Readers meet the first protagonist, Noa, in late 1944 Germany at a train station. She has been put out of her home by her father after he discovers she is pregnant to a German soldier who occupied their Dutch home. After giving birth at a girls’ home and having her baby immediately taken away from her, she finds a job cleaning the train station and living in a small closet there. During her routine shift, Noa finds a train car full of Jewish babies. One in particular calls to her because he resembles her own child. Without thinking, Noa grabs the baby and runs away from the station. She struggles in the cold snow of winter with a baby in tow before passing out from cold, exhaustion, and fear. When she wakes up, the baby is in a warm basket with plenty of blankets and she is in a soft warm bed being cared for by a circus ringmaster. He tells Noa he will keep her and the baby that she spontaneously names Theo, but in return she must perform on the trapeze with their current star, Astrid.

Astrid is the second protagonist. She comes from a prominent circus family herself, but because she is Jewish, she is now in hiding. Her parents have been taken by the Germans, and she does not know the fate of her brothers. So far she has survived through her marriage to a German officer, but he had to put her out and divorce her per Nazi decree. Now she performs with the circus and is NOT happy about having to train a runaway girl she presumes is a single mother. Little does she know she and Noa will develop a very close friendship that will be her saving grace.

As the women get to know each other and develop a relationship through their close quarters and intense practice schedule, they share their secrets. Things get worse as they travel to Nazi-occupied France, and there they put their friendship to the test as protecting one another becomes a matter of life and death.

Wow! I am still reeling from this haunting novel of friendship and survival. There are so many compelling characters that bring the story to life that it is hard to choose a favorite. Astrid appears cold and unfeeling at first, but then we get to understand the hardships she’s endured. By the end of the story, readers feel a real connection to her and experience a genuine hope for her happiness. Noa immediately endears herself as she tries to save an innocent Jewish baby from certain death. The ringmaster is a kind and caring person who not only wants his performers to be successful, but also goes out of his way to hide Jewish people right out in the open. Peter is a clown bent on expressing his political views through his act no matter the consequence. Each person has a backstory and secret that somehow gets exposed, often to the detriment of that person. The characters are so well-developed and compelling that it’s hard not to relate to them on a basic human level.

I would be remiss if I didn’t say something about how the ending is a bit predictable. Once we find out what Astrid has in mind, it’s easy to see how it plays out. This is entirely a perspective thing as to whether it’s good or bad; I like to predict what will happen and then take gratification when I am proven right. Other people like to be surprised right up to the very end. Without spilling any plot secrets, I will say that even though I guessed the outcome, I enjoyed the parts leading up to it and the finale.

Even after taking a day to digest this book, I still find myself mulling over different parts of the story. They all went together so well and made for a satisfying, if not haunting, scenario. The author makes a point to mention at the end of the book that there were, indeed, circuses in Europe who went to a great deal of trouble to hide Jews during WWII. This story, while fiction, is inspired by those events, and, in my opinion, did those events justice. I cannot remember a time when I was so moved by a book, and I believe other readers will be also.

The book does contain violence and sexual situations, as well as adult themes relating to war. There are some themes that may not be appropriate for younger readers or for those sensitive to the Nazi occupation in Europe. Otherwise, this is a beautifully written book that shows the ability of the human spirit to overcome tragedy and make peace with the past. I highly recommend it to mature readers.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

In The Orphan’s Tale, as the season (and the book) winds down to its conclusion, one of the characters prophetically says with a sneer, “Next year? The circus is dying.” In this story of two women who find shelter and redemption in one of the few circuses allowed to limp across Europe under the Nazis, the irony is that they all think of Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey as their well-funded and well-attended competition across the Atlantic. Now in 2017, their circus is dying too.

But the story in The Orphan’s Tale brings together the unsung history of the circuses across Europe under the Nazi regime with a moving tale of sacrifice, friendship and survival about two women who find themselves thrown together in death-defying circumstances. Not just their beautiful but deadly act on the “flying trapeze”, but also their hiding in plain sight from the Nazis.

