---
product_id: 45995279
title: "Salt to the Sea"
price: "€ 17.69"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 13
url: https://www.desertcart.at/products/45995279-salt-to-the-sea
store_origin: AT
region: Austria
---

# Salt to the Sea

**Price:** € 17.69
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- **What is this?** Salt to the Sea
- **How much does it cost?** € 17.69 with free shipping
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## Description

#1 New York Times bestseller and winner of the Carnegie Medal! "A superlative novel . . . masterfully crafted."-- The Wall Street Journal Based on "the forgotten tragedy that was six times deadlier than the Titanic ."-- Time Winter 1945. WWII. Four refugees. Four stories. Each one born of a different homeland; each one hunted, and haunted, by tragedy, lies, war. As thousands desperately flock to the coast in the midst of a Soviet advance, four paths converge, vying for passage aboard the Wilhelm Gustloff , a ship that promises safety and freedom. But not all promises can be kept . . . This paperback edition includes book club questions and exclusive interviews with Wilhelm Gustloff survivors and experts.

Review: My love for historical fiction has been born - CONTAINS SPOILERS: I loved this book. I finished it a couple of minutes ago and it will probably sit in my mind for a while. Of course, it details the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff, a luxury cruise ship meant for 1,500 passengers that ended up holding over 10,000 on its very short voyage. This is a historical fiction novel set at the end of World War II. For some reason, I love reading about World War II, even though it was an incredibly tragic time. It is interesting to read untold stories and Salt to the Sea is one of them. I really loved Emilia. Her innocence and her backstory made me cry because she was so young and had already dealt with so much strife. I figured from the beginning that she was pregnant and had an awful feeling in my gut that she did not have a sweet boyfriend. Unfortunately, that was true. I was so happy that Emilia found friends in Florian and Joana and the others. I can’t imagine what it must have been like as a refugee at this time in this kind of war. It would have been terrifying. This book had me crying at plenty of different times and I even dreamt about crossing iced over lakes and falling through after I read about Ingrid. It would be so awful to be so close and yet so helpless to someone in desperate need of help. Salt to the Sea hits all the feels and certainly, those who died on the Wilhelm Gustloff should be remembered. They were only trying to seek safety. Find their families. Find home. Even though the actual sinking of the ship doesn’t happen until the end, I enjoyed the build-up and journeying with the refugees to the port and the ship that many thought would be their salvation. It was heart-wrenching to read about their hope and know that in the end, many would not make it. Especially with the cold, which seems to be a common factor in infamous ship sinking. With the story of the Titanic and now the Wilhelm Gustloff in my mind, it cements my resolve to never set sail on a ship. Even though cruise ships are far more advanced now, I’d rather not find myself in the middle of the ocean without sight of land for miles upon miles. I would not want to drown. And one thing that frustrates me is people’s disregard to make sure they have enough lifeboats. Of course, in any disaster, there will always be casualties but they could have lessened the casualties if there had been more lifeboats. I understand the panic that ensues which cause murky thinking for everyone and the overwhelming amount of refugees so many lifeboats were not used or broke or lowered at half capacity. Overall, I have a fondness for historical fiction and history in general. It should be told to be remembered. I loved the way the story was told and I loved the characters. Alfred was strange but I’m glad we finally saw the truth of him and what he had done. I also love the name Hannelore, it rolls off the tongue nicely. Again, I loved this story. I loved Florian and Joana. I loved the insights you could learn from people’s shoes. I loved the one-eared bunny and its caretaker. I loved it all, even the things that broke my heart. But that is war.
Review: Fantastic Historical Fiction - Before starting 'Salt to the Sea', I had heard quite a lot of praise for the book. In fact, I was a little nervous to start it because I was afraid that it wouldn't live up to it's reputation. Thankfully, that didn't prove to be the case. This book was beautiful, devastatingly so. Ms. Sepetys does a wonderful job of shedding light on the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff, a maritime disaster that claimed more than 9,000 lives and remains an overlooked part of history. Admittedly, I had never heard of this disaster until reading this book. Perhaps this is the result of a world that was less than sympathetic to German pain and loss following the end of WWII and the unveiling of the Nazi atrocities. Whatever the reason, I am glad that Ms. Sepetys brought this piece of history into the light. This story needed to be told. Weaving fact and fiction together seamlessly, the author tells the story of a group of WWII refugees trying to flee as the Russian troops gain ground toward the end of WWII. Told in alternating POVs, this book reveals a human side of war. Everybody seems to have something to hide and a different motivation for their actions. Above all else, this story highlights the fight to survive. Most noticeable in this cast of characters are: Joana, the Lithuanian nurse; Emilia, a young Polish girl; Florian, Emilia's mysterious rescuer; and Alfred, a young German soldier. There is a full cast of supporting characters as well, such as the shoemaker, that contribute to the richness of this story. Each play a significant role in making this a robust reading experience. I don't want to spoil this story for anyone. Obviously, the ship sinks. However, I won't say much else about the storyline because I think this is a story worth experiencing. This isn't a rainbows and unicorns type of story. It is real and moving. At times painful, this book highlights the depths of human depravity, as well as the incredible kindness that people are capable of. This is a story of tragedy and survival. It was raw, gritty and inspiring. I enjoyed this story quite a bit and would recommend it without reservations to anyone that is looking for a good, historical fiction that addresses a lesser-known part of WWII history.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #1,896 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #1 in Teen & Young Adult European Historical Fiction #1 in Teen & Young Adult Military Historical Fiction #17 in Teen & Young Adult Survival Stories |
| Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 17,589 Reviews |

## Images

![Salt to the Sea - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/913hDN4sxCL.jpg)

## Available Options

This product comes in different **Media Language, Media Format** options.

