“The True Story of Hansel and Gretel: A Novel of War and Survival”
By Louise Murphy
Published by Penguin Books
Finished 7/1/16 – 5 / 5 stars
I am truly at a loss for words as to how much I adored this
book. Yes, it’s another book taking place
during World War II but it can’t be defined by that. It is a story of love and compassion, putting
your life at risk for others, and the struggle to survive. Unlike other holocaust books I’ve read, this
one takes place in a small village in Poland and the surrounding woods and
fields. A Jewish family escapes the
ghetto and separates in order to try and survive. The children’s names are changed to Hansel
and Gretel to try to be accepted if they are found, and of course they are…..by
a little old Gypsy woman named Magda.
The story follows their life with Magda as well as the life of their
father and stepmother who left them at the edge of the woods so as not to be
caught by the soldiers chasing them.
There are other characters intertwined as well, and most will tug at
your heart strings.
The writing is absolutely fabulous. There is one scene that takes place in a
concentration camp, a horrific place, yet it was beautifully done. As odd as this will sound, I think it was my
favorite part of the book. Obviously not
because of what took place, but because of the way it was written – so full of
love and compassion. It will stay with
me for a long time.
Another piece that will stay with me is Greta’s description
of the Milky Way……”All those stars in that big streak that goes over the whole
sky? You see them? Those are all the Jews who’ve died. All of them died and went up in the air, and
the stars are the stars that they wore on their coats. The stars on the coats come off when their
souls float up and the stars live up in the sky forever.” And when disturbed by a shooting star falling,
Hansel says ”They aren’t falling. They’re
going down to meet other people that are going up.” Just beautiful.
It does sound very beautiful. Writing about WWII and the concentration camps isn't easy. An author needs to find their way in and around it in order to tell a compelling story, I suppose.
ReplyDeleteIt does sound very beautiful. Writing about WWII and the concentration camps isn't easy. An author needs to find their way in and around it in order to tell a compelling story, I suppose.
ReplyDeleteVery true. Sometimes WWII books can be hard to read as well. I didn't find that to be the case here. Even when there are violent acts within the story, they aren't graphic scenes (in my opinion).
ReplyDelete