This book delivers all the promise and drama imaginable from one family's true story. Georgia Hunter's novel presents the story of her own Jewish ancestors, from their successful lives in Poland in the late 1930s through the end of World War II, and a bit beyond. And through them we witness all the danger, courage, and determination that is so often part of any survivor's story.

Sol and Nechuma Kurc and their five grown children live lives rich in culture, tradition, and love. All are multi-dimensional characters you will come to care about.

Slowly, the war encroaches on those lives. First, affecting only distant lands. Later, arriving on their doorstep. What is most believable is their continual optimism and belief that things can't get worse - when we know as readers what lies ahead of them. This, for me, was a source of continual tension as I read this story.

Through the story of the Kurcs, we explore so many different facets of the war. Like the difference between Soviet-occupied Poland and German-occupied Poland (there wasn't much difference.) Like the need to pose as non-Jews, banishment to Siberia, work in the resistance, seeing non-Jews sheltering Jews, Jews turning in other Jews, hiding, beatings, starvation, and sudden disappearances. In short, through this one family, we see it all.

One thing that is hard to envision for us, until reading this book, is the impact unreliable and sporadic communication had, leaving family members in the dark for years about those they most care about. Georgia Hunter has given us and her family a well-written, intense, and moving gift. I suspect, like me, a few tears will be shed by all readers.

4.3 - beautifully written tale of a family scattered during WWII; some of the experiences illuminated parts of WWII history and locations that I'd previously not heard of - unique and interesting

We Were The Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter was an excellent book about the experience of a jewish family during World War II.

As I read the book, for some reason I had not realized it was a true story. And, as I read about the experiences of a single jewish family which ranged from a Russian work camp in Siberia to living with Nazi's in Poland to escaping the Nazi's in South America, I thought at one point that the author had perhaps gone too far in trying to consider all the different experiences that might have happened during this war.

I remember feeling almost embarrassed by my thought when I realized this was a TRUE story of World War II! It really is so incredible you almost can't imagine how it all happened within one family. But then, I usually feel like true stories about World War II are hard to believe.
I would recommend this book to both readers of World War II history or historical fiction based in the time of World War II. I typically read historical fiction and thought this was an incredible story.

In particular, people who want to read more books like The Woman In the Castle by Jessica Shattuck or The Alice Network by Kate Quinn should take a look at We Are the Lucky Ones.

We Were The Lucky Ones is a very enjoyable trip back in time!

Viking and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of We Were The Lucky Ones. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

We Were The Lucky Ones is based on the true story of the Kurc family, as the events of World War II unfolded. From Radom, Poland, Sol and Nechuma, along with their grown children and their families, struggled to survive during the war by any means necessary. This book reads more like a work of fiction, but the author's note at the end tells otherwise. The author chose to punctuate each section of her family's timeline by explaining the relevant historical situations that were occurring during that period. This layout allows readers the context they need to place the Kurc family in their point in history.

My biggest negative for We Were The Lucky Ones is the length, as it encompasses events from the year 1939 until well after the end of the war. This does not enable the reader to spend any significant amount of time processing what is occurring and does not tie them to the story. That being said, We Were The Lucky Ones is a tale of survival and hope during a horrific time in history in history and should appeal to readers who like both historical fiction and nonfiction.

What a remarkable story! "We Were the Lucky Ones" centers around the Kurc family of Radom, Poland, beginning with the Nazi invasion during World War II. They are a closely-knit family whose lives are torn apart, scattering them in various parts of the world but what resonates throughout is their love and determination to remain united.. While heartbreaking and devastating, the spirit of survival reigns supreme.

loved this book! couldn't put it down

highly recommend

I like WWII historical fiction, but I only read it a few times a year. This was my first WWII book of the year, and it was an interesting read. I always learn something new when I read WWII books, and this was no exception. The Kurc family was spread out during the war, so there was information on everything from Siberian work camps to being a refugee in Brazil. I liked how this was based on a true story-it really made everything feel so real and intense. Even though many parts were hard and depressing, there was also a lot of hope throughout the novel. If you like WWII historical fiction, put this book on your list!

