flashbacks, that really helped elevate the suspense of the plot.
Characters: Memorable
(I known they’re real people.
I’m referring to them as character’s anyway.)
I really got attached to the main characters, Corrie, Betsie, and their father. The dialogue between them was so cleverly done throughout the novel because it really highlighted the main aspects of their character.
Sometimes it was hard to keep track of all the other characters because there were so many of them and they weren’t present for very long. I did wish that if they happened to be part of her family that they had made more of impression.
Plot: Absolute Page-Tuner
The beginning is a little slow, but the foreshadowing helps to build the suspense.
The rest of the novel is well paced, suspenseful, and at times an unbelievable account that might have people doubting its credibility. Personally, I believe this memoir to be wholly true because they seem like dumb things to lie about.
The
ending really leaves an impression, whether you have Christian beliefs or not. Reading
it for a second time, the climax took much longer to get to than I remembered
because I was so impatient to read it again!
Overall: Totally Obsessed
Reading The Hiding Place is truly an experience everyone should have in their lifetime. I love it just as much after rereading it! I found it much impactful, suspenseful, and easier to read than Anne Frank’s Diary. If you're looking for a personal account of the crazy times during WWII, and not just historical fiction, I would highly recommend this book.
Messaging: Pro Christianity
Goodreads Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
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