This is a multi faceted story of how some people coped in World War two.set in Europe. A mother is worried for her young daughter, unable to leave Berlin she persuades a Rabbi's daughter to create a Golem to protect her daughter as she escapes the atrocities. The book charts the struggle to survive in the war but the book is also full of hope for the future. An unbelievable story in true Alice Hoiffman style. I truly believe this is her best book for far. It would make a fabulous novel for a book club. She is one of my favourite authors and I would really recommend this book to anyone.

I absolutely adored this book and it has easily been one of my favourite reads of this year. It is a spectacular story that will stay with me for a very long time to come.

A magical realist take on the Jewish experience in the Second World War.. If anyone can do it, it's Alice Hoffman. Beautiful and heartbreaking.

Absolutely beautiful book, vividly and heart breakingly evoking the era of the second world war - for those who might be concerned that this is an over familiar setting, Hoffman brings a breath of fresh air and ghastly beauty to it. There is a fairytale and magic realist quality here - the golem Ava was much more humane than most of the human characters!

Gorgeous writing, credible and authentic characters, moving story. A delight from beginning to end.

Really beautiful book exploring the nature of love against a backdrop of war. A brilliant tale of resistance that takes a magical realist approach.

No author can be relied upon for a touching, magical novel more so than Alice Hoffman. She weaves a spell that thoroughly enchants her readers. The World That We Knew illustrates the horrors of WWII and the desperate lengths a Jewish mother will go to to protect her daughter, Lea. Seeking help from Ettie, a Jewish Rabbi's daughter, they craft a golem to protect Lea from all the dangers of wartime Europe. Ava, the creature, has one goal in her existence - to protect Lea - but there is more to her beyond her simple, female facade.

In this novel we track the journey of Lea, Ava, Ettie and a number of characters who fight for survival and strive to help people left homeless and powerless by the war. We witness the blossoming of love, face heartbreaking death and the sacrifices everyone must make during this horrific period in history.

Ms. Hoffman writes this story with the kindest, most respectful beauty bringing to vivid life the hardships of the time. As readers, we follow characters whose lives intersect and diverge on various levels but come together to deliver a heart-wrenching finale. The World That We Knew is a delicately lovely story and most satisfying. Well worth reading for a magical tale of love, tragedy and redemption.

Alice Hoffman has written a heartbreaking story about an absolutely terrible period in history and managed to make it beautiful and magical. A truly amazing book.

With a mixture of history and gothic fairy-tale, The World That We Knew is an exploration of good vs evil, and examines what it means to be human. Hanni Kohn is a mother who will stop at nothing to protect her daughter from the evil that is taking over her country. Unable to live her infirm mother on her own, Hanni is not able to leave Berlin herself, but is determined that her daughter Lea, will escape and survive. She visits a Rabbi, whose daughter Ettie summons the mythical golem, an entity made from clay, imbued with life by those who know the ancient Hebrew ways. Ava comes to life and is tasked with protecting Lea as she escapes Nazi persecution. As each day passes, Ava becomes stronger and learns skills that help her keep Lea alive. They make their way to Paris, where they stay with the Levi's. Their sons Julien and Victor become central characters in this book. Julien and Lea find an instant connection, and even when they are separated by circumstances, they find a way to keep in touch and implore the other to find a way to stay alive. Victor is impelled to fight the Nazi's and joins an underground resistance movement, who are instrumental in saving hundreds of Jews. There is so much beauty in this book, and the plot-line brings the central characters together in the most compelling of ways. Whilst there is beauty, there is also much sadness and anyone who reads this wonderful book could not help but be moved by the stories of the quiet heroes and heroines who risked their own lives to save others. This book is original, poetic and a modern masterpiece.

The World That We Knew is Alice Hoffman's masterpiece. Who says you can't write an enjoyable book about one of the biggest atrocities of the modern era - the Holocaust. They say evil exists so that we can see the good all the more clearly, and the struggle portrayed in the story shows just how these characters flourished under oppression and the threat of the Nazi regime effectively taking over Europe. This is a potent mix of historical fiction and magical realism and it works very well. It's set at the height of fear about insidious Nazism and fascism and is refreshingly original and unique with a strong sense of time and place and the lyrical, flowing way in which it is written immerses you in the story from the get-go.

