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The World That We Knew: A Novel
The World That We Knew: A Novel
The World That We Knew: A Novel
Audiobook10 hours

The World That We Knew: A Novel

Written by Alice Hoffman

Narrated by Judith Light

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

4.5/5

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About this audiobook

Audio bonus! The audio download edition includes an exclusive interview with Alice Hoffman and Judith Light!

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * LONGLISTED FOR THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL

On the brink of World War II, with the Nazis tightening their grip on Berlin, a mother’s act of courage and love offers her daughter a chance of survival.

“[A] hymn to the power of resistance, perseverance, and enduring love in dark times…gravely beautiful…Hoffman the storyteller continues to dazzle.” —THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

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. Her desperation leads her to Ettie, the daughter of a rabbi whose years spent eavesdropping on her father enables her to create a mystical Jewish creature, a rare and unusual golem, who is sworn to protect Hanni’s daughter, Lea. Once Ava is brought to life, she and Lea and Ettie become eternally entwined, their paths fated to cross, their fortunes linked.

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.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateSep 24, 2019
ISBN9781508279235
Author

Alice Hoffman

Alice Hoffman is the author of many books for children including Aquamarine, Green Angel, and Nightbird. Her books for adults include Practical Magic, The Museum of Extraordinary Things,The Dovekeepers and The Marriage of Opposites. Half Magic is her favorite book for children and Edward Eager is her favorite children’s book author.

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Reviews for The World That We Knew

Rating: 4.387951743614458 out of 5 stars
4.5/5

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Heartbreaking. And Beautiful.
    Stunning.
    I will be reading more novels by Hoffman.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Parts of this are so beautiful and parts are so weird. In fact, I almost didn’t finish it because in the beginning I just didn’t think that world war historical fiction could really mix with magical realism. In the beginning, it really didn’t. And while I kept reading and am glad I didn’t quit, this book is certainly not for everyone.

    When I started the book, I was listening to the audio, and that proved problematic in this particular situation. There were too many characters to keep up with and it moved between them so seamlessly that I just could keep up in audio. So I switch the reading instead and that worked much better for me.

    Hoffman’s writing itself is magical. And her characters are undeniably beautiful.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I enjoyed this book so much. It covered the worst time in the history of our world but with the touch of love and folklore
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The book was powerful and nearly overwhelming. The depth of emotion was astounding and often I needed to stop. There were really difficult moments but also ones of hope and joy. A beautiful tragedy and stories that should never be forgotten.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I enjoyed the historical reconstruction and I especially liked the introduction and the use of the golem.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I cannot put into words how extraordinary this book was. It made me experience the holocaust firsthand, not at the camps as I have always dreaded, never wanting to look at the photos or hear what happened at the camps.

    But of all the people who didn't get to the camps. And how their lives were saved or lost. And how they ached for those they lost.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Excellent read. I highly recommend to those who love historical fiction.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    One of the best and most touching books ever! Read
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Alice Hoffman has to be one of my new favourite authors such captivating story telling such complex characters and so much amazing humanity and a dash of Jewish history for good measure - well actually this story really is recent Jewish history but its so much more than that - utterly brilliant
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I started this book with no idea what it involved, aside from taking place during WWII. As it began and the mythological aspects came into play, I thought I might not finish it. But I unexpectedly enjoyed the story very much. It's definitely worth the read. Great story telling, memorable characters, great writing.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Love all of her books - special about Hollocaust
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Set in WWII, this is the story of three women: Lea, Ettie, and Ava. The story opens in 1941 Berlin, where a Jewish mother must make a difficult choice to send Lea, her twelve-year-old daughter, into hiding from the Nazis. The rabbi’s daughter, Ettie, helps them by creating a golem out of clay and water. The golem, Ava, is charged with protecting Lea.

    A golem is a creature out of Jewish folklore. Its function is to carry out instructions from its creator. Ava is asked to do everything she can to help Lea survive. The three women’s storylines are interwoven.

