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wildgurl's review against another edition
5.0
The World That We Knew
by Alice Hoffman
due 9-24-2019
Simon and Schuster
5.0 / 5.0
#netgalley. #TheWorldThatWeKnow
Alice Hoffman has shared a very essential and harrowing story of the Nazi invasion in Berlin, in the 1940s, and of The Resistance that helped Jewish people to hide and escape. Not since reading 'Night' by Wiesel, have I been so taken and consumed with emotion by a story about the humiliation and torture of Jewish people, forced upon them by the heartless Germans. The detail is richly developed, the emotion so deep, the story flows at a perfect pace for so much emotion.
I was drawn into the lives of Julien, Hanni, Lea, Ettie and Victor...I wanted to know their story. I wanted them to be successful, I wanted them to stay alive.
The abuse and deprivation and lack of common decency.
The glory and happiness when a loved one or friend received word by post, then, when it became to dangerous, by heron, that they were safe and alive.
The Resistance helped forged vistas, drivers license, ration cards, to help Jews survive and move to safe havens in Spain and Switzerland, many hiding them at great risk to their own safety.
This book made me: cry... Laugh..Get pissed off.. Get happy..get angry...get excited. This book made me feel. I was completely taken by the emotional story of humanity, decency, self-respect and escape. And also the lack of humanity, decency and self-respect.
This should be on everyones must read list...its fantastic...its important...especially in this time of out history when personal ambivalence and deceit are more important than people.
Thanks to netgalley, the publisher and author for sending this e-book ARC for review.
by Alice Hoffman
due 9-24-2019
Simon and Schuster
5.0 / 5.0
#netgalley. #TheWorldThatWeKnow
Alice Hoffman has shared a very essential and harrowing story of the Nazi invasion in Berlin, in the 1940s, and of The Resistance that helped Jewish people to hide and escape. Not since reading 'Night' by Wiesel, have I been so taken and consumed with emotion by a story about the humiliation and torture of Jewish people, forced upon them by the heartless Germans. The detail is richly developed, the emotion so deep, the story flows at a perfect pace for so much emotion.
I was drawn into the lives of Julien, Hanni, Lea, Ettie and Victor...I wanted to know their story. I wanted them to be successful, I wanted them to stay alive.
The abuse and deprivation and lack of common decency.
The glory and happiness when a loved one or friend received word by post, then, when it became to dangerous, by heron, that they were safe and alive.
The Resistance helped forged vistas, drivers license, ration cards, to help Jews survive and move to safe havens in Spain and Switzerland, many hiding them at great risk to their own safety.
This book made me: cry... Laugh..Get pissed off.. Get happy..get angry...get excited. This book made me feel. I was completely taken by the emotional story of humanity, decency, self-respect and escape. And also the lack of humanity, decency and self-respect.
This should be on everyones must read list...its fantastic...its important...especially in this time of out history when personal ambivalence and deceit are more important than people.
Thanks to netgalley, the publisher and author for sending this e-book ARC for review.
its_me_theresa's review against another edition
5.0
An elusive (for me!) 5-⭐️ read. In fact, on a scale of 0-5 I give it 10; it’s possibly a new favorite. The story, the writing— everything about it is sublime. If it’s not on your tbr list, add it. If it already is, move it up to next. You’re welcome
krhansen's review against another edition
4.0
I love Alice Hoffman books! She seamlessly blends the magical with the real, and has done so once again with The World That We Knew. It feels like a mashup of two of my favorite books, The Nightingale and The Golem And The Jinni. This novel is both historical fiction and magical realism, with a healthy dose of folklore.
Synopsis: At the time when the world changed, Hanni Kohn knows she must send her 12 year old daughter away to save her from the nazi regime. Her desperation leads her to to Ettie, the daughter of a rabbi, whose years spent eavesdropping on her father, enables her to create a golem, sworn to protect Hanni's daughter, Lea. Once Ava the golem is brought to life, she and Lea and Ettie become eternally entwined, their paths fated to cross, their fortunes linked.
My Take:
I love magical realism stories, and Alice Hoffman is a master. The magical elements feel real, Hoffman's ability to make the reader suspend all disbelief always amazes me. The plot is engaging, there is so much going on, a lot of tension to keep the pages turning. All characters -- great and small -- jump off the page, imbibed with emotion. And of course WW2 is harrowing, history is well represented and I was instantly transported in time. The book overflows with love and tragedy and compassion and anger...I felt every single emotion, Hoffman has an incredible ability to convey so much feeling in her writing. parts are heartbreaking, yet beautiful.
If you love magical realism and adult fairy tales with fantastic storytelling, this one’s for you!
Synopsis: At the time when the world changed, Hanni Kohn knows she must send her 12 year old daughter away to save her from the nazi regime. Her desperation leads her to to Ettie, the daughter of a rabbi, whose years spent eavesdropping on her father, enables her to create a golem, sworn to protect Hanni's daughter, Lea. Once Ava the golem is brought to life, she and Lea and Ettie become eternally entwined, their paths fated to cross, their fortunes linked.
My Take:
I love magical realism stories, and Alice Hoffman is a master. The magical elements feel real, Hoffman's ability to make the reader suspend all disbelief always amazes me. The plot is engaging, there is so much going on, a lot of tension to keep the pages turning. All characters -- great and small -- jump off the page, imbibed with emotion. And of course WW2 is harrowing, history is well represented and I was instantly transported in time. The book overflows with love and tragedy and compassion and anger...I felt every single emotion, Hoffman has an incredible ability to convey so much feeling in her writing. parts are heartbreaking, yet beautiful.
