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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN num: 9780142003077
ISBN number: 0142003077
Label: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 320
Printing Date: July 29, 2003
Publishing house: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Release Date: July 29, 2003
Sale Popularity Level: 16844
Studio: Penguin (Non-Classics)
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
In the last months of the Nazi occupation of Poland, two children are left by their father and stepmother to find safety in a dense forest. Because their real names will reveal their Jewishness, they are renamed 'Hansel' and 'Gretel.' They wander in the woods until they are taken in by Magda, an eccentric and stubborn old woman called 'witch' by the nearby villagers. Magda is determined to save them, even as a German officer arrives in the village with his own plans for the children.
Combining classic themes of fairy tales and war literature, this haunting novel of journey and survival, of redemption and memory, powerfully depicts how war is experienced by families and especially by children, and tells a resonant, riveting story.
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Rated by buyers 
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How could anyone imaginatively add more grotesque and unspeakable horrors to an already tragic event in world history? Perhaps the deranged mind of Louise Murphy. And then deceptively entitle the book, "The True Story of Hansel and Gretel" when in fact there is nothing TRUE about it, save perhaps the setting of the book.
It's one thing to read true life accounts of this most tragic event in the 20th century but to add fictional and morbid events to this for the pure enjoyment of entertainment is a bit peculiar to me.
I read through about half of the book before deciding that I could no longer stomach the morbid and violent gibberish contrived by the author.
Save your money. DON'T buy this book. Unless of course you are entertained by things like the raping of a young girl, purposeful and violent disfiguring of young innocent children and babies, and twisted accounts of erotic blood transfusions.
Rated by buyers 
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It was just plain excellent. The author wove in the actual fairy tale very well. It was a page turner, the ending almost made me cry, even though I knew what was going to happen!!
Rated by buyers -
This story was amazing. The author was ingenious, taking this fable and using it to tell the story of two children who have to fend for themselves during the Holocaust in Poland. I was intrigued with the setting of this novel since I am part Polish. The author chose The Bialowieza Forest for the setting of this story after seeing a television program about it. Reading about this makes me want to research it myself. Ms. Murphy also wrote a very detailed and disturbing description of the horrors of WWII and the murder of the Jews in gas chambers. This made the story almost like it really happened. This was an unforgettable story. One I highly recommend!!
Rated by buyers -
I'm not sure what I expected from this book when I purchased it, but was intrigued with the author's idea to take a well-known fairy tale and turn it into a fascinating drama. I was not disappointed.
Needless to say, this book is not for the faint of heart. Sections of this book are incredibly brutal and difficult to read. Not that the writing is bad, for it certainly isn't, just that the story brings to life the horrors of war, which in this case centers around treatment of Polish Jews during WWII by the Nazis. Some of the scene's depicted in this book had my literally squirming while I read them.
I found it laughable that another reviewer's chief complaint was about "crude language." They must be joking. The so-called "crude language" is nothing compared to most books I've read. I guess I find it funny that of all the things that someone could be offended by - the brutality, horror, annihilation of people by evil, war itself - they are offended by language.
I would love to read more from this author in the future.
Rated by buyers -
This book I wanted to like and could not wait for it to arrive. It was very graphic and the language was horrible. This is not a great story or one that needed to be written. Don't waste your time or money.
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