Salt to the Sea

#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.

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Published Aug 1, 2017

448 pages

Average rating: 8.22

307 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

What Bookclubbers are saying about this book

✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI

Readers say *Salt to the Sea* is a deeply researched YA historical novel shedding light on a lesser-known WWII maritime tragedy. Many praise its emoti...

Across the Globe Book Buddies
Oct 19, 2025
10/10 stars
Loved.This.Book! I'm so glad to have stumbled upon this author as I really enjoyed her writing style, specifically her use of words and phrasing. The structure of this book - small chapters told from each of the protagonist's perspectives - was also quite engaging, for me. It kept it/me moving at a quick clip. I enjoyed "meeting" each of the characters, ha, as I write, realizing I really enjoyed Alfred's character, very well done! However, each of the character's were very-well written and enjoyable to meet and get to know in their own ways. Learning more about history (why couldn't middle, high-school and college-level history have been as interesting as this author's presentation) was also engaging, if not sobering. I very much look forward to my next RS's reads!

Oh, purely an aside: I had not appreciated this was identified as a YA book until after completion and "tagging" in Goodreads. If I were still teaching, and needed to cover WWII, we would most definitely incorporate this book in some manner!
K Olson
Jan 14, 2025
10/10 stars
Beautifully written historical fiction- not just for YA.
Auburn283
Jul 19, 2024
10/10 stars
Enjoyed learning the history. Characters were interesting and diverse.
TheCleverReader
Feb 03, 2023
10/10 stars
So good. This book is one of the best YA Historical Fictions I've ever read. It makes you feel for each and every character. I'd recommend to people of all ages who love anything historical fiction. I also plan on reading more of Ruta Sepetys' books in the future!
Claremarie
Apr 07, 2026
9/10 stars
An enjoyable Hisyorical Fiction. I recommend the book.

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