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804 reviews for:
The World That We Knew. First Edition, First Printing, Exclusive Edition, Signed by Author
Alice Hoffman, Alice Hoffman
4.15 AVERAGE
804 reviews for:
The World That We Knew. First Edition, First Printing, Exclusive Edition, Signed by Author
Alice Hoffman, Alice Hoffman
4.15 AVERAGE
3.5 stars. I don’t like the mix of history and magic, but the author’s writing and intertwining of plot lines made for a good story
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Beautifully written book filled with Jewish folklore, magic and strong images of nature. The love that binds the characters is moving. “When I join you in that other world, where we are free of terror and pain, and you embrace me, know that I acted as you would have done with love and compassion and loyalty.”
Thanks to Net Galley for the advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review. I’ve always been a fan of Alice Hoffman and her new book does not disappoint. Hoffman brings her characters to life, throws in a little magic realism, and comes up with a great story that shows the human cost of the holocaust.
What a wonderful book, filled with love and sorrow, but beautifully written. I had gotten a bit tired of the many WW2 books out recently but this novel takes it in a different direction. Mysticism mixed with history. I loved it.
Magical. Magical in the literal and emotional sense. Magical because of the writing style and the reader’s reaction to those words. Magical because this book changes you, it marks you, and it forever transforms the way you look at motherly love, at sacrifice, and all living things. Magical because, when the world gets dark, we need something hopeful and transcendent to believe in.
This book kept me captivated from start to finish. The author does an excellent job of weaving everyone's story together, and of making you think of a golem as human. I admittedly know nothing about Jewish mysticism, so I was drawn to this book as something different from my norm.
In a world where human demons roam the streets of WW2 Berlin, a teenage daughter of a rabbi answers a mother's plea to protect her daughter. She does that by invoking a golem, a legendary creature from Jewish folklore, which would keep her safe. The story follows both of these two young women and a few more characters throughout the war years in nazi-occupied Europe.
The story, like other stories I read by Alice Hoffman, has touches of magical realism, but it is very subdued. The language is fairytale-like, poetic and the atmosphere feels very real. It was very easy to get into the story and accept all the "unnatural" elements of it.
This is between 4 and 5 stars for me because I really enjoyed it, but I feel it could easily be even better. If Ettie has the knowledge and magical power to invoke a golem, I would expect to see more of that in the rest of the novel, but it's as if that side of her just disappeared towards the end, which was disappointing for me and seemed like a wasted opportunity. Still, a good read.
The story, like other stories I read by Alice Hoffman, has touches of magical realism, but it is very subdued. The language is fairytale-like, poetic and the atmosphere feels very real. It was very easy to get into the story and accept all the "unnatural" elements of it.
This is between 4 and 5 stars for me because I really enjoyed it, but I feel it could easily be even better. If Ettie has the knowledge and magical power to invoke a golem, I would expect to see more of that in the rest of the novel, but it's as if that side of her just disappeared towards the end, which was disappointing for me and seemed like a wasted opportunity. Still, a good read.
A 2019 staff favorite recommended by Jean and Emily. Check our catalog: https://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Sworld%20that%20we%20knew%20hoffman__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=gold
This is such a wonderful book! I never would have imagined that magical realism and WWII historical fiction could work so well together, but it did and it was such a beautiful story of love, sacrifice, family, friendships, and the ongoing battle of good vs. evil.
This was my first book by Alice Hoffman and I look forward to reading some of her other books.
This was my first book by Alice Hoffman and I look forward to reading some of her other books.