The World That We Knew

The World That We Knew is the twenty-eighth stand-alone novel by best-selling American author, Alice Hoffman. By 1941, life is difficult and dangerous for Jews living in Berlin. Widow Hanni Kohn knows they must escape, but her mother’s paralysis means she can’t leave. To send her beloved twelve-year-old daughter, Lea alone to family in Paris would be folly, so she uses her last resort, precious family jewels, to pay for a protector.

Ettie is the eldest daughter of a rabbi, and has surreptitiously absorbed his teachings and rituals. When her mother unreservedly refuses to help Hanni, Ettie claims to know how to create a golem. Her price: passage on the night train to Paris for her sister Marta and herself. The golem that the women create is unlike any other: a woman whose only mission is to keep Lea safe. But a golem which exists too long becomes too powerful, and when Lea later learns what she must ultimately do, she is torn.

In Paris, Lea and her “cousin”, Ava join the household of Professor Andre Levi, whose maid, Marianne, has just abandoned her post to return to her father on his farm. Ava’s powers allow her to easily fill the role, but her surveillance of Lea cannot prevent the close connection that forms between her and young Julien Levi, no matter who disapproves. But Paris, too, is becoming unsafe for Jews, and Ava removes Lea to another shelter. Lea barely has time to implore Julien “Stay alive.” Who knows if they will ever see each other again.

This is a story that spans the years of the Second World War and ranges from Berlin to Paris to several parts of country France. Information about the golem and other mystical aspects is seamlessly integrated into the narrative. The cast of characters is not small, but many of them connect and reconnect, if only fleetingly. These represent the many real-life brave, generous, ordinary people who had a myriad of reasons to help the persecuted and resist the oppressor.

The circumstances of minor characters are often detailed using a small vignette of their lives. Where they encounter Ava, Hoffman uses the golem’s power of knowledge to note the fate of their loved ones and she frequently takes the opportunity to include the staggering statistics about the incarceration and death of those persecuted by the Nazi regime. To make it more interesting, she throws her characters the occasional dilemma.

Of course, among the many deaths, Hoffman realistically does not spare all of her protagonists for a Hollywood happy-ever-after. But rather than concentrating on atrocities, Hoffman makes this a moving and uplifting tale by showcasing those kind and charitable characters, giving them a starring role. Readers should be ready for some lump-in-the-throat moments. A stirring and thought-provoking read.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Simon and Schuster

EXCERPT: Her father was a great rabbi, but she was the one who had a true talent. For the thousandth time she wished she were a boy. She had no interest in marriage or babies, only in the world of scholars, from which she was prohibited. She could taste the bitter dirt as they finished digging, and she nearly choked on it. It occurred to her that once she broke the rules of her family and her faith, there would be no going back. But on this morning, all she knew was that she wanted to live.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: In 1941, during humanity’s darkest hour, three unforgettable young women must act with courage and love to survive, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Dovekeepers and The Marriage of Opposites Alice Hoffman.

In Berlin, 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. She finds her way to a renowned rabbi, but it’s his daughter, Ettie, who offers hope of salvation when she creates a mystical Jewish creature, a rare and unusual golem, who is sworn to protect Lea. Once Ava is brought to life, she and Lea and Ettie become eternally entwined, their paths fated to cross, their fortunes linked.

Lea and Ava travel from Paris, where Lea meets her soulmate, to a convent in western France known for its silver roses; from a school in a mountaintop village where three thousand Jews were saved. Meanwhile, Ettie is in hiding, waiting to become the fighter she’s destined to be.

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.

MY THOUGHTS: 'Once upon a time something happened that you never could have imagined, a spell was broken, a girl was saved, a rose grew out of a tooth buried deep in the ground, love was everywhere, and people who had been taken away continued to walk with you, in dreams and in the waking world.'

This is a book that can't be buttonholed into one or even two categories. Historical, magical, fantasy, love, family drama doesn't even begin to describe The World That We Knew.

The author's introduction is one of the most moving that I have read. Please don't skip it. It tells how this book was born. And the relationship between fairytales and real life. If you don't think there is one, then you really do need to read it.

