The Zookeeper's Wife

A War Story

By: Diane Ackerman

Narrated by: Suzanne Toren

Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's Summary

The New York Times bestseller now a major motion picture starring Jessica Chastain.

A true story in which the keepers of the Warsaw Zoo saved hundreds of people from Nazi hands.

Jan and Antonina Zabinski were Polish Christian zookeepers horrified by Nazi racism, who managed to save over three hundred people. Yet their story has fallen between the seams of history.

Drawing on Antonina’s diary and other historical sources, bestselling naturalist Diane Ackerman vividly re-creates Antonina’s life as “the zookeeper’s wife,” responsible for her own family, the zoo animals, and their “guests”: resistance activists and refugee Jews, many of whom Jan had smuggled from the Warsaw Ghetto.

Jan led a cell of saboteurs, and the Zabinski’s young son risked his life carrying food to the guests, while also tending to an eccentric array of creatures in the house: pigs, hare, muskrat, foxes, and more. With hidden people having animal names and pet animals having human names, it’s a small wonder the zoo’s code name became “The House under a Crazy Star.” Yet there is more to this story than a colorful cast. With her exquisite sensitivity to the natural world, Ackerman explores the role of nature in both kindness and savagery, and she unravels the fascinating and disturbing obsession at the core of Nazism: both a worship of nature and its violation, as humans sought to control the genome of the entire planet.

©2007 Diane Ackerman (P)2007 BBC Audiobooks America

Critic Reviews

"Ackerman's writing is viscerally evocative, as in her description of the effects of the German bombing of the zoo area....This suspenseful beautifully crafted story deserves a wide readership." ( Publishers Weekly)
"Ackerman's affecting telling of the heroic Zabinskis' dramatic story illuminates the profound connection between humankind and nature, and celebrates life's beauty, mystery, and tenacity." ( Booklist)

Very Disappointing, Terrible Narration

When I read the discription for the book, I was intrigued..animals, WWII, Hiding Jews from the Nazi's in the Zoo, well it sounded both fascinating and moving. I was wrong. First, the narrator was horrendous. Each time there was a quotation from the Zookeeper's Wife (this is a factual account drawn from diaries, it seems, possibly interviews with family), the narrator switched to the worst Eastern European accent I have ever heard. She'd perhaps been watching too many B vampire movies, trying to form her Polish accent. When she would switch back to her natural voice, the "Euopean" would drag for a few syllables, very distracting.
The story wasn't all that interesting either. It read more like a Ph.d thesis on the stresses of war-time than a novel. The revolutionary actions of her husband are hardly discussed at all. She mostly is the "heart of the home", which in Poland apparently means she irons, cooks and cleans. A lot. Yes, we are privy to all of her feelings, but she is of course deeply depressed. I stuck through this, but only because I kept waiting for action. There was very little. Oh, do not expect lots of adorable animal stories either, as they are all either confiscated or killed before you get 10 minutes into the book. Rather graphically. The killing of an elephant was for me very disturbing. What kind of "pick" this was I cannot say..but I can say, sadly, is do not Pick.

Wonderful!

Tales of strength, disaster, delight, and integrity in war time Poland are spun through the lives of the family who inhabited the "ark" of the Warsaw zoo. Beautifully read and not to be missed.

Don't bother!

I was very disappointed in this book. The story had great potential and was apparently based on the memoirs of people who lived through the experience. However, I found the author's style frustrating and the narrator's annoying. While the story is supposed to be about "The Zookeeper's Wife", it is really a series of vignettes about many people and events. There are multiple digressions into unrelated material and pedantic source references throughout. The author frequently just lists, jobs, vehicles, animals and events rather than including them in the story. The narrator slides from her own voice into a wistful Polish accent in a rather random way - even in mid-sentence to indicate a quote. If you are interested in a story about Warsaw during the war, there are many better books available that give credit to the courage and tenacity of the resistance.

Amazing tale

Poland is sometimes dismissed because they were overrun so quickly and then so many of the camps were located in their borders. This story shows that not all Poles accepted the German occupation or participated in the extermination of the Jews. This is a well-told tale of resistance in the face of certain death if they were discovered. Of doing what was right with no possible personal gain. She was an amazing woman.

Like a high school reunion...

Although colorful and interestingly detailed, many sections of this book went on and on with lists of animals in the zoo, plants growing around, or people passing through the character's house. At times it was like a high school reunion of Polish citizens...names, titles, birthplaces... not interested! Also, the reader's accent for all the main characters - way over the top; unnecessary. I felt obligated to finish this book and fast forwarded on several occasions.

Beautifully written but slow moving

This book will probably win literary awards since the writing is excelent and the language is beautiful. That being said, the story itself is very slow moving and I was never able to really feel a connection with the characters. Given the subject matter, I expected some degree of suspense, but it never developed. Some chapters were totally descriptive and interrupted the story line completely. While the reader does a really good job, the presentation is so lyrical it becomes monotonous. Perhaps an abridged version would be a better choice.

LOVED this book.

What did you like best about this story?

I loved the way the author described some of the animals and plants and scenes. I could almost see, smell, taste and feel the things she was describing. Great history lesson also. Makes me want to visit the places she talks about. In fact, I looked it up on the internet.

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

Loved the authentic accent...beautiful language.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Absolutely.

Any additional comments?

Wonderful book.

Schindler as Zookeeper?

Diane Ackerman in her wonderful "The Zookeeper's Wife" tells the story of a Polish Christian couple who use their position as zookeepers to save the lives of neighboring Jews. The sensitive story telling and writing abilities of Ackerman are brought to this story. She describes the movement of Jews held in the Warsaw Ghetto to the Zoo and how they were protected there. The suspense builds with every individual who escapes.

Ackerman aptly uses her understanding of animals to flesh out the story. Her descriptions of how each species adapted to the occupation of the zoo by the Nazis is wonderful. She tells how those surviving the ordeal helped to restore the zoo.

This book is well written and well read. It is different than "Schindler's List" in tone, but a good companion piece. Audible also carries "Schindler's List", but it is abridged which is unfortunate. "The Zookeeper's Wife" is not abridged and well worth hearing.


Schindler's List Audible Abridged

like a texrbook

I could just not get into this book. It was like a world history class text book. I kept waiting for the story to begin while wading through pages and pages of explicit descriptions of beetles. It was so tedious and boring that I finally gave up which I rarely do. I will usually read a book until the bitter end even if I don't like it, just to keep it from beating me. I know it is a very compelling subject, but this book was not for me.

More like a documentry

The flow of the book was a little disjointed as the information was taken from journals and historical documents. It was very interesting, however, and made me have great respect for the 'rescuers' and their bravery. The reader did a good job with lots of different accents.