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Title: The Things We Cherished
Author: Pam Jenoff
Narrator: Gareth Armstrong
Format: Unabridged
Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins
Language: English
Release date: 12-01-11
Publisher: Hachette Audio UK
Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 1 votes
Genres: Fiction, Historical
Publisher's Summary:
Roger Dykmans, a university student, is living with his brother Hans, an international emissary who's secretly working against the Nazis. As time goes by, Roger finds himself increasingly drawn to Magda, Hans' Jewish wife. But their secret world is turned upside down when Magda and her young daughter, Anna, are arrested by the Nazis. The Gestapo make a deal with Roger: if he hands over information about Hans' operations, they'll set Magda and Anna free. Suddenly, Roger is faced with an impossible decision: should he betray his brother to save the woman they both love?Spanning decades and continents, The Things We Cherished explores the strength of true love under the worst of circumstances.
Members Reviews:
not my favorite by this author
This is another work where Iâm not 100% sure whether I liked the dual storyline or not. Individually, I liked each one to a degree. It was interesting to see the footwork behind building a legal case as well as the journey of the clock throughout history and its importance to the developing events of the early 20th century.
Yet, I felt that the historical story lost a bit when balanced against the continuous nature of the modern tale. Weâre constantly exposed to Charlotte and her journey towards truth in her trial saga; the historical story is broken up into four distinct timeframes with different families. They are all connected by subtle connections and the clock, but I think the characters as people got lost since we didnât have that long to go get to know them. Not nearly as long as Charlotte and the brothers.
I also have mixed feelings on Charlotte. I cared enough about her to be invested in her emotional journey and to see how her relationship triangle would end up. But at times I felt like she was too perfect: pretty, good at her job, dedicated to the downtrodden, and drawing men like flies. She had a slight whiff of the âMary Sueâ about her that set my teeth on edge.
Having so many historical time periods was a bit of a detract, but I do have to say that I enjoyed exploring the journey of this inanimate object and seeing how many lives it touched/impacted. Through that vehicle, the reader gets a window into the rise of the Nazi state and how it impacted these various families. We get to see the early stages of that rise: pre-WWI, the interwar years, during WWII, and the aftermath in Soviet occupied Poland. Learning the different fates both touched and saddened me.
While I enjoyed this in-depth exploration of the Nazi years through a unique vehicle, overall this book still rates as a 3 for me. The dual storylines read a bit skewed since so many historical timeframes are explored. In the modern tale, the main lead sometimes comes off as too perfect, making me hate her as much as Iâm rooting for her. So a good tale but not my favorite by this author.
It was good, not great
It was good, not great. First of all, the cover is deceiving. There is not one scene in the story that has a couple kissing or waiting for each other in front of a train. There are three love stories to follow,each of which takes place in a different era, as the main character seeks info to try to free an imprisoned man perhaps wrongly accused of Nazi war crimes. The action jumps back and forth from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Poland and Germany. I wish that there were fewer story lines. It would have kept me more captivated and less confused.
