The Lost Family

A Novel

By: Jenna Blum

Narrated by: Will Damron

The New York Times best-selling author of Those Who Save Us creates a vivid portrait of marriage, family, and the haunting grief of World War II in this emotionally charged, beautifully rendered story that spans a generation, from the 1960s to the 1980s.

In 1965 Manhattan, patrons flock to Masha’s to savor its brisket bourguignon and impeccable service and to admire its dashing owner and head chef Peter Rashkin. With his movie-star good looks and tragic past, Peter, a survivor of Auschwitz, is the most eligible bachelor in town. But Peter does not care for the parade of eligible women who come to the restaurant hoping to catch his eye. He has resigned himself to a solitary life. Running Masha’s consumes him, as does his terrible guilt over surviving the horrors of the Nazi death camp while his wife, Masha - the restaurant’s namesake - and two young daughters perished.

Then exquisitely beautiful June Bouquet, an up-and-coming young model, appears at the restaurant, piercing Peter’s guard. Though she is 20 years his junior, the two begin a passionate, whirlwind courtship. When June unexpectedly becomes pregnant, Peter proposes, believing that beginning a new family with the woman he loves will allow him to let go of the horror of the past. But over the next 20 years, the indelible sadness of those memories will overshadow Peter, June, and their daughter Elsbeth, transforming them in shocking, heartbreaking, and unexpected ways.

Jenna Blum artfully brings to the page a husband devastated by a grief he cannot name, a frustrated wife struggling to compete with a ghost she cannot banish, and a daughter sensitive to the pain of both her own family and another lost before she was born. Spanning three cinematic decades, The Lost Family is a charming, funny, and elegantly bittersweet study of the repercussions of loss and love.

©2018 Jenna Blum (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers

If you’ve suffered from an eating disorder...

You might want to skip this book. After having recovered from an eating disorder, this book could be triggering.

STIMULATES THE HEART, MIND AND IMAGINATION

What can you say to a great story teller as Jenna Blum ? Did this happen to your family or someone you know of ? How did you get so many twists & turns in one book ? You really can't describe the heartache of this novel without believing it really happened AND BEING IMMERSED IN EVERY LIFE.
BRAVO ! ! Well done ! I never knew where it was going & I will recommend it , even if parts are very tough to get through.!

Three Viewpoints

The beginning was the best. I had a harder time relating to Elsbeth. Also I would like to have seen I more pulled together at the end. June faded in the book when she was really a central character. But I still enjoyed the listen despite these shortcomings.

Moving forward doesn’t always mean moving on...

I’ve read many books centered around the WWII atrocities, but this was the first that linked it with modern life. The scars on the body and in the mind, and how they created the family tapestry was beautiful and haunting. The narrator was a delight to listen to as well. I highly recommend this for book clubs, as there are multiple discussion topics to choose from.

The Lost Family

A very good book. Jenna Blum is a very good author I’ve read many of her books.? A sad but good ending. War is terrible but Necessary at that time Hitler killing all the Jews and the children. The little twin girls. But Peter made it to America and started over. Keep your Hanky near by.

I just loved it.amazing storytelling and narration

Quirky fascinating and touching.I loved Those Who Save us so grabbed this.I so related with Elsbeth as a teen
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Spellbinding and deeply moving

I’m always hoping for an audiobook that will make me miss my exit as I’m driving, and this was one of those books! At first blush, the story is about a NY chef who is reeling from the deaths of his wife and daughters. But the reader is in for a few surprises, and more than a few big questions: What does it mean to love someone? What is the price of loyalty? And which family is lost, exactly... The ones who died, or the ones who can’t seem to live? Loved it. Gripping from beginning to end.

Perfect

Good story, perfect narration, a true gem of a book. Raw and honest representation of how a marriage can be. A portrait of a family life connectedness’ through generations. Loved every minute of it.

Incomplete

Has all the makings of (3) good stories, but the author needs to pick one and develop it to it’s full resolution. Too light and no conclusion. Note to the author and editor (who must be all of 22) - check your facts and details. Plastic bags were not available in 1951. The flash cube was invented in 1965. By the mid 1970’s instamatic cameras had a built in flash. Watch PBS Vietnam to get that timeline right . Your incorrect details were disconcerting. Still it was good enough not to put down. Keep honing your craft.

Not recommended

The narrator was great. The storyline had potential, but was obscured by tangents. Highly reminiscent of an English 101 students final draft.