Astrid is a Jew. Her family used to be the owners of one of the most successful traveling circuses in Europe. But that was before the Nazis took everything, including their lives. Astrid is the last survivor, hiding amongst the performers of a rival circus, doing the only thing that makes her feel alive – flying.

Noa is also rescued by the circus. As a young Dutchwoman who looks like the Aryan ideal, she should have been safe. But her parents threw her out when her brief fling with a Nazi soldier resulted in pregnancy. The “home” for unwed mothers took her baby. She is alone, bereft, and eking out a bare living cleaning the train station, when the Nazis leave a boxcar of infants unattended at the station. Most of the babies have died of exposure, but a despairing Noa finds one little one still alive. A boy, and all too obviously Jewish, telling her everything she needs to know about the dead babies in the boxcar. She rescues him, and runs, seeing in this child his resemblance to her own missing baby.

But to hide in the circus, Noa must have a part of the performance. And the circus needs another aerialist. Against Astrid’s wishes and recommendation, she is stuck with training the tyro to perform, and has barely six weeks to cram a lifetime of training into the very reluctant flyer.

They are not friends. At first they are reluctant teacher and equally reluctant student. At times they are rivals. But the nature of their act means that above all, they must learn to trust each other. Or they will die. Or their secrets will be revealed, and they will die. And the circus will die with them, their fellow performers imprisoned or executed as collaborators.

But as Noa becomes part of the circus, she comes to love the world in which she has found herself. And, against all odds, she has come to see Astrid as the big sister she never had. And just as Astrid has cared for both Noa and the little boy she named Theo, sometimes in spite of herself, so Noa comes to take care of Astrid as her world, and the circus it encompasses, fall apart.

In the end, all they have is each other. And it’s just barely enough.

Escape Rating A-: The Orphan’s Tale is a story within a story. At the very beginning, it is the modern day, as an old woman takes great pains to visit a museum which has put her old circus wagon on display. The story itself is her recounting of her life in that wagon, Astrid and Noa and Theo, and the world of the circus under the Nazis.

We return at the end to that same elderly lady, and discover how it all turned out. In this case, it’s a marvelous way to tell the important bits, while leaving out the more mundane aspects of her post-war survival. When we find out what happened, we understand everything about the lady, the circus, and the world she left behind.

In the author’s postscript, we learn just how much of the story is based on pieces of fact, and it is well-worth reading. As the book proceeds, so much of the background feels true that it is almost a relief to learn that a great deal of it was true. Astrid and Noa did not exist, but the circus at this time was as portrayed. And unfortunately, the boxcar of dead babies is also based on historical fact.

But the story here is the story of women’s friendships, in spite of opposition or enmity, and how those friendships can flourish under the harshest of circumstances. Astrid and Noa do not always like each other, and they begin with very little in common. At the same time, they are both hiding such similar secrets that they must begin to trust each other. The story here is the flowering of that trust.

It is also the story of the circus, both the mundane and back-breaking work of putting it all together, and the uplifting effect of bringing a small taste of not just normality, but of a bit of escape, to people who have otherwise been beaten down into the deepest rut of bare survival. Although the circumstances of time and place are very different, this part of the story has the same feel as Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. The circus goes on, even in this depth of adversity, because survival is insufficient.

I had previously read another novel by Jenoff, The Ambassador’s Daughter, and while I had some quibbles with it, I enjoyed the novel enough to be extremely intrigued when I saw The Orphan’s Tale pop up on my radar. I am pleased to say that I LOVED this book and it will definitely be on my top list at the end of the year.

The Orphan’s Tale struck a note for me right from the start that is guarantee to hook me: a story set in/around a circus during WWII. I enjoy reading WWII novels, especially those that are not set on the battlefield and explore little niche areas. The circus was not something I had really ever thought about as existing outside of the United States and certainly not within the realm of the War. I thought that it was fascinating to see how the War affected the circus – some folded and some continued on in some capacity at the mercy of the Third Reich, but they were always at risk of search and closure. There was a desperate feel as they tried to put on a show and entertain the people, but always knowing that anything could happen at any time. That feeling definitely permeated much of the story. It is also clear that the author spent a lot of time understanding the circus and this felt very real and was not just used as a backdrop for a story. It was very much a living character with a life of its own.

