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We Were the Lucky Ones
- Narrated by: Kathleen Gati
- Length: 15 hrs and 36 mins
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We Were the Lucky Ones
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Summary
It is the spring of 1939 and three generations of the Kurc family are doing their best to live normal lives, even as the shadow of war grows closer.
The talk around the family Seder table is of new babies and budding romance, not of the increasing hardships threatening Jews in their hometown of Radom, Poland. But soon the horrors overtaking Europe will become inescapable, and the Kurcs will be flung to the far corners of the world, each desperately trying to navigate his or her own path to safety.
As one sibling is forced into exile, another attempts to flee the continent, while others struggle to escape certain death, either by working gruelling hours on empty stomachs in the factories of the ghetto or by hiding as gentiles in plain sight. Driven by an unwavering will to survive and by the fear that they may never see one another again, the Kurcs must rely on hope, ingenuity, and inner strength to persevere.
An extraordinary, propulsive novel, We Were the Lucky Ones demonstrates how in the face of the 20th century's darkest moment, the human spirit can endure and even thrive.
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What listeners say about We Were the Lucky Ones
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amanda Winward
- 16-03-24
Phenomenal story
Incredible story based on true life events. The history of the holocaust still astounds me beyond belief. This is a story of a very brave family of Polish Jews & their lives in such unthinkable terror & chaos.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- wez
- 08-10-21
Book club read
Really liked this book - it is written / read in a way that reflects the horror of the situation but in a way that you need to continue to find out what happens to the family. It gives a true insight to the situations that the whole family faced.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- SJM
- 20-05-23
amazing story
I found this book extraordinary - the story of one family 's survival against the most horrific odds, enlightens us even more to the horrors of what Polish Jews suffered during WW2. In a restrained narrative, never hyperbolic nor hysterical, each family member's voice and story is conveyed clearly and dispassionately (which must have been rather difficult when you consider how outrageous were the treatment and deprivations this family endured and that it was written by a descendant ). To write one's own family history, knowing of their suffering, without any overt judgement of the perpetrators (the narrator allows the reader to develop their own feelings) takes extraordinary restraint but makes the story all the more powerful for it.
My heart broke over and over listening to this audio book. It increasingly occurs to me that the generation who truly endured the worst of that war and survived are now disappearing as they reach the end of their lives. Sadly, whilst we might be aware of the "facts" of some of the worst atrocities, without books like this, it is hard to truly understand the emotional side of the suffering. Understandably, many of those who survived were too traumatised to speak of this period but it is vital that younger generations are made aware not just from a historical approach but from an intensely human viewpoint in order to prevent such discrimination and genocide from ever taking place again.
I congratulate the author on researching and writing this story and I hope it gets the attention it deserves in history classes.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- CBarbs
- 02-01-23
Great book, unbelievable account of Nazi Germany
Really enjoyed it once I got into it, was a bit confusing following who is who at first, and occasionally the performance was a bit on the nose but its an incredible story I couldn't actually fathom going through and couldn't stop listening to. It's a really beautiful account of family, resilience and humanity in a very dark time in history
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Hope
- 11-08-22
Incredible
A truly wonderful story and brilliantly narrated. It offers another view of the horrors of the Holocaust. A view from inside a normal loving family. Absolutely fantastic.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
- Christineb
- 06-02-20
Three Stars
I had such expectations for this audio Searched for it for ages expecting it to be similar to All the Light and The Nightingale but was slightly disappointed It's a decent story but not quite same league as others
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1 person found this helpful