Title: The World That We Knew           

Author: Alice Hoffman              

Genre: Historical Fiction       

Publisher: Simon and Schuster        

Format: Paperback 

Pages: 384

Rating: 4/5 stars 

Synopsis (Goodreads):

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.

Review:

Thank you to @simonschusterca for a copy of this book!

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This book was completely different than what I was expecting (which was a typical WW2 novel) but what we got was something a bit different, in a good way! The book follows a few different characters that are intertwined in some way! We have Lea, who’s mother, Hanni, enlists the help of Ava to help save her daughter from the Nazis that occupy Germany and are getting rid of Jewish people. One thing that is super curious and interesting is Ava is a Golem, a mystical Jewish creature that Hanni has a rabbi’s daughter create in order to protect her daughter. I found this aspect of magical realism a bit odd at first, but I grew to become immersed in the story for what it was and enjoy this different look on a World War Two story! I saw the Golem as a symbol of strength and perseverance during a harsh time!

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We also have Julien, who gets wrapped up in various activities in German occupied France. He becomes connected to Lea and Ava in France and goes through a number of different scenarios in order to survive. One thing I loved about this book was the writing. It didn’t matter what Hoffman was describing, she did it in a way that was beautiful and poignant and really painted a picture in my mind! This was my first Alice Hoffman book and it definitely won’t be my last! 

Happy reading!