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ My love for historical fiction has been born
*by L***. on June 10, 2021*

CONTAINS SPOILERS: I loved this book. I finished it a couple of minutes ago and it will probably sit in my mind for a while. Of course, it details the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff, a luxury cruise ship meant for 1,500 passengers that ended up holding over 10,000 on its very short voyage. This is a historical fiction novel set at the end of World War II. For some reason, I love reading about World War II, even though it was an incredibly tragic time. It is interesting to read untold stories and Salt to the Sea is one of them. I really loved Emilia. Her innocence and her backstory made me cry because she was so young and had already dealt with so much strife. I figured from the beginning that she was pregnant and had an awful feeling in my gut that she did not have a sweet boyfriend. Unfortunately, that was true. I was so happy that Emilia found friends in Florian and Joana and the others. I can’t imagine what it must have been like as a refugee at this time in this kind of war. It would have been terrifying. This book had me crying at plenty of different times and I even dreamt about crossing iced over lakes and falling through after I read about Ingrid. It would be so awful to be so close and yet so helpless to someone in desperate need of help. Salt to the Sea hits all the feels and certainly, those who died on the Wilhelm Gustloff should be remembered. They were only trying to seek safety. Find their families. Find home. Even though the actual sinking of the ship doesn’t happen until the end, I enjoyed the build-up and journeying with the refugees to the port and the ship that many thought would be their salvation. It was heart-wrenching to read about their hope and know that in the end, many would not make it. Especially with the cold, which seems to be a common factor in infamous ship sinking. With the story of the Titanic and now the Wilhelm Gustloff in my mind, it cements my resolve to never set sail on a ship. Even though cruise ships are far more advanced now, I’d rather not find myself in the middle of the ocean without sight of land for miles upon miles. I would not want to drown. And one thing that frustrates me is people’s disregard to make sure they have enough lifeboats. Of course, in any disaster, there will always be casualties but they could have lessened the casualties if there had been more lifeboats. I understand the panic that ensues which cause murky thinking for everyone and the overwhelming amount of refugees so many lifeboats were not used or broke or lowered at half capacity. Overall, I have a fondness for historical fiction and history in general. It should be told to be remembered. I loved the way the story was told and I loved the characters. Alfred was strange but I’m glad we finally saw the truth of him and what he had done. I also love the name Hannelore, it rolls off the tongue nicely. Again, I loved this story. I loved Florian and Joana. I loved the insights you could learn from people’s shoes. I loved the one-eared bunny and its caretaker. I loved it all, even the things that broke my heart. But that is war.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Fantastic Historical Fiction
*by C***N on April 28, 2017*

Before starting 'Salt to the Sea', I had heard quite a lot of praise for the book. In fact, I was a little nervous to start it because I was afraid that it wouldn't live up to it's reputation. Thankfully, that didn't prove to be the case. This book was beautiful, devastatingly so. Ms. Sepetys does a wonderful job of shedding light on the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff, a maritime disaster that claimed more than 9,000 lives and remains an overlooked part of history. Admittedly, I had never heard of this disaster until reading this book. Perhaps this is the result of a world that was less than sympathetic to German pain and loss following the end of WWII and the unveiling of the Nazi atrocities. Whatever the reason, I am glad that Ms. Sepetys brought this piece of history into the light. This story needed to be told. Weaving fact and fiction together seamlessly, the author tells the story of a group of WWII refugees trying to flee as the Russian troops gain ground toward the end of WWII. Told in alternating POVs, this book reveals a human side of war. Everybody seems to have something to hide and a different motivation for their actions. Above all else, this story highlights the fight to survive. Most noticeable in this cast of characters are: Joana, the Lithuanian nurse; Emilia, a young Polish girl; Florian, Emilia's mysterious rescuer; and Alfred, a young German soldier. There is a full cast of supporting characters as well, such as the shoemaker, that contribute to the richness of this story. Each play a significant role in making this a robust reading experience. I don't want to spoil this story for anyone. Obviously, the ship sinks. However, I won't say much else about the storyline because I think this is a story worth experiencing. This isn't a rainbows and unicorns type of story. It is real and moving. At times painful, this book highlights the depths of human depravity, as well as the incredible kindness that people are capable of. This is a story of tragedy and survival. It was raw, gritty and inspiring. I enjoyed this story quite a bit and would recommend it without reservations to anyone that is looking for a good, historical fiction that addresses a lesser-known part of WWII history.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Hopeful, moving, inspiring, and immensely satisfying.
*by T***R on February 8, 2016*

