For me, the hallmark of a good book is a desperate desire to reach the end. The Orphan’s Tale was a very good book and I became deeply invested in finding out how it would conclude.

When Noa’s family finds out that the German soldier who had been lodging with them had seduced her and left her pregnant, they throw her out. Young and essentially penniless, she makes her way to a Lebensborn home and gives birth to a dark haired, dark eyed boy. She is stunned; a Dutch beauty with porcelain skin, platinum hair and sky blue eyes it seems unreal that she and an Aryan soldier would have such a child. It also doesn’t matter. While Noa immediately loves the child and wants to keep it, the baby is snatched from her arms and a few short days later Noa is put out of the home, left to fend for herself.

She does so by cleaning at a train station for a pittance, sleeping in a closet there when she isn’t working. One night while exhaustedly dragging a broom around the steps, she hears a strange sound coming from a railcar; what she finds when she investigates stuns her. Hundreds of babies have been left in the cold, in a ramshackle wooden box car. Most have already died, some are clearly just moments away from expiration but one young boy seems to have been spared the worst of it. Snatching him up, she races into the night before the guards can catch her. She and the child seem destined to die in the blizzard that aids their escape but a miracle happens: A circus clown finds them freezing in the woods and takes them back to the performer’s winter camp, where Noa and the newly christened Theo find a refuge from the war raging around them.

The title of the book is deceptive. This is not really a story about the orphan but about the two women who care for him: Noa, whose generous heart constantly leads her to sacrifice herself for others and Astrid, a Jewish trapeze artist who trains Noa to become a part of the circus. It’s an absolutely terrific account of female friendship, about survival in tough times and about the practical nature of love in war. What makes it especially heart-touchingly beautiful are the quiet, mesmerizing ordinary heroes who people its text. From Noa, who tries to save everyone she encounters to Peter, who defies the Nazi regime through subtle mockery, to Herr Neuhoff, who saves lives by hiding Jewish performers and workers in plain sight. I fell in love with all of them, worried endlessly about what their fates would be in such terrible circumstances and cried and celebrated with them as they lived and loved in the toughest of circumstances.

This isn’t the cheeriest tale but it does, ultimately, have a happy ending for some of the characters and is a reminder that a life well lived is more important than living a poor one for a long time. I am happy to recommend this novel to anyone who likes a good book.

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

So, only having read Pam’s The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach before, I knew I was in for a good tale with The Orphan’s Tale! After reading The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, I have become increasingly choosy about my WWII reads because I feel so emotionally fatigued after reading, picturing, learning more about this time frame in history.

Being hailed as The Nightingale meets Water for Elephants, The Orphan’s Tale does bring to mind both of those books, but it is also SO much more.

What I liked:

The cover. It’s heartbreaking once you realize what the cover means. But it’s still a good cover.

Astrid. Listen, that woman has strength like nobody’s business. Life kept knocking her and she kept getting on up.

The ending. I ugly cried so hard and my kitty cat looked alarmed at the amount of Kleenex I went through.



Random thoughts:

Noa was a great character- her impulsiveness and young age was a liability at times and sometimes I wanted to reach in and shake her.

Astrid and Noa, at first I wondered how their dynamic was going to play out- but I soon realized that it was going to me a mom/daughter type relationship. Because Astrid knew the meaness of the world, knew what people were capable of (even the people that loved you) she was trying to prepare Noa, to get her to temper some of that impulsive behavior- because it was not anymore just Noa’s life- it was so many more who could be brought down.



Bottom line: I absolutely loved this book and think it should be on your TBR list immediately.



*This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.*



*The Orphan’s Tale is a February #FuturisticFriday selection from Traveling With T.*



Happy Reading and Bookishly Yours,

T @ Traveling With T

I'm an avid reader of Historical Fiction, especially books that focus on WWII. So, I eagerly jumped at the chance to read this book.

