Comeflyaway
Member
Has anyone else read this? What are your thoughts? I just finished it and I'm curious as to what people thought of it.
For those who haven't read it, it's the story of Antonina, a woman whose peaceful life as the wife of a zookeeper in pre-WWII Warsaw is torn apart when the Germans, following Hitler's orders, invade Poland. Though the zoo animals are largely killed or stolen by German officers, the zookeeper and his wife are able to keep enough animals there that they can avoid suspicion as they help over 300 Jews escape Warsaw's Jewish ghetto and hide (either in the zoo itself, or in local safe homes).
The book is largely rooted in diaries and historical documents and other "real" sources, and the author took care to explain the sources of her assumptions and descriptions. If she described Antonina's fear about a German officer, she also provided text from Antonina's actual diaries; if she described a character's appearance, she explained that her observations come from black-and-white photographs, some of which she provides.
All in all, a good read. It covered Antonina and her family from before the war to after it, and it encompassed a lot of events -- both trivial and important. At the same time, though, thinking back, the tone keeps the reader separate from the story. Because of the way the book is written, the characters' thoughts aren't elaborated on as much as if the book were entirely fictional, and a lot of detail that wasn't available to the author was simply left out.
I was left wishing that Ackerman had taken more creative liberties and fictionalized more of the story to fill gaps. I don't mean changing facts or events, but just making up more details to fit her information and help the reader get drawn right into the story and riveted by suspense. As it was, I felt like more of a casual observer.
But like I said, a good read.
For those who haven't read it, it's the story of Antonina, a woman whose peaceful life as the wife of a zookeeper in pre-WWII Warsaw is torn apart when the Germans, following Hitler's orders, invade Poland. Though the zoo animals are largely killed or stolen by German officers, the zookeeper and his wife are able to keep enough animals there that they can avoid suspicion as they help over 300 Jews escape Warsaw's Jewish ghetto and hide (either in the zoo itself, or in local safe homes).
The book is largely rooted in diaries and historical documents and other "real" sources, and the author took care to explain the sources of her assumptions and descriptions. If she described Antonina's fear about a German officer, she also provided text from Antonina's actual diaries; if she described a character's appearance, she explained that her observations come from black-and-white photographs, some of which she provides.
All in all, a good read. It covered Antonina and her family from before the war to after it, and it encompassed a lot of events -- both trivial and important. At the same time, though, thinking back, the tone keeps the reader separate from the story. Because of the way the book is written, the characters' thoughts aren't elaborated on as much as if the book were entirely fictional, and a lot of detail that wasn't available to the author was simply left out.
I was left wishing that Ackerman had taken more creative liberties and fictionalized more of the story to fill gaps. I don't mean changing facts or events, but just making up more details to fit her information and help the reader get drawn right into the story and riveted by suspense. As it was, I felt like more of a casual observer.
But like I said, a good read.