carolbsmith's review against another edition
2.0
The storyline was good... that's why I finished it. However, it felt disjointed. The paragraphs were choppy and sometimes difficult to follow. I've enjoyed several of her other books, but not this one.
canadianbookaddict's review against another edition
2.0
This just wasn’t for me. I couldn’t connect with the characters for some reason.
katekate_reads_'s review against another edition
4.0
The World That We Knew is a WWII story - mixed with the magical realism elements that Alice Hoffman delivers so well. Every time I read one of her books, I just find myself sinking into the magic of her writing.
When I received the ARC, it came with a letter from the author and I'd like to quote part of it because I feel like it describes this book better than I could:
"I've come to understand that fairy tales are perhaps the most autobiographical of all stories, containing the deepest psychological truths. They are the original stories, handed down from grandmothers to grandchildren, told by firelight or starlight. Each one is a cautionary tale. These are the stories that explain the sorrow of real life, but also assure us that once upon a time there was a woman or girl who managed to rescue herself.
Once you tell a story, you are not forgotten. This is what our grandmothers wanted us to know, that is what I realized while writing about the journey of three characters who refused to be silent: Lea, a young girl who is sent away from Berlin to ensure that she will survive. Ettie, the daughter of a rabbi, who is as brave in the real world as she is in the world of magic. And Ava, a mythic being whose only purpose is to protect the stranger who affects her life in ways she could not have imagined.
Fairy tales tell us that we may be lost, we may be forsaken, but there is a path."
I alternated between listening to the audiobook and reading - both were great ways to take in this story. While the audio was very well done and narrated by Judith Light - I sometimes found myself getting a little lost while listening. I'm not sure if this was on me or the book but I did more rereading than I usually do on audiobooks.
Thank you very much to Simon & Shuster, Netgalley and Librofm for the advance reading and listening copies.
When I received the ARC, it came with a letter from the author and I'd like to quote part of it because I feel like it describes this book better than I could:
"I've come to understand that fairy tales are perhaps the most autobiographical of all stories, containing the deepest psychological truths. They are the original stories, handed down from grandmothers to grandchildren, told by firelight or starlight. Each one is a cautionary tale. These are the stories that explain the sorrow of real life, but also assure us that once upon a time there was a woman or girl who managed to rescue herself.
Once you tell a story, you are not forgotten. This is what our grandmothers wanted us to know, that is what I realized while writing about the journey of three characters who refused to be silent: Lea, a young girl who is sent away from Berlin to ensure that she will survive. Ettie, the daughter of a rabbi, who is as brave in the real world as she is in the world of magic. And Ava, a mythic being whose only purpose is to protect the stranger who affects her life in ways she could not have imagined.
Fairy tales tell us that we may be lost, we may be forsaken, but there is a path."
I alternated between listening to the audiobook and reading - both were great ways to take in this story. While the audio was very well done and narrated by Judith Light - I sometimes found myself getting a little lost while listening. I'm not sure if this was on me or the book but I did more rereading than I usually do on audiobooks.
Thank you very much to Simon & Shuster, Netgalley and Librofm for the advance reading and listening copies.
se7en13's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
theshaggyshepherd's review against another edition
4.0
The World That We Knew by Alice Hoffman was a very different and new experience for me. As a frequent reader of historical fiction, I wanted to approach this book the same way at first. I didn't realize at first that there was some magical realism in this story, so I was a little hesitant about getting into the book. Once I realized what was going on though, it was much easier to be drawn in and follow along with the different people's story lines and how they intertwined. Obviously, this is based on the Holocaust during World War II but I'm not sure how accurate the different events are, including the numbers sprinkled throughout the story, aside from the magical realism. To be honest, the specific numbers always seemed to pull me out of the story and made me step back, throwing me off a little bit. Overall though, it was a different approach to the much done storyline and I appreciate what the author has accomplished.
seethinglloron's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Thrilling and devastating in equal measure. This is such an interesting and deeply-situated take on the story of the golem, which I loved. I loved how deeply Jewish this novel is, which seems like an obvious thing to say, but I find a lot of Holocaust fiction is sort of divorced from Jewish culture and faith because it is interested in the horrors and violence of the Shoah, and I think Hoffman did a great job of writing a Jewish magical realism novel set during the Holocaust, rather than a Holocaust novel that happens to be magical realist.
bibliotequeish's review against another edition
3.0
Hanni Kohn is determined to get her daughter away from the war and the advancing Nazi soldiers.
Enlisting the help of the Rabbis daughter, Hanni has a Golem created whose sole purpose in life is to protect her daughter Lea and lead her to safety.
The book weaves the story of Ettie the Rabbis daughter, Lea and her protector Ava and their determination to survive and avenge those they've lost.
I really liked the premise of this book.
I thought it was a really cool concept, I love magical realism writing and was really excited to read it.
I got into it right away and then somewhere along the way, I kind of lost interest.
While beautifully written there was something about this book that I just couldn't get into.
Enlisting the help of the Rabbis daughter, Hanni has a Golem created whose sole purpose in life is to protect her daughter Lea and lead her to safety.
The book weaves the story of Ettie the Rabbis daughter, Lea and her protector Ava and their determination to survive and avenge those they've lost.
I really liked the premise of this book.
I thought it was a really cool concept, I love magical realism writing and was really excited to read it.
I got into it right away and then somewhere along the way, I kind of lost interest.
While beautifully written there was something about this book that I just couldn't get into.
nehuma's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
jcarsrud's review against another edition
5.0
I really loved the magical elements of this WWII story and would highly recommend it to anyone that doesn’t mind a little fantasy mixed in their historical fiction.