Flory

A Miraculous Story of Survival

By: Flory A. Van Beek

Narrated by: Kirsten Potter

Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

Like Anne Frank, Flory Van Beek was a young girl caught in the ruthless Nazi occupation of Holland. But Flory survived to recount her extraordinary story of persecution and survival.

Flory and her husband, Felix, endured the sinking of a ship bound for safety in the New World, the increasing danger of the occupation, and finally a life in hiding. There, cut off from the outside world and their families, they faced the hunger and stress of daily life in confined quarters along with the ever-present threat of discovery and certain death.

This inspiring account vividly captures the terror of the Holocaust while telling a poignant story of love and courage.

©1998 Flory Van Beek (P)2008 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"I have always believed in survivor's testimonies: they are unique. It is impossible to understand the Holocaust and its meaning without becoming acquainted with their experiences, which they alone can tell with true authority." (Elie Wiesel)

Another view of a tragic time

Would you listen to Flory again? Why?

I enjoyed listening to this book. Another review stated that her writing was not polished. I agree, but that took nothing away from the story which is the recounting of her own life. I don't feel like I got the full sense of the terror they experienced, but unlike another reviewer, I don't think the story of the families who hid them would make any better story - just as good yes, but not necessarily better. I do think the narrator reading it with a bit more gritty feel might have enhanced the memorial as she was just a bit too calm a reader for the content, especially knowing it was an old woman telling a story from her youth. But please, enjoy the read for what it is - a first-hand account of what it was to hide in fear from the Nazi regime in Holland, but this time to have the good outcome of survival - when fewer than 4% of the Dutch Jewish population made it through the war. Amazing.

A Gentle Telling of a Stark Tale

All survivors of genocide deserve to be heard, and Flory: A Miraculous Story of Survival is a book which holds the memories of a survivor. I finished this book thinking about how to review it. First, the reader is perfect for the book. "Flory" certainly isn't literature, it isn't even particularly good writing, but what it is, the telling of a story recreated from memory, diaries, newsclippings, and conversation, is worth reading. Before this book, I'd never thought of the people in the north of Holland during the occupation, but after reading it I definitely have a feel for what they went through. The characters presented are largely undeveloped, but the ugly story is told in a soft, tentative voice, and I was able to finish it and think about it because of the author's method of writing. I would recommend it to a reader seeking understanding of the human story.

Reflection: Education does not assure kindness

I'm stuck, same as the author, of how Germany's people could go along with such terrible crimes. The German people were top in many of their engineering and art fields. Education abounded. The lesson: no country or peoples are immune to committing atrocities on other peoples.

A Heartfelt Story!

I really liked this book. I am really into what went on during WWII. I have listed to the book "Hiding Place" by Corrie Tenboom and they both tell real stories on real personal levels.

A glimmer of light in an otherwise tragic tale

As moving and gripping as earlier stories told of the WW2 holocaust. This harrowing tale tells the story of Holland and the personal stuggles of the people who barely managed to survive against the odds. A truely historic personal account of one girls triumph. Lest we forget!

brave people in terrible times

First things first: the narrator, so important to us all. Potter does a fine job. A few times I found her to act too much the part, to overdramatize, but all in all, well done.

The unadulterated evil of the German army hits one hard. I've read many books telling of their treatment of Jews during the war. This, like most of the ones I've read befor, is a gripping tale.

The heroics of some non-Jewish Dutch is a welcome offset to the actons of the the German occupiers.

a comfortable survival

This is a fine book and a good memoir of a truly horrifying time in the authors life. I do not mean to take anything away from that and I'm hesitant to find any fault because of the circumstances. However in the context of the holocaust her story never really took me into the terror that it meant to be Jewish in Nazi occupied territory. She hid out with some families involved in the resistance movement and I could not help but wonder if their story would have been a better book.

Flory is a good story.

Flory is a good story. I listened to it after I listened to the Nazi Officer's Wife. I thought the Catholics who helped the Jews in Holland were awesome. I think Jews in Holland had more support from the public than the Jews in Germany. It is fortunate that Flory married a German man, because it was helpful for him to know how to speak German so well. Everyone should read about what it was like to live with the Nazis in control, because Nazis are Socialists and not so different from Communists. Many Americans and Europeans think socialism is ok, but they should look at what socialism was like in history and what America was like in the beginning. We need to avoid repeating the type of history that happened with the Nazis.

Inspiring Story

This is an autobiography or perhaps a better term is a memoir of the author's experiences hiding from the Nazis during WWII. The story is well written, clear and to the point. The narrator does an excellent job.

Best way to learn history

I hated history in school but if I had had this book I think I could learn to love history. This was real life, in the raw and the people and their courage and their giving and their sorrows. I have listened to this book several times and have come away with a better awareness of today each time. I highly recommend it. I thank Flory for giving us her story.