Advanced
Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.
Title details for Almost Autumn by Marianne Kaurin - Available

Almost Autumn

by Marianne Kaurin
Taylor Meskimen
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
1 of 1 copy available
An international award-winning novel of World War II, the Holocaust, and first love, set in the snowy streets of Oslo.

It's October 1942, in Oslo, Norway. Fifteen-year-old Ilse Stern is waiting to meet boy-next-door Hermann Rod for their first date. She was beginning to think he'd never ask her; she's had a crush on him for as long as she can remember. But Hermann won't be able to make it tonight. What Ilse doesn't know is that Hermann is secretly working in the Resistance, helping Norwegian Jews flee the country to escape the Nazis. The work is exhausting and unpredictable, full of late nights and code words and lies to Hermann's parents, to his boss... to Ilse. And as life under German occupation becomes even more difficult, particularly for Jewish families like the Sterns, the choices made become more important by the hour: To speak up or to look away? To stay or to flee? To act now or wait one more day?In this internationally acclaimed debut, Marianne Kaurin recreates the atmosphere of secrecy and uncertainty in World War II Norway in a moving story of sorrow, chance, and first love.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    June 1, 2017

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781338241594
      • File size: 209172 KB
      • Duration: 07:15:46

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • Lexile® Measure: 870
    • Text Difficulty: 4-5

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      November 7, 2016
      Kaurin’s subtly devastating novel traces the gradual disintegration of Jewish life in Oslo, Norway, during the last months of 1942. While focusing on dreamy-eyed 15-year-old Ilse Stern and her crush on neighbor Hermann Rod, the story unfolds from several points of view, including those of Hermann (whose sudden interest in painting is a cover for his work in the Resistance) and a non-Jewish neighbor who is unwillingly thrust into an important role in the removal of Jews from the city. Even as daily life for Jews in Oslo takes on ominous changes (Ilse’s school is taken over by German soldiers, customers dwindle at her father’s tailor shop, and Jews’ identification papers are stamped with the letter J), Ilse and her older sister, Sonja, are lost in their personal dreams, pushing aside the increasingly threatening situation until the day their father is arrested and their own futures suddenly seem uncertain. In her first novel, Norwegian author Kaurin doesn’t flinch from describing the details of the ultimate fate of the Stern family, offering an intimate, chilling look at an individual family’s experience of the Holocaust. Ages 12–up.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Taylor Meskimen narrates this historical novel, set in Oslo, Norway, in 1942, which tells the story of the German occupation through the thoughts and feelings of 15-year-old Ilse Stern. As she worries about her first crush, Hermann Rod, the realities of the German occupation are making life complicated, confusing, and dangerous. Most of the story is told in Ilse's voice in a stream-of-consciousness style. Speaking with an intense staccato intonation, Meskimen succeeds in getting into Ilse's head and exposing all of her confusion, conflicting emotions, and bewilderment as her world becomes more and more restricted and the sense of danger more palpable. This complex story starts slowly, builds tension, and demands that the listener stay engaged. Attention will be rewarded. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:870
  • Text Difficulty:4-5

Loading