Throughout the story I kept harkening back to two books that I felt had much in common with this one: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen and The Circus Fire by Stewart O’Nan. Both of these books (the former a novel and the latter non-fiction) involve circus disasters as their central focal point, and while that might not be quite the same in The Orphan’s Tale, there is the feeling of impending disaster that will come at some point, and it does, which brought both of those circus disasters (both real and fake) to mind. More directly, the way The Orphan’s Tale is framed, an elderly individual going to great lengths to attend a circus exhibit and then share their tale, immediately connected me to Water for Elephants, and that prior reading experience possibly colored how I perceived the character in this novel. It was an interesting exploration of how a prior experience can affect how you connect with a book and I would love to talk with someone who had not read Water for Elephants previously and see if they had the same experience that I did.

At its heart, this is a story of relationships in the very worst situations. While there are a couple romantic relationships, it really is about friendships. How those change and evolve over time, how people act under stressful situations, how friendship can take on different meanings, and how someone can be so critical in your life at the right time – all these are explored within this novel. Noa and Astrid are the two main characters whose perspective we see the world from and they are both coming from very different worlds, but are very similar in some ways. Their courage in the face of disaster ties them together, but their differences in past experience and secrets they have keep them at odds with each other. As a reader you go through a push-pull of emotions, at times seeing the perspective of one and then the other, which keeps you on your toes.

There was one element that I didn’t completely buy into and that was the frame for the story. It begins and ends set in the present with a character (who you don’t know who it is at the opening of the novel, but it is revealed at the end) who travels to an event held to remember the circus. This event and the artifacts there mean a lot to this person as they are trying to figure something out that they have clearly held on to for a long time. I changed my mind several times throughout the reading as to who this person was, and boy was I wrong! That is one thing that Jenoff carries off here that I also applauded in my review of The Ambassador’s Daughter, the ability to keep the reader off the track and then surprise them with a shocking revelation. I didn’t find this character totally believable in the driving reason to seek out this event and to try to reconnect with the past. I also struggle with the title and how that plays into who the bookending character is. It felt as if a different character being the focus of the present day storyline would have been more appropriate and make more sense in the larger scope of the story.

However, overall the story worked for me. I will admit to shedding a few tears as well toward the end of the book, which is difficult for a novel to achieve.

This was, once again, one of those hard to read but I just can't put it down books!

In this powerful and poignant tale, Pam Jenoff brings to life the people in and around a German traveling circus amidst the devastation of WWII. As bombs rain down from the sky and rail cars packed with innocent Jews head east to concentration camps, a small circus prepares to bring a brief respite to the citizens of towns and villages across war-torn Germany and France. For two women, Noa and Astrid, faced with life or death decisions, the circus offers sanctuary, a chance to start over, the possibility of love, and a friendship that will change the course of both their lives.

Jenoff is a gifted writer, her evocative prose and impeccable research melding to immerse readers in each new world of her creation. In The Orphan's Tale, she not only brings to life the precarious daily existence of ordinary citizens in Germany and occupied France but, especially, those attached to the Neuhoff Circus. I had no idea that circuses still performed during the war or that some of them bravely hid Jews among their company. (be sure to read the Author's Notes and Q&A at the end of the book)

As a child, circus people seemed magical, almost otherworldly to me. I wasn't able to relate to the life they led. Jenoff pulls that mystical curtain aside and shows us the person behind the greasepaint. Each complex character is meticulously crafted, an essential cog in both the circus as well as the overall story. I could feel the hopes, dreams, fears, jealousy, kindness, and grief that form the layers that make them whole and opened my heart to their pain, their sorrow, their ambition, their joy. But while there are many fascinating characters in this story, it's heart revolves around Astrid, a 40-year-old Jewish woman divorced by her beloved husband on orders from his Nazi superiors, and Noa, a Dutch teen forced to grow up too soon. Their journey from reluctant teacher/student, to professional adversaries, to mutual protectors, to sisters by choice is rich with emotion, compelling suspense, heartbreak, betrayal, and sacrifice that is heart-wrenching but also life-affirming. The reader is reminded that even in the face of devastation and death, the human spirit is strong and resilient and will, eventually, triumph.

