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monetp 's review for:
The World That We Knew
by Alice Hoffman
3.5 stars
A far-reaching and culturally impactful story. This was my first Alice Hoffman read and now I can't wait to read [b:Practical Magic|22896|Practical Magic (Practical Magic #1)|Alice Hoffman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1490354120l/22896._SY75_.jpg|4030671]! What impressed me was the way Hoffman gave each main character a multi-layered identity that spanned years and miles. For example, in the instance of Madeleine, my favorite character, the reader got to see her childhood, youth and eventual role as a mother of a safe home for Jewish girls. It was remarkable to see such a strong person grow into a powerful and complex woman.
It's a profound reflection on the cost of living while others die; especially for Julien, who feels guilty that he survived the Holocaust while others didn't. But he realizes that his life is worth just as much as anyone's and that he deserves to be happy. The reader realizes this along with him. What's interesting about reading this book over the course of several days is that the reader feels they are journeying alongside the characters. Each day, with each new chapter, you move through life with them. The progression of time is done so beautifully.
I had to read the ending several times to make sure I didn't miss anything. Since this is a story with so many main characters it helps to reread some chapters. At the end, I was unsure of what happened to Ava until I read it a second time. I was overall satisfied with how her story ended/began. Ava was the first character in this book that I grew to love because I'm a sucker for a good "Frankenstein" retelling. That's what this book essentially was, but this time I felt the Frankenstein monster character got a fair ending.
The reason I didn't rate this lovely story with 4 stars is because Jewish mythology isn't something I usually read and the ending was too bittersweet. Individually, I liked the characters' endings but not the ending overall. It didn't fit with the rest of the story and the death that did come made so many characters unhappy. There was too much sadness to make the ending feel worthwhile.
A far-reaching and culturally impactful story. This was my first Alice Hoffman read and now I can't wait to read [b:Practical Magic|22896|Practical Magic (Practical Magic #1)|Alice Hoffman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1490354120l/22896._SY75_.jpg|4030671]! What impressed me was the way Hoffman gave each main character a multi-layered identity that spanned years and miles. For example, in the instance of Madeleine, my favorite character, the reader got to see her childhood, youth and eventual role as a mother of a safe home for Jewish girls. It was remarkable to see such a strong person grow into a powerful and complex woman.
It's a profound reflection on the cost of living while others die; especially for Julien, who feels guilty that he survived the Holocaust while others didn't. But he realizes that his life is worth just as much as anyone's and that he deserves to be happy. The reader realizes this along with him. What's interesting about reading this book over the course of several days is that the reader feels they are journeying alongside the characters. Each day, with each new chapter, you move through life with them. The progression of time is done so beautifully.
I had to read the ending several times to make sure I didn't miss anything. Since this is a story with so many main characters it helps to reread some chapters. At the end, I was unsure of what happened to Ava until I read it a second time. I was overall satisfied with how her story ended/began. Ava was the first character in this book that I grew to love because I'm a sucker for a good "Frankenstein" retelling. That's what this book essentially was, but this time I felt the Frankenstein monster character got a fair ending.
The reason I didn't rate this lovely story with 4 stars is because Jewish mythology isn't something I usually read and the ending was too bittersweet. Individually, I liked the characters' endings but not the ending overall. It didn't fit with the rest of the story and the death that did come made so many characters unhappy. There was too much sadness to make the ending feel worthwhile.