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Writer's pictureThe Bossy Bookworm

Review of The World That We Knew by Alice Hoffman

Updated: Jan 12, 2021

Hoffman made me feel anchored to the characters and the emotions, concerns, and life-and-death decisions the three women grappled with.

The world is unraveling on the cusp of World War II, and three strong women will be tested beyond anything they imagined before the end of the war and the end of the book.


We've got the strong, gruff Hanni with a heart of gold; young Ettie, who is idealistic and grows to be tough as nails yet capable of deep love; and a heartbreakingly loyal and satisfyingly powerful golem Ava.


This was a beautiful book. The golem and heron and other ethereal elements could have been distracting, but they worked.


I was most struck by the character-driven WWII stories, which were haunting and lovely. Hoffman made me feel anchored to the characters so that the emotions, concerns, and life-and-death decisions the women grappled with in 1941 felt immediate and relevant.

Any Bossy thoughts about this book?

My book club read this refreshing twist on one of my favorite historical fiction book topics, World War II. The Light After the War is another World War II title I recently really liked.


What are some standouts for you in this genre?

4 Comments


The Bossy Bookworm
The Bossy Bookworm
Sep 13, 2020

I’m so glad! I haven’t read many Alice Hoffman books, but I’d say I generally appreciated her stories more than I adored them. This one is my favorite so far. I was hooked by all the female protagonists, but I still think about Ava!

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nancysproull3
nancysproull3
Sep 13, 2020

I really loved this! Had I just read the book description about the book mentioning the golem, I would have passed, but your review made me take a chance, and I'm glad I did!

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The Bossy Bookworm
The Bossy Bookworm
Aug 24, 2020

I think you’ll like this one! There were some naysayers in my book club because of the fantastical heron element and the golem, but Ava was one of my favorite characters!

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nancysproull3
nancysproull3
Aug 24, 2020

I just checked this one out too!

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