I was captivated by this story from beginning to end. In fact, I was so absorbed that I read the entire book in one day. Jenoff keeps readers on their toes with the numerous twists and turns throughout Astrid's and Noa's journey as well as the emotional peaks and valleys that had me reaching for tissues more than once.

The Orphan's Tale is historical fiction at its finest. I highly recommend it.

Noa is a sixteen year old Dutch girl who cleans a German rail station in exchange for food and shelter. She is alone and destitute after being after being disowned by her family. Noa became pregnant by a Nazi soldier during the occupation. She was forced to give up the child for adoption and her parents could not forgive her transgressions. One evening she hears noises coming from a railway car in the station. She finds it filled with Jewish infants, some dead and some clinging to life. Still grieving and in shock from her own loss, she makes an impulsive decision to rescue one baby.

Noa finds refuge with a traveling German circus troupe. She trains to be an aerialist under the supervision of the lead performer, Astrid. Astrid’s family ran a circus prior to the war and she is hiding her Jewish roots. Both women have a difficult time connecting while they guard their precious secrets. Over time their rivalry begins to breakdown and a bond develops.

This book is narrated in the voices of the two main characters. This is an emotional tale of survival and courage during a difficult time in Europe. Although it is not a biography, this story is loosely based on real people and events researched by the author.

While I love reading HF with a WW 2 setting there are times I look for something new and out of the ordinary. With The Orphan's Tale taking place within a circus it fits the bill for something different, in fact I didn't even know this was taking place while the war was going on. Promising the likes of The Nightingale, which was an absolute favorite of mine I jumped.

Astrid and Noa are two characters with completely different personalities and backgrounds. Each with baggage they are unwilling to share, during this time period it is better not to reveal too much anyways. What I enjoyed here was watching the friendship between these two develop. It wasn't all rosy to begin with, but as time goes by they are ultimately forced to confide and trust each other.

While I struggled at times to connect with Noa, I found her to be immature and while she speaks of her love and devotion to Theo I didn't always feel it. But then again she is only 16 years old working with Astrid who is older and wiser to the dangers of the war. While there is romance here it was nice that it wasn't center stage but rather The Orphan's Tale was a story of survival, friendship and realizing that you are stronger than you think.

I was first introduced to Pam Jenoff with her novel. The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach and really enjoyed it. The amount of research she does is evident within the pages and her writing is engaging. I liked how she takes an unknown part of history and brings it front and center. The author's notes at the end highlight her passion and motives for writing this book, a fitting conclusion in my eyes.

Thank you to TLC Tours for an advanced copy (via Netgalley) and invite to be part of this tour.

The Orphan’s Tale by Pam Jenoff could easily have been yet another novel about surviving WWII. At first, I was nervous as it seemed to mirror Water for Elephants and while that in itself is a good story I found the ending to be disappointing. Therefore, I hoped for a different result. Fortunately, I was rewarded and then some.

The author has brought to life a variation that could only be contained under the big top she has expertly created. The Orphan’s Tale has bold, brave characters that were as mesmerizing as those of an aerialist.

While all the actors in this big top undergo hardship it is Astrid and Noa who take center stage. Astrid, a trained aerialist has lost everything, her family has been taken from her and has been disowned by her husband, a german SS officer. After these atrocious blows she returns to what she has always known and takes refuge with a rival circus who is willing to hide a jew in plain sight. Noa, the novel’s other protagonist has also been cast off by her family after an unwanted pregnancy. In her own despair of losing a child takes another aboard a train to certain doom. By chance, these women meet and form a bond that can only be compared to that of a childhood Best Friends Forever bracelet. It was endearing and I was touched by the lengths they went to for one another which somehow softened the darkness of the plot.

