At the Wolf's Table: A Novel

by Rosella Postorino Narrated by Polly Stone

Overview

"Narrator Polly Stone gives us a believable depiction of Rosa Sauer...The story is compelling, and the performance memorable." - AudioFile Magazine

At the Wolf's Table is a moving audiobook based on the untold true story of the women conscripted to be Hitler's food tasters, from internationally bestselling author Rosella Postorino.

"They called it the Wolfsschanze, the Wolf's Lair. 'Wolf' was his nickname. As hapless as Little Red Riding Hood, I had ended up in his belly. A legion of hunters was out looking for him, and to get him in their grips they would gladly slay me as well."

Germany, 1943: Twenty-six-year-old Rosa Sauer's parents are gone, and her husband Gregor is far away, fighting on the front lines of WWII. Impoverished and alone, she makes the fateful decision to leave war-torn Berlin to live with her in-laws in the countryside, thinking she'll find refuge there. But one morning, the SS come to tell her she has been conscripted to be one of Hitler's tasters: three times a day, she and nine other women go to his secret headquarters, the Wolf's Lair, to eat his meals before he does. Forced to eat what might kill them, the tasters begin to divide into The Fanatics, those loyal to Hitler, and the women like Rosa who insist they aren't Nazis, even as they risk their lives every day for Hitler's.

As secrets and resentments grow, this unlikely sisterhood reaches its own dramatic climax. What's more, one of Rosa's SS guards has become dangerously familiar, and the war is worsening outside. As the months pass, it becomes increasingly clear that Rosa and everyone she knows are on the wrong side of history.

Praise for At the Wolf's Table:

"[Postorino's] ability to beautifully convey feelings of guilt, shame, love and remorse in a single gesture is a sign that we will be hearing more from her." - New York Times Book Review

Editorial Reviews

DECEMBER 2018 - AudioFile

Narrator Polly Stone gives us a believable depiction of Rosa Sauer, a young German woman who is conscripted to be one of Hitler's 10 food tasters at his clandestine headquarters, Wolfsschanze, or Wolf's Lair, in east Prussia. Stone's Rosa recalls her life during and after the war using a voice that sounds constricted, like a boot is crushing her chest. In a unique accent, Stone captures the moods of the story—self-recrimination, self-pity, and despair. Rosa has a husband on the Eastern Front, a lover who is an SS officer, and a few friends among the other tasters, but most of the audiobook takes place in her head. The story is compelling, and the performance memorable. D.L.G. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

From the Publisher

Praise for At the Wolf’s Table

Winner of the Premio Campiello Literary Prize

One of the 10 Best Italian Books of the Decade (La Repubblica)

“Engrossing…At the Wolf’s Table is Postorino’s first novel to be translated into English from her native Italian. Her ability to beautifully convey feelings of guilt, shame, love and remorse in a single gesture is a sign that we will be hearing more from her.”

—The New York Times Book Review

“This book—which speaks of love, hunger, survival and remorse—will end up engraved on your heart.”

—Marie Claire (Italy)

“As engaging as a great film.”

—Vanity Fair (Italy)

“Extraordinary…A touching, unusual novel.”

—The Sunday Times (UK)

“A superb retelling…Unputdownable.”

—The Herald (Scotland)

“Unsettling and compelling… At the Wolf’s Table stays with you, and for a long time.”

—La Repubblica

“Masterful…A unique story in which every reader will see themselves reflected.”

—L’Unione Sarda

“You’ll fly into this novel with your heart in your throat and a constant feeling of identification all the way through to the final, magnificent chapter.”

—Io Donna

“Compelling and truly well written.”

—Huffington Post (Italy)

“A necessary book of great power that brings to mind Primo Levi’s The Drowned and the Saved and the finest Italian fiction.”

—La Riviera

DECEMBER 2018 - AudioFile

Narrator Polly Stone gives us a believable depiction of Rosa Sauer, a young German woman who is conscripted to be one of Hitler's 10 food tasters at his clandestine headquarters, Wolfsschanze, or Wolf's Lair, in east Prussia. Stone's Rosa recalls her life during and after the war using a voice that sounds constricted, like a boot is crushing her chest. In a unique accent, Stone captures the moods of the story—self-recrimination, self-pity, and despair. Rosa has a husband on the Eastern Front, a lover who is an SS officer, and a few friends among the other tasters, but most of the audiobook takes place in her head. The story is compelling, and the performance memorable. D.L.G. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172039874
Publisher:	Macmillan Audio
Publication date:	01/29/2019
Edition description:	Unabridged

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