I understand some readers critiques of Ackerman's prose. Still, I found myself back in Warsaw, walking from Praga to the Old Town, greeting the lions at the zoo, smelling the honeyed linden trees in Praski Park while dodging bees. It's been two years since I've been to the Warsaw Zoo, but Ackerman brought me back and allowed me to see what a deep story it has (something I missed during my in person visit). That's a talent I envy in any author, even if on occasion her lengthy tangents caused me to flip a page or two. It wasn't until nearly the end that I remembered my memory was only a reflection of Antonina's world - version 2 of Warsaw, rebuilt after all the bombing and burning.