Review: The Things We Cherished by Pam Jenoff.

An ambitious novel that spans decades and continents, The Things We Cherished tells the story of Charlotte Gold and Jack Harrington, two fiercely independent attor­neys who find themselves slowly falling for one another while working to defend the brother of a Holocaust hero against allegations of World War II–era war crimes.

The defendant, wealthy financier Roger Dykmans, mysteri­ously refuses to help in his own defense, revealing only that proof of his innocence lies within an intricate timepiece last seen in Nazi Germany. As the narrative moves from Philadelphia to Germany, Poland, and Italy, we are given glimpses of the lives that the anniversary clock has touched over the past century, and learn about the love affair that turned a brother into a traitor.

Rich in historical detail, Jenoff’s astonishing new work is a testament to true love under the worst of circumstances.

Kindle Edition, 305 pages

Published (first published July 12th 2011)

Terri's Thoughts

This story has been sitting on my to be read shelf for several years now.  I discovered it because it showed
up in my recommendations on Goodreads due to my love of wartime stories.

While not as in depth of some wartime stories this is still a moving and tragic storyline.  What compelled
me the most was the way that both storylines, past and present, had striking similarities.  Both had two
brothers and one girl.  Always a formula for drama.

The significance of the clock and how the story followed it's journey was for me what held this story together.
The trail of destruction and turmoil that followed it was just so sad.

I am not going to spend any time divulging the plot.  This story has been read and reviewed by many people
and I will not be able to offer anything new.  What I will say is that this is my favorite genre about my
favorite subject so I enjoyed it quit a bit.  Fan's of wartime stories should add this to their to be read pile if they have
not already read it.

About the Author

Pam Jenoff was born in Maryland and raised outside Philadelphia. She attended George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and Cambridge University in England. Upon receiving her master’s in history from Cambridge, she accepted an appointment as Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Army. The position provided a unique opportunity to witness and participate in operations at the most senior levels of government, including helping the families of the Pan Am Flight 103 victims secure their memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, observing recovery efforts at the site of the Oklahoma City bombing and attending ceremonies to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of World War II at sites such as Bastogne and Corregidor.

Following her work at the Pentagon, Jenoff moved to the State Department. In 1996 she was assigned to the U.S. Consulate in Krakow, Poland. It was during this period that Pam developed her expertise in Polish-Jewish relations and the Holocaust. Working on matters such as preservation of Auschwitz and the restitution of Jewish property in Poland, Jenoff developed close relations with the surviving Jewish community.

Having left the Foreign Service in 1998 to attend law school at the University of Pennsylvania, Jenoff is now employed as an attorney in Philadelphia.

Pam is the author of The Kommandant's Girl, which was an international bestseller and nominated for a Quill award, as well as The Diplomat's Wife and Almost Home.

Website