    Magical realism does not always work for me, but it seems a good choice here. The magical elements help offset the many brutal, tragic, and horrific events that occurred during WWII. It is a beautifully written story of a survival, sacrifice, resistance, resilience, and many kinds of love. I do not care as much for Hoffman’s contemporary stories or those about magic and witches, but I very much enjoy her historical fiction.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Book on CD performed by Judith LightA slightly different take on the usual WW2 stories. Hanni Kohn recognizes the imminent danger the Nazi’s pose, so she goes to a rabbi for help. But it is the rabbi’s daughter, Ettie, who offers to make the mystical golem who will protect Hanni’s daughter, Lea. Once Ava is brought to life, she will join with Lea and Ettie to escape to France. Although separated their paths are fated to intersect. I was skeptical about reading another WW2 story, but Hoffman’s writing captured my attention and kept me interested and engaged throughout. I grew to love Ava in particular. What an interesting character! Not truly human, and not intended to “feel,” nevertheless, she has been charged by her creators to act as a mother to Lea, and so she begins to feel for this child/teen/young woman. Her devotion is no less that that of a mother, and she suffers many of the same heartaches a mother would feel as her daughter grows up and away from her. Ettie is a marvelous young woman. Strong, independent, determined to make a difference. She will not accept the role that has been prescribed for her by her strictly orthodox parents. She will fight against tyranny with every fiber of her being. Lea is a bit of an enigma. A child at the outset she grows into a sullen teenager and then a strong-willed young woman. There were several times I wanted to just throttle her! But by the end of the book I was cheering her on.While the focus of the story is really on Ava, Ettie and Lea, there are a number of supporting characters who help them throughout, from the Mother Superior at the convent where Ava and Lea hide for a time, to the French resistance group Ettie works with, to a kind doctor and the farmer and his daughter who keep bees and a the charming goat, Bluebell. Judith Light is an accomplished actress and voice artist. She does a marvelous job of performing the audiobook. She really brings these characters to life.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This story begins in Berlin in 1941 during the Holocaust. A bit of magical realism overlying the plot doesn’t change the the historical events that occurred, but adds a metaphorical dimension to several themes: the inevitability of evil in the world; the transformational power of love and hope; and all the blessings that can occur in spite of the first and with the help of the second, even in the worst of circumstances.Hanni Kohn knew that evil was all around her, and closing in. “Demons were on the streets. They wore brown uniforms, they took whatever they wanted, they were cold-blooded, even though they looked like young men.”Hanni also understood how evil worked - the same way, in fact it has always worked, even in the 21st Century:“It made its own corrupt sense; it swore that the good were evil, and that evil had come to save mankind. It brought up ancient fears and scattered them on the street like pearls.”Hanni’s husband Simon, a doctor, had already been murdered by the Nazis. Thus she was all the more desperate that her 12-year-old daughter Lea should live:“Her husband had saved so many people she refused to believe his life had meant nothing. It would mean, she had decided, that no matter what, their daughter would live. Lea would live and she would save more souls, and so it would go, on and on, until there was more good in the world than there was evil.”Somehow, she had to help her daughter get to (relative) safety in France. She herself couldn’t leave; her own mother was bedridden and Hanni owed it to her to stay with her and care for her. Desperate for a miracle, Hanni sought help from an old woman, Tante Ruth, who was the daughter of a rabbi known as “The Magician.” Ruth told Hanni the only possibility she could think of to get Lea out was a golem. In Jewish folklore, a golem is a human-like figure made out of clay and brought to life by esoteric magic known only to a select few adept at Jewish mysticism, or Kabbalah. Golems – unnaturally strong and unquestionably obedient to their creators - were said to have been created from time to time in olden days to help defend Jews from antisemitic attacks. It would take a golem for Lea to escape from Berlin. Ruth gave Hanni the address of a rabbi who was famous for his knowledge of spirits and magic.Neither the rabbi nor his wife would help Hanni, but their daughter, 17-year-old Ettie, agreed to try. Ettie had eavesdropped on her father for years, and knew how to create a golem. She would not only make one for Lea, but she and her 15-year-old sister Marta would go with them to France.Hanni, Ettie, and Marta collected mud from the banks of the Spree River, adding Hanni’s tears and Marta’s menstrual blood to the mix, and together shaped a female golem they named Ava. Ava was charged with protecting Hanni’s daughter at all costs: “You cannot abandon her or leave her on her own. She is the only one who matters to you.”Ava understood she was created to love Lea as if she were her own, but love was a mystery to Ava, one that could not be fully understood even by mortals. Nevertheless, Ava was determined to fulfill the sole purpose with which she had been charged.As the story goes on, and Ava, Lea, Ettie, and Marta proceed on their journey, all of them come to learn more about the mystery of love. In Paris, Lea and Ava go to stay with the Levi family, distant cousins of Hanni, where they meet Julien, 14, and Victor, 17 - two boys whose fates will become entwined with theirs.Ettie ends up in Vienne, France, a region outside of Lyon, where she lives a life in disguise as a gentile. She no longer has faith in any event. She felt God had forsaken her, “and in turn she had forsaken His ways and His word.” All she wished for was a way to fight back against the Germans.The Nazi occupation becomes more entrenched and dangerous over time. The group suffer losses, but they also learn this about love: “If you are loved, you never lose the person who loved you. You carry them with you all your life.”Lea had been given instructions by her mother for what to do about Ava when Lea was finally safe, but Ava, who also knew about the instructions, wanted to change her fate. Yes, she had fulfilled the original purpose of her creation, but Ava felt her maker was wrong; she was no longer just an automaton made of clay. She believed that if you love someone, you do in fact possess a soul. And if someone loves you, you have been made flesh. You can ache and bleed and feel joy, because of that love.As for Lea, she wanted to honor her mother’s guidance about Ava, but also came to see that “fate might not be set out before them in a straight, unwavering path, but might instead be a curving line marked by chance and choice, infinite in its possible destinations.”Discussion: One is reminded of Isaac Asimov’s series of books about robots, which explore the idea of the creation of beings who come to feel alive and who cherish that feeling. This book might also be considered a Holocaust retelling of The Velveteen Rabbit. In that classic story, the Nursery Magic Fairy explains to the much-loved and eventual raggedy plush bunny toy that it has became “Real” because of the love of the boy who owned him. In The World That We Knew, we are asked to ponder how, after all, is one to define “humanity”? Are the murderous and evil demons in brown shirts to be considered “alive” while a being like Ava is not? While the theme of defining humanity is explored in this story, it never takes the focus away from the horrors of the Holocaust. Hoffman takes great pains to make an accurate presentation of exactly what happened and how many lives were affected by the Nazi reign of terror. The magical elements add a metaphorical aspect to understanding it, but cannot change it. Through the different characters, readers are also able to examine different reactions to the problem of theodicy, the question of how the idea of an all-knowing, all-powerful and benevolent God is consistent with the existence of evil or suffering in the world. The Holocaust gave a unique dimension to the issue, and put each character's response in sharp relief. Evaluation: This profoundly affecting book has redemptive aspects to it, but ultimately is informed by the crushing reality of what actually happened during the Holocaust. It raises so many philosophical issues that it would make an excellent choice for book clubs.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The story is of the upheaval and desperation of a family amid thousands of Jews in Berlin and in Paris during WW2. There is an element of magical realism, but most of the book is about being human.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is one of those multi-character narratives where I sometimes lose track of who's who but its beautiful and made me both sad and filled with hope about humanity.