The premise was enticing but overall my feeling about the book could be summed up as 'interested by not invested'. The book is narrated by Astrid and Noa whose personalities and life experiences are quite different. Astrid was a strong main character. She's lived through a lot, she's broken and tough nut to crack. This is in complete contrast to teenage Noa who was overly naive to the point that it was grating. She never thinks things through, claims to love baby Theo yet pawns him off at every opportunity and never seems to struggle with his care even though she has no prior experience and has a new job as a trapeze artist. I just didn't connect with her on any level.

This book features a group of people who are trying to escape the Nazis' wrath. This was a dangerous, turbulent time but the war seemed to be just a backdrop to the drama between the characters. Besides the moment when the babies are found in the boxcar (an emotional moment for me - which is described in the book summary), it wasn't as gritty, emotional or tension-filled as I had expected for a book set during WWII. Instead the focus was on the romantic entanglements (one of which came about too quickly to be believable) and melodrama between the characters.

And yet this book continued to hold my interest enough for me to continue and find out how things end for this band of misfits. I think the premise was unique and thought the epilogue was quite interesting as Jenoff explains how she came up with the premise of her book based on historical details.

The secondary characters were a unique bunch but I wish that they had been used more within the story. For example, the circus master's son was written as a potential bad guy but barely used; the older Jewish man's perspective would have been a benefit to the plot but his story wasn't explored, and the Circus Master's life, as he struggles to keep his circus afloat and help those running from the Nazis, was only hinted at. With the secondary characters' minimal lines and involvement, it was hard for readers to get to know them well enough to care about them.

This book had great promise and was touted as a mixture of “The Nightingale" by Kristin Hannah and "Water For Elephants" by Sara Gruen. Those are some big shoes to fill and while I think the premise was solid, I found the execution weaker than expected. It started off as a vivid, emotional Historical Fiction read but as the book progressed it became more about the relationships of Astrid and Noa giving the book a lighter Historical Romance feel that happened to be set during WWII. A good read just not as gritty as I had expected. This is a story about survival and family in various forms. With more tension and connection to the characters I would have given this book a higher rating. For people looking for a lighter Historical Fiction read this book is right up your alley.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Harlequin and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary e-book copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I love WWII books. They are my bread and butter and I was so excited to find a new twist on one. I absolutely loved the addition of the circus and the magical atmosphere. Noa and Astrid are two women with secrets and they managed to forge such a strong friendship despite everything. Astrid is a woman of Jewish faith who marries a German soldier. She comes from a long line of circus performers and when her husband leaves her because of the fact that she is Jewish, she is devastated and decides to join a competing circus since her family has disappeared. Noa has a one night affair with a German soldier and is kicked out of her family home when she learns she is pregnant. Her child is taken away from her, but she gets a second chance at motherhood when she rescues a baby boy from a boxcar full of Jewish babies, on their way to their deaths.

One of the things I loved about this book was that the romance was very subtle. The focus was on the friendship between these two very strong women. Astrid distrusts Noa and is worried that her secret will be found out. I had no idea that there were circus people who basically hid Jewish people among their workers to give them a job and to hide them. The author stated in her author's note that she had read about this and was intrigued. I was definitely intrigued to hear this. The owner of the circus in this book risked his life to hide Astrid and Noa's baby, among others. What a crazy time to live in. Noa learned how to become an aerialist so that she can earn her place in the circus. I know Noa was a gymnast at one point, but I still thought it a little convenient that she was able to learn the act so quickly. But given that, there were still wonderful scenes in the circus and behind the scenes. Being an aerialist involves a lot of trust and committing herself to this act allows Noa to gain Astrid's trust and respect.

This book was full of magical scenes with the circus and also a lot of suspense and fear with checkpoints and the Nazi regime. There were these moments when the circus performers put on their act and you could almost forget the despair of the war because there is just so much hope and beauty with the performers. But the author never lets you forget the stakes or what could happen to both go these women. There was a little insta-love with Noa, but I am so glad that it was a subplot and not one of the major points of focus. Both of these women have lost loved ones and family but they find what they have been missing from each other. This was such a beautiful story. Yes, there are incredibly sad moments (it is a WWII book after all), but there are some beautiful ones as well. Great book!

