Treasures from the Attic

The Extraordinary Story of Anne Frank's Family

By: Mirjam Pressler

Narrated by: Sherry Adams Foster

An old lady, an antiques dealer, dies in Basel, Switzerland. Her devoted daughter-in-law finally steels herself to do what all families must in the aftermath of a death - she heads upstairs to the attic to sort through the old lady's effects. But this wasn't just any old lady, and this wasn't just any old family house. Helene (Leni) Elias was born Helene Frank, only daughter of Alice Frank and sister of Otto Frank, who in turn was Anne Frank's father. The crash of 1929 destroyed the Franks' banking business in Frankfurt; the rise of the Nazi party began to destroy their lives.

Alice, the matriarch, left Germany for Switzerland in the early 1930s; her four children scattered to other European capitals, but she remained the hub of their lives. They wrote (voluminously), they sent photos, they visited for summer holidays and huge family reunions, and then, of course, wrote about them when they got home. Alice was their Central Post Office and their Telephone Exchange, and she kept every bit of it she could. In wardrobes, in steamer trunks, in drawers, in boxes, in packets tied up with ribbon and string—it all sat upstairs in her house.

This was the house where her son Otto, Anne's father, had come to live for seven years as the sole survivor of his little family after the liberation of Auschwitz. Such memorabilia as he rescued also went upstairs. When Alice died, her daughter Helene inherited the house. When Helene died, her son Buddy, Anne's childhood playmate, and his wife Gerti, inherited in turn. And finally Gerti went upstairs to sort out the attic....

©2011 Mirjam Pressler (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

This was no Anne Frank's Diary

This is not close to Anne Franks Diary -- of which I've read several versions and love!. This is interesting enough, but not enough for me to finish -- which surprised me. I think I may go back to it -- I may have been reading too many books of this genre and had to move on. 9/27/11

Hate the narrator

Not sure why, but I find this narrator to be GREATLY ANNOYING! Her voice just doesn't fit with the story, and when she tries to speak with a German accent it sounds like a bad Chinese accent. I haven't finished yet and will continue at increased speed because I am interested in the story. Wish me luck, not sure I can stand it.