The Things We Cherished: A Novel [Hardcover]

Pam Jenoff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 12, 2011

Pam Jenoff, whose first novel, The Kommandant’s Girl, was a Quill Award finalist, a Book Sense pick, and a finalist for the ALA Sophie Brody Award, joins the Doubleday list with a suspenseful story of love and betrayal set during the Holocaust.

An ambitious novel that spans decades and continents, The Things We Cherished tells the story of Charlotte Gold and Jack Harrington, two fiercely independent attor­neys who find themselves slowly falling for one another while working to defend the brother of a Holocaust hero against allegations of World War II–era war crimes.

The defendant, wealthy financier Roger Dykmans, mysteri­ously refuses to help in his own defense, revealing only that proof of his innocence lies within an intricate timepiece last seen in Nazi Germany. As the narrative moves from Philadelphia to Germany, Poland, and Italy, we are given glimpses of the lives that the anniversary clock has touched over the past century, and learn about the love affair that turned a brother into a traitor.

Rich in historical detail, Jenoff’s astonishing new work is a testament to true love under the worst of circumstances.

Editorial Reviews

Review

PRAISE FOR THE THINGS WE CHERISHED:

"The Things We Cherished succeeds in opening a provocative window onto the continuing effort to bring Nazi war criminals to justice, and the complexities involved in making legal and moral judgments decades later. The still-vivid memory of the Holocaust energizes this ambitious, sweeping narrative, and Jenoff weaves together the disparate threads of a tale that is at once a historical mystery, a legal thriller, and a romance novel."—The Philadelphia Inquirer

"Further cements Jenoff's reputation for adeptly using the harsh realities of WWII Europe as a context for a timeless love story."—Publishers Weekly

"Pam Jenoff weaves an intriguing and intelligent story with a delicacy that is captivating. The triangular love stories are threaded together with skill and passion, while at the heart of the tale ticks the clock that holds the answers. Jenoff evokes in touching detail a significant point in twentieth-century history and makes it resonate for readers today."—Kate Furnivall, author of the national bestseller The Russian Concubine


PRAISE FOR THE KOMMANDANT’S GIRL:

“With luminous simplicity, Jenoff’s breathtaking debut chronicles the life of a young Jewish bride during the Nazi occupation of Kraków, Poland, in WWII . . . This is histori­cal romance at its finest.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“In her moving first novel, Jenoff offers an insightful portrait of people forced into an untenable situation and succeeds in humanizing the unfathomable as well as the heroic.” —Booklist
 
“A well-written, intensely readable romantic tale.” —Jewish Book World

About the Author

PAM JENOFF is the author of The Kommandant’s Girl, The Diplomat’s Wife, Almost Home, and Hidden Things. She attended George Washington Univer­sity, Cambridge University in England, where she received a master’s in history, and the University of Pennsylvania Law School. A former Special Assis­tant to the Secretary of the Army and State Department officer, she lives in Philadelphia, where she works as an attorney.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1 edition (July 12, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385534205
• ISBN-13: 978-0385534208
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #464,658 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Pam Jenoff attended George Washington University, Cambridge University in the U.K., where she received a masters in history, and the University of Pennsylvania Law School. A former Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Army and State Department officer, she lives in Philadelphia, where she works as an attorney.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Memories are all I have to cling to. Thinking about ...things we used to have." Lyrics, October 12, 2011

By 

michael a. draper (Guilford, CT) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Things We Cherished: A Novel (Hardcover)

"The Things We Cherished" is an energizing experience that speaks of two love stories and a time prior to and during WWII when the world was in turmoil.

Charlotte Gold has a background in researching the Holocaust. She and Jack Warrington are in Germany to team up for the legal defense of Roger Dykmans.

The Germans hadn't been pursuing war crimes cases but the Department of Justice pressured them into action.

Historicans uncovered information implicating Roger in selling out his brother, Hans, to the Germans. Hans,was a German diplomat who was attempting to help rescue Jewish people from Germany during WWII.

Roger isn't helpful in his defense so Charlotte and Jack travel to Wadowice, Poland, attempting to uncover anything to help with the case. They learn about Magda, who Roger loved but was married to his brother, Hans.

The story moves back in time to 1940 and we observe what was happening in Berlin with the German round up of Jewish people who lived in constant fear of betrayal and being taken away by the authorities. Roger, who is not Jewish, came to Berlin as a student to live with his brother Hans and Hans' wife, Magda.

With moving back and forth between time periods, Pam Jenoff slows down the pace of the story as if lengthening the drama and allowing the reader to feel for the independent Magda, who rebels at being a captive in her own home, just because she is Jewish. Then, with Hans away for much of the time, she and Roger become romantically involved.

The reader is rewarded for staying with the story when the pace slows down because the suspense and action pick up becoming more effective as it does.

Both Charlotte and Jack are fully realized characters of whom we become attached to and wish that they will succeed in their goal and their lives.

The conclusion will remain in the readers memory and "The Things We Cherished" is a unique and absorbing experience.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Has it all - Love Story, Intrigue, Historical significance, WWII and a modern twist!, July 14, 2011

By 

Christa Karl - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Things We Cherished: A Novel (Hardcover)

Pam Jennoff's latest novel, The Things We Cherished, is in essence a conglomeration of many sub plots cleverly woven into an intriguing WWII based love story. This book starts in modern day Philadelphia and travels a century back through 1960 Eastern Germany, WWII Poland and Germany, and post WWI Bavaria. It centers around an excuisitely made time piece that survives the hardships of the century and is the witness to many love stories.

The story starts with Charlotte a modern day public defence attorney who is asked by her first love and the one who broke her heart, to help complete legal research in order to exonerate a man accused of Nazi war crimes during WWII. It is an intriguing story that leads you through many characters, time periods and twists and turns.

Jennoff once again has crafted a story that will have you turning page after page, unable to set it down. She is a master of developing characters that could step off the page and into your life. They are that believable - whole and flawed.

Pam Jennoff's writing is simplistic and easy to read. If I had to criticize this story, it would be that at times the sub-plots and number of characters can become confusing. During the story you may stop and question yourself, but keep reading. Everything comes together at the end. This book is definitely worth the read. It offers a love story, intrigue, suspence, historical content and a modern twist all wrapped into one beautifully constructed package.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Live To Read, August 21, 2011

By 

Chels - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Things We Cherished: A Novel (Hardcover)

The story describes two love triangles - a century apart. Today's lawyers, the Warrington brothers and Charlotte Gold, are tasked with the defense of Roger Dykmans who loved his brother's wife Magda during the Holocaust. The narrative is woven around the tale of a handcrafted timepiece which has a heartbreaking past of its own.

Young adult and adult readers may enjoy the mystery of the clock's evidence as a defense against the horrible crime of betraying a brother and innocent children to the Nazis. The love stories convey elation, uncertainty, longing, and denial. The author easily navigates from one time period to another with well-written dialogue and prose. The characters are both relatable and sympathetic, the reader will enjoy them. The plot is horrifying yet interesting, the reader's attention will be held.