Ruta Sepetys has a unique gift. She finds the tragic stories that history forgot and brings them to life through her books, educating her readers on these lost pieces of the past while simultaneously taking them on a heartfelt and emotional journey alongside her characters. Salt to the Sea is a work of historical fiction, but it is based on a very real event — the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff in 1945 — and the true historical backdrop is every bit as compelling as the stories of the fictional characters. Salt to the Sea is told from the point-of-view of four different teenagers, each with a secret. There is Florian, a disillusioned Prussian art restorer; Joana, a clever and determined Lithuanian nurse; Emelia, a young Polish girl struggling for hope in a world that continues to betray her; and Alfred, a young Nazi sailor desperately seeking recognition. I am going to pause here, because you may be nervous about the same thing I was during Alfred’s first chapter — namely, is this book going to attempt to make me sympathize with a Nazi? The short answer is no. I’m not going to say Alfred’s chapters are easy to read — on the contrary; Alfred is an infuriating character, what you would get if you took Mr. Collins from Pride and Prejudice, aged him down a bit, and handed him a copy of Mein Kampf. And while Salt to the Sea never tries to make the reader sympathize with Alfred or make excuses for him, some readers may not be able to stomach reading his toxic and hateful inner monologue. Only you can decide whether you can handle reading from the POV of a Nazi (and a sniveling, lazy Nazi at that), and I won’t try to change your mind if you don’t think this is something you can do. All I will say is that Alfred’s chapters do contribute to the narrative as a whole, and neither the stakes nor the tension would be the same without his perspective. However, as much as Alfred is The Worst, the other characters balance the scale. Joana was probably my favorite, a wonderful combination of resourceful, smart, kind, and brave. (Joana also ties into Between Shades of Gray, for those of you who have read both books.) But they all had their moments. Emelia is kind and sweet, but with an underlying determination and selflessness that, on several occasions, took my breath away. And then there is Florian, reserved and secretive, yet motivated by a quiet nobility that kept me rooting for him throughout. I was so very invested in the fates of these three characters that I find myself still daydreaming about them days after finishing. As for the story itself, I was surprised to find that the characters don’t even board the Wilhelm Gustloff until the second half of the book. (Perhaps I would have been more prepared for this had I realized that the Gustloff was only scheduled for a 48-hour trip, not a weeks-long voyage like the Titanic. So it makes sense that most of our time getting to know the characters happens before they reach the ship.) The first half of the book chronicles the long trek of the refugees through the snowy countryside on their way to the port (or, in Alfred’s case, his preparations to sail). The journey to the ship is harrowing, as the characters are constantly trying to avoid both German and Russian soldiers, while also staving off frostbite, dehydration, and malnutrition. On the way, there are several horrifying incidents that show the terrible price of war, and even once they reach the port, the descriptions of the refugees are gutting. Sepetys thankfully never lingers on any single gruesome image for long, but through her careful descriptions and meticulously crafted sentences, you get a thorough mental image of the squalor, desperation, and terror of the characters and their surroundings. Then there is their time on the Gustloff, cut tragically short by the sinking. Since I don’t want to get into spoilers, all I will say is that even though I knew the ship was going to sink, it was still devastating to read about. I was invested so deeply in the characters that watching them go through such an awful experience — no matter their personal outcome — was heartbreaking, and I spent the last chunk of the book reading through tears. It’s one thing to know about a tragic historic event; it’s another thing to experience it. Salt puts the reader right on the deck of the sinking ship, making us feel the panic and terror of the passengers, the biting cold of the water, the hopelessness of the death all around them, and, in spite of that, the steely resolve to keep struggling for survival. As in her previous books, Ruta Sepetys’ prose shines, instantly transporting the reader to the world of her characters. Some authors struggle to convincingly juggle multiple points-of-view, but that is not the case in Salt to the Sea. Each of her four main characters has a distinctive voice and way of thinking which makes them easily distinguishable from one another. Also, the chapters are very short, with most lasting only two or three pages, so you never have to wait long to hear more from your favorite character. The brief chapters make that mental nudge to read “just one more chapter” easy to indulge, making this an incredibly swift read. Salt to the Sea is a beautiful tale of a forgotten tragedy, set during one of the darkest periods of our history. It is respectfully and meticulously researched, but never feels like it’s working too hard to educate; instead, it sweeps the reader up in its vivid characters, gorgeous prose, and compelling storytelling, and if we are more historically knowledgeable by the end, that just feels like a bonus. One may expect a tale like this to leave the reader with a sense of despair, but although the story is full of moments of horror and death and unspeakable devastation, it balances them with moments of friendship, love, sacrifice, heroism, generosity, and kindness. In spite of the bleak time in which it is set, and the disastrous event that serves as its centerpiece, the Salt to the Sea ultimately manages to be hopeful, moving, inspiring, and immensely satisfying.

## Frequently Bought Together

- Salt to the Sea
- Between Shades of Gray
- I Must Betray You

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*Last updated: 2026-10-27*