I have read lots of historical fiction but this one is really special. The way the author unveils the story, the way every word is chosen – I love how it is told based on the experience of each person in this family. It is so refreshing but at the same time it is raw because it is tangible. It was what happened to this family for so many years, I can’t even imagine.

This is truly an extraordinary story and my heart nearly stopped from fear for these characters.

We Were the Lucky Ones was inspired by the story of a large, assimilated Jewish family living in Radom, Poland. The Kurc family is headed by Sol and Nechuma. Addy, one of their sons, is in France studying engineering. When he receives a letter from his mother in March, 1939 warning him not to return home for Passover, he realizes that she is afraid and decides to return home but he is refused a ticket. Unable to return to Poland, he joins the French army but winds up on the last passenger ship out of France with a Brazilian visa.

As Kurcs go through their last Passover together in the Spring of 1939, Nechuma worries about her son Addy, fearing that he has been held up at the border. But the Kurcs are assimilated, speak Polish at home, live outside of the the old Jewish Quarter and their children went to elite schools. Following the invasion by the Nazis on September 1, 1939, the true impact of their situation becomes real. “Months later, in a different world, Nechuma will look back on this evening, the last Passover when they were nearly all together, and wish with every ell in her body that she could relive it… She will replay it all, over and over again, every beautiful moment of it, and savor it, like the last perfect klapsa pears of the season."

Two sons, Genek and Jacob, as well as Selim, their son-in-law and Mila’s husband join the Polish Army. Their border, Adam, who is in love with Bella, also join the Polish army and are sent to Lvov to fight. But the Russians invade Poland, and Genek the oldest is taken by the Russian army and is sent to the gulag in Siberia with his wife, Herta. Adam joins the resistance and makes false papers for all of his family. Sol and Nechuma are taken into the ghetto, with their daughter in law, Mila and and her child, Felicia. Selim disappears and one daughter, Halina and Adam, return from Lvov manage to survive as Aryans using fake id's.

Somehow most of the family manages to survive reunite after the war, even though they wind up scattered all over the world. Members of the Kurc. family had wound up in the ghetto, the gulag, North Africa and Brazil as well as Italy where two family members went to fight the Germans as members of the Polish II Corps. The title, We Were the Lucky Ones, is certainly accurate. I have a heard time with the concept that they survived because of their determination to live. Many died who were determined to survive. Many brave people died.

The author, Georgia Hunter, learned that she came from a family of Holocaust survivors. She is the granddaughter of Addy and after a family reunion, decided to research her family’s story in order to write We Were the Lucky Ones as a work of fiction sho she could fill in the spaces and create a story. While the story is amazing and heartbreaking, it does not fully hold together as great writing.

This was a wonderful, heartbreaking debut novel that was based on the lives of the author's family. This is a story of the Kurc family who survived World War II and all of it's atrocities. This book follows the Kurc family, the parents and their five children beginning in 1939, in Radom, Poland. The five children are following very different paths which makes the story even more intriguing. If you are a fan of historical fiction you will love this book! Not to be missed! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel.

World War II historical fiction is one of my absolute favorite genres! There are just so many heroic and harrowing stories to share from that time. And while the stories are often incredibly emotional, their importance lends the books an incredible feeling of authenticity and gravity. These feelings continually hit me while reading "We Were The Lucky Ones" by Georgia Hunter. This novel, inspired by the true life story of her family during World War II, was amazing, inspiring, and unique as well.

Impressive Narrative Scope
One of the things I enjoyed most about "We Were the Lucky Ones" was the huge scope of the narrative as each of the siblings had such a different war time experience. The Kurc family begins their journey in Radom, Poland, in 1939. As the threat of war and persecutions grows, the siblings of the Kurc family each took unique roads to survival. One landed in Cuba, another a work camp, and other escape took them as far as Africa. What makes these events even more remarkable is that they are true. While I am familiar with most of the general history of World War II, books like this serve as a wonderful reminder of the vast differences in the stories of those who survived. Books based around the Holocaust commonly feature characters from Germany or France, I appreciated this look at Polish survivors, particularly as there were very few.