However, women were not the only stars of the show, Peter, a clown with hatred for the new regime brushes off the inevitable consequences his performance would bring. His scenes were some of the more heartbreaking because of the aftershocks it caused. Lastly, was Herr Neuhoff, the Ring Leader of the circus and the Oskar Schindler of the story. While his fate was clear to me from the start his need to help others no matter the cost became difficult to read as I knew it would eventually end in tragedy.

The ending was like this year’s Best Picture winner. It was expected that La La Land would win but instead a turn of events occurred that literally had persons saying “What!” From the start, I had a feeling how the story would end but it was the path that led there that is worth the journey.

Pam Jenoff’s The Orphan’s Tale is a enthralling historical fiction novel, it rips your heart and is a remarkable, courageous feat.

I just happened to stumble upon Pam Jenoff’s books. I was part of a book blog tour a couple of years ago and one of the books for review was The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach.

I fell in love with her story telling and writing style almost instantly! I have since bought two more books by her!

This is one of the reasons I book blog….to find new authors. When I first picked up The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach, I was not really excited about reading it but I thought it sounded marginally interesting so I gave it a go and was so happy when I was hooked almost immediately!

So when her new book, The Orphan’s Tale came up for review, I jumped at the chance to read it early! Fan girl moment!

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 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.

In my opinion, Jenoff is at her best when she writes war romances, but this book was far from disappointing. This book is more about friendships and fate than romance really which was fine. I personally love how Jenoff writes war romances but this was a well written and beautiful story about friendships…..but be sure to have Kleenex close by!

This book was an emotional roller coaster! This book is far from lighthearted, and it tugs at the heart strings in so many ways and touches on a lot of ‘heavy’ themes. However, that said, it’s so well written and the ending so perfect that you almost don’t mind the heart wrenching, emotional parts.

The characters are interesting as individual entities and the audience will surely relate to them, but it’s how they work within the story that really makes this book shine. I love the circus setting, it adds flair to the story. I love books with a circus setting, for some reason it creates a feeling of mystery and wonder which I felt worked nicely within this story.

If you are looking for a good cry then this book is for you! But it’s so much more than a tear jerker, it’s a well written story about the bonds of friendship and the choices we make in life and how they affect us, all set during WWII. It’s got a lot of things that worked and made it enjoyable. Personally I would have preferred a romance because that’s basically what I associate Jenoff with, but this book was a nice and surprising read!

Challenge/Book Summary:

Book: The Orphan’s Tale by Pam Jenoff

Paperback, 368 pages
Published February 21st 2017 by Mira
ISBN 0778319814 (ISBN13: 9780778319818)
Review copy provided by: Publisher/Author in exchange for an honest review
This book counts toward: NA

Hosted by: NA
Books for Challenge Completed: NA
Recommendation: 4 out of 5

Genre: Historical fiction, war literature, women’s fiction

Memorable lines/quotes:

A young girl who has been thrown out for getting pregnant out of wedlock, finds her salvation in a circus, making its way through war torn Europe. There she meets an unlikely friend in Astrid, an aerialist who has grown up in the circus, but as a Jew, is also seeking refuge. Both have lost their families in one way or another, but find a new family in each other.

I so wanted to love this book, to fall to pieces over it. After all, I love historical fiction, particularly if it’s set in World War II, but this book just didn’t do it for me. The writing was fine. The story was fine. But I really didn’t like Astrid, and I had a hard time buying into some of the decisions she made towards the end. It’s hard for me to imagine having something you want so badly in the palm of your hands and becoming so distraught that you’d toss it away like it was nothing. Regardless of the surprise ending (and it was certainly a surprise to me), she risked something precious when it nothing she did would have made a difference and she knew it. She got very, very lucky in the end. And at a great cost to Noa, I might add.

