The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story

( 164 )
Pick Up In Store

Pick Up in Store

Reserve and pick up in 60 minutes at your local store

Hardcover
$24.95
BN.com price
Marketplace (New and Used)
from
$0.99
$24.95 List Price (Save 96%)
Usually ships within 1-2 business days
All (120)  
Used (107)  
New (13)  
Close
Sort by
Page 1 of 12
Showing 1 – 10 of 120 (12 pages)
$0.99
(Save 96%)
BooksForGoodwillGetJobs
Seller since 2011

Feedback rating:

(141)

Condition:

New — never opened or used in original packaging.

Like New — packaging may have been opened. A "Like New" item is suitable to give as a gift.

Very Good — may have minor signs of wear on packaging but item works perfectly and has no damage.

Good — item is in good condition but packaging may have signs of shelf wear/aging or torn packaging. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Acceptable — item is in working order but may show signs of wear such as scratches or torn packaging. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Used — An item that has been opened and may show signs of wear. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Refurbished — A used item that has been renewed or updated and verified to be in proper working condition. Not necessarily completed by the original manufacturer.

Acceptable
2007 Hardcover Fair The book is clean but may have markings or highlights througout.

Ships from: St Paul, MN

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$0.99
(Save 96%)
WNYBOOKS
Seller since 2011

Feedback rating:

(15)

Condition: Acceptable
2007 Hardcover Fair Dirt and wear jacket ACCEPTABLE-Any or all listed conditions may apply: Covers may show wear( cracks, bends, rips, etc. )binding may show wear ( yet still ... intact) Pages May be worn, bent, dirty, yellowed with age, stained, etc. Item may include notations, underlining, highlighting, inscription. GOOD READING COPY-not typically collection worthy-USED CONDITION. WNYBOOKS Appreciates Your Patronage And Support. Thank You for Shopping With Us and Supporting The Goodwill Mission. Read more Show Less

Ships from: Buffalo, NY

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.00
(Save 96%)
Jaguar 10 Books OH
Seller since 2005

Feedback rating:

(151)

Condition: Good
2007 Hard Cover Good in Very Good jacket Book would be new except for some dampstaining on back board and inside jacket, does not affect pages.

Ships from: Cincinnati, OH

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.69
(Save 93%)
BookHolders MD
Seller since 2005

Feedback rating:

(3357)

Condition: Good
Reprint Good [ No Hassle 30 Day Returns ] Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Pub Date: 1/1/2007 Binding: Paperback Pages: 365.

Ships from: College Park, MD

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.99
(Save 92%)
GreenEarthBooks
Seller since 2009

Feedback rating:

(4453)

Condition: Very Good
Appearance of only slight previous use. Cover and binding show a little wear. All pages are undamaged with potentially only a few, small markings. Help save a tree. Buy all ... your used books from Green Earth Books. Read. Recycle and Reuse! Read more Show Less

Ships from: Portland, OR

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.99
(Save 92%)
Yankee Clipper Books
Seller since 2009

Feedback rating:

(3454)

Condition: Good
Book shows a small amount of wear to cover and binding. Some pages show signs of use. Sail the Seas of Value

Ships from: Windsor, CT

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.99
(Save 92%)
AtlantaBookCompany
Seller since 2009

Feedback rating:

(7693)

Condition: Good
Book shows minor use. Cover and Binding have minimal wear and the pages have only minimal creases. A tradition of southern quality and service. All books guaranteed at the ... Atlanta Book Company. Our mailers are 100% recyclable. Read more Show Less

Ships from: Atlanta, GA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.99
(Save 92%)
AtlantaBookCompany
Seller since 2009

Feedback rating:

(7693)

Condition: Very Good
Light wear to edges and pages. Cover and spine show no easily noticeable damage. A tradition of southern quality and service. All books guaranteed at the Atlanta Book Company. ... Our mailers are 100% recyclable. Read more Show Less

Ships from: Atlanta, GA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.99
(Save 92%)
GreenEarthBooks
Seller since 2009

Feedback rating:

(4453)

Condition: Very Good
Appearance of only slight previous use. Cover and binding show a little wear. All pages are undamaged with potentially only a few, small markings. Help save a tree. Buy all ... your used books from Green Earth Books. Read. Recycle and Reuse! Read more Show Less

Ships from: Portland, OR

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.99
(Save 92%)
Books Squared
Seller since 2009

Feedback rating:

(4093)

Condition: Very Good
Nice condition with minor indications of previous handling. Book selection as BIG as Texas.

