When Time Stopped, Ariana Neumann
When Time Stopped, Ariana Neumann
5 Rating(s)
List: $25.99 | Sale: $18.20
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When Time Stopped
A Memoir of My Father's War and What Remains

Bestseller

Author: Ariana Neumann

Narrator: Rebecca Lowman

Unabridged: 10 hr 7 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/04/2020


Synopsis

In this astonishing story that “reads like a thriller and is so, so timely” (BuzzFeed) Ariana Neumann dives into the secrets of her father’s past: “Like Anne Frank’s diary, it offers a story that needs to be told and heard” (Booklist, starred review).

In 1941, the first Neumann family member was taken by the Nazis, arrested in German-occupied Czechoslovakia for bathing in a stretch of river forbidden to Jews. He was transported to Auschwitz. Eighteen days later his prisoner number was entered into the morgue book.

Of thirty-four Neumann family members, twenty-five were murdered by the Nazis. One of the survivors was Hans Neumann, who, to escape the German death net, traveled to Berlin and hid in plain sight under the Gestapo’s eyes. What Hans experienced was so unspeakable that, when he built an industrial empire in Venezuela, he couldn’t bring himself to talk about it. All his daughter Ariana knew was that something terrible had happened.

When Hans died, he left Ariana a small box filled with letters, diary entries, and other memorabilia. Ten years later Ariana finally summoned the courage to have the letters translated, and she began reading. What she discovered launched her on a worldwide search that would deliver indelible portraits of a family loving, finding meaning, and trying to survive amid the worst that can be imagined.

A “beautifully told story of personal discovery” (John le Carré), When Time Stopped is an unputdownable detective story and an epic family memoir, spanning nearly ninety years and crossing oceans. Neumann brings each relative to vivid life, and this “gripping, expertly researched narrative will inspire those looking to uncover their own family histories” (Publishers Weekly).

About Ariana Neumann

Ariana Neumann was born and grew up in Venezuela. She previously worked as a foreign correspondent for Venezuela’s The Daily Journal and her writing has also appeared in The European. She currently lives in London with her family. When Time Stopped is her first book.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Angela M on January 27, 2020

Today, January 27th is International Holocaust Remembrance Day, marking the day 75 years ago when Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated. I say this every time I read a book on the Holocaust - it is imperative that we think about and remember those who perished at the hands of such absolutely evil people......more

Goodreads review by Karen on January 13, 2020

Adriana Neumann has written the amazing history of her father Hans Neumann and what his family endured during WWll. Ariana grew up in Venezuela daughter of Hans, a wealthy industrialist, and didn’t even know about her fathers history. When her father died, she was left a box with all sorts of docume......more

Goodreads review by Tammy on November 15, 2019

This is a marvelously well written memoir of Neumann’s father. Hans was a Venezuelan industrialist of Czech descent, understandably scarred by his experiences during WWII which he refused to speak of. After his death he left his daughter a box of photographs and papers about his life in Berlin durin......more


Quotes

"This audiobook about journeys is made even better by narrator Rebecca Lowman's captivating performance. Author Ariana Neumann describes how she discovered her father's secrets. The story describes her father's life in Nazi-ruled Czechoslovakia and Germany, as well as his journey to Venezuela, where he became a successful businessman whose past was never mentioned. Through it all, there is an optimism uncommon in most Holocaust-era biographies. Lowman's style is ideal. She conveys passion and empathy that make even the saddest moments feel warm and somehow optimistic. But it is Neumann's growing awareness of her father's experiences that provides the most memorable passages. Lowman captures every emotional nuance and conveys these moments with caring and warmth."