Cover Image: The World That We Knew

The World That We Knew

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The problem with Alice Hoffman is that she ruins me for other books for a long time after hers. All other writing seems to pale in comparison; other worlds lack depth and richness. I feel almost hung over after finishing The World That We Knew. I read it over the course of a few hours and I feel stunned and almost bruised with feeling for Lea and Ava and Julien and the Heron. Even peripheral characters swept in with stories all their own which enraged me and tore at my heart. Wonderful, beautiful, magical. I loved every word. The World That We Knew is The Nightingale meets The Golem and The Ginni with Hoffman’s trademark silken prose and magic swirled in.

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Alice Hoffman is an author that I’ve enjoyed for many years. I am a huge fan and I’m so excited that I got to read this book early. I absolutely loved this book and I could not get enough of it. I found this story to be so unique and so complex around a time in our world history that has been written about so many times. Having studied history and read so many stories of WWII, Alice Hoffman writes of this period as no other author has with her magical realism taking you through so many emotions with these characters. She will take you on different adventures and then brings them all together. She shows how history and magic can make a beautiful story about women surviving through the tough times. I highly recommend this book.

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The World that We Knew is a masterpiece. It touches on the darkest moments in human history. It was breath taking. I was entranced on page one. The writing was fluid, and the magical realism fit in the story perfectly. World War 2 has become a fond interest of mine in the last two years, and this story did justice to that period of time. Everyone should read this book because if we are to move forward we must never forget where we came from. I recommend this book with highest regards. It is the best book I have read this year, hands down. thank you to Simon and Schuster for the egalley.

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I was completely mesmerized by this story that sent me to the internet to learn more about Golem’s and Jewish mysticism. My personal research has yielded some very interesting information, and I hope if you pick this book up, you do a little searching of your own.

The characters were fascinating and brought to life with so many details that made them seem real. Since it is a book that deals with Jewish people during the years that they were persecuted and killed by the Nazi’s there are losses throughout the book. Sadly, I don’t think anyone could expect otherwise, but it’s still difficult to read about. The main character’s have lost close family members, and how they each react to the losses is not surprising.

From cities to the countryside, Alice does a spectacular job of describing the little nuances that help me to visualize the settings. The addition of a heron that the Golem, Ava, becomes friends with was also a delightful touch adding a bit more magic to an already intriguing story.


Alice Hoffman has outdone herself with this book. I highly recommend it and feel it is definitely a five star book.

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Oh my heart hurts. Just finished this beautiful thing. I’ve always been fascinated with the Jewish community - the people, traditions and history. Alice Hoffman’s new book gives us a sweet/sad tale of several lives who are going through the impossibly tragic time of the Holocaust. Adding a few fairy tale like elements made this so dear to me. It was amazing to be able to read this book by one of my favorite authors! A relevant story for today’s scary world.
She did not disappoint!

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Alice Hoffman's new novel goes back to the worst time in human history when the Nazis were fighting for world dominance. The story begins in 1941 and focuses on three very young girls in Berlin. Hanni Kohn knows she must send her twelve-year-old daughter, Ettie, away. It seems like an impossibility, but mothers will do anything to save their children. AH turns to magical realism and Ettie finds herself under the protection of a woman called Ava.

This novel is notable for its focus on young people trying to stay alive and help in the resistance of the forties. Ettie's travels take her to France, from orphanages to farm families. Ava is a powerful force taking care Ettie without telling her some horrible truths that would make it difficult for Ettie to go on.

An older neighbor of the Kohn family, Lea, is also on the run with her sister. They attempt to flee Berlin by train, and with that, the horror begins. Lea, too, will run and find protection with families in very rural areas outside Vichy, trying to stay alive for her sister's sake.

The suffering endured and witnessed by the young people in this novel is profound and powerful. I cannot imagine it as a mother or as an innocent and protected young girl. AH gives us cruelty and kindness. Both are possible in those tragic historical times. We must remember the children who perished, and those who survived. More importantly, we need to pay tribute to those who resisted bravely but despite their struggle lost their young lives.

Thank you to Alice Hoffman, Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC (Sept. 24th).

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Although I haven’t read The Marriage of Opposites or The Rules of Magic (yet!), I absolutely adored The Dovekeepers, so I was excited to dive into Alice Hoffman’s newest novel, historical fiction set during World War II. After her daughter is almost raped, Hanni Kohn decides that she must send her daughter Lea away from Germany. Because she must stay to protect her mother, Hanni decides to create a mystical Jewish creature, a golem, whose purpose in life will be to protect Ettie. With the help of Ettie, a rabbi’s daughter, they bring to life Ava, and Ava, Lea and Ettie’s path converge in France, which is not quite the safe haven for Jews they were hoping for.

