The Orphan's Tale

Sixteen year-old Noa had been kicked out of her parent's home after becoming pregnant by a Nazi soldier. Then the home for unwed mother's forces her to give up her child. She now makes a living cleaning a railway station. When strange sounds draw her to a boxcar on a side railing she finds it filled with half dead Jewish babies. Longing for her lost child Noa steals one of the babies and flees into the woods. She ends up finding refuge at the winter home of a circus and to cover their expenses must learn the flying trapeze. Alternating with her story is that of Astrid, a forty year-old Jew, from a long time circus family who's disappeared. Astrid is the star on the trapeze, in hiding with the circus. Their friendship is tense at the show more start and both hide secrets. As their situation gets worse they need to decide on how much they can depend on each other. Great look at an area of occupation that I new little about.I did feel that some of the side characters could have been fleshed out a little more. show less

I will begin by stating that once I started, I couldn't put this book down. I loved it! The setting is WWII with a cast of characters, each who must make very difficult decisions which impact on their lives and those of others.

Different from other books with a WWII setting, this includes a cast of circus characters as they travel through war-torn Germany and France, stopping only where the Nazi regime tells them they can set up tent.

The story begins with a young German girl whose family abandons her when they learn of her pregnancy by a Nazi soldier. Ecking out a living at a train station, the lonely girl had her baby but it was immediately taken from her by the German authorities. Longing for her baby and the truth of what happened show more to him causes her to make a decision to grab a baby in a train car filled with Jewish babies headed East for extermination.

Fleeing in the frozen cold of Germany, baby cradled under her coat, she awakens to find that she and the baby are rescued by a traveling circus. Noa must find a way to earn her keep in order to survive with the baby.

Astrid is a Jew whose family was killed by the Nazi's. She was married to a German soldier who abandoned her when told by Nazi authorities that all soldiers who have Jewish wives, must put them aside. Heartbroken and stubbornly strong, Astrid hooks up with the traveling circus using her skills on the trapeze 40 feet high above the circus tent. Astird's family lost their circus during the war and she is hired by the lone remaining circus.

Teaching Noa to learn acrobatic feats high in the air, both learn to trust each other lest one fall. The backdrop of the circus holds the reader as we learn the cast of different characters trying to keep the circus alive. Bravely, the owner and ring leader, puts his life and those of the circus, by welcoming Astrid and Noa to the family. All too easily the authorities hear of a circus hiding a Jew, Astrid literally takes her life in her hands each time she performs death defying feats in the air while praying that on the ground there are no Nazi's in the crowd waiting to capture her.

Because Noa's stolen baby is Jewish, they also are at great risk. This is a story of the hardship of the war, the power of the Nazi's as the wipe out towns and lives, scattering bodies throughout, but mainly, it is a story of risk taking and of the ability to find friendship and trust in a world that spins out of control.

Thus far, this is the best book I've read this year! Highly recommended with Five Stars! show less

"Sometimes our forever life does not last as long as we think."
Sixteen-year-old Noa has been cast out in disgrace after becoming pregnant by a Nazi soldier and being forced to give up her baby. She lives above a small rail station, which she cleans in order to earn her keep... When Noa discovers a boxcar containing dozens of Jewish infants bound for a concentration camp, she is reminded of the child that was taken from her. And in a moment that will change the course of her life, she snatches one of the babies and flees into the snowy night. Noa finds refuge with a German circus, but she must learn the flying trapeze act so she can blend in undetected, spurning the resentment of the lead aerialist, Astrid. At first rivals, Noa and show more Astrid soon forge a powerful bond. But as the facade that protects them proves increasingly tenuous, Noa and Astrid must decide whether their friendship is enough to save one another--or if the secrets that burn between them will destroy everything.
This book was not at all what I expected and I think I loved it for that. The last thing I anticipated was a WWII novel set within a circus! Noa is very much a sixteen year old girl who has been forced to grow up too quickly, and it shows repeatedly throughout the book. However, her adoration for this child she rescues from the boxcar is unexpected and beautiful. I think Astrid, being in her 30s, provided a nice and more realistic contrast to Noa's character. Astrid was very much jaded by the world and the realities of the world she lived in. Noa was still naive enough to be hopeful about love and life. I think the most beautiful thing is that these two develop such an unexpected friendship.
I will admit at times I was so frustrated with Astrid who seemed to forget that Noa was a child; but somehow the two always resolved their issues. I think it was mostly easy at times to forget this was a story of WWII, but when you were reminded it was in the most intense and memorable types of ways. I will admit the book was a little slow to get started but by the end it just felt like everything was coming at you at once. The story has romance and betrayal and loss and grief and hope. It is a story of sacrifice and survival. But most of all it is a story of friendship. It really is a must read story for anyone who enjoys historical fiction. show less

If you have never read a book by this author, than you don't know what you are missing out on. Most of the books from this author are written in the WWII era. This is how I first came to discover this author as I am a fan of this era. I have yet to find a book that I didn't like from this author.