No, I did not love this book. It was fine. Only fine. I was anticipating so much more. And there are just so many books set in World War II that are emotional and profound, that leave their mark on you, and that is what I was looking for. But I was left wanting. And I feel so badly about that because it seemed so promising. C'est la vie.

As I side note, I feel like I should mention that I realized something while I was reading this book: I don’t like the circus. I always knew I didn’t enjoy the actual circus, but I thought as a background it would be fine. After all, I was mad about The Night Circus. It’s one of my top recommendations! But, that was a magical circus, so maybe that’s the difference. Since then, I’ve read several books with the circus as a background, and I didn’t have much love for any of them. So, perhaps my lackluster feelings about this book are partially to do with that. Maybe if you love the circus, you’ll have a better experience with this book than I did.

I really liked the fact that Noa and Astrid could have been adversaries but instead they formed a strong friendship. I liked that Noa finally found her place in the circus and made it her family.

Everyone needs to hide the truth and reinvent himself in order to survive.
Based on true events during WWII, The Orphans Tale by Pam Jenoff ephasizes the lengths we go to protect one another and the resillience of the human spirit. The story begins with Ingrid, a Jewish woman, decendant of a circus ancestry, forced to divorce her husband, a Nazi soldier, and left to carry on alone. When she returns home to find her family gone she must reach out to the nearest and most familiar source of help- Herr Neuhoff and his rival circus troupe.

In my mind, the song of the carousel begins to play tinny and faint like a music box. I feel the searing heat of the lights, so hot it could almost peel off my skin.
Ingrid, renowed for her talent as an aerialist, is willingly taken in, much to her surprise given the past between her father and Herr Neuhoff. However, she learns quickly that the bonds shared by fellow circus folk runs even deeper now that the Nazi threat is becoming reality. In an effort to provide protection, she is given a new identitiy, Astrid, and her Jewish heritage is secreted away.

The circus is a great equalizer, though; no matter class or race or background, we are all the same here, judged on our talent.
In a train station in another part of Germany, not far from where Circus Neuhoff resides, a teenage Dutch girl named Noa is struggling to exist on her own. Disowned and sent to a home for unwed mothers after it is discovered that she became pregenant by the German soldier that was billeted to their home, Noa still feels the weight of the baby that was taken from her and promised a better life. Or so she hopes. When she stumbles upon a train car full of squalling infants left to die she wonders if her child could be among them. The descisions she makes in that moment will change her life forever.

What follows is a harrowing account of two women and their desparate attempt to survive the unfortunate circumstane of WWII. The circus becomes a haven and a provides solace in the shared drama of performance- a temporary escape from the harsh reality. Unlikely bonds are formed and strengthened by unexpected similarities but will they withstand the heartbreak and danger that is everpresent in Nazi-occupied Europe?

But we represent everything Hitler hates: the freaks and oddities in a regime that is all about conformity.

Gorgeous, tragic, and heartbreaking. This is such a beautiful novel.

Pam Jenoff meshes two seemingly incompatible ideas - a traveling circus and the Holocaust during WWII - and produces a beautiful, devastating tale. From the opening pages where the as-yet-unidentified woman makes her break from her nursing home, to the moment Noa makes a devastating discovery in the railway station that will change her life, we are completely swept up and away into the story. For both characters, survival and fear drive them as their lives become entwined.

I simply couldn't put it down, and let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding when I finally did. Simply a stunning novel for such a heavy setting.

During WWII, a German circus hid and protected Jews from the Nazis.

The Orphan's Tale alternates between the two main female characters: Astrid (fka Ingrid), a Jewish flying trapeze aerialist in a traveling circus, and Noa, a 16 year old Dutch girl who was saved by the circus owner (Neuhoff) after being thrown out of her home for becoming pregnant by a German soldier. After being forced to live in a home for unwed mothers, Noa's baby is taken from her right after birth. Reeling from the loss of her baby boy, Noa was compelled to rescue a Jewish baby (Theo) from a boxcar full of "Unknown Children" heading to a concentration camp. Will the circus be able to protect Astrid and baby Theo from the Nazis for the duration of the war?

