The True Story of Hansel and Gretel: A Novel of War and Survival

The True Story of Hansel and Gretel: A Novel of War and Survival
by Louise Murphy

The True Story of Hansel and Gretel: A Novel of War and Survival
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Book Summary Information

Author: Louise Murphy
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-07-29
ISBN: 0142003077
Number of pages: 297
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Product features:
  • ISBN13: 9780142003077
  • Condition: New
  • Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!

Book Reviews of The True Story of Hansel and Gretel: A Novel of War and Survival

Book Review: SCARY... BUT IT WAS WORTH IT!!!
Summary: 5 Stars

"The German soldier suddenly sighed. It almost stopped the Mechanik. It was a human thing, this soft, sad exhalation of air. The sound of a tired and homesick man who might be a normal man sighing in his loneliness.
The Mechanik was so close he could smell the soap that the German had bathed with; the smell of oil from stolen Polish sausages and a whiff of the vodka he drank with his lunch to keep of the damp and the cold."

I cannot believe that I had this book for so long waiting to be read.
The year is 1943 and Word War II is threatening. Meet Hansel and Gretel whose Jewish names are changed for their protection, as they are sent into the wintry forest by their parents to hide and get a head start, as the Germans begin to move in on their Polish turf. This is done in the childrens' best interests to avoid any confrontation or abuse, or even death at the hands of the Nazis officers, as World War II rears it's ugly head. I remained spell bounded as Hansel and Gretel, wandered cold and hungry through the forest in a somewhat oblivious and uncertainty state. They soon are able to breath a sigh of relief for a while as the come into a village and encounter kindness in the form of Madga, an old lady who is willing to guard them with her life as far as possible.
There are tremendous shocks throughout this book as the Germans presence and pressure is felt and seen by all the villagers. In the meanwhile Hansel and Gretel's family are worried about their safety as day after day passes, and the days darken into despair, lunacy, turmoil and thoughts of survival is all that is in the hearts and minds of the Jewish people.
This book was indeed a page-turner, and held my interest. Highly recommended!!! I give it five stars.
Heather Marshall Negahdar (SUGAR-CANE) 07/06/06

Summary of The True Story of Hansel and Gretel: A Novel of War and Survival

In the last months of the Nazi occupation of Poland, two children are left by their father and stepmother to find safety in a dense forest. Because their real names will reveal their Jewishness, they are renamed "Hansel" and "Gretel." They wander in the woods until they are taken in by Magda, an eccentric and stubborn old woman called "witch" by the nearby villagers. Magda is determined to save them, even as a German officer arrives in the village with his own plans for the children.

Combining classic themes of fairy tales and war literature, this haunting novel of journey and survival, of redemption and memory, powerfully depicts how war is experienced by families and especially by children, and tells a resonant, riveting story.

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