I first became a fan of Pam Jenoff when I read one of her short stories in the compilation, GRAND CENTRAL: Original Stories of Post-War Love and Reunion. She is also known for several other books set during war- time. Her research is impeccable and the desire to share the stories of those who suffered and lost or those who saved others during a horrible time in our history makes her one of the much-loved historical fiction authors. With her newest book, ORPHAN TALE, she tells a story of two women, unlikely to ever cross paths that now must rely on each other to survive.

Noa is kicked out of her home at 16 when her Dutch parents find out she is pregnant by a Nazi soldier. The orphanage she lives in takes her baby immediately after birth promising her he’ll be sent to a good family. Lost and alone she works cleaning a train station until fleeing after witnessing something she will never be able to erase from her mind. Astrid is served divorce papers from her German soldier when he is forced to kick her out because she is a Jew. Astrid grew up in the circus but after leaving her family home to get married, she returns to her home overtaken by the Germans and her family gone. She is forced to go to the competing circus to ask for a job and most importantly, to be hidden. After a cold winter night, Noa and Astrid are forced to work together and eventually their lives depend not only on the circus staying alive during the war, but sharing the secrets they’ve hidden from each other.

In one of my favorite writing styles, Jenoff writes the chapters from Noa’s or Astrid’s voice. This format always helps me read faster because I have to know what happens and understand the other character’s perspective. This war-time setting is mostly the circus train and then the fairgrounds where it sets up camp to perform in various villages between Germany and France. We are also given some flashbacks to life before the war for many of the characters offering a glimpse of who they were and what brought them to the circus life. I had no idea the circus would have still been allowed while the travesties of WWII were taking place. Thankfully, many people were saved because of their role in the circus and others were hidden from the Nazi officers and kept safe. The friendships made while depending on the circus created a family for many of them that had nothing else to hold on to.

Even though the stories of these two women are fictional, Jenoff has based them off of true stories she was told and then let her imagination take us on an emotional trip back in time. Jenoff served as a US Diplomat in Poland and her time working with Holocaust survivors profoundly affected her. This is her chance to share their stories so we don’t forget. Every WWII story I read leaves me feeling sad, yet grateful and inspired by those who were willing to sacrifice food, family, and safety to help others in need. These stories offer readers a reminder that even during the most horrible times, there was always a way to find the good in others. But, unfortunately, many places in this novel will rip your heart out as there was so much suffering and tragedy. Jenoff writes a riveting, heartbreaking, and memorable story that is sure to make many top book lists for 2017.

Favorite quote:

"We cannot change who we are.
Sooner or later we will all have to face ourselves."

This was a heart-stopping and painful read but there are no regrets in reading it. THE ORPHAN'S TALE broke my heart at the beginning and it didn't stop there. The premise for this story had me searching for the history behind the start of the book; a boxcar of babies on their way to be transported to a concentration camp and a young infant saved. This was based in reality and I can say this book was very well researched and story throughout felt so tangible.

The two main characters in this book, Noa and Astrid are two women brought together through the rough and barren circumstances of war. They develop that kind of bond that feels like sisterhood. The main story centralises around a circus, such a contrast to war and occupation but this wasn't a joyful, fun life. These two aerialists, learner and mentor, continued in this world just to survive. There was a wonderful cast of characters both in the circus and also along their travels; the character development was superb.

This book provoked such emotion, making the reader really feel the desperation, attachments and loss and hope in 1940s war time Europe. This story was not neatly tied up to make the reader satisfied. Any discomfort or sadness I felt was necessary and right. I don't want to feel my emotions smoothed over for a more comfortable experience, I want to vicariously feel the experiences of these characters cast from real history....and I did.

