You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

Join us for a March 15 start Buddy Read of: The True Story of Hansel and Gretel by Louise Murphy

This book works for the following Twisted Trivia Challenge tasks, (and maybe others too...)
9 Art/Lit Nay - WWII holocaust
29 Yay Sport: Poland

Buddy Readers: Katrisa, Anne, Jayme, Ayacchi, Anna, Mary Ann

I don't think I'm going to manage this one. Sorry to bow out.

Janice wrote: "I don't think I'm going to manage this one. Sorry to bow out."

no worries, Janice, it's certainly been a non-stop flow of books to read this month, hasn't it?!

Yes, and without a toppler driving me, I won't be performing any miracles. LOL!

I'm in.

Jayme wrote: "I'm in."

Yay! 😃 I'm so curious about this one, can't wait to start it!

I want to join and I hope I can finish it with you guys

Anne ✨ wrote: "Jayme wrote: "I'm in."

Yay! 😃 I'm so curious about this one, can't wait to start it!"

It was up for one of the contenders for my face-to-face book club, but didn't get enough votes. A friend of mine is letting me borrow her copy and she really liked it. Can't wait to read it!

Ayacchi wrote: "I want to join and I hope I can finish it with you guys"

Of course. It should be a great read!

This sounds like it could be an excellent read. I will join you.

I read it earlier this year, but would like to participate if that’s OK.

YAY! Happy you're all joining us Ayacchi, Anna, Mary Ann, I'm really looking forward to reading and discussing this book!

I am looking forward to reading this too. My copy arrived yesterday and I had to hold back from diving in!

This one has been on my tbr for quite since time! I'm excited to finally get to it!

I just downloaded the audio from library, ready to start listening this weekend :)

Can't wait to discuss it! Maybe i'll ask some silly questions

I'm ready to start. :)

I am hoping to be able to download the ebook onto my tablet tonight.

I’m sorry, but before I could get home (I stupidly stopped at the grocery store), someone beat me to the single ebook copy that my library has. My hold indicated that I am now #1 on 1 copy and the wait time is two weeks. My library does not have a printed copy available on site, but there are copies available at other sites in our library group. I added a hold on a print book. No telling how long it will get to my site.

I guess I will not be joining you any time soon.🙁

I've started - I've been gardening while listening to the audiobook.

Ch. 1-3
(view spoiler)[I really like how it starts right in the action with the motorcycle ride/running from the Germans. It catches your attention quickly. I can't imagine the horror of having to make a decision in the moment about how your kids would have best chance of survival, and to make the hard call on sending them off like that! (hide spoiler)]

Anne ✨ wrote: "I've started - I've been gardening while listening to the audiobook.

Ch. 1-3
[spoilers removed]"

At first I thought (view spoiler)[the stepmother went from a bad one to good one. Because in one time she told her husband to run into the forest without the kids. But next they left them in the forest instead, sacrificing theirselves to be a lure. But maybe I was wrong. She just wanted to ged rid of the kids, whichever the way there is (hide spoiler)]

Cherie, are your libraries still open? They have closed all our libraries in salt lake city where I live

I'm planning on starting this book as soon as I finish my current book, which should be tomorrow. and I should have extra time for books in the immediate future since I'm a kindergarten teacher and my state has closed schools for at least two weeks!

As of Friday, the Hillsboro libraries are still open but all activities are canceled. Our K-12 schools are closed until March 31st (Spring break was a week away). Everyone is requested to self isolate as much as we can. My work place is still open but we can work from home, if our job allows. All of our group activities and any off sites are canceled and everyone is observing the 2 meter spacing. (Only 4 people in the elevators - standing in the corners). I work in a 5 foot by 5 foot cubicle, so we are pretty isolated. Mine is on the corner of a row and I only have one person behind me and one on my right. It will be interesting to see what it will be like on Monday. I’m not going anywhere this weekend.

I'm also planning on starting this as soon as I finish my current book which should be this evening.

This is turning out to be a gut punching kind of read and one that is making me very thankful right now for my life.

I have read up to chapter 7 and (view spoiler)[the beginning chapter definitely drew me in. What a horrible decision to have to make - keep running with your children, or leave them behind and hope they make it to safety (hide spoiler)].

I had not heard of the Bialystock ghetto. From the description on Wiki it must have been an absolutely horrendous place to have lived, (if you could compare it to actually living).

In Chapter 2, (view spoiler)[when Hansel leaves his trail of bread, the comment he made regarding his Stepmother really stood out, "Stepmother can find a crumb on a street, in the middle of bodies thrown out in the morning. She'll smell it." Imagine, as a 7 year old child, having experienced what it was like to not only go without food for days and days but to refer to bodies being thrown out in the morning! (hide spoiler)]

I am intrigued to read further about Magda and the part she plays in the book. In chapter 3 (view spoiler)[ I could feel Hansel's upset when Magda said, "Bread is your luck. If you throw it away, you throw your luck away." When Magda realized what Hansel had done, she gives him the chance to make it right, which to me shows she does care, even if at the moment it appears she doesn't (hide spoiler)]

I am really rooting for the Hansel & Gretel's father, but I am not so sure of the Stepmother. I guess time will tell!

