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bookish_voyager's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
jess_mango's review
4.0
A Bookshop in Berlin was originally published in the late 1940s and pretty much disappeared until it was rediscovered in the past decade and was recently republished. This book by author Francoise Frenkel tells of her experiences as a Jewish woman in Germany and France during World War II.
Francoise Frenkel was a Polish Jew who was raised in Poland and went on to study in Germany & France. It was in France that she developed a love for French Literature. In 1921, she decided to open a French bookshop in Germany. With the rise of the Nazis, there was serious pressure on Jewish business owners but she was able to remain open until 1939. At that time she escaped to Paris and the contents of her bookshop were seized by the Nazis. Over the next several years she moved from place to place in France, attempting to avoid being capture. The book highlights the cruelty of war and the assistance she was able to receive from friends and strangers.
This was a powerful, first hand account of a woman's experience during World War II. Frenkel wrote this memoir after she had escaped to Switzerland. Her accounts of her struggles are gripping and emotional. We feel her anxiety over not knowing what lay ahead and if she will remain safe or not.
I received a digital edition of this book from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Francoise Frenkel was a Polish Jew who was raised in Poland and went on to study in Germany & France. It was in France that she developed a love for French Literature. In 1921, she decided to open a French bookshop in Germany. With the rise of the Nazis, there was serious pressure on Jewish business owners but she was able to remain open until 1939. At that time she escaped to Paris and the contents of her bookshop were seized by the Nazis. Over the next several years she moved from place to place in France, attempting to avoid being capture. The book highlights the cruelty of war and the assistance she was able to receive from friends and strangers.
This was a powerful, first hand account of a woman's experience during World War II. Frenkel wrote this memoir after she had escaped to Switzerland. Her accounts of her struggles are gripping and emotional. We feel her anxiety over not knowing what lay ahead and if she will remain safe or not.
I received a digital edition of this book from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
book_concierge's review against another edition
4.0
Digital audiobook narrated by Jilly Bond
4****
Subtitle: The Rediscovered Memoir of One Woman’s Harrowing Escape From the Nazis
In 1921 Frankel – a Jewish woman from Poland – opened La Maison du Livre, Berlin’s first French bookshop. It was popular with artists and diplomats, celebrities and poets. But by 1935 the city was in the grip of the Nazis – first came bureaucratic hurdles, then police inspections and book confiscations. In November 1938 came Kristallnacht, when hundreds of Jewish shops and businesses were destroyed. Frankel fled to Paris. But she was hardly safe for long.
Originally titled No Place To Lay One’s Head this has been re-issued with the popular “bookshop” title – certainly a marketing strategy. There’s virtually nothing in the memoir about the bookshop, and little about Berlin.
This is not to say that Frankel’s memoir isn’t worth reading. I was engaged, interested and riveted by her tale. The many near misses and constant uncertainty would break many. I marveled at her tenacity, determination and sheer will to survive.
Jilly Bond does an excellent job of narrating the audiobook. She sets a good pace and has very clear diction. I don’t speak French, so am not certain, but her French pronunciation sounds authentic to me.
The text version includes numerous notes at the end, including copies of correspondence and a review of Frankel’s original memoir. I was surprised to learn from these appendices that she was married; her husband is never mentioned in the book.
4****
Subtitle: The Rediscovered Memoir of One Woman’s Harrowing Escape From the Nazis
In 1921 Frankel – a Jewish woman from Poland – opened La Maison du Livre, Berlin’s first French bookshop. It was popular with artists and diplomats, celebrities and poets. But by 1935 the city was in the grip of the Nazis – first came bureaucratic hurdles, then police inspections and book confiscations. In November 1938 came Kristallnacht, when hundreds of Jewish shops and businesses were destroyed. Frankel fled to Paris. But she was hardly safe for long.
Originally titled No Place To Lay One’s Head this has been re-issued with the popular “bookshop” title – certainly a marketing strategy. There’s virtually nothing in the memoir about the bookshop, and little about Berlin.
This is not to say that Frankel’s memoir isn’t worth reading. I was engaged, interested and riveted by her tale. The many near misses and constant uncertainty would break many. I marveled at her tenacity, determination and sheer will to survive.
Jilly Bond does an excellent job of narrating the audiobook. She sets a good pace and has very clear diction. I don’t speak French, so am not certain, but her French pronunciation sounds authentic to me.
The text version includes numerous notes at the end, including copies of correspondence and a review of Frankel’s original memoir. I was surprised to learn from these appendices that she was married; her husband is never mentioned in the book.
literarycoffeecat's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
kendra_kendra's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.25
debandleo's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyed reading this honest, brutal account of actual events during the German occupation of France during WWII.
beastreader's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoy reading stories on this topic. It is important to remember history so that we don't make the same mistakes. Sadly; I feel like we have taken a few steps backwards in today's world. Every day you read headlines about racism.
It is people like Françoise, who we have to thank for sharing their stories. While, I can't imagine enduring everything that Françoise did. In a way, I kind of could reading this book. I don't want to take anything away from Françoise but I was only semi engaged with this book. It was not like The Diary of Anne Frank or The Hiding Place.
However, I still found myself interested in what I was reading and at times could not stop reading. Again, I applaud Françoise for sharing her story.
It is people like Françoise, who we have to thank for sharing their stories. While, I can't imagine enduring everything that Françoise did. In a way, I kind of could reading this book. I don't want to take anything away from Françoise but I was only semi engaged with this book. It was not like The Diary of Anne Frank or The Hiding Place.
However, I still found myself interested in what I was reading and at times could not stop reading. Again, I applaud Françoise for sharing her story.
samyukta_24's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0