When Time Stopped

A Memoir of My Father's War and What Remains

De: Ariana Neumann

Narrado por: Rebecca Lowman

In this astonishing story that “reads like a thriller and is so, so timely” (BuzzFeed) Ariana Neumann dives into the secrets of her father’s past: “Like Anne Frank’s diary, it offers a story that needs to be told and heard.” (Booklist, starred review)

In 1941, the first Neumann family member was taken by the Nazis, arrested in German-occupied Czechoslovakia for bathing in a stretch of river forbidden to Jews. He was transported to Auschwitz. Eighteen days later his prisoner number was entered into the morgue book.

Of 34 Neumann family members, 25 were murdered by the Nazis. One of the survivors was Hans Neumann, who, to escape the German death net, traveled to Berlin and hid in plain sight under the Gestapo’s eyes. What Hans experienced was so unspeakable that, when he built an industrial empire in Venezuela, he couldn’t bring himself to talk about it. All his daughter, Ariana, knew was that something terrible had happened.

When Hans died, he left Ariana a small box filled with letters, diary entries, and other memorabilia. Ten years later Ariana finally summoned the courage to have the letters translated, and she began reading. What she discovered launched her on a worldwide search that would deliver indelible portraits of a family loving, finding meaning, and trying to survive amid the worst that can be imagined.

A “beautifully told story of personal discovery” (John le Carré), When Time Stopped is an enthralling detective story and an epic family memoir, spanning nearly 90 years and crossing oceans. Neumann brings each relative to vivid life, and this “gripping, expertly researched narrative will inspire those looking to uncover their own family histories” (Publishers Weekly).

©2020 Ariana Neumann (P)2020 Simon & Schuster Audio

Narrator was too Detached. Needed More Emotion.

my main issue with listening to this book is the narrator. she was frankly too well spoken. she showed zero emotion as she read story. I would say she was too professional for my taste. her tone and intonation gave nothing away as to the significance or lack of significance of what she was reading and saying.

An excellent novel, beautifully written and narrated.

An excellent novel, beautifully written and narrated.
I could barely tear myself away from listening to this novel.

an incredible story

the story is well written,with details of life in the times past described very well,to accurate details as well as the overall recounting of the time during the war.my father,like the author’s fahrer,was born in 1921.he was drafted to berlin to work for the reich.just like the author’s father,my dad je er spoke of those times.
i knew all the stories from his mom,my grandma.those we awful,terrible times.
i am glad i found this story.

Outstanding

Beautiful, haunting. Thank you Ariana Neumann for crafting such a loving tribute to your very special father and his family.

When Time Stopped

Es una historia terrible y de gran carga emocional, narrada de una manera magistral y humana.

A masterpiece

Brilliantly structured and beautifully written. 'When Time Stopped' is chock-full of suspense, history, authenticity, irony, pathos, appropriate humor, and meaningful and memorable family characters. Thank you, Ariana Neumann, for writing a true masterpiece, and clearly doing so from the heart.

Amazing family history-must listen!

This is a fascinating thoroughly researched family history through their experiences before dieting and after world war 2.

Beautifully written and so interesting

I heard about this book on Dani Shapiro's Family Secrets podcast, otherwise I doubt this would have crossed my radar despite how much I read about The Holocaust. Neumann's book, however, stands out as one of the best I have read because she tells her father's very unusual story of how he survives as a Czech Jew during WW2. Part of the story is her investigation, over the course of years, of his life before and during the war--during her father's lifetime, he says almost nothing. She doesn't even know he's Jewish, but he leaves Neaumann a box of papers upon his death, which is how she starts to unravel his story.

As for the audio narration...excellent, but I wish they had chosen a narrator with an English accent because the author has an English accent.

Special story

I loved this book. I felt as if I was there in that period during WWII. I couldn't put it down.

Excellent!

It was a riveting account of a daughter’s search for the tragic story of her father’s family in WW2 Czechoslovakia. Detailed, well-researched, and beautifully written