Pam Jenoff has excelled in her writing, concept, story and character development. This is her best work yet.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in return for an honest review.

Reviewed for Jo&IsaLoveBooks Blog.

There is no shortage of World War II-era books roaming about, and I have certainly read my fair share of them. In fact, I used to read so many that I found myself becoming a bit tired of reading books in this particularly period of time and actually stopped for a while. I've recently been sent a few ARCs set in World War II, however - including The Orphan's Tale - and I felt that it was finally time to jump back into this interesting period.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure if this was the best book to start with. The Orphan's Tale is by no means a bad book, but it wasn't really at that good, either. I found the premise intriguing: a young girl, Noa, who is kicked out of her house for becoming pregnant finds herself living on her own, saves a baby from the likely fate of death, and eventually finds refuge at a circus. Once at the circus, she is introduced to Astrid, the lead aerialist and our second main character, and that is the basic setup of this novel. I'm also a fan of circus-related stories, so I thought this would certainly be an interesting setting for a book of that type.

The problem, however, was that I never felt truly connected to the story. I read about the characters' issues, but I never fully felt them or felt overly attached to them. Noa is surely an interesting young woman, but she was written to be somewhat flat and uninteresting. I also found her frustratingly naive, which was something I couldn't get over. I understand that she might not have been quite as fully aware of the dangers of the current time period as Astrid, but I just don't understand how she could have been nearly as naive and trusting as she was. And I won't say too much in the way of Noa's love interest in case of spoilers, but I felt that that entire storyline was unnecessary and hard to believe. The love interest, Luc, was somehow even more flat as a character than Noa, and I was unable to discern the connection between the two.

Astrid was slightly more interesting to me, and I found myself more interested in her storyline than in Noa's. She had much more in the sense of street smarts, and I found her story much more compelling overall.

The chemistry between the Astrid and Noa was written well, and I appreciated how they managed to form such a strong bond of friendship, though I will say that the dynamic between the two changed too quickly from enemy to friendly. There just wasn't quite enough development to build up to the forming of their strong friendship.

The Orphan's Tale is written in alternative first-person narratives told by both Noa and Astrid, and I liked the idea, but there were far too many instances in which I had to double check which narrative I was reading from. Both had a similar voice, and there was not much available to make it possible to tell them apart.

My last problem was the ending. In general, I like this type of ending in books, as I find it takes strength and leaves a lasting impression. In this case, it felt entirely too abrupt and unfinished, leaving me feeling as though the author just needed to quickly wrap up this story as easily as possible.

Despite the many flaws I found within The Orphan's Tale, this was still an entertaining story that did keep me reading. I enjoyed seeing another side of those impacted by the Nazis -- I had never even considered how something like a circus would be treated in these circumstances, so I definitely enjoyed that aspect. I would recommend this to those who enjoy World War II novels and want something a little different.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book.

For all the books I've read concerning the horrors of the Holocaust, you'd think you couldn't be surprised by atrocities but of course you're wrong. This story basically incorporates two true happenings of that time and combines them into an amazing novel - infants rounded up and put on a train car headed for concentration camps and the German circus that helped to hide Jewish people.

Noa is a young Dutch girl, pregnant from one night with a Nazi soldier, and forced to leave her home by her father. She goes to a home where she is forced to give up her baby boy - in yet another program to take young German babies and give them homes. When her baby doesn't look like the German ideal, she has no clue what will happen to him. She is forced to try and earn a living cleaning and sleeping in a railway station. She happens to hear faint crying one night and sees the horror of a whole train carful of infants, most dead or dying. Without thinking, she grabs one little boy who is alive and takes off running through the woods. She is found by circus workers and taken in by the owner. In order to stay, she must learn the trapeze, and her tutor is more than reluctant to teach her. Astrid has her own secrets - and being saddled trying to teach Noa makes her angry, which she takes out on Noa.