This was a powerful story of friendship and the power of kindness, and for that reason, it earned a 4 star rating from me for that portion.

Other stories set during WWII have left me feeling broken and in tears. While reading this one, however, I just didn't feel a connection to the characters. I did, however, enjoy learning about German circuses during this time period. The story itself was based on real-life heroes who did indeed save Jews by hiding them in a traveling circus. I have the highest respect for these heroes and their choices and in their honor, I wish I would have loved this book. My heart breaks for the Jewish circuses that after surviving for centuries, were so quickly wiped out by the Nazis. So much talent and diversity was lost. In conclusion, since I've read so many books set during this time period, I just don't think this story was unique enough for me. 3.5 stars overall.

With that being said, this was my first book by this author, and I look forward to trying another!

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Please excuse me while I completely gush over The Orphan's Tale! I've read a few books by Pam Jenoff (The Winter Guest, The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach) but this newest book has now become my favorite. I will try to organize my thoughts as concisely as possible for this review, but I'm on a kind of reading high at the moment after finishing this so please excuse any rambling.

First off, I cannot think of a more interesting and complicated setting for a novel than a European traveling circus during WWII. Where else would you find such a dichotomy in one setting: the cold, bleak, terror-filled landscape of Nazi occupied Germany and France and the bright, bold, exhilarating circus that washes through to bring excitement and mystery to the people? Pam Jenoff does an exceptional job of bringing both aspects to life and creating a sense of both hopelessness and freedom within the hearts of the characters and the reader. This background also serves as the perfect hiding place for these vagabond characters as they all have things they are hiding or running away from, whether that be literal or figurative, yet they are all front and center when the Big Top opens.

Speaking of characters: it has been quite a while since I've found myself genuinely caring about what happened to the characters in the book I'm reading. My heart ached for not only Noa and Astrid but for Pete, the circus clown with a broken heart, Herr Neuhoff, the circus owner who used every resource he had to keep those in his care safe, and so many more. Each character is remarkably complicated and just as contradictory as the setting. I was particularly drawn to the relationship between Noa and Astrid and watching how each helped the other when they needed it the most even when it put their own lives in danger. And the ending....it is a true testament to the sacrifices one will make for those they love. These characters go through so much, both physically and emotionally, and yet for so many of them it made them seem to fight that much harder and sacrifice that much more for those that are innocent and those they loved.

One aspect I wasn't quite expecting but which I ended up really loving was the time spent developing this circus life that plays such a huge part in the story. Everything surrounding the circus is just so fascinating! Learning about the dedication, skill, and practice it takes to be a performer, the customs and culture, what it takes to physically and logistically move such a large production around...everything is just so intricately presented with all the bright lights, colors, and grit by the capable hands of the author.

The Orphan's Tale is top tier historical fiction. There are so many contradictions within the characters and the setting and these very contradictions are what fleshes it all out so perfectly. It's a beautiful look at the many and varied faces of love and family and the mesmerizing fact that both are not always found where you expect them but forged when people are brought lowest and their real nature shines through. I recommend this book to everyone!

My favorite parts of "The Orphan's Tale" dealt with the relationship dynamics of secret keeping. Noa has rescued Theo, a Jewish baby, and it is essential to their survival that the people they are with think that Theo is her brother, and therefore not Jewish. Astrid is Jewish as well, and must keep that a secret from her fellow performers in the circus. Neither of them are sure whom they can and can't trust, or what the outcome might be if the truth is relieved. Noa and Astrid inevitably bond over their shared need for secrets, but also don't completely let their walls down either. This balance between the natural need for trust and connection, but also the importance of protecting yourself and others - was incredibly engaging to read.