It centres around Jewish folklore and the summoning of a golem, Ava, to protect protagonist Lea from the wartime chaos, and the story not only follows Lea and Ava but Ettie - a Rabbi's daughter, and two brothers, Julien and Victor as they fight to survive. This is a powerful ode to the strength of those affected by WWII and a moral message to love one another. Although, of course, the story is dark and chilling what comes out of it is how humanity is capable of great feats of compassion even in such a terrible time. I was completely immersed as it is told in such a vivid manner and you can tell Hoffman has researched the subject thoroughly; this adds an air of authenticity to it all. All in all, this is a riveting and deeply moving book. I look forward to what Hoffman produces next. Many thanks to Scribner UK for an ARC.

Unbelievably powerful read, breathtaking, beautifully written and just so heartbreaking. A story set in the darkest periods of the world and seen through the Jewish female perspectives, it’s an unforgettable story , unique, historical fiction but also something more. An emotional experience that stays with you long after the pages of the book are closed.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Alice Hoffman weaves a powerfully imaginative story of Europe's nightmarish historical horrors of WW2 and the Holocaust, coloured with the fantastical, Jewish folklore, the darkest of grim fairytales, set in Germany and Nazi occupied France, with its Nazi collaborators, the Milice, determined to destroy the brave French Resistance. It speaks of love, loss, grief, heartbreak,resilience and courage in the face of the insanity and monstrous evil of the Nazi regime, illustrating both sides of the coin, the very best of humanity side by side with the terrifying side of its worst. Hanni Kohn is living in a Berlin in 1941, facing a choice that no mother wants, her husband, Simon, has been murdered, Germany is far too dangerous for her bright 12 year old daughter, Lea. Fiercely protective, she will do whatever it takes to save Lea, make any sacrifice even if it breaks her heart. She seeks help from a rabbi, finding it from the daughter, Ettie, instead.

The remarkable Ettie can do what it is said only men can do, she conjures a special golem from clay, Ava, to protect Lea. Hanni knows in her heart she cannot leave her ailing mother, and sends Lea, who doesn't want to leave her beloved mother, with Ava to France. Ettie, too, escapes with her younger sister, Marta, their paths destined to intertwine and connect with that of Lea and Ava. Encountering love, angels of death on earth, white roses, a white wolf, a dancing heron, and help from unexpected places, the unimaginably defiant spirit of the French resistance, there is inhumanity, terror, the madness of evil, and how far the human soul will rise to counter it. This is the story about love, war, about the humanity of Ava, mothers and daughters, family, faith, survival and the unbelievable wonders of the human spirit.

This is unforgettable and well researched storytelling, with characters so vividly vibrant, where the magical realism elements simply strengthen the narrative, lending it an ever greater impact. It goes without saying that I recommend this highly. Many thanks to Simon and Schuster for an ARC.

Alice Hoffman's novel is a wartime tale of the fate of Lea, a Jewish girl, and Ava her protector. As Jewish persecution takes hold they fleef first Berlin and later Paris. Over the course of the war their lives become embroiled with those of others - Victor and Julien - Parisian cousins; Marianne a French farming girl and Ettie, who also escapes from Berlin. We follow the narratives of the various characters through different chapters and they come to different fates, as the novel ends. The novel is at times moving but I felt it was essentially overlong and over-ambitious. It simply collapses under its own weight. There is a sense that Hoffman wants to cram in as many versions as she can of Jewish stories from the war. The overall effect is therefore diluted. There are factual passages very clumsily shoehorned into the narrative, for example detailing particular wartime atrocities., which jar with the narrative and disrupt the flow. Of course the author wants to convey the truths of the wartime experience for French and German Jews but in trying to do everything, she somehow ends up achieving little. The novel is in need of some rewriting and some substantial editing. On the positive side, I enjoyed the elements of Jewish mysticism which were quite unusual and the character of Ava was well conceived and very interesting. There is a good novel in there somewhere, but not in its current form.

Truly unique, magical, and breathtaking. A story of love in all its forms, and in all of its heartbreaking reality.

A wonderfully unique and introspective consideration of the Jewish faith, and the atrocities they faced during one of history's darkest periods. While the story is said to follow three women, it's scope is far wider, and in reality it studies a broad range of those living through this time.

