The Zookeepers Wife

When Germany invaded Poland, Stuka bombers devastated Warsaw and the city s zoo along with it With most of their animals dead, zookeepers Jan and Antonina Zabinski began smuggling Jews into empty cages Another dozen guests hid inside the Zabinskis villa, emerging after dark for dinner, socializing, and, during rare moments of calm, piano concerts Jan, active in the Polish resistance, kept ammunition buried in the elephant enclosure and stashed explosives in the animal hospital Meanwhile, Antonina kept her unusual household afloat, caring for both its human and its animal inhabitants otters, a badger, hyena pups, lynxes.With her exuberant prose and exquisite sensitivity to the natural world, Diane Ackerman engages us viscerally in the lives of the zoo animals, their keepers, and their hidden visitors She shows us how Antonina refused to give in to the penetrating fear of discovery, keeping alive an atmosphere of play and innocence even as Europe crumbled around her. Best Read The Zookeepers Wife [ Author ] Diane Ackerman [ Kindle ePUB or eBook ] – kino-fada.fr one puzzle of daily life at the villa was this How do you retain a spirit of affection and humor in a crazed, homicidal, unpredictable society On September 1, 1939, Nazi Germany, emboldened by the recently signed Molotov Ribbentrop pact with Stalin s Soviet Union, invaded Poland Warsaw was pummeled, then occupied With the Nazis bizarre fixation on racial purity which extended to animals and hatred for Jews, it became an existential crisis merely to be Jewish in the city Amid the carnag one puzzle of daily life at the villa was this How do you retain a spirit of affection and humor in a crazed, homicidal, unpredictable society On September 1, 1939, Nazi Germany, emboldened by the recently signed Molotov Ribbentrop pact with Stalin s Soviet Union, invaded Poland Warsaw was pummeled, then occupied With the Nazis bizarre fixation on racial purity which extended to animals and hatred for Jews, it became an existential crisis merely to be Jewish in the city Amid the carnage and daily horror, heroes emerged One of them was Antonina abi ski Antonina and Jan abi ski from PBSShe and her husband, Jan, were in charge of the Warsaw Zoo It was a labor of love Both were smitten with animals and sought not only to offer an educational experience to the people, primarily the children of Warsaw, but to take the best possible care of their charges Jan once said of Antonina Her confidence could disarm even the most hostile, he told an anonymous reporter, adding ...What a disappointment I anxiously awaited the paperback version of this book, only to find the writing so scattered and choppy I could barely finish it The author obviously did extensive and exhaustive research, but she kept goi...Finally Whew I ve owned this book forthan 5 years It was passed to me from our friend Steve I had planned to read it like other books a dozen times Quilty as Charged It took the Hollywood soon to be released movie to procrastinate no longer I knew much about this story but, as I said, had not actually read it myself Author Diane Ackerman has a long list of many other books she has written but this is my first time reading her It reads like fiction wish it wer Finally Whew I ve owned this book forthan 5 years It was passed to me from our friend Steve I had planned to read it like other books a dozen times Quilty as Charged It took the Hollywood soon to be released movie to procrastinate no longer I knew much about this story but, as I said, had not actually read it myself Author Diane Ackerman has a long list of many other books she has written but this is my first time reading her It reads like fic...Feedback on the movie just as good as the book and lived up to the books standards This book is about acts of heroism of Jan and Antonina abi ski, a family that put their lives in jeopardy to save others This book is remarkable as it was based on true events and facts captured in the diary of Antonina during World war 11, and about Antonina, Jan and their son Ryszard named after a saint as they formed part of the Polish Cathoholic tradition abi ski Jan abi ski, was the director Feedback on the movie just as good as th...In a sentence Someone else should have written the Zabinski s story This mess, full of purple prose adds very little to the narrative of Polish heroism in World War II Nor does it add much about the Jewish Holocaust and I simply do not know how Ackerman got the rights to the story, when so many other, better writers could have done justice to it.Based on the great reviews from some rather credible sources, I couldn t wait to read t...This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers To view it, click here I can t decide whether I enjoyed this book or not I think the idea of it