The novel also did an excellent job exploring the betrayal that many individuals must've experienced as what was once a friend, coworker, or even spouse - was now supposed to be their greatest enemy. Astrid, is recently divorced - her husband, a Nazi soldier, asks her to pack her things and leave due to a new decree that Nazi soldiers married to Jewish women must divorce. Noa is kicked out of her home when her parents learn that she has been impregnated by a Nazi soldier. Noa is then forced to give that baby away after it is determined that his "complexion is too dark". As a reader, I was horrified by the choices the characters had to make, and the author does a remarkable job exploring the sense of betrayal and conflict these characters deal with each day.
My heart ached for Noa when she forced to give up her baby, and while the rescued infant could never replace the child she lost- their connection is no less real. I really enjoyed reading about Theo and his life as an infant in the circus. In addition to connecting with Noa, he is also a source of comfort to Astrid who for a variety of reasons is childless herself. Theo's growth as an infant into toddler, and his relationship with Noa were definitely a highlight for me in "The Orphan's Tale".
Anytime I can sneak a little history lesson into some fun fiction, I am game so I love reading historical fiction novels."The Orphan Train" just barely registered for me though as a historical fiction novel. While the story does deal with the Holocaust, there are few specific details mentioned. I would have preferred a little more history, personally.

While the author did a great job building the relationships between some of the characters, particularly Noa and Theo, other relationships felt very rushed. "Insta - love"is the term, I think, most used to described the kind of connection that characters seem to have in books when out of nowhere, with little time or conversation, to people pledge themselves to each other. There is at least one example, arguably two, in this book- and I had a hard time getting through those sections.

Typically World War II era novels are incredibly touching and gripping. And while I am not sure if it was the writing or the characters, I just did not find "The Orphan's Tale" to be that for me. I enjoyed reading it, but it just didn't resonate with me long after finishing it.

Fast paced story taken place during WWII. It is always fascinating to read books about people hiding Jews during this era. With this story, the reader can relate with the times.

I truly loved this book. It's the first book of Pam Jenoff's that I have read and I am a new fan. The story, the history, the way it played out - just phenomenally told. The characters were beautifully written and the tale itself unraveled in such a way that I appreciated the small aspects that drew me in, and the larger ones that made the story as a whole. I have been singing its praises since I read it and look forward to reading more from her.

Another WWII story by Pam Jenoff. This novel uses a traveling circus for its setting. At first, I thought this was a stretch. I mean, really, could there be a circus during the bombings and poverty and rationing which occurred in every European country during the war? However, in the acknowledgements, Jenoff credits the source for her circus setting. The circus was an equalizer; performance was what counted, not race. And the circus was a way to “hide” Jews in plain sight.

Found in the woods fleeing with an infant, the Neuhoff circus takes in 17-year-old Noa and the circumcised baby she rescued from a transport. Astrid, a Jewish trapeze artist once married to a Nazi soldier who was forced to divorce her, determines to train Noa in aerobatics. The relationship between the two women forms much of the drama in the book, as they keep and share secrets and try to avoid detection by Nazi informants.

The book started out well and ended in a satisfying manner. However, in the middle the book lagged for me. I felt I was re-reading the same paragraph in a slightly different context. For example, Noa repeatedly states to Astrid, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner” for repeated acts of deception. Or Noa observes to herself, “I broke my promise once again [to Astrid].” It seemed as though the author was running out of steam. Perhaps the editor could have helped out a bit more in this section. Nevertheless, Jenoff fans will love her latest work. While I still consider The Kommandant’s Girl and The Diplomat’s Wife her best novels, The Orphan’s Tale offers the role of the circus as its unique contribution to WWII historical fiction.

Riveting account of two women caught in Nazi-occupied France, each hiding from the authorities, each desperately needing a new sense of belonging. It is always tempting to create characters with sterling, clear-cut qualities especially in wartime and in contrast to Nazis. To the author's credit, she has created complex protagonists, whose desires and sympathies roam freely towards people and places in their lives, whether or not they may have become Nazis. Hearts don't always follow minds in confusing situations. Both women find refuge in a circus: one trains the other as an aerialist. Based on two separate types of historical events, the story weaves these activities into a fascinating tale that remains taut and exciting throughout. Despite having read quite a bit about WWII, these stories are new to me, as I suspect they will be to many readers.