Breakfast Book Review

Alice Hoffman’s : The World That We Knew

 

It’s spring! Okay, I know things are upside down in the world right now, but as always, the one shining light that will always be available to us is the ability to escape into a good book. And, trust me, this is a GREAT book! Take for instance this line which is about… spring…

“It was the time of year when one day was spring, and the next was winter, when birds in their nests often froze to death, and roses bloomed in the snow.” ~ The World That We Knew, Alice Hoffman

How gorgeous is that?! It’s one of those lines that makes you pause, look up from your book, and breathe deeply for a moment or two.

This is the description from the Dust Jacket:

“In Berlin in 1941, during humanities darkest hour, three unforgettable women must act with courage and love to survive.

At the time when the world changed, Hanni Kohn knows she must send her twelve-year-old daughter away to save her from the Nazi regime. She finds her way to a renowned rabbi, but it’s his daughter Ettie, who offers hope of Salvation when she create a mystical Jewish creature, a rare and unusual golem, who is sworn to protect Hanni’s daughter Lea. Once Ava is brought to life, she and Lea and Ettie become eternally entwined, their paths fated to cross, their fortunes linked.

Lea and Ava travel from Paris, where Lea meets her soul mate, to a convent in Eastern France known for it;s silver roses, to a school in the mountaintop village where three thousand Jews were saved. Meanwhile, Ettie is in hiding, waiting to become the fighter she’s always known she’s destined to be.

What does it mean to lose your mother? How much can one person sacrifice for love? In a world where evil can be found at every turn, we meet remarkable characters that take us on a stunning journey of loss and resistance, the fantastical and the mortal, in a place where all roads lead past the Angel of Death and love is never-ending.”

Delicious!

Three things I loved about this book:

1. The Perspective: I found this book at just the right moment. It really helped put in perspective the things that are happening now due to Cornona virus. As bleak as things may seem, they pale in comparison to the suffering and hardship that people faced in Europe during WWII.  Alice Hoffman infused the narrative with facts from the war;  real places, incidences, and people who went above and beyond to save lives. These real life heros succeeded and survived against insurmountable odds, which made the struggle and the triumphs of the fictional characters that much more inspiring.

2. The Theme of a Mother’s Love: I’m a mom. This theme gets me every time. There is nothing Hanni would not do to save her daughter, it was heart-breakingly beautiful to witness the selfless lengths she went through to ensure her daughter’s safety. Any parent will relate to the desperation Hanni felt when she knew she could not travel with Lea to safety but had to find a way to ensure her daughter would survive.

3. The Magical Realism: The character of Ava, the golem, was masterfully written. She would have been my favorite character if not for the addition of the Heron. Without giving too much away, the Heron is Ava’s special friend, perhaps even her soul-mate. They share a special relationship, can speak with one another, and meet in secret to dance together in the moonlight. Every passage I read about the Heron gave me goosebumps. The only regret I have about this book is that there wasn’t more written about the Heron. I wanted to know where he went and what he did during the winter. I wish I could have known more about his thoughts and feelings. His character was utterly captivating.

And now for Breakfast…

 

I paired The World That We Knew with Vegan Lemon Blueberry Muffins and a cup of Ginger Tea. I added honey to my photo because one of the minor characters in the book is a bee keeper. I don’t eat honey myself, but it’s an homage to Marianne’s father and the Beehive House. Intrigued? You should bee! 😉

Mariah’s Lemon Blueberry Muffins

Recipe adapted from: Vegan with a Vengeance, Isa Chandra Moskowitz

1 Cup All Purpose Organic Flour

1 Cup Ground Organic Cornmeal

1 Tbsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

1/3 Cup Organic Cane Sugar

1/2 Cup Canola Oil

2 Tbsp Unsweetened Applesauce

Zest of One Lemon

6 oz Organic Blueberries

Preheat oven to 400. Line muffin tins with paper cups.

In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients. Mix well. Carefully fold in the blueberries. Fill Muffin Tins equally. Bake 20-ish minutes. They taste best warm with a pat of vegan butter!

Hope You enjoy the muffins AND the book!

xo,

Mariah