Hoffman does an excellent job of mixing in the fantastical element of Ava into reality, making the jump toward magical realism feel more believable, though still not quite palatable for my taste. From the story, you can tell Hoffman thoroughly researched the Jewish travails in France. Unfortunately, I felt that her extensive research lead to some of the backgrounds of the side characters being covered too extensively so that the author could squeeze in some interesting historical facts.

Though not nearly as good as The Dovekeepers, The World That We Knew will get plenty of outstanding reviews from some who love Alice Hoffman’s gorgeous writing, but only three stars from people like me who struggle with magical realism.

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How can such a vile topic be written about so beautifully? Alice Hoffman has taken a story of hatred, injustice and heart wrenching loss, and crafted it into one of love, survival and life.

In a world where parents are forced to give up their children to save them from the Nazi death camps, three women come together to create a golem, a clay figure from Jewish legend brought to life by a mystical ritual, to keep safe one of their daughters until she is delivered into freedom.

Stunningly written!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.

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Alice Hoffman is an amazing storyteller. This book did not disappoint. She took some terrible events from WWII and created a story with great characters. The main character and the secondary characters were all interesting and kept you reading the story. She also has a way to weave a spiritual aspect in her stories that makes it just flow so beautifully. Thank you NetGalley for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review,

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This is now my new favorite Alice Hoffman book I’ve read. You wouldn’t think magical realism and WWII would cohesively go together in a novel but of course Alice Hoffman pulls it off. You can tell that much research went into it. I’ve read many historical fiction books about WWII & the Holocaust, but this one is very different. Highly recommend!!

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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. Thank you to Netgalley for my honest review

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***Possible spoilers***
Absolute favorite book I've read so far this year. Reminded me of The Nightingale and All The Light We Cannot See in tone, with magical realism thrown in. I've enjoyed other books by Alice Hoffman, but this is my favorite by far. Well-written characters, the story is told from multiple perspectives, including the POV of the golem created to protect a young Jewish girl as she escapes from Germany into France in 1941. Hiding in homes of distant relatives and a convent throughout the war, Lea comes of age, falls in love and survives the Nazi occupation of France. The golem, Ava, completes her mission of protecting her charge, eventually becoming self-realized with plans of her own. Ava's relationship with the crane in the book is magical as it is beautiful, made even more stunning with the brutal background of the Nazi occupiers.
***I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley***

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Wow… This book is both tragic and beautiful, surreal and very, very real. It was my first time reading a book by Alice Hoffman, and at first I wasn’t sure magical realism and WW2 we’re going to mix well. I was wrong. Very wrong. I finished it over a week ago and still can’t stop thinking about it. I literally haven’t been able to start another book yet because I am still swimming through the after effects that this book has on me!

The World That We Knew is the story of a mother who goes to such extreme lengths to save her daughter that she creates another being, a golem who will protect her daughter in ways that she never would be able to. It then becomes a story of survival in Nazi Germany and then in occupied France, the story of being hunted, and standing up against the occupier. From 1941 to the end of the war we follow Lea, Julien, and Ava’s lives, as well as those intricately tied to them, like Marianne and Victor. The story is based in France for the main part, in areas not far from where I grew up (south east), and I am very familiar with the terrain as well as the resistance groups, the maquis, and the safe houses described. The characters have so much to fight and live for, all the while knowing that they may not survive another day in a world that wants their death.

The World That We Knew could have ended up being a weird mix of Kabbalah, spiritualism, war, resistance, survival, and magic. But instead, in my opinion, turned into a beautiful story of love and survival against all odds. I have read so many WW2 novels, and historical fiction written about that time, especially in France, will always be my jam. But the market for this topic has become a little saturated with under researched and over romanticized pulpy novels. The World That We Knew is a breath of fresh air, and takes the reader to another level entirely. Alice Hoffman obviously extensively researched the resistance networks and the area she has written about, as well as mystical Judaism AND the history of the Huguenots. There is so much at play in this novel, so much information provided, but it all falls into place perfectly.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this novel!

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Alice Hoffman describes the inherent magic in being alive in this world like no other writer -- and she succeeds brilliantly in the haunting story of daughters and sisters and mothers expressing their love and living as outcasts, refugees, and outlaws doing the best they can do in World War II. A mother's love is the basis for a complex interplay of stories: she protects her daughter by finding a rabbi's daughter to create a golem (manmade being) as companion, guardian, and guide when she sends her daughter from Berlin to safety while remaining behind to tend her own ailing mother. The characters are complex, fascinating, and realistic as is the magic and beauty that remain even in the horrors of war. While the story staggered in its smooth storytelling in parts, this was a minor issue in an otherwise shimmering piece of novelistic magic.

