The Lost Wife

A Novel

By: Alyson Richman

Narrated by: George Guidall, Suzanne Toren

Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

In pre-war Prague, the dreams of two young lovers are shattered when they are separated by the Nazi invasion. Then, decades later, thousands of miles away in New York, there's an inescapable glance of recognition between two strangers. Providence is giving Lenka and Josef one more chance. From the glamorous ease of life in Prague before the Occupation, to the horrors of Nazi Europe, The Lost Wife explores the power of first love, the resilience of the human spirit, and the strength of memory.

©2011 Alyson Richman (P)2012 Recorded Books, LLC

A wonderful story

This was a romantic story with significant historical fiction. It had me captured from the beginning to the end! I loved it!

Beautifully written and narrated.

Would you consider the audio edition of The Lost Wife to be better than the print version?

Yes

What did you like best about this story?

The sense of a miracle about to unfold.

What about George Guidall and Suzanne Toren ’s performance did you like?

George Guidall is among my favorite narrators. I have listened to books narrated by him that I would never have had the fortitude to read. And I have thoroughly enjoyed his performance while experiencing books that I would have not experienced otherwise. I have not had the pleasure of listening to a narration by Suzanne Toren previous to this book but I will be sure to look for her as I was pleased with this narration.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

There were emotional moments, to be sure. But, I feel that, the measure of this book is the lasting impression it had on me about the endurance of the human spirit under the most trying circumstances.

Any additional comments?

Thank you, Audible, for making so many wonderful books available for listening!

The story was so compelling, I listened in one sitting.

I bought the book because I love the narrators. Guidall and Toren are always perfect. But the story was gripping and the narration never distracting. It was time well spent.

Moving and well told

The author does an amazing job weaving multiple stories of Holocaust victims and survivors into this well narrated work of historical fiction. It is through stories like this, and the art that survived, that the world can witness albeit second hand what occurred during that time. And to possibly understand what is felt by those who survived.

Moving Story

The story of two people, caught up in a war that destroyed, not only their future together, but the lives of their families as well. The narration carried you along on a current of joy, sadness, discovery and resignation. Told through the main characters, Lenka and Joseph, you follow their lives from youth to old age. Wonderfully written and filled with emotion. Love everything about it until the last few minutes of the story. I would have given the story 5 starts as well, but the ending fell a bit flat for me.

Wonderfully written and descriptions so accurate

Loved this book with how well written and accurate the story was told. Very touching and sad wirh sweet romance intertwined.

Awe inspiring

There have been many stories and movies about the theme of this book but not one moved me as much as this. The narration was perfect allowing the listener to see the images the author lay before them. Having grown up in the the same period in stark contrast to the characters in this book my generation learned of the plights of European Jews and prisoners of war through movies and recollections of those who sought peace and freedom here in Australia. I sincerely thank the author for another insight into this terrible period of history.

Highly recommend

This is a beautiful love story along with being a story about the Holocaust that, although it is fiction, tells the true stories of a number of Czech Jews and their actions/lives while suffering at the hands of the Nazis. The narrative goes back and forth in first person and tells the stories of a young husband and wife who were separated at the beginning of the war and through a lifetime of each thinking the other had died. The narrators for Josef and Lenka do a wonderful job and I loved the story, hard as it was to hear at times.

Sad, but wonderfully weaved yarn

This book was written beautifully and revealed the heart and soul of it's characters with such depth at times, it nearly took my breath away. The horror that individuals faced in the camps/ghettos during WWII always sobers me with such a reverence for their perseverance and will to live. This book was incredibly sad and at times I wanted to stop listening but felt I owed it to these souls who suffered so much to hear their stories. Although the book is fiction laced with true characters who lived through these horrors I believe that there are so many other stories that were never told due to the survivors premature and unjust deaths. I recommend that you listen to this book with a box of tissue at your side.

The Lost Wife is a Found Treasure

I only selected this story because of my appreciation for the narration of George Guidall. I now have a newfound respect for Suzanne Toren and Alyson Richman.

A superbly crafted tale of love lost and found set amidst the horrors of the second world war.

I highly recommend this novel.