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A Brilliant Life
- My Mother's Inspiring Story of Surviving the Holocaust
- Narrated by: Rachel Griffiths, Rachelle Unreich
- Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins
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A Brilliant Life
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Publisher's Summary
A mother and daughter.
Love. Loss. Wonder.
The story of a brilliant life.
Over seventy years had passed since Mira Unreich was freed from a concentration camp in Germany. On that spring day in 1945, she found herself alive, against all odds. In the decades that followed, she never explained the mystery underpinning her survival. How could Mira say that in the Holocaust 'I learned about the goodness of people'?
When Mira's journalist daughter Rachelle realised time was running out for Mira, who was ill with cancer, she resolved to ask her mother questions. It would be the most important interview of her life: a chance to discover the secrets to her mother's joy, and an opportunity to fit together the jigsaw puzzle pieces of her own life.
Rachelle discovered so much more than she ever expected. Mira's words would lead her along a surprising path, where she learned for the first time what a truly extraordinary life her mother had led.
A Brilliant Life weaves together the past and the present to capture the powerful connection between a mother and child. It reminds us of the resilience of the soul and the ability of the heart to heal. It is an unforgettable story about fate and chance, love and grief, and the deepest kind of faith.
'A delicate, evocative story of strength and survival that turns on one of the most powerful forces in the known universe: a mother's love' JONATHAN FREEDLAND, bestselling author of The Escape Artist
'Unreich has cleverly painted her mother's story in all its shades of glory and despair; a woman who stepped into the canvas of life and painted her own bright fulfilling future' HARPER'S BAZAAR AUSTRALIA
'Mira's courage and belief in people's goodness radiates throughout this unforgettable testimony' THE AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S WEEKLY
'An affirmation of the miraculous nature of the human mind to make sense of humanity's worst inclinations, not just survive them' RACHEL GRIFFITHS
'A loving and tender book . . . Mira's story presents a key to the future of humanity' SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
'Astonishingly compelling . . . A breathtaking masterclass on how to retain empathy, faith and optimism in the face of such unfathomable hardship' BETTER READING
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What listeners say about A Brilliant Life
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jaime
- 13-04-2024
Outstanding
Magnificent narration by Rachel Griffiths. Incredible story that is both harrowing and uplifting. Highly recommend
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Liz sunshine
- 26-11-2023
A book true to it’s title.
Quite an unbelieveable and beautiful written recount of a such a valuable story. Performed flawlessly. I would highly recommend.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Julie raunik
- 01-12-2023
Just wonderful
We can all learn so much from Mira and her beautiful family about actively choosing to live life looking for the good. What a wonderful legacy you achieved Rachelle Unreich. Written and read beautifully.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Fiona Phillips
- 13-12-2023
A must read
The author lovingly brings to life story of her mother. It’s beautifully written with a poignant message for these troubled times! Narration by Rachel Griffiths is an added bonus.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Steph Keisler-Wills
- 11-11-2023
What a great tribute!
Very well written and read. Although some aspects of the book changed my mood, I pushed on and was in awe of what this lady was able to do with her life. I finished it in 2 days.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Leora Givoni
- 13-01-2024
Inspiring Soulful Reading
An incredibly researched and heartfelt book written by daughter Rachel recounting her mother’s story of Holocaust survival. This book encapsulates so much. Psychological and physical triumph over evil, the ability of a survivor, Mira, to go on living with a generous soul , attitude to life and wisdom which she bestows endlessly on her children and hundreds of others. A must read for anyone wanting to learn more about the history of these times, the ability to rise up after what seems impossible and to witness the enduring love of a mother daughter relationship.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Bob R
- 15-01-2024
Boring narration, very disappointed
Rachel Griffiths sounded like she was falling asleep while narrating, as a result my wife and I were doing the same as we listened. There was no interest or intonation in her voice. We decided to stop at the end of chapter 1 and give up.
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