Ships from: Dallas, TX

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
Page 1 of 12
Showing 1 – 10 of 120 (12 pages)
Close
Sort by
NOOK Book (eBook)
$9.99
BN.com price
$14.95 List Price (Save 33%)

Available on NOOK devices and apps

  • Nook Devices
  • NOOK
  • NOOK Color
  • NOOK Tablet
  • Tablet/Phone
  • NOOK for iPad
  • NOOK for iPhone
  • NOOK for Android
  • NOOK for Android (Tablet)
  • NOOK Kids for iPad
  • PC/Mac
  • NOOK Study
  • NOOK for PC
  • NOOK for Mac

Need a NOOK? Explore Now

More About This Book

Overview

A true story—as powerful as Schindler's List—in which the keepers of the Warsaw Zoo saved hundreds of people from Nazi hands.

When Germany invaded Poland, Stuka bombers devastated Warsaw—and the city's zoo along with it. With most of their animals dead, zookeepers Jan and Antonina Zabinski began smuggling Jews into empty cages. Another dozen "guests" hid inside the Zabinskis' villa, emerging after dark for dinner, socializing, and, during rare moments of calm, piano concerts. Jan, active in the Polish resistance, kept ammunition buried in the elephant enclosure and stashed explosives in the animal hospital. Meanwhile, Antonina kept her unusual household afloat, caring for both its human and its animal inhabitants—otters, a badger, hyena pups, lynxes.

With her exuberant prose and exquisite sensitivity to the natural world, Diane Ackerman engages us viscerally in the lives of the zoo animals, their keepers, and their hidden visitors. She shows us how Antonina refused to give in to the penetrating fear of discovery, keeping alive an atmosphere of play and innocence even as Europe crumbled around her. 8 pages of illustrations.

About the Author
DIANE ACKERMAN is the author of the bestselling A Natural History of the Senses, among many other books of nonfiction and poetry. She lives in upstate New York.

Editorial Reviews

From Barnes & Noble
Diane Ackerman has a molecule named after her (dianeackerone), but perhaps her greatest claim to fame is that all her works are wondrously different. Whether she's writing about "sacred play," the natural history of love, or the alchemy of the mind, she manages to arrest and stimulate our senses. (And, yes, she's written a book about the senses, too. And we haven't even mentioned her verse or her children's books.) The Zookeeper's Wife is a war story unlike any other. A narrative about a Warsaw animal keeper who saves hundreds of Jews from Nazi gas chambers draws inevitable comparisons with Schindler's List, but Ackerman's artful, almost lyrical book occupies a genre of her own invention. Her narrative interlaces stories of Jan and Antonina Zabinski's improvised sanctuary with telling glimpses into the animal societies their hunted benefactors shared. Ultimately, this is a book about what it means to be human.
D. T. Max
Nature is patient, people and animals fundamentally decent, and the writer, as she always does, outlives the killer—that is the message of The Zookeeper's Wife. This is an absorbing book, diminished sometimes by the choppy way Ackerman balances Antonina's account with the larger story of the Warsaw Holocaust. For me, the more interesting story is Antonina's. She was not, as her husband once called her, "a housewife," but the alpha female in a unique menagerie. I would gladly read another book, perhaps a novel, based again on Antonina's writings. She was special, and as the remaining members of her generation die off, a voice like hers should not be allowed to fade into the silence.
—The New York Times
More Reviews (1) Fewer Reviews
From The Critics
A lovely story about the Holocaust might seem like a grotesque oxymoron. But in The Zookeeper's Wife, Diane Ackerman proves otherwise. Here is a true story—of human empathy and its opposite—that is simultaneously grave and exuberant, wise and playful. Ackerman has a wonderful tale to tell, and she tells it wonderfully.
—The Washington Post

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780393061727
  • Publisher: Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
  • Publication date: 9/4/2007
  • Pages: 368
  • Sales rank: 449,361
  • Product dimensions: 5.90 (w) x 8.60 (h) x 1.30 (d)

Meet the Author

Diane Ackerman
Diane Ackerman
Diane Ackerman is the acclaimed author of A Natural History of the Senses, the bestselling The Zookeeper's Wife, Dawn Light, One Hundred Names for Love, and many other books. She lives in Ithaca, New York, and Palm Beach, Florida.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating 4
( 164 )

