* LONGLISTED FOR THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL * ‘Oh, what a book this is! Hoffman’s exploration of the world of good and evil, and the constant contest between them, is unflinching; and the humanity she brings to us – it is a glorious experience. The book builds and builds, as she weaves together, seamlessly, the stories of people in the most desperate of circumstances – and then it delivers with a … and then it delivers with a tremendous punch. It opens up the world … in a way that is absolutely unique. By the end you may be weeping’ Elizabeth Strout, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Olive Kitteridge
In Berlin in 1941 during humanity’s darkest hour, three unforgettable young women must act with courage and love to survive, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Dovekeepers and The Marriage of Opposites Alice Hoffman.
In Berlin, at the time when the world changed, Hanni Kohn knows she must send her twelve-year-old daughter away to save her from the Nazi regime. She finds her way to a renowned rabbi, but it’s his daughter, Ettie, who offers hope of salvation when she creates a mystical Jewish creature, a rare and unusual golem, who is sworn to protect Lea. Once Ava is brought to life, she and Lea and Ettie become eternally entwined, their paths fated to cross, their fortunes linked.
Lea and Ava travel from Paris, where Lea meets her soulmate, to a convent in western France known for its silver roses; from a school in a mountaintop village where three thousand Jews were saved. Meanwhile, Ettie is in hiding, waiting to become the fighter she’s destined to be.
What does it mean to lose your mother? How much can one person sacrifice for love? In a world where evil can be found at every turn, we meet remarkable characters that take us on a stunning journey of loss and resistance, the fantastical and the mortal, in a place where all roads lead past the Angel of Death and love is never ending.
Praise for Alice Hoffman:
‘A major contribution to twenty-first century literature’ Toni Morrisonon The Museum of Extraordinary Things
‘A great atmospheric storyteller… Her books are a real pleasure’ Kate Atkinson
‘Hoffman reminds us with every sentence that words have the power to transport us to alternate worlds, to heal a broken heart, and to tie us irrevocably to the people we love’ Jodi Picoult
‘Miss Hoffman heals wounds with the gentle touch of an angel’ Joseph Heller
‘Hoffman… writes with heartbreaking clarity’ The Times
‘Alice Hoffman is simply brilliant’ Daily Mail
‘Hoffman knows how to tell a good story’ Sunday Times
‘Monumental… magical, moving… beautifully written… A genuine masterpiece’ Daily Mail on The Dovekeepers
‘One of the finest writers of her generation’ Newsweek
more
Melding Jewish folklore and mythology with the real life genocide of Jews during WWII. Brilliant, spellbinding and heartbreaking, all at once. Hoffman writes so beautifully with unforgettable characters.
“If you are loved, you never lose the person who loved you. You carry them with you all your life.”
The World That We Knew by Alice Hoffman is a breathtaking novel set mainly in occupied France 1940s during WWII. It also incorporates Berlin as well.
The novel interweaves several characters (Lea/Hanni/Ava, Marriane/Victor/Julien/Ettie/Henri, amongst many other fascinating souls).
The author is brilliant at creating a masterpiece that builds slowly, but surely, with a complexity that is truly divine. The ending so true, satisfying, yet leaves your heart aching, is a lasting tribute to the souls that were lost during this unspeakable time.
The religious aspects that are added throughout (Protestant, Catholicism, and Judaism) gives the book meaning and purpose that takes your breath away.
I usually do not read books that have a mystical/third-world component, and this is the first book that I have read by Ms. Hoffman, but I have to say that I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it, and also felt that it fit perfectly with the story, as if it belonged there amongst the living.
The imagery was beautifully done, and the descriptions of how the characters felt, what emotions they wrestled through, the sacrifices they made, were just amazing.
The heron was truly my favorite aspect of the story.
Even if you normally do not read fiction that has a mystic component, you need to break that pattern and read this.
I truly have to say this is a top book for me this year, it was just that great.
5/5 stars enthusiastically
I am always amazed when an author takes a known thing, World War II, and turns my perceptions completely backwards. Alice Hoffman weaves Jewish mysticism with love, discovery and the heartbreak of World War II. I knew from the start there would be aching heartbreak and loss in this story but still, the pages flew by as the story unfolded. As each new character is introduced, their lives are woven together. Instead of being bogged down in people and situations, the story seamlessly flows together.
Jewish mysticism tells of a creature that can be created to protect the person he or she is created for, a golem. With this story burning in her mind, a Jewish mother goes on a hunt for her daughter’s (Lea) salvation at the beginning of World War II. What she finds is a girl (Ettie) on the verge of womanhood wanting to escape the coming terror. As the years of the war pass, each person Ettie and Lea separately meet have links that draw a web of human experience. Through it all twines the loss and heartbreak World War II always represents.
A very well thought out magical story. It is is set in the 1940’s in Berlin. A jewish mother must send her daughter away to save her from the Nazi and she finds her way to a Rabi to help her escape. A magical golem is created by the rabi’s daughter to protect lea and links Lea golem and rabi’s daughter together for life. It is a long but touching story full of pain sacrifice and love. Kept me reading until the end.
The World That We Knew will captivate you from the first to last page.
I didn’t want this book to end: it has it all, magic, history, survival , strength , family .
We must never forget the sacrifices, the bravery, the Holocaust. The neighbours that put their lives at risk .
You will cheer them on; you will cry and you will sometimes laugh with the characters who become family .
I read a lot of historical fiction but I learned even more from The World That We Knew.
I am still and will continue to think of this book for days to come. Can’t wait to get my hard copy.
Thanks to Net Galley and Simon and Schuster Canada for the privilege of allowing me to read The World That We Knew.
What a wonderful book. I’m still thinking about it hours later. A story of such tragic loss with hope, love and mystical fantasy intertwined. I generally steer away from fantasy but I love this author’s work so dug right in and was not disappointed. I highly recommend this book.