The prose is beautiful, as it always is when Hoffman is involved. The magical realism involved is perfect - mystical without being mocking, and providing a beautiful insight into the beliefs at the heart of the Jewish faith for those of us who are not familiar with it.

A completely unique book, one that is almost impossible to categorise. Yes, it is historical fiction, but it's lyrical beauty and breathtaking plot make it a truly stand out novel.

★★★★✰ 4 stars

“Heart of my heart, love of my life, the only loss I will never survive.”


The Nightingale meets The Golem and the Jinni in Alice Hoffman's latest novel. While The World That We Knew may in points thread similar paths to those of many other novels (historical fiction seems to be brimming with WWII books) it is also undeniably Hoffman's own unique creation, one that seamlessly blends the magical with the real.

“If you do not believe in evil, you are doomed to live in a world you will never understand.”


Hoffman's distinctive writing style imbues her narrative with a beautifully rhythmic quality. Sentences seems to smoothly run into each other, swiftly carrying us from one scene to the next, and creating an effect of constant motion within the narrative itself.
Because of this the novel is more fast-paced than Hoffman's works usually are. In a certain way it seemed to reflect the turbulent times it depicted, keeping up with the ever-changing war torn Europe, and while I can see why this worked, part of me wished for a slower pace...then again that might have counteracted the sense of urgency generated by the perpetually moving narrative.
Hoffman's prose also resonates with the story's focus on Jewish Mysticism and folklore. Not knowing much about certain Jewish practices and beliefs, I was absorbed by Hoffman's comprehensive representation of this faith and its ideologies. Hoffman allows each of her characters to have a different understanding of this faith, one that is affected—for the better or worse—by their increasingly deteriorating realities. Jewish faith seems to be a multivalent and dynamic element of the story, appearing as more than a mere backdrop, a crucial component of Hoffman's storytelling itself.

“Hanni Kohn saw what was before her. She would do whatever she must to save those she loved, whether it was right or wrong, permitted or forbidden.”


The enduring love of a mother for her daughter sets in motion the story. To protect her twelve year daughter Lea, Hanni Kohn seeks help from Ettie, a rabbi's daughter, as to create a golem, one that will become Lea's guardian. The story will follow Lea, Ava (the golem), Ettie, and two brothers, Julien and Victor, as they attempt to navigate a world which seems determined to erase them and find solace in one another and in the kindness and compassion of strangers. There are many affecting relationships within these pages whether it is a familial (such as a mother/father-child or a sibling bond) or romantic love.

“Each felt fortunate to be in the company of the other. The reset of the world and its cruelties didn't matter as much when they were together.”


As these characters are united and separated, scattered across Nazi-occupied France, they are made to endure loss after loss. Yet, the narrative never entirely succumbs to darkness. While they are negotiating their feelings of grief and despair, they find purpose in helping those around them. Some become part of the resistance (rescuing thousands of Jewish lives) demonstrating their bravery in bold acts of heroism, others perform smaller acts of kindness (for instance Lea's bond with another girl in hiding).
Ava seemed a character that radiated energy and strength. While she may have been created as a 'stand-in' for Lea's mother, she has her own distinctive personality, one that seems, to both readers and other characters alike, to be almost other-worldly . As Ava experiences the world around her she begins to feel more keenly for those around her. She forms a beautiful and heart-wrenching bond with a heron and her unique worldview gave us glimpses into the magical and temporarily relieved us from the otherwise brutal landscape of the narrative.

“In truth, she felt a kinship with bread and the way it was made, the damp weight kneaded and shaped into proper form, heated until it was set.”


Lea's tumultuous relationship with Ava is rendered in a striking manner. Lea's grief and confusion cloud her feelings towards Ava, while Ava slowly loosens the bonds of the role imposed on her by her creator(s).
Hoffman conveys with painful clarity the feelings of entrapment and claustrophobia known by those who are forced into hiding. There are many distressing scenes in which we witness characters being killed or taken to death camps, and Hoffman emphasises the horrors of certain parts of her story by juxtaposing them with seemingly ordinary and mundane scenes. We become accustomed to a family (its routine and dynamics), only to witness them being torn apart.
The youth and dreams of these characters are obscured by a series of events which presage the horrors to come. As Jewish citizens loose their rights and freedom, our characters are forced to reassess their view of the world and of their own future.
In spite of the uncertainty given by their stories, the narrative foreshadows some of these characters' future decision or actions.