I was drawn to this book because of the storyline, the author, and the fact that this book was referenced to Water for Elephants. Another book that I enjoyed reading. This book does live up to its hype. Everything from the era, to the characters, and the circus was amazing.

Herr Neuhoff is the ring master. He is the one that brings everyone together by allowing them to find sanctuary in his circus and become a family. Instantly, I connected with show more both Astrid and Noa. They may have come from different situations and age differences but they were kindred souls. Although, when I talk about these women, I can't do so without mentioning the men in their lives...Peter, Theo, and Luc. Both women gave their hearts to the men and they accepted them with care. The ending was a wonderful one. The Orphan's Tale will leave you breathless as you are transported back in time with a strong storyline and equally strong characters! show less

A young girl, Noa, is booted out by her family because she is pregnant, and through a series of events, she has to make a life for herself after giving up the baby as a trapeze artist with a circus. It is during WWII in Germany. Before the circus opportunity comes, she rescues a baby from a boxcar full of many babies, probably Jewish. She escapes with the baby and is taken in by the owner of a circus. There she meets a woman known as Astrid who is Jewish and is being "hidden" by the circus. Astrid takes Noa and turns her into a trapeze artist also, to protect herself, Noa, and the baby. It was interesting seeing how a circus may have operated during this time as the war is going on around them. The most disturbing part of the book was show more the Nazis and their constant presence. It made me think about what it must have been like for a regular person to live during that time. While very sad and disturbing in places, I appreciated the author's telling this story about an era in human history that should not be forgotten. show less

A special thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Canada MIRA for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The story opens with a 90-year-old woman visiting a museum exhibit that transports her back in time to war-torn Europe in 1944.

After becoming pregnant by a Nazi solder at sixteen, Noa is forced to give up her baby and shunned by her family. She lives above a rail station that she cleans in order to earn her keep. A boxcar with dozens of Jewish infants stops at her station en route to its final destination, a concentration camp. Noa, in a moment of weakness and thinking of the child she lost, grabs one of the babies and flees into the snowy night.

Astrid is a Jewish wife of a German officer that has been forced to divorce her. She has show more no papers and has lost the whereabouts of her family. Having grown up in the circus, she is able to fall back on her professional aerialist training and joins a German circus that will keep her secret.
Noa is rescued by a member of the same travelling circus that provided refuge for Astrid fourteen months earlier. In order to blend in, Noa must learn to be part of the flying trapeze act. The head aerialist, Astrid, is her teacher and mentor after finding herself demoted to catching the aerialist. The two women are thrown together–rivals at first, Noa and Astrid form an unlikely pairing and unbreakable bond.

Jenoff’s writing is superb, and she segues between voices/perspectives and time. Her relationships and struggles are believable with the exception of Noa and Luc. Their connection seems to have happen too quickly and felt forced. I didn’t believe that Noa would develop feelings as fast as she did and cause her to act so impulsively. This is where the book fell apart, Luc was not as developed as the other characters which made Noa’s attraction to him seem contrived.

Described as Water for Elephants meets The Nightingale, I was hesitant to request this book because both titles so unforgettable. As I’ve said before, this is often a marketing ploy that leads to disappointment for the reader. That being said, historical fiction is one of my go-to genres of late and I was intrigued. This book is a solid 3.5 stars for me, definitely not the same 5 star calibre as either book it claims to be a mash-up of, but a good read nonetheless. show less

I just finished this book and I am still crying. I am crying over the lives lost during this horrific time in history but I am also crying because this book was so wonderful and so beautifully written.

Noa was kicked out of her house at 16 when she became pregnant by a German soldier and she found a job cleaning a railway station. She hears a strange sound and finds a railway car full of babies, some dead and some alive, and she is so upset that she grabs a baby and runs way into the cold and snowy night. She is found by a performer from a nearby circus and offered refuge. To remain undetected, she needs to become one of the circus performers. She is mentored by Ingrid, an aerialist, who is also being sheltered by the circus because she show more is Jewish. As the two women train together, they become friends and then sisters as they try to remain hidden from the Nazi regime.

The characters in this novel are fantastic and their lives in the circus was very informative. The circus becomes one of the characters and is a microcosm of life during war time in Europe. There are food shortages, frequent identity checks from the local officials and arrests. It's difficult to trust anyone and life is very stressful.

This's is a novel about love and friendship during the harshest of times and shows that family is not just who you are related to but true family is made up of those that you love the most.

I loved this book and predict that it will be one of the major books of the winter.

Thanks to Edelweiss for a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. show less