Click to read the full review of The World That We Knew: A Novel in New York Journal of Books. Hoffman’s use of a folkloric aspect adds a distinctive and captivating perspective to an exceptionally voiced tale of deepest love and loss. From the nature of the universe (that's if there is only one) to the purpose of dreams, there are many things we still don't know – but we might do soon. The World That We Knew is constantly imbued with the terrifying atmosphere of impending doom. This instant New York Times bestseller and longlist recipient for the 2020 Andrew Carnegie Medal takes place in 1941, during humanity’s darkest hour, and follows three unforgettable young women who must act with courage and love to survive. © 2020 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved. 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. What does it mean to lose your mother? The World That We Knew: A Novel by Alice Hoffman book review. Ava, Lea, Ettie, and Ettie’s younger sister Marta all manage to arrange train tickets to France. But the magic in this novel draws the reader as powerfully as Ava and Hanni’s love work to save Lea. When Lea meets a wolf in the forest, “they knew each other and they could feel one another’s loneliness.”, The greatest magic in this novel is humankind’s enduring capacity for love— a love that survives even in the midst of the most evil human behavior. Ms. Hoffman conjures an alluring novel that lingers long after it’s read. Meanwhile, Ettie is in hiding, waiting to become the fighter she’s destined to be. This book feels destined to become a high point in an already stellar career.”—BOOKPAGE (STARRED REVIEW) "Set in Nazi-occupied France between 1941 and 1944, Hoffman’s latest (after The Rules of Magic) is a bittersweet parable about the costs of survival and the behaviors that define humanity. Page by page, paragraph by paragraph, sentence by sentence, The case for having students read bad books, Sloane Crosley on Yaddo, writing in a pandemic. Meanwhile, Ettie, vowing revenge for Marta’s murder, joins the French Resistance, eventually fighting alongside Julien’s older brother, Victor. Will newspapers disappear in the future?

When this novel focuses on the magic parts of its story, its language is magical: In Nazi-controlled Berlin, “There were more demons every day, so many, there was no longer any room for them in the trees or on the window ledges. What is the role of newspapers in society? “Oh, what a book this is! WWII fiction has glutted the market, but Hoffman’s unique brand of magical realism and the beautiful, tender yet devastating way she explores her subject make this a standout. The sisters remembered things they had long forgotten.”. "—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, "If you haven’t already fallen under the spell of US author Alice Hoffman and her seductive brand of magical realism, then immerse yourself in her extraordinary new novel, a heartbreaking and utterly enthralling wartime odyssey which opens up a unique perspective on humanity and inhumanity amidst the horrors of the Holocaust....Hoffman’s ingenious alchemy blends ancient Jewish folklore, spine-tingling supernatural, and gut-wrenching reality in an exquisite formula that shocks, enchants, and makes us weep." The novel is also saved by the passion of its non-magic theme: the depth of a mother’s love.

Hoffman’s exploration of the world of good and evil, and the constant contest between them, is unflinching; and the humanity she brings to us—it is a glorious experience. Even the most wrenching moments are rendered with delicacy and beauty. 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. Digital products purchased from this site are sold by Simon & Schuster Digital Sales Inc. Alice Hoffman shares the inspiration behind The World The We Knew, 8 Spellbinding Books by Alice Hoffman That Will Fill You With Love and Hope, The 10 Most Popular Books That Captured Our Hearts This September, 10 Enchanting Historical Novels That Will Add a Little Spark of Magic to Your Day, 10 Fantastic Fiction Novels New in Paperback This September, 10 Book Club Books We Recommend Leafing Through This Fall, 75 Years Later: 10 Unforgettable Novels About World War II We’re Reading to Honor the Past, 7 Compelling Novels About Mothers—The Good, The Bad, and The Crazy, Readers’ Choice: Our 10 Most Popular Books in October, 9 Must-Read Novels That Will Add Magic to Your Literary Diet, 8 Best Book Club Books I’ve Read So Far This Year, 10 Book Club Picks to Cozy Up to This Fall. If you’re ready to start a book club , here’s 40 of the best book club questions, for fiction and nonfiction alike. Review written by Fran Hawthorne. Hanni pays Ettie, the unusually learned 17-year-old daughter of a local rabbi, to create a female golem that they name Ava. Tell us what you like and we'll recommend books you'll love. As with many adventure novels, there are too many characters to keep track of.

But the rest of the time, when The World That We Knew is a historical novel about how four Jewish teenagers struggle to survive the Holocaust, it’s pedestrian. It opens up the world, the universe, in a way that it absolutely unique. An intricate story of people not only trying to survive WWII, but also put up resistance in the French countryside, all with a touch of Alice Hoffman’s signature magic. What sells newspaper? It’s my new favorite Hoffman book.” —JODI PICOULT, New York Times bestselling author of Small Great Things and A Spark of Light 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.

Luckily, the plot is a page-turner. A Part of Conversation Questions for the ESL Classroom.

If you were to examine the relationship between the government and the economy in the United States today, which of the four major theoretical perspectives outlined in the chapter would be most helpful?

— Joe Hill, New York Times bestselling author of Stange Hill and The Fireman  "A spellbinding portrait of what it means to be human in an inhuman world.

Victor is handsome and the best driver and explosives-maker in the Resistance. Be who I might have become.”. Even worse, the point of view switches frequently, sometimes in mid-paragraph. Fran Hawthorne is the award-winning author of eight books on business and public policy.

WWII fiction has glutted the market, but Hoffman’s unique brand of magical realism and the beautiful, tender yet devastating way she explores her subject make this a standout.”—BOOKLIST (STARRED REVIEW) “One of America’s most brilliant novelists since her debut, Property Of, Hoffman uses her signature element of magical realism to tackle an intolerably painful chapter in history. 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.

When she and the heron dance, “Ava looked luminous as she danced barefoot, and sometimes she threw her head back and laughed with delight.”. There’s the Jewish concept of the world we know and the world to come, and another set of worlds, the happier worlds that Lea, Ettie, and Julien barely remember and the horrible world they now inhabit. Readers know going in that their hearts will be broken, but they will be unable to let go until the last page.”—LIBRARY JOURNAL (STARRED REVIEW) "Page by page, paragraph by paragraph, sen- tence by sentence, The World That We Knew presents a breathtaking, deeply emotional odyssey through the shadows of a dimming world while never failing to convince us that there is light somewhere at the end of it all. Thank you for signing up, fellow book lover!