I just saw an announcement that they closed our libraries yesterday. They will be closed until the end of March. I guess the shelves were picked pretty clean by the end of the day.

I have plenty of my own books to read without buying any more, so I will be giving this one a pass until I can borrow it.

I've read through chapter 3: Magda (view spoiler)[ I don't think the stepmother was trying to save the children. I think she was trying to protect herself first and then maybe the fallout would save the kids. We shall see (hide spoiler)]

This is really a very creative retelling of Hansel and Gretel, but I must admit that I am becoming weary of WWII stories. Not that they aren't important, but I have read 4 already this year and looking at the annual challenge I have 7 more to read. I think I am going to have to revamp what I am reading.

Jayme wrote: "I've read through chapter 3: Magda [spoilers removed]"

I felt exactly the same way Jayme. The only thing that made me hesitate was (view spoiler)[she did provide the children with new names, which I do think does show she has some compassion - provided it doesn't put her at risk or reduces her risk (hide spoiler)].

I am going to hold off on commenting too much until people finish the book because I listened to the whole book in one day, so I am not sure where spoilers occur! Being a teacher, I find myself with tons of extra time right now to read/listen to books! I will say though that I enjoyed this book even though it was heart-wrenching. I just adored Hansel!

I am just about to start chapter 13 titled "The Burning".

Chapter 7, titled "Nelka" the description of the lice made my skin crawl! "The lice were coming out of the walls and washing down to the floor"

Chapter 8, titled "Pictures" there is a nod to the fairytale, (view spoiler)["I'll never get in the oven", the boy said (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 12, titled "The Car" (view spoiler)[ those poor women!! I felt sick reading this chapter (hide spoiler)].

I finished the book. (view spoiler)[ This was a very good, but very heart wrenching book to read. I thought the retelling of the fairy tale Hansel & Gretel was really creative-relating it to WWI and the plight of the children. But it was difficult to read because of the violence towards the children. I wasn't expecting it, and Murphy wrote it very well, but it was still difficult.
I ended up giving it 4 stars because I felt in the end that she was trying to write about to much - trying to get all the key horrors of WWII into one book. I'm referring to the part of Magda going on the train. I think it would have been more powerful if she just had Magda board the train and left it to our imaginations about what happened to her. The long narrative about Magda and the train changed the writing style and I lost the feel of the book. However, it was a tragic and honest look at WWII and I highly recommend. (hide spoiler)]

Katrisa wrote: "I am going to hold off on commenting too much until people finish the book because I listened to the whole book in one day, so I am not sure where spoilers occur! Being a teacher, I find myself wit..."

Same for me, Katrisa - I listened to the whole book while gardening, I didn't stop to make notes about chapters that things occurred in. So, I'll hold my spoilery comments for now...

Overall, I thought the book was a really unique way to write a war story, and very cleverly written how the elements of the fairy tale were woven in a way that were recognizable but very different too. And the characterization was great - even the 'bad/evil' characters were well drawn. And I agree, Hansel was so endearing!

I forgot which chapter is it, but when Hansel asked Magda, (view spoiler)[Why do you have such a big oven? I can't stop thinking it's not for breads and that because she got it from the baker. It's actually for the kids. Well that's cruel and so Holocaust. Is there any interesting twist as the story goes? (hide spoiler)]

Oh goodness - I've read the Ice Storm chapter....

I finally got my text copy of the book from my library today.
I will pick up on the spoilers when I start reading it. I am currently doing two other buddy reads.

I finished reading the book a few minutes ago. I am sorry I could not read it along with the rest of you.

It was quite the story! I really liked the old woman, Magda, and her grand-niece. I hope she and her baby and Telex survived. The story of Magda’s ending was horrible. I was so shocked about the SS officer being in the city and chasing the children! (view spoiler)[ I was so happy that the children found their father, after all they had gone through. I was surprised that he lived, after being shot through the chest! (hide spoiler)]

I liked the courage of the children throughout the story. I also liked Telek’s courage and his love for Nelka and the baby. I liked how he was always there to help Magda and the children. I could not imagine how he must have suffered after what he had to do to the village children.

I am glad you liked the book Cherie!

Katrisa wrote: "I am glad you liked the book Cherie!"

Thank you, Katrisa. Sorry I did not get to read it with you.
Funny reading the spoilers so long after the fact. ;o)

Yes! Buddy reading has made me try more to pause and comment since I tend to blast through books especially in the summer when I don't work (teacher). This year especially because having books read constantly into my ears is how I have been coping with 2020.