Rating Distribution

If you've bought this product, tell the world how you liked it.
Write a Review
See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 164 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted December 26, 2007

    Vague

    It's a shame that this book misses the mark. The story of Jan and Antonnia deserves to be told by someone who can do it justice. The author can't even decide the narrative point of view, she never commits to it as either a novel or a documentary account, switching view points and adding obscure parenthetical references that are odd distractions. The run-on sentences are very hard to follow. Time and location shifts are vague and confusing too. I heard about this book through an interview with the author on Public Radio, but the interview was 10,000 times more entertaining than the book itself.

    5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted December 6, 2007

    Reaching the goodness within

    I wholly endorse the five star reviews already printed here. I find the most memorable aspects of the book are the instances in which Antonina was able to reach the goodness within apparently evil people through her calm communications. Although the descriptions at the beginning seemed lengthy, the book was hard to put down as it drew to the climax of the Polish uprising.

    3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted February 20, 2010

    Very good book

    Very interesting.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted February 15, 2010

    Enlightening

    I enjoyed the book overall. I was unaware of the level of hatred pointed directly at Poland during WWII and was unaware of their heroic efforts at resistance. As far as the writing, I felt the author was perhaps conflicted on whether she wanted to write a fiction or a non-fiction piece of work. I would have preferred a fiction book based on the real life of the protaganists. That would have allowed the author more freedom than she took to hypothesize what the characters were actually feeling.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted January 9, 2010

    more from this reviewer

    Loved it!

    Being Jewish, I have often heard stories about how my ancestors hid during the war. What I find truly commendable is the non-Jews who risked their lives and the lives of the family members in order to harbor these Jews. They are like an extended family in my eyes. This book was extremely well-written and once you pick it up, you do not want to put it down.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted November 20, 2009

    Informative read

    Learn about Warsaw during WWII. People did alot the help others survive.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 26, 2009

    Wonderful

    Although I was disappointed in the way the book ended -- or actually seemed to "fade out" -- I loved this book. One of the few books I've read about Warsaw and Poland during WWII that strangely, wasn't really depressing. It was disturbing and parts were heartbreaking, but over-all it was a great testament to human goodness.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted September 29, 2009

    One of the best books ever on World War II

    The description, the research, the deeply developed characters all woven together made me love this book. It covered an arena of WWII, occupied Poland, more specifically its capital, Warsaw, that I had not read or studied about outside my World History class in college. Once inside the drama, people, and intrigue, I was hooked--I had discovered a new favorite author: Diane Ackerman.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted September 12, 2009

    Slow start, but worth reading on

    Amazing history lesson.despite what man meant for evil - goodness continued to flourish. Interesting characters who persevered through a most awful time in history and their story wasn't lost. Thanks to the author for allowing us a glimpse into survival of ordinary folk in extraordinary times.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted August 10, 2009

    more from this reviewer

    Mommy Etc-Review

    I found this historical novel to be very, very interesting. It was chosen for my book group but I am starting to get nervous that they will not have liked it as much as I did. Being that I am a history teacher I loved the fact that most of this novel was based on research by the author and told like a biography. I think that some people will find this style of book off putting.

    The book tells the tail of a Zookeeper and his family who live in Warsaw at the start of WWII. The story tells the tail of this family (primarily the zookeeper's wife) during the Nazi occupation of Warsaw. The book tells the tale of what happened to the Jewish population of Warsaw, life in the Warsaw ghetto, and how the zookeeper's family helped as many people as possible. It was a great look into not only what life was like in Warsaw during the Nazi occupation, but what life was like for a family (particularly a housewife) during this era.

    For me what I liked was the historical aspect of the book. I loved the first hand accounts of what life was like in the city during the war and what it was like for the Jews living in Warsaw during the occupation, reassignment to the ghetto, and eventual liquidation of the ghetto. More importantly the aspect that I loved about this book was it showed how average people did above average things to help the Jewish community during WWII. Everyone has heard of people the Schindler who saved thousands, but you never hear about all those who helped three or four people along the way. This book showed how one family made a difference for several people and risked their lives in the process. Not only is it a great historical piece, it also a great psychological piece in that it looks at the human condition and the desire to help others versus our desire to protect ourselves.