    Highly recommended for everyone but small childeen.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Not my normal type of book...but wow. Hanni needs to save her daughter, Lea, from the Nazis. She is led to create (with the help of a rabbi's daughter, Ettie) a mystical Jewish creature (Ava) who is sworn to protect Lea. The story follows Lea, Ava and Ettie as they escape, hide and fight.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Here we have Alice Hoffman combining Nazis and a golem in Germany and France in the early 1940s. In France, the war has settled into the early defeat of the French and the German occupation that followed. A woman realizes she must get her twelve-year-old daughter, Lea, away from the reach of the Nazi regime, so she goes to a famed rabbi for help. But in the end, it is the rabbi’s daughter, Ettie, who creates a traveling companion and protector for Hanni Kohn’s daughter. We also learn that Ettie has a young daughter, Marta, who she wants to spirit away from the German occupiers. As for the protector, its named Ava and is a rare golem, a Jewish creature of legend who is sworn to protect the daughter as they travel to a convent/school in the mountains of eastern France. Ava is made of the mud on the banks of the River Spree and a mixture of Hanni’s tears and Marta’s menstrual blood. I won’t go into the abilities and powers that the golem possesses (which are curious), and while I found myself interested in both the Jewish mystical and the war aspects of the book, after a while my interest in the story waned. I do find myself agreeing with this line from a review of the book in the New York Journal of Books. “The novel’s main weakness, however, is that Hoffman seems to get bored when she’s not writing about magic and just grabs the nearest cliché.” Overall, this book was one of my least favorite of Alice Hoffman’s books. Reading of the golem and its point of view, I did find my mind escaping to thinking about Grendel by John Gardner—but that may just be me.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I got more out of this book than I have from many others of Hoffman. I learned a little about the myth on which it is based and opened up my mind to the golem. I also went with the magic realism so that I could learn the details of the characters. Those were important, tragic, and educational. Most of the book took place in France during the Holocaust.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Alice Hoffman and I have a love-hate relationship. I want to love her books, but most of the time I either do not finish them or finish them under duress. However, with The World That We Knew, I found an Alice Hoffman novel I love. Even though it occurs during World War II, her exploration of what makes us human resonates in today’s fractious environment.While World War II is the backdrop of the story, The World That We Knew is not a World War II novel. Rather, it is a novel that explores love and sacrifice as key aspects of one’s humanity. Told through various narrators, we get an understanding of what it feels like to be prey among a country of predators, always watchful, always anxious. We also get a glimpse of how people survive in such impossible situations, fighting through action, survival, and love. Never pontific, Ms. Hoffman allows her characters to show the integrity and fortitude required to keep going after horrific losses and the love that binds past to present.The World That We Knew is an unassuming story with a quiet message. That message, however, loudly resonates within a world in which overt displays of hatred and bigotry become more commonplace and society becomes increasingly ideologically and politically divided. As we enter a new presidential era, The World That We Knew brings a reminder that hope and love will always win.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I struggled with a novel that combines "fantasy" with a regular novel like "The World that we knew" did. The creation of a "golum" by a young jesish girl to protect another girl, was too unreal for me in a real story. It gave too much creative license.. The addition of a heron who can communicate was just too much. If I could ignore these fantasy aspects then I did enjoy this novel
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Way too much magical realism for me, which I should have known because it's written by Alice Hoffman. The heron was the last straw.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The World That We Knew: A Novel by Alice Hoffman

    Sept 14, 2019
    Simon and Schuster
    Fiction, historical
    Rating: 5/5
    384 pages

    I received a digital ARC copy of this book from NetGalley and Simon and Schuster in exchange for unbiased review.