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Alice Hoffman has not written a book that I didn't love. This is one of my favorites. It is well written with characters that you care about. This story is set in WWll France. It's a story of the pain and suffering of separation of family and friends. What won't you do for the ones you love? It will have you crying from the harsh realities of war, but with hope that never stops. It is a magical story with a Golem created with love for a child. The story is well researched and the history of that time captured as it really was. I recommend this book highly. I received this book from Net Galley and Simon and Schuster for a honest review..

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Every time I read an Alice Hoffman novel, I swear I have a new favorite. THE WORLD THAT WE KNEW, coming out later this September, was spellbinding. The origin of the story itself, based on an interaction with a reader after an event, is fascinating. Hoffman’s talent shines with her word choices and she transforms the narrative by blending her trademark magical storytelling with historical events during WWII. I was nervous as a reader to see how you can tell this story this way but am such a big Hoffman fan that I had to trust that she could. The journey of Ava is one not to be missed as she grows from the earth and into so much more. The way that Azriel is portrayed in the novel and the haunting words used to capture the departed will have you reading into the wee hours of the night to see how the end plays out. The world is full of demons and angels. Yet, even with the storytelling and fantasy elements, the reader is invested in every single historical detail about the Jewish children that were hidden and hardened and honed (while still feeling so much love and connection despite all their losses) during this atrocious time in history and those that risked everything to save them. Read this book – especially if you appreciated The Book Thief. Amazing.
I received an Advance Review Copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

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I am not a fan of magic realism. But Alice Hoffman is the exception that proves the rule, as I have loved every book of hers that I’ve read.

The book takes place during World War Two. Lea’s mother, Hanni, knows she must send her daughter Lea, away from Berlin. Ava is a golem, a soulless creature created to act as a guardian to Lea. Ettie, the daughter of a rabbi, is the one who creates Ava, thereby linking the three of them. We hear from each of them with their individual stories. Each story reveals their strength, their love, their humanity, yes, even “soulless” Ava. It’s not often that I care equally about multiple main characters. Once again, Hoffman is the exception to the rule.

As always, Hoffman transports us. Numerous books have tackled the terror of the Nazi regime, yet Hoffman brought up things I’ve never read elsewhere. Her research was intense but is woven seamlessly into the stories. Primarily a story of survival, it also shows us the best and worst of humanity.

My thanks to netgalley and Simon & Schuster for an advance copy of this book.

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Alice Hoffman is a go-to author for me. The history is always deeply researched, her characters flushed out and made human, and the writing...well, it is just magical. In her latest novel, set in WWII France, Hoffman makes good on a promise made to an audience member at a book talk, to tell the story of the Jewish people, to not forget, to remember the pain and suffering, but also the heroes who arose. Her characters are gorgeous: Ettie, the rabbi's daughter who wants to study with the boys, who creates the golem to protect a child, who fights for her world; Hanni, who suffers the greatest loss, who pours her tears into the golem's eyes so that she looks on her child with a mother's love, who knows the world as she knew it is gone; Lea, the child to be protected, who grows into a woman who sees the possibility in the new world to come, who must make the most painful choice of life or death; Julian and Victor, the two disparate brothers, who watch their Parisian world be destroyed, who fight in different ways, who sacrifice everything; Marianne and her father, the Huguenots, who rebel in the French mountains and fight to save thousands of Jewish children, to change their world; and Ava, the golem, made of mud and blood and tears, who is bound to protect, to defend, to kill if need be, who dances with a heron, who sees the Angel of Death and the World to Come, who must find a place in this world. Do. Not. Miss. This. Book.

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I received a free copy of The World That We Knew in exchange for an honest review
The World That We Knew takes place during World War 2 and is the story of a woman who must be very courageous to suffer the horrors of war.
She must send her daughter away to save her from the Nazis.
How can one survive without their mother.
Find out by reading this very poignant book

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Alice Hoffman owes me the entire day I spent reading The World That We Knew. Of course I’m the one in her debt for writing such a wonderful novel. It’s filled with a mesmerizing story of the realities of war and the role of religion, the soul, courage, horror, fantasy, and love. Hoffman’s writing is lyrical, the intertwined stories are riveting, and her characters and settings, often the same, are beautifully wrought. This may be her best book.

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