“Her greatest sin would be committed in the future, and it was one for which she could never be forgiven.”


Within her story Hoffman contrasts heart-warming moments between friends and families with the evil carried out by the Nazis and their collaborators. The novel explores the way each character attempts to make sense of themselves in an unrecognisable world.
It is a a tale of faith, grief, love, death, sorrow, destiny, bravery, and freedom. I was both anxious and eager to read about the various characters respective journey's even if the narrative anticipated the way their story would unfold.

“The past was simply where she lived now, crossing over from on world to the other with such ease it was becoming more difficult to remain in the here and now.”


I thoroughly recommend this to fans of both historical fiction and magical realism. Hoffman's melodic prose makes for an emotional reading experience.

Note: Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this before its release.

This is a remarkable book and one I would thoroughly recommend. It follows the lives of Lea, Ettie, Marianne and Ava as they experience life escaping from the atrocities suffered by Jews during WW II. Although terrible things are described and alluded to, the overall feeling of the book is one of enduring love; the great love that humans are capable of.
Entwined within this is an incredible story steeped in magic - not the sort of story I would normally be drawn to but in this case so well crafted that it becomes part of the whole and is exactly right. Added to this is the painstaking research that has gone into this book. Layers upon layers of stories and background that leave you coming up for air at the end, so thoroughly engrossed are you.
One of the best books I have read in a long time.

An e-copy of this book was kindly provided to me by the publisher, Simon and Schuster, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

What an amazing and awe-inspiring book. This is a hauntingly beautiful and heartbreakingly human novel that deals with the plight of Jewish people in the second world war in a totally fresh and thought-provoking way.

Starting with a sacrifice that Hanni Kohn makes for her young daughter in order to get her out of 1940s Berlin, this is a wonderful book about mothers and the bonds that can never be broken between a mother and child. Mothers new and old haunt the book and are the foundation of its treatment of humanity in the face of true evil.

The story follows Hanni's daughter Lea and touches on the stories of many other ordinary people and how each life was affected by the horrors of the war, and we see children growing up in truly awful circumstances, although each makes choices and a life for themselves in the face of extreme difficulties.

What really makes this a remarkable read is the mixture of historical fact-based fiction with a more mystical element that weaves the supernatural into the everyday. The character of Ava, her nature and her actions are fascinating and you completely believe her story as it unfolds throughout the book.

As the characters face love, loss and danger, the story gets darker and more dangerous and the actions of ordinary people become more abhorrent. But the ending of the book shows that whatever the horrors the characters endure, they are not so changed that they can't recognise and reach for the glimmer of hope for a better time to come.

This is so beautifully written and can't fail both to move you and to deepen your understanding of a truly dark period of recent history, the stories and characters will haunt you.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this before publication.

Another amazing book for Hoffman. It’s a bit out of my usual genres but I loved it. So magical you could get lost in it!

An extraordinary, magical and heart-breaking read.

Set in the 1940s France and Germany, during the period of the extermination of the Jews, the story tracks a number of characters as they struggle to escape, join the resistance, and help others: Marianne, the one-time housemaid who falls in love with Victor, the eldest boy of the house; Julien, his younger brother; Lea, who escaped to the house of Victor and Julien, protected by the magical golem Ava, created with Hebrew spells by Ettie, a fiercely strong rabbi’s daughter.

The wealth of strong characters that populate the story are key to this read – I felt invested in each and every one. An immensely powerful story, which I highly recommend.

An interesting take on horrors of WW2. Whilst the genocide and persecution of the Jews is central to this book the story is held together with touches of magic and humanity, making it a pleasure to read.

I was slightly wary of putting myself through another WW2 pain and suffering novel but this is very different, yes there are jack booted Nazis but there is some beautiful writing, and importantly, hope as people continue to love and plan for uncertain futures. A great read.

This book was just written so beautifully. It was haunting, thought provoking, heart breaking and hopeful all at the same time.

Lea (12 years old) and her mother Hanni are German Jews living in Berlin when the world is at war.
This story is very complex with its well developed characters that involves magic and mystery. Things come together slowly and wonderfully leaving you wanting more.

Absolutely loved it. Recommended!
Thanks a lot to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review.