WE WERE STRANGERS ONCE

Listeners are transported to 1930s New York City, where refugees fleeing a Nazi Germany on the eve of war are trying to forge new lives. Suzanne Toren rises to the challenge of narrating a novel with many different characters and accents. The stories weave together romance, tragedy, mystery, and sadness as the characters find themselves starting afresh in a completely different culture and environment. Toren's narration helps to distinguish the key protagonists and creates a sympathetic backdrop for this poignant listen. She makes it easy for listeners to feel the anxiety of the refugees as they try to build new lives in an unfamiliar and sometimes suspicious society. Theirs is a roller coaster ride of despair, hope, and joy. K.J.P. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2018]