Rose Under Fire

By: Elizabeth Wein

Narrated by: Sasha Pick

Audie Award Finalist, Teens, 2013

Rose Justice is a young pilot with the Air Transport Auxiliary during the Second World War. On her way back from a semi-secret flight in the waning days of the war, Rose is captured by the Germans and ends up in Ravensbrück, the notorious Nazi women's concentration camp. There, she meets an unforgettable group of women, including a once glamorous and celebrated French detective novelist whose Jewish husband and three young sons have been killed; a resilient young girl who was a human guinea pig for Nazi doctors trying to learn how to treat German war wounds; and a Nachthexen, or Night Witch, a female fighter pilot and military ace for the Soviet air force.

These damaged women must bond together to help each other survive. In this companion volume to the critically acclaimed novel Code Name Verity, Elizabeth Wein continues to explore themes of friendship and loyalty, right and wrong, and unwavering bravery in the face of indescribable evil.

©2013 Elizabeth Gatland (P)2013 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Critic reviews

"A carefully researched, precisely written tour de force; unforgettable and wrenching." ( Kirkus Reviews (for Code Name Verity))

"An incredibly assured debut novel, full of convincing detail, heart-stopping emotion and tension." ( The Bookseller (for Code Name Verity))

The narrator didn't do this story any favors

What did you like best about Rose Under Fire? What did you like least?

The story is good. If you liked Code Name Verity, this is another great blend of history, a characters experience, friendship - and a solid story

What did you like best about this story?

The narration- there's one character- the Polish girl Rose, that is so grating I had to turn it down and miss some of the dialog. It's that hard to listen too. How did anyone think that voice was sucessfull?

Would you be willing to try another one of Sasha Pick’s performances?

No. The male voices were comical- so over the top. I'm guess it's difficult to voice so many female characters and make them distinct, but I can’t believe anyone could hear that voice for Rose and not cringe.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Yes. It's a good story and it was nice to see some of the characters from Code Name Verity and follow up with where they are now. I would definitely want to see more of their story. The narrator for Verity was spectacular- it's too bad she wasn't part of this story as well. It would have been great for the continuity.

Any additional comments?

I look foward to the next story with these characters.

Rose Under Fire

What did you like best about Rose Under Fire? What did you like least?

The overall plot and the information in this historical fiction

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

It ended on an expected and comfortable note.

What aspect of Sasha Pick’s performance would you have changed?

1. When characters whisper, do not actually whisper. I listen to audio books when I am not in a place to read. Some lines got lost in traffic noises.
2. One of the main character's voice was so whiny that it was hard to listen to.

Did Rose Under Fire inspire you to do anything?

No

Any additional comments?

There were many places that dragged along throughout the book. Instead of feeling the emotion I was ready for the story to move forward.

Narration distracted from book

The book was fine although it was a little hard to follow at times however I found the narrator annoying at times particularly when reciting poetry and singing. I did find the poetry and singing particularly annoying on their own merit. There are much better stories about German atrocities out there. Nevertheless it is another reminder of how awful it must have been. Probably won't listen to it again nor will I recommend it. Sorry.

Enthralling Story, prefer the book

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The performance was great for most of the book. The narrator actually sang the songs listed, which was a lovely treat. She read the poetry that was sprinkled in the book beautifully. There are a lot of accents, which I thought were done rather well.

That said, I didn't care for the voice used for Rozia in the last half of the book. She was written as someone who had a dark side, but was voiced like Betty Boop with a Polish accent. It was distracting from the story. The disconnect between the character as she was written and how she was performed was jarring to me.

Any additional comments?

I wish it was easier to tell when a book does NOT support Whispersync before you buy it.

Outstanding!!

This is a wonderful story written by a very gifted author. The narration is outstanding. Sasha Pick is an incredible talent. I hope she narrates more books.

Extraordinary!

This is a story of friendships and bonds made under horrid conditions in order to survive. It captured my attention and imagination without being overly graphic and yet I could see the atrocities that took place in the camp. My heart wrenched in horror and compassion for the prisoners.
Rose Justice, a member of the Air Transport Auxiliary was captured, put in a concentration camp during WWII, what follows is a story of friendships and bonds made under horrid conditions in order to survive.
Beautiful and awful, this is a book I will have to listen to again.

Some voices are too cartoonish

I'm not sure why the narrator decided to used a very cartoonish voice for one of the characters. It really makes it hard to understand what she's saying and take you out of the story. Also some accents are a bit overdone and hard to understand.

Good story - narrator ruined it midway through.

Would you try another book from Elizabeth Wein and/or Sasha Pick?

I will never, under any circumstances, listen to this narrator again. My guess is that she found she didn't like narrating the book and decided to ruin it for all of us. I actually had to keep fast-forwarding to find a place where she wasn't doing a particular character.

Any additional comments?

Code Name Verity is one of my all-time favorite books, especially about WWII. I was really inclined to enjoy every moment of this one as well. When the narrator started on a Rosie, I honestly couldn't tolerate it. I fast-forwarded so much that I almost lost the story line and doubt I got more than the basics of what the author actually wrote. Big, big downer for what might have been a great listen.

Moving story

wow what a story. I was moved to tears often. Such suffering. Worth the read.

Confused about relation to Code Name Verity

The book is very good, but almost the same story as Code Name Verity. One of the characters from that book even makes an appearance.

I'm kind of confused by the whole situation. If you're going to choose one over the other, I would pick Verity, it was a more complex and interesting book.