The Snow Hare, Paula Lichtarowicz
The Snow Hare, Paula Lichtarowicz
3 Rating(s)
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The Snow Hare
A Novel

Author: Paula Lichtarowicz

Narrator: Rose Ackroyd

Unabridged: 13 hr 33 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/31/2023


Synopsis

In this "riveting, heartfelt" novel of love and consequences (Heather Morris, New York Times bestselling author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz), a woman dreams of becoming a doctor until World War II leads her instead into an astonishing love—and a fateful choice.

Is it possible to fall in love at the edge of life?

Lena has lived a long, quiet life on her farm in Wales, alongside her husband and child. But as her end approaches, buried memories begin to return. Of her childhood in Poland, and her passion for science. Of the early days of her marriage, reluctant wife to an army officer. Of the birth of her daughter, whose arrival changed everything.

Memories less welcome return, too. Her Polish village, transformed overnight by the Soviets, and the war that doomed her entire family to the frigid work camps of the Siberian tundra. And buried in that blinding snow, amongst the darkness of survival, the most haunting memory of all: that of an extraordinary new love.

Exploring motherhood, marriage, consequences, and our incredible human capacity for hope, The Snow Hare is the story of a woman who dares to love and to dream in the face of impossible odds, and of the peace we each must make with our choices, even long after the years have gone by.

About Paula Lichtarowicz

Paula was born and raised in the UK under the influence of eccentric Polish relatives and too much Catholic education. After a diversionary few years working in pubs, management consultancy, television production and hairdressing, she wrote her first novel about girls trapped in a dystopian garden world. She followed this with a surrealist detective story set in Vietnam. Her third book is a story about finding hope and love on the edge of life, influenced by her Polish grandmother's experience in the second world war. She has a daughter and a dog, and a desire to write, as honestly as possible, stories that address the confusing business of navigating life and human relationships.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Kate on February 08, 2023

Had to take an hour or two after finishing this excellent novel. Snow Hare tells the story of Magdalena (Lena), whose life is caught up in the machinations of others - first the gypsy who tells her fortunes, her parents, her husband and finally World War II. Lena is determined to be a doctor but lif......more

Goodreads review by Olga on February 27, 2024

W natłoku współczesnych powieści historycznych i okołohistorycznych można czasami się pogubić, można się też zawieść. Sięgam po nie zawsze z dużą ostrożnością, dbam, by polecany tytuł był wszystkim tym, czego szukamy w takiej opowieści, ale żeby nigdy nie przekłamywał rzeczywistości. „Ludzie z kości......more

Goodreads review by Maria on June 16, 2022

As Lena lies in her deathbed, she remembers her days as a teenager in Poland - the ordinary rhythm of life at her family home and her absolute dream of becoming a doctor. Her dream engulfs her existence as she nurtures her passion by devouring books on medical terms. But destiny has other plans for......more

Goodreads review by K.S. on September 05, 2023

As Lena's life comes to an end, she thinks over paths that led her here. A comfortable childhood in Poland, a desire to be a doctor, and a war that will push them to the frozen edge of the world. I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. The story follows Lena, as an elderly woman on he......more

Goodreads review by Paul on June 04, 2022

Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, with the catastrophic consequences it has made for the nation’s population and its infrastructure, lends contemporary relevance to Paula Lichtarowicz’s World War II novel, “The Snow Hare,’’ with its depiction of the toll of the Soviet incursion into Poland and in partic......more


Quotes

“Love and loss, and courage and compassion, collide in this brilliantly told story of survival against the odds. Based on the true story of her grandmother, Paula Lichtarowicz’s exquisite novel takes readers on a family journey full of passion, longing, regret, and eventual acceptance of choices made a lifetime ago. In these riveting, heartfelt, and brutally honest pages, Lena keeps a lifetime of secrets and dreams from her loved ones, but never allows them to stop her from loving in return.”—Heather Morris, New York Times bestselling author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz