The World That We Knew in Reading with Style

Sep 24, 2019 Krista rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, historical-fiction-eu, fantasy, military-war, magical-realism, military-war-wwii, setting-eu-germany, time-1900-1949, setting-eu, setting-eu-france

Rating: 5 wondrous stars

I finished this amazing book a few days ago, and just wanted to sit in the afterglow of the story before trying to put my feelings about the book into a review. This book tackles a horrible era in world history with grace and imagination. It’s not a ‘La-La-La Happy All the Way’ story. In fact, it’s pretty bleak all the way. However, it is such a wonderfully creative book. I was pulled deeper into its depths with each page, and left stunned by the beauty of the book by the Rating: 5 wondrous stars

I finished this amazing book a few days ago, and just wanted to sit in the afterglow of the story before trying to put my feelings about the book into a review. This book tackles a horrible era in world history with grace and imagination. It’s not a ‘La-La-La Happy All the Way’ story. In fact, it’s pretty bleak all the way. However, it is such a wonderfully creative book. I was pulled deeper into its depths with each page, and left stunned by the beauty of the book by the ending. With ‘The World That We Knew’, Alice Hoffman has written a modern classic.

I’ve read many non-fiction and historical fiction books about WWII and the Holocaust. This one is so unique. Ms. Hoffman blends Jewish traditions with magical realism to bring forth a golem at the beginning of the story. I was skeptical when I read this element on the book blurb, but this character works so well in the book. I’m glad that it was included. I grew to love Ava as much as each of the other characters. She was not at all what I was expecting a golem to be.

We initially meet Hanni Kohn and her 12-year-old daughter Lea as they are trying to survive in a Berlin, Germany that is becoming ever more dangerous for Jews. Hanni will do anything to protect her daughter, including imploring help from the rabbi’s daughter, Ettie to form a creature meant to protect Lea on her journey out of Berlin. The creature, Ava’s sole purpose to protect Lea until the end of the war.

We are then taken along on Lea and Ava journey. Not coincidentally, Ettie and her sister are on the same train leaving Berlin that Ava and Lea are on. From that train journey the stories diverge and intertwine again. New characters and situations are added that illuminate the growing carnage wrought by the Nazi’s in France and across Europe. The complete randomness of who survives and who doesn’t is explored. We also meet brave souls who risk it all as Resistance fighters. We see good citizens who help the Jews escape, and Germans who luxuriate in their power and cruelty.

That’s all of the plot outline that I’m going to provide. Please do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of this book as soon as you can. It’s a love story, it’s a war story, it’s a fantasy in some parts, but it all works so well together. I’m standing up now to applaud Alice Hoffman. Well done!

‘Thank-You’ to NetGalley; the publisher, Simon & Schuster; and the author, Alice Hoffman; for providing a free e-ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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Mar 11, 2019 Penny (Literary Hoarders) marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: own-it

Come on Alice...please bring back the glorious experience found in The Dovekeepers! (Fingers crossed) ...more

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Sep 23, 2022 Kim rated it really liked it

Shelves: audio, read-again, religion-featured, historical-fiction, war, europe, authors-i-ve-read-5-or-more-books, magical-realism, animal

All the beauty and pain and wonderful writing I've come to expect from my favorite author. No one quite tells the Jewish experience likes Alice Hoffman, or makes you weep with her characters, or understand the strength of women and the love of mothers for their child like she does. This story takes place during World War II and touches on the resistance, the horrors of the Holocaust, and the goodness of people in the midst of it all. I could read this again and again, and see something new each ...more

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