isinteresting than the execution It follows the true story of Antonina Zabinski and her family, caretakers of the Warsaw zoo during the Nazi occupation of Poland Diane Ackerman, being a literary writer and not an historical one, was able to provide an interesting spin on the subject matter, and I loved all of the imagery and description of Antonina s relationship with the animals and general life at the zoo Howeve I can t decide whether I enjoyed this book or not I think the idea of it isinteresting than the execution It follows the true story of Antonina Zabinski and her family, caretakers of the Warsaw zoo during the Nazi occupation of Poland Diane Ackerman, being a literary writer and not an historical one, wa...I really, really, really wanted to like this book It s the true story of a Polish couple who hid Jews at their zoo in Poland during WWII Their story itself is very heroic, but the writing style detracts from what is supposed to be the point of the book The author is frequently sidetracked with long passages of history, details about the lives of people not relevant to the story, and lengthy descriptions of nature I skipped a good two pages or so that just listed... I don t understand all the fuss If any creature is in danger, you save it, human or animal. Words to live by Zookeepers Jan and Antonia Zabinski run or used to run the Warsaw Zoo Shortly after Germany invaded Poland, the zoo is destroyed and most of the animals are put down Yet, somehow the zoo remains open and ready for business though that businessmay involve a slightly different purpose from the usual critter rescue.The Zabinski newest form of critters are Jews and other sympathiz I don t understand all the fuss If any creature is in danger, you save it, human or animal. Words to live by Zookeepers Jan and Antonia Zabinski run or used to run the Warsaw Zoo Shortly after Germany invaded Poland, the zoo is destroyed and most of the animals are put down Yet, somehow the zoo remains open and ready for business though that businessmay involve a slightly different purpose from the usual critter rescue.The Zabinski newest form of critters are Jews and other sympathizers They use their zoo as a hide away, a halfway house and a weapons ...The Zookeeper s Wife is somewhat difficult for me to review It s certainly not a bad book, but I found its passages dealing with the horrors of Germany s occupation of Poland during World War II interspersed with sections recounting cute animal shenanigans a bit hard to take, even though Diane Ackerman s telling a true story.This may be less Ackerman s fault andthe fault of her source material She depends largely, it seems, on Antonina Zabinski s diary to recount the goings on at the W The Zookeeper s Wife is somewhat difficult for me to review It s certainly not a bad book, but I found its passages dealing with the horrors of Germany s occupation of Poland during World War II interspersed with sections recounting cute animal shenanigans a bit hard to take, even though Diane Ackerman s telling a true story.This may be less Ackerman s fault andthe fault of her source material She depends largely, it seems, on Antonina Zabinski s diary to recount the goings on at the Warsaw zoo during the war, and I get the sense that Zabinski focusedon the zoo s animals and her family s pets, as well as h...This nonfiction book tells the story of Antonina and Jan, who use his position as the zookeeper to allow the zoo to be used as a safe house for up to 300 Jews during the course of the Second World War The sign of a good nonfiction for me is when it reads like fiction Unfortunately, this one fails that test It s an interesting story but is so dry I really struggled with it The author is a poet and it shows She spends an inordinate amount of words to describe settings and moments that do noth This nonfiction book tells the story of Antonina and Jan, who use his position as the zookeeper to allow the zoo to be used as a safe house for up to 300 Jews during the course of the Second World War The sign of a good nonfiction for me is when it reads like fiction Unfortunately, this one fails that test It s an interesting story but is so dry I really struggled with it The author is a poet and it shows She spends an inordinate amount of words to describe settings and moments that do nothing to further the storyline Supposedly the book drew on Antonina s diary and a lot of the book reads like a transposed diary I preferred it when the author quoted directly from the diary rather than attempt to translate into third person narrative Phrases like one can picture her or according to Antonina irritated me The book is a mess of too much information about unim...

• English
• 16 December 2018
Diane Ackerman
• Paperback
• 368 pages
• 0393354253
• Diane Ackerman
• The Zookeepers Wife