The Zookeeper's Wife
The time is 1939 and the place is Poland, homeland of Antonina Zabinski and her husband, Dr. Jan Zabinski. The Warsaw Zoo flourishes under Jan's stewardship and Antonina's care. When their country is invaded by the Nazis, Jan and Antonina are forced to report to the Reich's newly appointed chief zoologist, Lutz Heck. The Zabinskis covertly begin working with the Resistance and put into action plans to save the lives of hundreds from what has become the Warsaw Ghetto.
Themes & atmosphere
What you might want to know about The Zookeeper's Wife
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Antonina and Jan Zabinski run the Warsaw Zoo on the Praga side of the Vistula until the Luftwaffe bombs the cages open in September 1939.
Yes. The Zookeeper's Wife is Diane Ackerman's 2007 nonfiction account of Antonina and Jan Zabinski, who used the Warsaw Zoo to hide hundreds of Jews from the Nazis during WWII. Ackerman drew on Antonina's diaries.
Yes. A 2017 film adaptation directed by Niki Caro and starring Jessica Chastain was released. The film follows the Zabinskis' documented rescue work.
The Zookeeper's Wife was written by Diane Ackerman, published in 2007 by W.W. Norton.
The Zookeeper's Wife is 368 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, The Zookeeper's Wife takes most readers 6 to 8 hours to finish.
The Zookeeper's Wife is a standalone novel by Diane Ackerman, not part of a series.
The Zookeeper's Wife is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.