We Were the Lucky Ones

🎧 It’s not often that a book sweeps in & quietly claims you—but 𝙒𝙚 𝙒𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙇𝙪𝙘𝙠𝙮 𝙊𝙣𝙚𝙨 by Georgia Hunter does exactly that. It 𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚋𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚐𝚘—not in a flashy, dramatized way, but with raw, human truth. Based on the author’s own family history, this novel traces the Kurc family across continents, through loss, hope, & the terrifying unpredictability of WWII. And somehow? It’s still a 𝕡𝕒𝕘𝕖-𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕟𝕖𝕣. Yes, it’s historical fiction based on true events, but it reads like a suspense novel—with your emotions holding their breath in every chapter. And the characters? 𝘚𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭, you’ll find yourself praying for them like you’re reading a journal, not a novel. 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗜 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗗: ✡️ A Jewish family’s resilience that will gut-punch you in the best way 🌍 A sweeping journey across Poland, France, Siberia, Brazil, & more 🧵 Multiple POVs that actually work (and make you care about everyone) 🕊️ Hope threaded through tragedy—you will cry & still be glad you read it 📚 Based on true events that give it a depth no fiction can fake 𝗧𝗢𝗣 𝗠𝗢𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦 𝗧𝗢 𝗪𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛 𝗙𝗢𝗥 (Spoiler free) 👀 • A hidden identity that makes your palms sweat • The most bittersweet letter you will never forget • That one train station reunion (you’ll know it when you get there—have tissues) • A birth scene that is tense, terrifying, & so full of grit you’ll forget to breathe • A stolen moment of joy in the most unlikely place 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦: 💭 This book doesn’t just tell you what happened. It 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕 what it cost. And still—somehow—it leaves you with hope. Georgia Hunter writes with clarity, compassion, & a quiet force that lingers long after the last page. I’m not the same reader I was before I started this book. 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦 🤬 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲: Moderate—about 4-5 f-bombs, occasional d*, h*, b**, and religious exclamations used in distress. 🛁 𝗦𝗲𝘅𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁: No explicit content; fade-to-black intimacy between married couples. 🥊 𝗩𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: Includes graphic wartime violence, executions, starvation, forced labor, and disturbing Holocaust imagery (handled with care but emotionally intense). ⚠️ 𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀: Antisemitism, genocide, grief, death of children and parents, family separation, trauma of war & displacement. 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦 ⭐️ 📖 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆: 5/5 - Deeply moving, brilliantly paced, emotionally immersive. 🎧 𝗡𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿: 4/5 - The narration is solid and emotional, though multiple accents and rapid POV shifts can occasionally make it harder to follow without the print version nearby.

We Were the Lucky Ones is an unforgettable novel—powerful, heartbreaking, and deeply human. What makes it all the more remarkable is knowing it’s based on Georgia Hunter’s own family history. That personal connection breathes authenticity into every page and gives the story an emotional weight that stays with you long after the final chapter. Following the Kurc family through the chaos and horror of World War II, I was completely swept up in their individual journeys and the strength of their bond. The way their paths splinter and reconnect across continents and circumstances is both devastating and inspiring. Hunter’s writing is clear and evocative, and she balances the brutality of the era with moments of hope, resilience, and love. This isn’t just another World War II novel—it’s a tribute to real people who endured the unthinkable. I was deeply moved and grateful to witness their story through such thoughtful storytelling. A definite 5-star read.

Maybe I wasn’t paying enough attention up front, but when I embarked upon this book I was expecting to read a story that would have fallen into the genre of “historical fiction,” i.e. a fictional account of a fictional family told against the backdrop of the all-too-real canvas of World War II. What I got instead was the astounding, near unbelievable, TRUE account of a Polish-Jewish family’s miraculous survival during this darkest time in human history. It is not until the epilogue/“Author’s Note” that we learn that the author’s Grandfather was in fact one of the main characters in her remarkable story. The author acknowledges that her family elders, quite understandably so, were not eager to discuss the horrors of their past. Given the sparsity of details that were handed down to her, I imagine that a good amount of this epic tale can be chalked up to poetic license, so to speak, and that the writing of this tome entailed a good deal of “fleshing out” of a very skeletal handed-down (and oftentimes not first-hand) account. Nevertheless, the essence of this tale is true, and nothing short of miraculous, awe-inspiring and, indeed, life-affirming. The protagonists here are Sol and Nechuma Kurc, their five young-adult children and their respective spouses. The story unfolds all over the far-flung corners of the globe during and after the Second World War: Poland, France, Siberia, Palestine, Argentina and, lastly, the United States. (Keeping track of the many main characters may have been a bit unwieldy, but the author handily provides a family tree at the book’s beginning, which I found myself consulting time after time.) The aspects of this story that moved me most deeply were: First, one cannot read this book without being struck by the perseverance and determination of the family members to provide for one another and simply to survive at the most elemental level during times of starvation, extreme weather, persecution and all the other privations of war-torn Europe. To say that We Were the Lucky Ones is a testament to the human spirit is to state the obvious. Second, the love this family held for one another and the cohesiveness of the family unit – especially when all else was lost – was something that really touched me. There is a not-so-very subtle message here about what matters most in life. The instances of self-sacrifice (Halina for her parents and Mila for her daughter, to name just a couple) are particularly noteworthy. Third, the family, having immigrated to the Unites States immediately post-war, made the utmost of their lives here, all going on to become successful in their chosen spheres. It strikes me that, as clichéd as it may sound, America is truly the land of opportunity for those who are willing to make it happen. As an American whose own Grandparents came here from Europe, I have to say that the author’s choice to bring this out brought a lump to my throat. I don’t know if it’s even possible to describe a Holocaust story as having a happy ending, but if it is at all possible – considering the devastating losses to the world and to humanity at large - this family’s story had one. In fact, the book lightly touches upon the concept of survivor’s guilt: Toward the end of the book one of the characters muses about how none of them should have survived, and yet (against the odds) all of them did. They were the lucky ones…. A word about the unspeakably brave souls who harbored the hunted: people like Halina’s boss who was willing to vouch for her (on more than one occasion), or like the peasant family who hid Sol and Nachuma behind a false wall in their home, or the Mother Superior who ran an orphanage and who was willing to accept the falsehood that little Felicia was “Aryan” in order to spare her life. To paraphrase a sentiment of Anne Frank’s: despite everything, there truly are good people in this world. In a world gone mad, these courageous individuals are true heroes. The sanctity of life and the belief that life is something worth fighting for are not new concepts to Holocaust literature. This book ranks right up there with the best in the lessons it has to impart. All in all, edge-of-your-seat story-telling, with an extremely poignant ending. Definitely recommended.

Heartbreaking and joyful. The experience of the people in this book is unfathomable to those who didn't live it. Thank you to the author for sharing her family's history.

A Polish, Jewish family's struggle to survive the atrocities of the Nazi regime. It is a well written book that follows each of the family members' individual fight and path to survive in different countries and circumstances. Even though one knows about the unimaginable cruelties and crimes committed against primarily (if certainly not only) people of the Jewish faith, books like these are important and I very much enjoyed (if you can call it that) this one, not least of all because amidst all the horror and loss and anguish there is love and there is hope.

Interesante contenido basado en historia real escrito en un lenguaje sencillo. Muy recomendable para los que están tratando de afianzar el aprendizaje de la lengua inglesa.

Loved it and appreciate the write-up and thankyouu!!

This book was a very good read. Terrible things happened in World War II and some of the chapters were quite moving. Well written (in my opinion) and certainly held the reader. I would definitely recommend.