    I found it interesting how the author had no intentions of writing this story when approached by a fan. Apparently, the woman begged her to write “her story”. Somehow, she must have been touched and intrigued as a beautiful novel was born.

    In Berlin, Hanni Kohn’s husband was murdered during a riot outside a Jewish hospital in which he worked as a doctor. Hanni realizes that she must stay to protect her dying mother while finding a way to save her her 12 year old daughter, Lea. She makes a heart breaking decision to seek assistance from a respected rabbi who is known to have created mystical golems. Although she is turned away by her parents, Etti offers to perform this rare creation.

    It was so interesting learning about golems and their historical presence. I was fascinated by the spiritual beliefs and fears with being a creator of such a powerful being which has potential to become a monster. It can eventually destroy that which it was built to protect if not properly managed. There was a lot of Hebrew references in the novel which added to the mystical aspect.

    The story weaves together the lives of brave people who were willing to sacrifice to save and protect others from a horrible fate. I feel overwhelmed to describe a book which can only be experienced. This is unlike any other historical novel written about WWII. The characters and experiences and connections are rich and substantial. As with any story during this time period, there is pain and loss and redemption.

    My synopsis would not do the story justice.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    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.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Five stars. This book will stick with me for a long time. It contains mysticism, heartache, love, hope, history, woven into an adventure of the spirit and a thoughtful examination of human behavior. The story takes you through a different dimension of the holocaust where Alice Hoffman creates heroes out of unexpected natural elements and Jewish mysticism, as well as, in people whose histories give them the courage and knowledge to sacrifice everything they own to help a fellow human. She weaves a story 4 adolescent girls and two young men who as they experience the real human emotions of love and loss are navigating (and becoming adults) in a world where the definition being human is turned upside down with evil in the actions and beliefs of the Nazis. You will often forget these are children who still carry some of the innocence and trust that comes with being young. There is hope in human kind as you read the story, but we are also asked to question the essence of humanity - especially what makes us human and what we do with that gift. I will read this again and also recommend it for book clubs.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is a FANTASTIC historical fiction book
    It takes place in Paris between 1941-1945, during the war and holocaust.
    Its not real graphic but does explain what was done to so many people at that time and how the world was.
    The story explains about what happens to a hand full of different families and how their lives were intertwined.
    The author explains that she wrote this book because of an encounter she had with a survivor of that time period.
    The women asked her to write about the holocaust" so people would not forget"
    This is a fiction story with real life written in and it made the story so much more brilliant.
    The author is so amazing at explaining everything from what the characters look like to what the streets of Paris look like, It made me see it all in my mind.

    I was not interested in history or anything to do with any of the wars that happened in the past, I'm so glad I looked past that and read this story. It was so much more than just that. This is about human tragedy, about mothers and sisters and brothers love for one another and how love will give you a will to live.

    I believe anyone with an interest in wanting to know what the past was like to pick up this book.
    It was a truly fantastic read!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Even in the crowded genre of World War II historical fiction, The World that We Knew burns with an unmatched intensity. Out of desperation, a mother enlists the help of a young girl in creating a golem to protect her daughter. From this act of love, Alice Hoffman's luminous prose weaves together a story of quiet resistance and heroic sacrifice set during the years of the German occupation of France. Afterwards, the questions linger: what is it that defines our humanity and how do we move forward after unspeakable suffering?
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    As life becomes difficult for Jews in Germany, Lea's mother needs a way to keep her 12-year-old daughter safe. She asks a rabbi's daughter to create a creature to protect her. The rabbi's daughter, her younger sister, Lea, and the golem set off to France looking for a safe haven. They and those they meet, all have their own fates.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    WW2 novels are usually a favorite. The golem, with magical realism, was fascinating and beautifully written. The love between mother and daughter was special and emotionally. However, the book wasn't always working. The teens and their interactions felt off. A bit too YA romance. I plot is well paced and if you like creative WW2 and don't mind romance, you will enjoy The World That We Knew. There's a lot to enjoy in the novel. For much of the book, I was listening to the audio. It is very well done.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    It took me a long time to read this book. The language is rich and many times I had to stop and reread a passage. The story is tough and more times than not I had to stop to catch my breath. These are still good reasons to read this book.