I must have read this book once upon a time, but now that I will be visiting Anne Frank's House soon, I wanted to refresh my memory of her story...
This diary is just unbelievable. I still can't comprehend that this really happened. What a remarkable, young lady - so intelligent and eloquent in her retelling of the day's, week's, year's events. I feel massively inspired by her words and how she conducted herself: so witty, clever and level-headed. Everyone could learn a thing or two from reading this. I am so glad I have read this with a fresh pair of eyes. We definitely need to be more gracious and appreciative of the lives we have.
'I am young and I possess many buried qualities; I am young and strong and am living a great adventure; I am still in the midst of it and can't grumble the whole day long. I have been giving a lot, a happy nature, a great deal of cheerfulness and strength. Every day, I feel that I am developing inwardly, that the liberation is drawing nearer and how beautiful nature is, how good the people are about me, how interesting this adventure is! Why, then, should I be in despair?'
Even when she was being transported to her iminent death, she was still witnessed gazing out the windows of the train, taking it all in, staring out into the world in awe by her father Otto (the only survivor of them all) 🥲
The immerging into womanhood and her blossoming affections towards 17 year old Peter... her first kiss 😭 really stirred up all those feelings a young girl has when she is growing up. Her feelings towards her parents and observations of the other adults she had to stay confined with just don't read like that of a 14-year-old. What a wasted life...and for what?
A very special, special book. This will stay with me for sure.
(I have read the Longman Imprint Books version, which evidently doesn't seem to be on here).