• A View Across the Rooftops

  • By: Suzanne Kelman
  • Narrated by: Alan Medcroft
  • Length: 13 hrs and 34 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (1,748 ratings)

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A View Across the Rooftops  By  cover art

A View Across the Rooftops

By: Suzanne Kelman
Narrated by: Alan Medcroft
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Publisher's summary

Would you risk your life to save just one person?

An incredible story of love, hope, and friendship; and a testament to humanity and courage in history’s darkest days.

1941, Nazi-occupied Amsterdam. Professor Josef Held has never recovered from the loss of his beloved wife - and has no intention of ever letting anyone new into his quiet, safe world. It is a world where the clock ticks steadily in his mathematics classroom, where every equation has a solution. Every day he walks the same route home, past his neighbour Mrs Epstein’s, to a home inhabited only by him and a cat he refuses to even name.

But then the Nazis come for the Jews - and Mrs Epstein is killed. And Josef, in an impulsive act of courage, offers his student Michael Blum a place to hide.

Michael is everything Josef is not: spontaneous, poetic, and unafraid to love. Even though his passionate relationship with a Dutch girl called Elke strictly is forbidden by the Nazis - for he is Jewish, and she is not.

Desperate to give Michael and Elke’s love a chance to survive, Josef gives Michael refuge in his attic: an act of bravery and resistance that will change both of their lives. But as the dark days of war continue, with danger and betrayal at every turn, no-one can be trusted, and no one is safe.

If Michael is going to get back to the woman he loves, it is down to Josef - to find the hero inside himself, and do whatever it takes to keep Michael alive.

A heartbreakingly beautiful story about love, trust, and courage against the odds, perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Lilac Girls, and The Nightingale.

©2019 Suzanne Kelman (P)2019 Bookouture

What listeners say about A View Across the Rooftops

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Didn’t want it to end!

This was a wonderful story. I enjoyed it from beginning to end. Totally engrossing , characters engaging and well developed. An interesting look at occupied Amsterdam. Well done Suzanne and the narrator was great as well. Definitely worth a credit! Best book I’ve listened to in a while and I listen to many.

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23 people found this helpful

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FANTASTIC

The BEST book I have found in a long time. Just as great as The Nightingale!

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11 people found this helpful

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So glad to have read this

I enjoyed the readers smooth style . The story takes you back to those days. A clear sense of what life was like in Amsterdam through the invasion.
I highly recommend.

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Wonderful and Inspiring

World War II was so horrible and this is one of the best accounts of the human sacrifice made by ordinary people. I am so amazed by what people survived and the love that won over the hate.

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Very enjoyable

All aspects of this audiobook is great. The story, the readings, the phasing. Every character was brought to life and one could feel their emotions.

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Beautiful…stunning….

I simply couldn’t stop listening from the very beginning… A very different perspective of World War II. The narrator also was excellent. Don’t miss this one…

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Beautiful. moving story

Such a great story that is well narrated. Such a wonderful look into World War II through the eyes of many characters.

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This story will stay with me ...

Historical fiction, especially from the WWII period, are among the most impactful books I've read in my lifetime. I am grateful to Ms. Kelman for her excellent contribution to this body of work that honors by its telling, the lives of those who lived, loved, suffered, persevered, and endured in a time when the world had gone mad. The characters she skillfully portrays have imparted life lessons that have indelibly imprinted on my own life.

In a time when we are presently in the throes of repeating history, "A View Across the Rooftops" serves as a timely and essential reminder of lessons we dare not forget.

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Excellent story and writing

This book was so well written, I hated for it to end. The Holocaust was a horrible thing, stretching across Europe and impacting so many. Although, sad, I was routing for all of these beautiful characters in Holland who never gave up hope. A must read in my opinion. Narration well done as well.

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Just finished A View Across the Rooftop

I’ve never read a book before where I hoped against all the odds that Michael would some how have survived. The only thing that could have made the ending better is if they had both made it.

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