If you love magical realism and adult fairy tales with fantastic storytelling, this one’s for you!
krhansen's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
I love Alice Hoffman books! She seamlessly blends the magical with the real, and has done so once again with The World That We Knew. It feels like a mashup of two of my favorite books, The Nightingale and The Golem And The Jinni. This novel is both historical fiction and magical realism, with a healthy dose of folklore.
Synopsis: At the time when the world changed, Hanni Kohn knows she must send her 12 year old daughter away to save her from the nazi regime. Her desperation leads her to to Ettie, the daughter of a rabbi, whose years spent eavesdropping on her father, enables her to create a golem, sworn to protect Hanni's daughter, Lea. Once Ava the golem is brought to life, she and Lea and Ettie become eternally entwined, their paths fated to cross, their fortunes linked.
My Take:
I love magical realism stories, and Alice Hoffman is a master. The magical elements feel real, Hoffman's ability to make the reader suspend all disbelief always amazes me. The plot is engaging, there is so much going on, a lot of tension to keep the pages turning. All characters -- great and small -- jump off the page, imbibed with emotion. And of course WW2 is harrowing, history is well represented and I was instantly transported in time. The book overflows with love and tragedy and compassion and anger...I felt every single emotion, Hoffman has an incredible ability to convey so much feeling in her writing. parts are heartbreaking, yet beautiful.
If you love magical realism and adult fairy tales with fantastic storytelling, this one’s for you!
Synopsis: At the time when the world changed, Hanni Kohn knows she must send her 12 year old daughter away to save her from the nazi regime. Her desperation leads her to to Ettie, the daughter of a rabbi, whose years spent eavesdropping on her father, enables her to create a golem, sworn to protect Hanni's daughter, Lea. Once Ava the golem is brought to life, she and Lea and Ettie become eternally entwined, their paths fated to cross, their fortunes linked.
My Take:
I love magical realism stories, and Alice Hoffman is a master. The magical elements feel real, Hoffman's ability to make the reader suspend all disbelief always amazes me. The plot is engaging, there is so much going on, a lot of tension to keep the pages turning. All characters -- great and small -- jump off the page, imbibed with emotion. And of course WW2 is harrowing, history is well represented and I was instantly transported in time. The book overflows with love and tragedy and compassion and anger...I felt every single emotion, Hoffman has an incredible ability to convey so much feeling in her writing. parts are heartbreaking, yet beautiful.
If you love magical realism and adult fairy tales with fantastic storytelling, this one’s for you!
suvata's review against another edition
5.0
I have a strange relationship with Alice Hoffman’s books. This is the 10th book I have read by her. When I look back at my star–ratings, I find that about half of those I thought were “just OK“ but the other half were “phenomenal“. This was one of those 5-star books. The World That We Knew is a different kind of World War II book. In fact, I would consider this book to be historical/magical realism. It is rife with jewish mysticism, especially as it relates to the being known as “the golem“. Loved this book and will be recommending it to everyone.
This book will not be released until September 2019. I would like to thank SIMON & SCHUSTER for giving me access to this eGalley.
This book will not be released until September 2019. I would like to thank SIMON & SCHUSTER for giving me access to this eGalley.
meldav4's review against another edition
4.0
I have read quite a few novels within the last year in the WWII fiction genre and The World That We Knew is completely different than all of the other novels in this genre that I have read. Though the summary does mention a mystical Jewish creature, I think I skimmed over that part as I was surprised, and a little skeptical and disappointed, when Ava was introduced. I soon moved beyond these feelings and grew to like Ava. How can you not? She is a devoted protector of Lea who ends up providing so much more than anyone expected. Is this a story of folklore, fairy tale, magic realism? Hard to determine or classify it, but, nevertheless, it is such a unique way to experience and read about the horrific times during WWII and The Holocaust. I ended up really liking this book and I found the writing and story to be beautiful and emotional read. Don't get scared away if you normally don't read these types of books, give it a chance. I am so glad that I did.
viicttoriia's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
rachelsb00kreviews's review against another edition
5.0
The World That We Knew by Alice Hoffman
September 8 — 11
Wow, wow, wow…I came across this book by chance in a bargain store and knew it sounded good but I wasn’t expecting it to be so great! Alice Hoffman is known for weaving stories that are pretty dang cool, after all, she wrote “Practical Magic”. A book I have not read but know I desperately want to now! This is not my first book by Hoffman but my first to review. I give this one 5
September 8 — 11
Wow, wow, wow…I came across this book by chance in a bargain store and knew it sounded good but I wasn’t expecting it to be so great! Alice Hoffman is known for weaving stories that are pretty dang cool, after all, she wrote “Practical Magic”. A book I have not read but know I desperately want to now! This is not my first book by Hoffman but my first to review. I give this one 5
beckykeister's review against another edition
4.0
Really simple and beautiful writing. Books set during the Holocaust are hard and this one was certainly heartbreaking in all the ways you expect. I appreciate the author's use of foreshadowing ... she often quickly answers the "did they or didn't they survive" question which helped me to sit in the loss and feel for the characters, already knowing some of their fates or the fates of their loved ones. While displaying man's evil, she just as much shows man's ability for good and self-sacrifice beyond reason. There were also some amazing female characters here and a heavy dose of mysticism and the supernatural. Highly recommend.
april_golden's review against another edition
4.0
Lyrical and beautiful. Devastating and hopeful. This was a great read!