The True Story of Hansel and Gretel -- Louise Murphy, Paperback

A poignant and suspenseful retelling of a classic fairy tale set in a war-torn world, for readers of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, We Were the Lucky Ones, and Lilac Girls

In the last months of the Nazi occupation of Poland, two children are left by their father and stepmother to find safety in a dense forest. Because their real names will reveal their Jewishness, they are renamed "Hansel" and "Gretel." They wander in the woods until they are taken in by Magda, an eccentric and stubborn old woman called a "witch" by the nearby villagers. Magda is determined to save them, even as a German officer arrives in the village with his own plans for the children. Louise Murphy's haunting novel of journey and survival, of redemption and memory, powerfully depicts how war is experienced by families and especially by children.

Author: Louise Murphy
Publisher: Penguin Adult Hc/Tr
Published: 07/29/2003
Pages: 320
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.50lbs
Size: 8.70h x 5.40w x 0.70d
ISBN: 9780142003077
Age Range: 18-UP

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 05/12/2003 pg. 39
Kirkus Reviews 06/01/2003 pg. 775
Booklist 06/01/2003 pg. 1744
Library Journal 07/01/2003 pg. 124
Entertainment Weekly 08/01/2003 pg. 83
New York Times 08/10/2003 pg. 17
Booksense '76 Sep/Oct 2003 09/01/2003 pg. 1
Kliatt 11/01/2003 pg. 18

About the Author
Louise Murphy, winner of a Writers Digest Award for formal poetry, is the author of the novel The Sea Within and a book for children, My Garden. She is a regular contributor to numerous literary and poetry journals.