The magical aspects of Hoffman's writing does nothing to dilute the horrors of the Holocaust; in fact, if anything, it heightens the inhumanity of man against man. She writes beautifully and lyrically about one of the darkest periods in the history of man, holding nothing back, but always there is hope that shines like a beacon.

I was a history student, and WWII was one of my pet subjects, but I have learned more from Hoffman's writing than I ever did in school. It is far easier to relate to and has far greater significance when it is on a more personal level.

I finished The World That We Knew last night and I have written a dozen reviews in my head during the day, all of which were far more eloquent and reflective than this. I had highlighted dozens of passages in an effort to capture the essence of this book. But after reading and rereading them, I stayed with the first; the one that says 'all she knew was that she wanted to live.' There is no greater desire in life than to live and to keep your loved ones safe. 'If you are loved, you never lose the person who loved you. You carry them with you all your life.' And the reverse is true, that if you love someone, you can never lose that person. You carry them with you all your life. And that, to me, is the essence of The World That We Knew; the magic of love.

❤❤❤❤

THE AUTHOR: Alice Hoffman is the author of more than thirty works of fiction, including The World That We Knew, The Rules of Magic, The Marriage of Opposites, Practical Magic, The Red Garden, the Oprah’s Book Club selection Here on Earth, The Museum of Extraordinary Things, and The Dovekeepers. Her most recent novel is The World That We Knew. She lives near Boston.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Simon and Schuster Australia via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The World That We Knew for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

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This is a beautiful novel with threads of magical realism superimposed on the horror that was WWII and the Jewish holocaust. Hoffman's writing is lyrical and magical as she weaves her powerful tale of a Jewish mother who gave up everything to give her daughter a chance to survive the war aided by the bravery of the French resistance who rescued so many Jews, including thousands of children. The story is heart-wrenching and the characters unforgettable.

It's 1941 in Berlin and Jews are being denied basic rights and freedom and forced to wear the yellow star. Hanni Kohn knows they should leave while they sill can but she can't bear to leave her elderly mother alone. She wants her twelve year old daughter Lea to have a chance to escape what is surely coming but can't bear to send her away unprotected without her mother to care for her. She seeks out Ettie, a Rabbi's daughter who agrees to create a magical creature, a golem who they name Ava, to act as Lea's guardian on her journey. Ettie must also leave on her own journey without her family but she is fated to meet Lea and Ava again before the end of the war.

With chapters told from the point of view of all the main characters, we see them all change and strengthen as they face danger and adversity but also find kindness and love. They will see Angels on Earth including the Angel of Death as well as a beautiful, elegant heron who plays an important role for both Lea and Ava. Hoffman has crafted a wondrous tale in the darkness of times, one of great humanity and love.

Hanni Kohn couldn’t leave Berlin as her elderly mother was unable to travel, but Hanni was determined to get her twelve-year-old daughter Lea to safety. It was 1941 and the Nazis were swooping, removing all Jews, sending them on the trains to the death camps. But the rabbi Hanni saw wouldn’t help her – Ettie, his daughter quietly told Hanni she could do it; she’d seen and heard all that she needed to know. The golem would be created. And Hanni begged Ettie to make the golem a woman, to be more able to care for Lea. And so Ava came into being, joining her life with that of Lea and her maker, Ettie.

Lea and Ava entered the Levi household in Paris where they came to know Julien and his brother Victor. The maid, Marianne had recently left the household, so Ava took over her role. But danger crept closer, and Ava and Lea once again moved on. Lea begged Julien to stay alive, not knowing if they would see one another again. Meanwhile Ettie was in hiding; the French resistance, including Victor, was operating fiercely, saving who they could; and the collaborators and Nazis did their worst.

The World That We Knew is a memorable piece of writing by Alice Hoffman. The beautiful heron, friend and confidant of Ava, would play a significant role in this story, while the mystical Ava, more human than she was supposed to be, was devoted to her charge. The characters of Lea and Ettie were each spectacularly crafted, while Julien, Victor and Marianne all found a place in my heart. I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful story where fact is blended with fiction and magic, while hope, love, courage and loss all play a part. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.