This is an amazing story of hope, despair, love, survival - all in the horrid shadow of the war. I am not a big circus fan but just as in Water for Elephants, there is something that draws you closer. I thought the writing was wonderful - highly recommended.

The Orphan’s Tale is a beautiful story of perseverance, family and coming of age during World War II. Pam Jenoff whisks her readers into the lives of circus performers during a time period that is so unpredictable and dangerous. There are many wonderfully developed characters in this book, but Noa is one that stands out for her sheer bravery and resilience.

One of the really incredible things about The Orphan’s Tale is the window into a circus performer’s life that Jenoff seems to expertly portray. What kid hasn’t imagined what it would be like to fly on a trapeze or live amongst wild animals? Although it does sound like a romantic type of lifestyle, the depictions that Jenoff creates in this novel from her research are quite telling of the struggles and hardships these performers endured during World War II. What is quite amazing is the family these large groups of entertainers create and how they will protect one another no matter the cost.

Jenoff has chosen a very interesting time period to base a novel with a circus theme. It does not seem like a time that many in Europe would have had the opportunity or money to be able to attend such an event. However, as is shown in The Orphan’s Tale, it was also a time where people attempted to seek some sort of normalcy and a few hours to forget the outside world. As the story progresses, unfortunately, even the circus has a hard time escaping the terror of WWII.

While it is hard to choose a favourite character in this book, Noa is such an incredible character that grows up before the reader’s eyes. The determination that Noa exerts is so admirable and her ability to adapt to so many different situations at such a young age makes The Orphan’s Tale a story of survival. Noa’s imperfections and impetuousness make her believable and quite relatable as well. Even though she is dealing with adult problems, Noa is still a young woman who has much to learn.

The Orphan’s Tale is a unique story that weaves together the struggles of people living through the Second World War and a family of entertainers. This book will really amaze and entertain the reader, while ripping their hearts out at the same time. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to read a different kind of story during a very tense time in history.

Interesting blend of circus life and wwII
Compelling, well developed characters add to enjoyment of this book.
Recommended read

I loved the story 'The Orphan's Tale' by Pam Jenoff. It is an intelligent novel about two women of different nationalities and ages who work together on the instruction of the German owner of a travelling circus. Both are on the run, hoping to keep a low profile and survive the war raging around them. They seek shelter, discretion, their keep and a small wage. They forge an unlikely relationship and learn to trust and love one another, helped by the fatherly circus owner who arranges false papers for them and the baby one of them calls her brother, so that they can move about with the circus without attracting the attention of the Nazis.
Astrid is the daughter of a Jewish circus owner who has fled for his life with his family. Astrid does not know if they are still alive or even where they are. She has been cast out by her German husband by order of a new law and has sought the help of what used to be their rival in the business. She is a trapeze artiste, a graceful high flyer, talented, brave and very creative.
Seventeen-year-old Noa was cast out by her father from her home in occupied Holland when she brought disgrace upon her family, becoming pregnant by a German soldier. Sent away by her family, her baby is seized by doctors at birth. She is looking for a job and shelter when she finds a Jewish baby in the carriage of a transportation train at rest in the station. Many of the other babies with him are already dead, but she decides to take him for her own and flee. They are discovered in local woods and taken to the circus; Astrid is told that she must train Noa as a flyer ready for their upcoming summer season. It seems an impossible task but Noa is an experienced gymnast and soon learns the rudimentary releases, catches and turns that will pass as an act. Astrid will be her catcher. The difference between life and death depends upon their mutual timing and trust in each other.
At last the circus departs from its winter quarters and travels to its first venue. Astrid and her boyfriend who is a clown are pleased to be on the road at last, but Noa has yet to conquer her nerves and perform in public. All of her concerns are set against the worry of keeping the baby safe and keeping Astrid’s identity a secret. It is against the law for Jews to work alongside Germans and the constant checks of their papers are nerve shattering. When Noa meets the son of the local mayor they form a relationship, but Astrid is furious; her motto is that you can trust nobody, even those who may seem to be your trusted friends.
Pam Jenoff has interwoven two true documented and fascinating stories into this intelligent and engaging work of fiction. It is the tale of a strong friendship, loyalty, trust and determination to overcome the evil forces of war. It is a heart stopping story meticulously researched and beautifully told with wonderful well-crafted characters. It is sometimes dark and disturbing, but always a real page-turner. I would like to thank NetGalley and publisher HQ for my copy of this novel, sent out to me in return for an honest review. I recommend this as a very good read within this genre. It’s a 9/10 from me.

