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My review:
5 plus plus Stars
5 plus plus (Thank you so much, Netgalley and publisher, for this arc. The first thing I did when I finished reading it and stopped sobbing was preordering my copy with Barnes and Noble. )
When I saw Alice Hoffman was the author of this project, I couldn't stop thinking about it, because Anne Frank's Diary had such an impact on my childhood as a reader.
This author is one of my favorite top women fiction/magic realism authors. I trusted she could write Anne Frank with the respect, life, kindness, joy, and strength of such an important historical character with lyric emotion. It doesn't disappoint. I read it in one sitting, I will reread it again and again.
The constant subtle lyric references to animals, nature, colors, senses, and storytelling bring it all together in the first years of WWII in Anne's life. Her relationship with her family is presented so well. Being closer to her father and grandmother, having a harder relationship with her mother and sister, finding love with a boy her age... The author filled the gaps with fictional details that worked. The author's extensive research and cooperation with Anne Frank House in Amsterdam created a novel that is appropriate for all ages and a lesson of humbleness to our present days telling us we have the responsibility to be better.
There are so many details in each chapter that could be discussed (family, coming of age, social, political, religious, the importance of books, past, myths, knowledge, stories in our understanding of humanity, evil doings, acts of kindness, fear, injustice, fairness, life, love, the realization that end is near when life is starting... So much can be analyzed, and given reflection in the classroom or among family. The short paragraph interludes are amazing extras listing what was lost or what is remembered. They are deeply emotional and sad.
It starts with chapters filled with dreams, hope, mischief, stories, the promise of a full life... of visiting America, California, shopping at Macy's, of growing up to experience all sorts of emotions, love, disappointment, joy, and marriage... as we advance from one chapter to the next we start to subtract something, starts small but it's consistent and progressive and scary, already on a path to the end.
The family is portrayed well and with such kindness and knowledge. They have many life lessons worth quoting. The author expresses well that they were so kind that they couldn't foresee that the evil doings were no storm that would pass soon. The adults try to protect Anne from the truth, but she understands more than she lets them know. And with another chapter and another, they lose more as more horrible laws are passed forbidding them to live freely, to walk, to do... The anniversary when she got the diary was when my tears started to fall and the scene with the necklace and Anne's final decision towards it made me sob.
Fear takes over dreams, and sadness takes over life. There's so much in each chapter to underline, to quote, to never forget. Never forget. (I read an arc so I can't quote, but I will after it's published).
Description
"Bestselling author Alice Hoffman delivers a stunning novel about one of contemporary history's most acclaimed figures, exploring the little-known details of Anne Frank's life before she went into hiding.
Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl has captivated and inspired readers for decades. Published posthumously by her bereaved father, Anne's journal, written while she and her family were in hiding during World War II, has become one of the central texts of the Jewish experience during the Holocaust, as well as a work of literary genius.
With the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, the Frank family's life is turned inside out, blow by blow, restriction by restriction. Prejudice, loss, and terror run rampant, and Anne is forced to bear witness as ordinary people become monsters, and children and families are caught up in the inescapable tide of violence.
In the midst of impossible danger, Anne, audacious and creative and fearless, discovers who she truly is. With a wisdom far beyond her years, she will become a writer who will go on to change the world as we know it.
Critically acclaimed author Alice Hoffman weaves a lyrical and heart-wrenching story of the way the world closes in on the Frank family from the moment the Nazis invade the Netherlands until they are forced into hiding, bringing Anne to bold, vivid life.
Based on extensive research and published in cooperation with the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, When We Flew Away is an extraordinary and moving tour de force.
Perfect for Alice Hoffman fans and readers of every age.
"Adding new poignance to a story whose ending we already knew, Alice Hoffman has deftly recreated the child Anne Frank with all her wit, mischief, and uncertainties. This fictionalized account of the increasingly desperate years that preceded the famous diary breaks readers' hearts one more time. But it reminds us of how important it is to remember and honor all that was lost." -- Lois Lowry, Newbery Award-winning author of Number the Stars
“We can highly recommend Alice Hoffman’s novel of Anne Frank’s life, set in the dramatic and terrible circumstances of those first war years. We hope it will persuade young readers that contributing to a better world is both necessary and possible,” says Ronald Leopold, Executive Director, Anne Frank House.
Advance Praise
"Adding new poignance to a story whose ending we already knew, Alice Hoffman has deftly recreated the child Anne Frank with all her wit, mischief, and uncertainties. This fictionalized account of the increasingly desperate years that preceded the famous diary breaks readers' hearts one more time. But it reminds us of how important it is to remember and honor all that was lost." -- Lois Lowry, Newbery Award-winning author of Number the Stars"
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