    For those who love historical books this is a must read. I give the book **** according the the J. Kaye scale.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted July 18, 2009

    more from this reviewer

    Amazing Book

    Such an insightful book that really led us into the mind of someone experiencing WWII firsthand. It's so important to remember what happened 60+ years ago so that it never happens again and to realize the horrible tragedy while also remembering the amazing people that helped the persecuted and helpless regardless of what religion or background. In addition it was so well written and delved into the thoughts and feelings surrounding the tragedy that was WWII while also exploring the individual repurcussions that go along with being so selfless. The characters were relatable and interesting and had depth so that you could envision them as real people dealing with a horrible time in history.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted July 6, 2009

    Very Highly Recommended

    A very well done, true story of righteous humanitarians - Jan and Antonina Zabinski.

    1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted May 12, 2009

    A wonderful story, killed by poor writing.

    The fascinating story of Antonina, her husband and son, and their zoo in Warsaw in WWII is nearly ruined by the poor writing of this book. The author skips around in time and place, slipping in barely related anecdotes and reaching for unusual phrasing that distracts rather than enlightens (...she saw her son's face shriek"...). We are also held at a deliberate distance from Antonina's life, as we are told she would have done this, would have worn that (or maybe not). Repeated mention is made of Antonina being pregnant in the winter of 1942-3, but then she 'rises from her bed' with no further mention, either of a baby or its loss, as if nothing had ever happened. The story itself, however, is so compelling that I was willing to put up with the lamentable writing through to the end. Any credit for 'provocative', 'thrilling', 'touching', 'absorbing', and 'enlightening' go to Antonina herself: Ms Ackerman does not do her justice.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted April 9, 2009

    Disappointing

    I read this book through a book club and couldn't even get through the whole thing. It's not a book I would have chosen to read on my own but I was interested when I heard the storyline. However, the style of writing makes it difficult to read (run-ons, jumping back and forth, very little character description, etc). I never really "bonded" with the characters because the author jumps between narrative and documentary style writing. It should have been written as a ficitional story based on real life events to include more dialoge. There was also too much talk of animal killings and very little explanation of what was going on with the Jewish people in the zoo.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted September 18, 2008

    Gripping story of life in Warsaw during the War

    I had no idea of the terror that not only the Jews of Warsaw endured but also the people of Poland in general and specifically in Warsaw. This story relates the angst experienced in a home filled with love and people who care about each other and love animals.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted June 5, 2008

    scattered narrative

    Interesting story but it goes off on so many tangents its nearly unreadable.

    1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted April 18, 2008

    A reviewer

    Well, I wouldn't say it's anywhere near as powerful as Schindler's List but it was okay. They supposedly saved hundreds of people but you never really know that because they spend more time discussing the animals ie: Balbina the cat, the badger, the zoo animals that were destroyed by soldiers. It was a good story in that it hasn't been told but it needed more development in my opinion. I didn't feel like I knew characters and definately not any hideaways, most of which just passed through the zoo to go elsewhere.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted November 20, 2007

    Wonderful

    So well written - so interesting. I loved this book.

    1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted January 11, 2008

    Fascinating account of Polish during WWII

    A moving story of Polish Christians sheltering hundreds of Jews at the Warsaw Zoo during Nazi rule. I found the author's detailed descriptions of minor points distracting and her flowery prose sometimes irritating. I recommend the audio CD version over print copies although it would have been better without the reader's attempts at Polish accents for the main characters' dialogues. The ending of the book was abrupt and leads the reader longing for more information on the Zabinskis after the war. Despite these weaknesses the basic story is powerful, and the book is still highly recommended.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 3, 2007

    Great Story, Poor Writing!

    A marvelous story, poorly told. The story line of the lives of two Christian zookeepers and their child in Warsaw during World War II is compelling, but loses much of its power in a very poor telling. The story line is very disjoint. The writing varies between flowery and newspaper-like. Random and frequent insertions of erudite essays on periferal topics serve only to validate the author as an excellent researcher, but not a good story teller. I tried to push through to see the story to its completion, but the lack of readability made that impossible. Where was the editor? This is a marvelous story that few will want to read. How sad.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 164 Customer Reviews
If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble
Why is this product inappropriate?
Comments (optional)
500 character limit