The Title and Message
As the title suggests, "We Were the Lucky Ones" has an overarching sense of hopefulness that was conveyed throughout the book. Each of the characters is separated from their parents, and siblings, and spouses, or children as well, at times- an idea as a daughter and mother that feels unbearable. I was impressed by their strength and determination in such difficult circumstances to survive and then reconnect with each other after the war. I was particularly touched by a mother daughter story in the book. While the mother works in a labor camp, she is only able to see her daughter in glimpses through a gate to the Catholic boarding school she attends. I felt this mother's character was one of the most developed in the novel and I was inspired by watching her journey. When the book begins she is the wife of a doctor, living comfortably with her newborn baby and maid. By the end of the book she is this amazingly brave and independent survivor who has accomplished so much for herself and her daughter.

Things I Struggled With
The large narrative scope of "We Were The Lucky Ones" was a bit of a double edged sword for me as a reader. Because there are at least eight different characters whose story you are following- the narrative shifted frequently throughout the book. One of my favorite elements of reading fiction is the connection you develop with the characters. For most readers, that connection develops as you spend time with a story. In "We Were the Lucky Ones", the story and narrator are constantly changing which make it difficult to connect emotionally with any of them- and in this particular genre that connection is especially important. Without it, all of the big and emotional moments fall flat - which, unfortunately was my experience with "We Were the Lucky Ones". A flaw of mine as a reader is the difficulty I experience keeping large casts of characters straight, and that was definitely a problem for me while reading this book. There is a list of character names and their relationship to each other at the beginning of this book, but it wasn't enough to help me- particularly when the narrative changed so frequently.

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC for my Kindle.
I've read many books about the Holocaust, but this on was one of the hardest to read.
Most of the books that I've read on this subject were historical fiction; this one is historical nonfiction.
The Soviet invasion of Poland and displacement of the Poles, in particular the Jewish people, was heartbreaking.
The author writes the story of her family who were a part of the displacement, and their journeys. Many survived, thus the name of the book. At the end of her book, she was able to give a status of of her family members as of early 2017 which was a great and uplifting way to end her book.
Good book but due to the content of the reality of such an atrocity, it was a hard one for me to read.

I loved this book. From the historical accuracy to the characters and plot sequence, I will be rereading this book soon.

We were the lucky ones by Georgia Hunter is the story of the Kurc family in Poland during World War II. The story opens with Addy in Paris, France in March 1939 as he gets a letter from his mother back home in Radom, Poland. His mother, Nechuma, is trying to be positive while warning her son not to come back home. As times goes by, things get worse and worse for the Kurc family. Addy tries to escape to Brazil. One of his brothers and sister-in-law are sent to a work camp in Siberia. The majority of the family is confirmed to the Jewish ghetto. The horrors the family experiences as the horrors of Hitler’s systematic plan to exterminate the Jewish people unfolds. Will the family survive? Will they be able to see each other again?
We were the lucky ones is a powerful story about one family’s experience of the horrors of the Holocaust. The story becomes even more powerful when you read the inspiration behind the author’s story at the end of the book. It’s a beautiful story which will keep you on the edge of your seat as you see each family member’s experience of this terrible time. There is so much I can’t talk about as it would ruin the ending but I will say the story is well worth reading. I highly recommend We were the lucky ones!

We were the lucky ones
is available on Amazon
in hardcover and on the Kindle

This book is amazing. I'm going to be recommending it to EVERYONE, regardless of their usual reading tastes. I purchased a copy and had it mailed to my parents just on the OFF CHANCE they might read it. I cried, I smiled, I sat with my heart racing. I will be reading everything else Georgia Hunter ever writes.

A full review will be posted on my blog in a few days, at which time I will update the link below.

What a wonderful story. Georgia Hunter is a master storyteller in the way she nimbly interweaves the lives of the Kurc family members through time and geography as they struggle to not only survive WWII but to reunite. A must read for anyone who enjoys historical fiction, WWII, Jewish literature.

I would rate this a solid 4 if not more. An extraordinary and gripping story of courage, struggle, loss, and survival. The novel centers on a close knit, Jewish Polish family during World War II, and the different paths and challenges they each faced, often not by choice. The book touches three continents. Ms Hunter wove a very intricate tale. It is hard to believe this is her debut novel as it is extremely well written, captivating, realistic and all of the characters were all so well defined. A very good read. I look forward to more of her novels.

Riveting novel about one family who managed to survive the war by luck and ingenuity.