The World That We Knew

A Novel

By: Alice Hoffman

Narrated by: Judith Light

Audio bonus! The audio download edition includes an exclusive interview with Alice Hoffman and Judith Light!

New York Times Best Seller

Longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal

On the brink of World War II, with the Nazis tightening their grip on Berlin, a mother’s act of courage and love offers her daughter a chance of survival.

“[A] hymn to the power of resistance, perseverance, and enduring love in dark times…gravely beautiful…Hoffman the storyteller continues to dazzle.” (The New York Times Book Review)

At the time when the world changed, Hanni Kohn knows she must send her 12-year-old daughter away to save her from the Nazi regime. Her desperation leads her to Ettie, the daughter of a rabbi whose years spent eavesdropping on her father enables her to create a mystical Jewish creature, a rare and unusual golem, who is sworn to protect Hanni’s daughter, Lea.

Once Ava is brought to life, she and Lea and Ettie become eternally entwined, their paths fated to cross, their fortunes linked. What does it mean to lose your mother? How much can one person sacrifice for love? In a world where evil can be found at every turn, we meet remarkable characters that take us on a stunning journey of loss and resistance, the fantastical and the mortal, in a place where all roads lead past the Angel of Death and love is never-ending.

©2019 Alice Hoffman (P)2019 Simon & Schuster Audio

Critic reviews

"Judith Light's intensely dramatic narration suits the subject matter well. She delivers the dialogue passionately, and the narrative is brisk and sharp.... The magical elements seem perfectly realistic as revealed in Light's driving, theatrical delivery. It doesn't take long for the listener to get pulled into this other realm, eager to keep up with Light's narrative pace." (AudioFile Magazine)

The Power of Love

In the worst of times, when being a Jewish girl in 1940s Germany was a death sentence, a mother's love manifest in the form of a supernatural being created to protect her child from the trains to the death camp Auschwitz. The girl, her protector and those they encounter reveal the courage and sacrifice that saved so many French Jews. Through sorrow and loss, grief and rage, one emotion saves the girl and those dear to her: love.

Hoffman is a literary artist

The story line kept you hooked from the first chapter to the last words. Hoffman painted the scenes and characters with her detailed descriptions. I enjoyed the book.

Captivating

One of the best story's yet. My favorite, to date, by Alice Hoffman. She writes from the heart.

A beautiful fairy tale.

Listened to the whole story in one go. Wonderful mixture of magic and reality. Heartbreaking characters full of heroism and faith. Left me with my own kind of heartache. Great performance.

Breathtaking.

I can not even come up with the words of how lovely this was. Creating the Golom might have been one of the most magical sequences I have heard....

Hoffman brings her magic to the Holocaust

This is a powerful story about the power of love and what it means to be human. Alice Hoffman is a master storyteller. I was drawn in to the lives of her characters and loved the way she woke different strands of the story together.
Judith Light’s narration was perfect.

Great book

My book club really enjoyed discussion this book. Lots of topics. It was the first magical realism book I was able to enjoy!

Best yet !!

I enjoyed this AH novel, her portrayal of men Tall , dark, handsome and loyal is fabulous !
Thank you 🙏
The narration is haunting with Judith Light .

Really different

I loved this story! It had depth and meaning!! I thought the reader sounded sincere and had a great reading voice.

Not Alice Hoffman’s Best

The story was slow at the beginning. Got better as the story progressed. Judith Light was a poor narrator.