The World That We Knew

"I enjoyed this beautifully written tale of sorrow and resilience in the face of evil as the Nazis occupied France. "

"Did not particularly enjoy the characters, but an interesting concept. "

"This book was so beautiful. It really makes you appreciate life and the love you have been given."

"Had to read it for school, it was pretty good, no spark notes bc it’s still a new book, not my genre of books but still well written and engaging."

"Alice Hoffman’s writing is truly magical. This story is both heart breaking and captivating. Love knows no bounds. "

"Thanks to Libro.fm and Simon & Schuster Audio for letting me listen and review this wonderful book. This wasn't what I expected. For some reason, I was thinking this was going to be a story about something else that I was hesitant to read but after I started reading/listening I realized this story was not at all what I had thought it would be and I was pleasantly surprised by it.<br/>This was a bit of a different spin on things with Hanni wanting to save her 12 yr old daughter from the Nazis by sending her away to keep her safe. After something almost happens one night with her daughter, Hanni goes to find help by seeking out aid from a Rabbi and when she asks for help from the Rabbi's wife, the wife turns Hanni away and it ends up that Hanni finds the help she needs from the Rabbi's daughter, Ettie, instead. Hanni and Ettie make a deal and so Ettie makes a golem that is made to protect Hanni's daughter, Lea.<br/>The golem that Ettie makes is named Ava and Ava, Ettie and Lea become linked together, their paths always connected in a way with their paths crossing from time to time from then on. Ava guards and accompanies Lea to Paris to find safety and there Lea meets the boy she loves and Ettie ends up going into hiding for a time.<br/>This story takes you on a journey as they travel looking for safety while growing up, learning and figuring who and what they are in this world and what they want out of life. It will take you apart and put you back together again causing you to reflect and think about the world, life, yourself, and so much more."

"Love almost anything Alice Hoffman writes. "

"I really liked this, but oddly I wasn’t swept away like I expected to be. I adore Alice Hoffman’s Practical Magic series, particularly the recent additions over the past few years (The Rules of Magic is divine!). And any Goodreads friend of mine knows my abiding love of WWII historical fiction. It’s probably the most of any genre I read, for good reason!<br/><br/>But something about this didn’t wow me like I expected to be wowed from a combination of a favorite author and a favorite genre. I worried for a minute that I could be burning out on WWII narratives (they are heavy to say the least), and I learned the hard way from binging thrillers after Gone Girl that sometimes the high can’t be topped. And I’ve read some really stellar WWII, so it’s not a far fetched theory to think I’ve hit my peak reading experience.<br/><br/>But after some reflection, I think it has to do more with magical realism than anything. I love fantasy, and I love historical fiction, but I don’t always love when they get thrown together. It’s the classic jack of all trades but master of none dilemma. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, and with something as dark as WWII, I’m not sure it worked.<br/><br/>That being said, I liked this story, and while I wasn’t as attached to the characters as I expected to be, I did love their arcs. It was a very good book, but probably not one that I’ll encourage everyone to read."

"Great for a book club."

"An interesting take on a story line that’s been repeated numerous times throughout the years. Adding a magical twist to such historically significant events had me hesitant but it was done in such a beautiful and respectful way that I found myself mesmerized by the read "