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The Postcard

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About this listen

"A deeply moving book." — LEILA SLIMANI

***

"A work of rare grace and importance." — THE GUARDIAN

In January 2003, the Berest family receive a mysterious, unsigned postcard. On one side was an image of the Opéra Garnier; on the other, the names of their relatives who were killed in Auschwitz: Ephraïm, Emma, Noémie and Jacques.

Years later, Anne sought to find the truth behind this postcard. She journeys 100 years into the past, tracing the lives of her ancestors from their flight from Russia following the revolution, their journey to Latvia, Palestine, and Paris, the war and its aftermath. What emerges is a thrilling and sweeping tale based on true events that shatters her certainties about her family, her country, and herself.

At once a gripping investigation into family secrets, a poignant tale of mothers and daughters, and an enthralling portrait of 20th-century Parisian intellectual and artistic life, The Postcard tells the story of a family devastated by the Holocaust and yet somehow restored by love and the power of storytelling.

©2023 Anne Berest (P)2023 Europa Editions (UK) Ltd. 20th Century Biographical Fiction Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Jewish Jewish Heritage World Literature Biography Tear-jerking Holocaust

Critic reviews

"A powerful exploration of family trauma." —LAUREN ELKIN
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This is a moving book of the immediate and long term effects of the holocaust focused mostly around one family. The intrigue of the postcard kept me listening but there were some parts that dragged a bit but overall the experience of listening to this real life tale was moving and I learned a lot about this period in French history.

Poignant

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The narrator's pronounciation of French wasn't always correct unfortunately. Otherwise, a pretty good book, I found the middle part the most engaging.

Story

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The narrator read this beautifully
The family story and all the lives so affected by the horrific tragedy of the fate of families in the war were moving and also really educational.

Fascinating account of a terrible time in history

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A very moving story filled with personal family historical accounts. I wonder how many stories like this have been lost over time.

Very moving story

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Intriguing memoir put together through the investigations of dependants. Beautifully narrated. Story of the tragedy of the Second World War.

French Jewish memoir

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