There are notable as well as unsung heroes who protected some Jews from the Holocaust. We know about Oskar Schindler and I most recently learned about Irena Sendler. This is an admirable attempt to capture a story that I knew nothing about - the German circus and how some Jews were hidden as circus performers. I found it interesting because I didn't know about it and uplifting to know there were good people willing to take risks to save their fellow man.

Noa, a 16 year old Dutch girl, makes a mistake, sleeps with a German soldier and loses her family, her baby and the life she knew . An act of courage saving a Jewish baby from a carload of babies on a train, will endear her to you. Astrid, a German Jew from a circus family, falls in love and marries a German soldier, and the outcome is not a good one when she is forced to return home to find her family gone . Enter the German circus owner Herr Neuhoff who will do what he can to save these Astrid, Noa and the baby that she rescued.

I'm not sure why but I had a hard time feeling any connection to the characters and even their connections, relationships and friendships didn't grab me . While it is an important story, it just didn't come together for me with a lot of focus on the romantic relationships. There are so many good reviews for this, so maybe I missed something but stacked up against the Holocaust literature that I have read, this one garners 3 stars for the effort to tell a story based on facts that inspired the author.

I received an advanced copy of this from Mira/Harlequin through NetGalley.

"https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1845227981"
This is another great WWII set title that depicts the lives of women during the war. Here we have two women, one completely abandoned by her family because she slept with a German soldier and became pregnant and one who loses her family because she is Jewish.

This is the story of two women, how they live and love during a time of great tragedy and terror.

Every time I think I'm done with World War II fiction, another title comes along that pulls me back in. I've enjoyed Pam Jenoff's books in the past and this premise intrigued me, so I was back down the WWII rabbit hole.

Other than some backstory and a few events in the lat half of the novel, most of the action in this novel is set apart from the realities of the war. This doesn't mean that the war doesn't play a part--it is very much in every word in this novel--but it does give a different view of events. Personally, I prefer war novels that focus on the lives of "ordinary" people instead of the politicians and soldiers.

I was immediately taken with both Noa and Astrid's stories. Jenoff excellently gives them ample story without spending pages trying to catch the reader up with everything that happened in their life up to that point I will admit that I found Astrid's story to be more compelling. I felt that Jenoff dove deeper into her past issues and made her a more nuanced character.

This novel is excellently paced. It picks up speed as it goes along and climaxes at just the right moment for the full effect. Also, on a smaller note, the way Jenoff wrote the trapeze passages are perfect--I felt my palms beginning to sweat every time Noa climbed the ladder. It takes great skill to evoke an actual physical response from prose.

So, here is my big complaint with this book. Like so many other novels, this is a dual-narrative story, which is something with which I have a love/hate relationship. When it works, it is wonderful...when it doesn't, it really hampers my experience of the book. Unfortunately, this book falls into the latter category. The key to a successful dual- or multi-narrative story is for each narrator to have a different voice I need to be able to tell that each narrator is a distinct entity. Noa and Astrid have the exact same voice here--there were many times when I would have to put the book down for various reasons (I have young kids...interruptions are frequent!) and, when I got back to the book, I had no clue who the narrator was. Even on the few occasions that I was able to read without interruptions, the two narratives started to bleed together.

It's unfortunate that the narrative issue impacted my experience so much. However, this may not bother other readers. My advice would be that, if the indistinct voices are something that wouldn't bother you, to give this book a try. It has so much going for it and, if you can overlook one drawback, you will enjoy it.

