Those Who Save Us

By: Jenna Blum

Narrated by: Suzanne Toren

Length: 15 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

Trudy, a college history professor, is collecting oral histories from World War II survivors (both German and Jewish). Her mother, Anna, refuses to talk to her, but Anna's story is revealed in flashback. She conducted an affair with a Jewish baker who was summarily killed. Afterward, Anna caught the eye of a high-ranking Nazi officer. She was coerced into an abusive affair with him, which she went along with in order to ensure her survival - and that of her baby.

©2005 Jenna Blum (P)2007 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"Blum's spare imagery is nightmarish and intimate, imbuing familiar panoramas of Nazi atrocity with stark new power. This is a poised, hair-raising debut." ( Publishers Weekly)
"An absorbing tale of two women's struggles with the burdens and responsibilities of remembrance." ( The Boston Globe)

Complex plot. Heavy reading.

I do not recommend this book for those who prefer light reading. Many twists and turns. Plot does not come together until the very end and even then I was frustrated. Maybe I 'm just too naive for all this.

A good story.

I was frustrated that Anna would not answer her daughters questions. It had a good ending though. The story kept you held to the pages all the way through.

Exquisite

The woven facts of now and then between the characters keep you engaged. The storyline is moving and hopeful especially given the time.

wow just wow

loved it everything I wanted in a book. I wish more authors would write books like this. but I know it won't happen. I be recommend this novel to anyone who wants to really crawl into a story and get lost there.

This book is very captivating and well written

I truly loved this book. I wish it had gone on but the ending is very well done. When a book makes you feel like you never want it to end is quite an accomplishment. It’s a wow human interest book about a very riveting time. Highly recommended reading.

This was the best book to listen to .

I loved the main characters. It inspired me to always lend a helping hand to others.

Fabulous

If I could give this reader’s performance 10 stars, I would do it. Suzanne Toren was amazing. The story line was compelling and insightful and extremely awesome. I couldn’t stop listening to this. I would have my ear phones in listening, instead of listening to my husband talking to me. Oops 😬

Kept waiting ...

For the unpredictable, but it never happened. I started with "can't wait to turn friends into this" to "when will this end." The atrocities of the War were to be expected (perhaps I need to find another genre?), but IMHO the relationship between Anna and the Obersturmfuhrer took up WAY too much of the storyline. The marriage to Jack was only mentioned like an aside...so much so that I had to rewind to see if I had missed something. The only twist unlike other WWII books was the German History professor/daughter finding out the identity of her true father the way she did. Ms. Tozen did a wonderful job, but unfortunately had to read the words given to her. Needless to say, I will be choosing a non-WWII BOOK for my next read.

A sad but realistic story

What made the experience of listening to Those Who Save Us the most enjoyable?

I thought the narrator was really able to distinguish between characters. The accents and the voices were great. The story was compelling and I wasn't sure what would happen and how things would get "resolved". It was a sad story but very realistic. The roles that people played during the Holocaust was fascinating.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Those Who Save Us?

The role that the mother played throughout the book. How tormented she was and the struggles she faced from the time she was young until the end of the book.

What does Suzanne Toren bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She made the characters come alive. The accents were incredible.

So well written and told. Throughly engaging the trails and tribulations of these beautifully people.

Wonderful storytelling and daughter persistence to seek the truth. A woman’s struggle for survival and protection of her daughter in a merciless time.