This the best book I have read in a long time. The holocaust is part of my history. I would love to think this really happened and maybe it did. The gypsies were always outcasts and when they saw others being persecuted that they would help. This book brings to life the gypsies ways and world. It is heartwarming and beautiful. To see it through the eyes of a young outsider whose world was completely different was amazing. This book will give you the warm fuzzies and make you cry. It is a good book to read right now with all things going on in our world right now.

Shattered Paths takes a different approach to the lengths people will go to survive and help others when facing the prejudice in WW2. Gypsies have been known to be con-artists and thieves, but they are also very family oriented and some are willing to help others outside of their culture. I enjoyed reading this novel, and reading about what has happened during the Holocaust. Ms. Livnat spins the story of survival and friendships while showing how different cultures can come together in order to survive and learn from one another. I look forward to hopefully reading more of the family and and the Romas. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book. This was my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a honest review.


Shattered Path was based on a true story in Romania. I unfortunately was not able to finish this book, as hard as I tried. The writing wasn't well put together. The book just... wasn't easy to read.

Based on a true family story, this fictionalised tale tells the story of three Jewish children who manage to escape to the forest from their village in war-torn Romania and get taken in by a group of Gypsies who protect them for as long as they can. It’s obviously a moving tale, as any such Holocaust tale is, but from a strictly literary point of view I didn’t find the book very well written, with little subtlety or depth, and with all the dialogue for too articulate and grammatical for the age and condition of the characters, and everyone seemed far too adept at putting their thoughts and feelings across in finely honed speech. It felt more like a documentary than an engaging work of fiction and especially towards the end I found myself skipping chunks. An important story that needed to be told but not, for me, a great success as a novel.

An amazing story of two youths and a young lad with special needs who survived the Jews round up in Romania in the 1940’s. A heart wrenching story of courage and determination. After weeks of living in the forest and desperate for food Anna and the young lad Mikelah joined a band of Gypsies. Shraga stayed behind in the forest until he too became desperate. The Gypsies were amazing sharing their food and sheltering them as one of their own, despite the fact that they would probably all be shot if found to be harbouring Jews. Shraga and Anna struggled with their feelings for each other. The Gypsies thought Mikelah was there son. In the colony girls of 14 were often married and had children. Mikelah, Anna’s cousin soon became friends with the other kids. How his life changed!
The author’s comments made the story even more interesting as I then realized it was based on fact and research. I highly recommend you read this book, the character development is superb and the story one that needs retelling.

I read 60% of this before giving up. While I enjoyed the first part following the struggle Mikaleh faced as a young boy, I thought it all got a little slow when he and Anna joined the gypsies. This one was just not for me.

Anna is only fourteen years old when she is torn from her family. Her father and stepmother are taken to a Jewish camp where the will be worked to death or exterminated. She is able to escape into the woods with a young Yeshiva student. There she finds her nephew hidden under a tree. Her Aunt had taken him that with supplies. She knew he would be killed. His father was dead and she was sick and also dying. She didn't want to leave her four year old son in the hands of the Germans by himself. Luckily Anna found him.
They seek refuge with a Gypsy camp. There they are treated like family even though they are Jews. Through the dark, cold winter months they have a home. They the Germans start exterminating the Gypsies. Anna is separated from her nephew. Now she is on a quest to find him.
Beautifully written account of a group of people who were villianized. People that showed remarkable courage and love and determination in hiding these Jewish persons.
Excellent book!

I wish this book was a trilogy! I wanted to know more and read more. Based on true events and fictionalized also. Anna, the main character was such a sweet loving girl. The horrific circumstances of the holocaust was the backdrop of the book. The author however didn’t focus on the atrocities but rather on the characters, their resourcefulness to survive, and their love for each other and for family. This book also gives a rare positive look into the humanity and compassion of the gypsies (Roma people). I learned so much from this book. I also grew in my understanding of the Jewish people. Awesome read!

Gypsies saving Jews. Who would have thought that the gypsies who were shunned would put aside this knowledge, sheltering and feeding three Jews on the run during the Second World War. Teaches one a lot about bigotry and humbles one. This was a different book to most regarding the Holocaust and a worthwhile read.

Moishe the butcher and his wife, Devorah lived in a small village in Romania that was surrounded by dense forests.
Their son, Mikaleh, had developmental delays, he was cursed by a Gypsy when he was 2, he did not speak until he was 4 years old, his first word word was “father “ and he tried to mimic the sound of a violin that was played on a record player.
His teenaged cousin Anna taught him more words and played games with him.
Mikale was taken to a specialist who taught him how to dress himself, and Malkaleh, the rabbi’s wife, gave the family money so Moishe paid for the doctor and they bought a violin for Mikale.
Shraga, the son of a rich man - was a rabbinical student who learned that Communism was the only way that Hitler’s rise to power could be stopped.
He asked Anna to hide Communist magazines for him and she did.
But this was 1941, Hitler was rounding up Jews in their village and Devorah hid Mikale in the woods, Anna and Shraga found him.
You will have to read the book for yourself to see what happens to them...