The Plum Tree

By: Ellen Marie Wiseman

Narrated by: Madeleine Lambert

"Bloom where you're planted," is the advice Christine Bolz receives from her beloved Oma. But 17-year-old domestic Christine knows there is a whole world waiting beyond her small German village. It's a world she's begun to glimpse through music, books - and through Isaac Bauerman, the cultured son of the wealthy Jewish family she works for.

Yet the future she and Isaac dream of sharing faces greater challenges than their difference in stations. In the fall of 1938, Germany is changing rapidly under Hitler's regime. Anti-Jewish posters are everywhere, dissenting talk is silenced, and a new law forbids Christine from returning to her job - and from having any relationship with Isaac. In the months and years that follow, Christine will confront the Gestapo's wrath and the horrors of Dachau, desperate to be with the man she loves, to survive - and finally, to speak out.

Set against the backdrop of the German homefront, this is an unforgettable novel of courage and resolve, of the inhumanity of war, and the heartbreak and hope left in its wake.

©2013 Ellen Marie Wiseman (P)2013 Tantor

Critic reviews

"The Holocaust was a horrendous time in world history, and Wiseman has added a personal touch on this era." ( VOYA)

Great story poor performance

What did you love best about The Plum Tree?

Beautifully written story

How could the performance have been better?

The narration was too fast - I kept checking the speed - seemed like it was on 1.5x. There could have been a lot more inflection- it is a gripping tale. Could have used a lot more differentiation between characters, male voices were generally poor

Any additional comments?

I almost stopped listening about an hour in due to the poor narration, but hung in there for the beautiful story, and I'm happy I did

Strength and Courage through Hitler’s Reign

Great story that I almost stopped listening to because of the narrator. I don’t mean to be critical, but she was terrible.

Riveting!!! Couldn’t stop til it was over

Powerful gut-wrenching tale! I found the narrator annoying, but tolerable enough to listen. Would still highly recommend. An important story about WWIi and its horrors.

Good Book, Terrible Narrator

I went through the entire book sad because the narrator basically yelled the entire story. It was not enjoyable to listen to. I only finished it because I liked the story and wanted to see what happens, but I will never get a book narrated by this person again. It was painful to even try to listen. I could do a better job.

Great story, poor performance

I rarely leave a negative review for anything and hate to in this case because this book is worth reading, however the audible version is unfortunate. The voice performance was so poor on this that I couldn't get through the first chapter. I would recommend saving your money and read this one yourself.

I really enjoyed the book

I was worried based on the other reviews about the audio recording. It was ok but I think that was because I listen to everything at 1.25 or higher.

A story that includes many sides

One of my favorite parts of this book is that it shows multiple sides of the war and people. It includes innocence and guilt that can be found in every person based on what they have lived and endured.

Interesting but predictable story…narrator AWFUL!!

Another take on the holocaust…with a slight twist. More interesting if The reader acted like she was the least bit interested in the story… I’ve listen to a few other of her books with different narrators and they were much more interesting

Usually love this author but….

Overall the story kept my interest. I kept listening because I wanted to hear the outcome, but I found it to be far fetched… also the narrator left a lot to be desired.

Bad narrator

I really enjoyed the story from
A German point of view. I HATED the narrator. You have to get someone else. It really took away from the quality of the experience