The Zookeeper’s Wife by Diane Ackerman tells about the fantastic story of a couple who save many Polish Jews from being discovered by the Nazis. They operate their safe haven out of their zoo in Warsaw, Poland, hiding their Jewish refugees in animal cages or disguising them as relatives and zoo employees.
Despite the captivating story, I found this book a little tedious to read. A lot of emphasis was put on the storytelling aspect of the story; what was missing was much of the relevant input that would have enriched this story. There were many instances where Ackerman would focus more on scene-setting description than meaningful information to the story. It took a lot of patience to sit through lengthy passages about nature while all I really wanted to know was what the German soldiers were doing as they inspected the grounds or about what the Jews’ normal day consisted of.
That being said, I did appreciate how the book felt more like a story rather than just a purely historical account. There were definitely details that made it easier to connect with the people inside the story instead of feeling like I was just reading a long news article. I also felt the conclusion was a bit lacking. I was anxious to know what would happen to the Zabinskis after the conclusion of the war, yet I had to save this answer for an outside Google search.
Overall, I probably wouldn’t recommend this story to other people. I mainly chose this book to read an interesting story about World War II, because I’m interested in this period of history. However, it wasn’t what I expected. I wanted to like this book, and I think the story is fascinating, but I wish it would’ve been told differently. The choppiness and random bits about irrelevant information (insects and details about people’s lives who weren’t essential to the story being two examples) made it difficult to get through. It simply just wasn’t as captivating as I hoped it would be.
Ackerman, Diane. The Zookeeper's Wife. New York: W.W. Norton, 2007. Print.
Despite the captivating story, I found this book a little tedious to read. A lot of emphasis was put on the storytelling aspect of the story; what was missing was much of the relevant input that would have enriched this story. There were many instances where Ackerman would focus more on scene-setting description than meaningful information to the story. It took a lot of patience to sit through lengthy passages about nature while all I really wanted to know was what the German soldiers were doing as they inspected the grounds or about what the Jews’ normal day consisted of.
That being said, I did appreciate how the book felt more like a story rather than just a purely historical account. There were definitely details that made it easier to connect with the people inside the story instead of feeling like I was just reading a long news article. I also felt the conclusion was a bit lacking. I was anxious to know what would happen to the Zabinskis after the conclusion of the war, yet I had to save this answer for an outside Google search.
Overall, I probably wouldn’t recommend this story to other people. I mainly chose this book to read an interesting story about World War II, because I’m interested in this period of history. However, it wasn’t what I expected. I wanted to like this book, and I think the story is fascinating, but I wish it would’ve been told differently. The choppiness and random bits about irrelevant information (insects and details about people’s lives who weren’t essential to the story being two examples) made it difficult to get through. It simply just wasn’t as captivating as I hoped it would be.
Ackerman, Diane. The Zookeeper's Wife. New York: W.W. Norton, 2007. Print.