Circus life during World War II

This is a haunting historical tale taking place during World War II in mostly Germany and France.

The story starts with 16 year-old Noa, a Dutch girl impregnated by a German soldier. He deserts her and her parents kick her out of the family home. She goes to a home for unwed mothers, where her child is immediately taken from her after birth and she is left to fend for herself.

Through sheer luck she stumbles into a small family owned traveling circus and is allowed to stay.

There is more to the story before she happens upon the circus, including a particularly horrific scene that I believe I will always remember but I'm not going into detail - readers should read most of this book unaware as to what comes next. I believe it is much more powerful that way.

Most of the book takes place with the circus and I Ioved reading the details of circus life.

There are two main characters - Noa and Astrid, who grew up with another traveling circus - and the characters alternate telling their stories.

Danger, passion, betrayal, love, jealousy, anger, pain, loss - this book is full of all kinds of emotion creating scenes.

Character development was excellent. Author Jenoff was also able to write her scenes vividly so I had no problem visualizing this war-ravaged circus life from the 1940s.

I was especially glad that the author tied up details in an epilogue, letting us readers know what happens to these characters we become so emotionally invested in.

If you like historical fiction, World War II fiction, circus fiction, drama, romance, women's fiction, or thrillers, I think you'll appreciate this well written gut wrenching story.

I am very glad that I received this book from MIRA Books through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased review.

Noa is brave, strong, and loveable. Astrid was hard for me to like. The scene with Noa finding the babies on the train just about killed me. I enjoyed the circus aspects of the book. I did not feel like the ending fit well with Astrid. I do not imagine her keeping these secrets.

I devoured the ORPHAN'S TALE and loved everything from the tears I wept to the fascinating details about the German circus. Despite the heartache, loss, and tragedy Jenoff delivered a full story as we traveled from Germany to France.

The story is told from two female perspectives. The first is Noa, a sixteen-year-old girl, who is kicked out of her home when her father discovers she has lain with a Nazi soldier and is now expecting. We travel with Noa, weep when she is forced to give her baby away, and see her obtain a job cleaning the railroad station. When a boxcar containing hundreds of Jewish infants stops on its way to the concentration camp, she spies a young baby who reminds her lost child. Panicked, she snatches the baby and hides from the Nazi's before flees into the woods with the child. The weather is brutal, and both are poorly dressed.

Astrid is a Jewish trapeze artist who spent her life on the circus train, traveling from city to city to perform. When she married, she thought she had escaped that life, but the war soon has her separating from the man she loves and seeking safety in the only place she truly knows.

When Noa and the tiny baby are given refuge from the circus, she must work to earn their keep. Astrid is assigned to teach Noa the trapeze. It was not easy for Noa, as Astrid resented her and feared she would put them all at risk. Slowly though trust and confessions they build a powerful bond that readers will connect with.

THE ORPHAN'S TALE was well researched historically, and while Jenoff certainly took liberties, the circus train and its role during WWII is very real. This lent an authenticity to the story, shedding light on their role during the war. Her characters, the circus, the towns, checkpoints and more all carefully depicted the period. She shed light on the risks people took to help others, and the desperation Jews faced. Readers cannot help but become emotionally invested in these characters, to have their hearts race during inspections and to fear the worst. I held my breath, wiped tears and questioned again the why's and how's of this dark period.

The ending was both heartbreaking and rewarding. I think the author did an excellent job, and I love how and where she chose to give us our ending and answers. A compelling tale whose characters will stay with you long after the story has ended, I recommend this to everyone, young and old.

Ingrid grew up in a Jewish German circus family. She had been a star aerialist along with her brothers since a very young age. As her late twenties approached she married a German officer and moved to Berlin leaving her performing life behind. When war became unavoidable, and the fact she was Jewish impossible to hide, her husband Erich sent her away. Finding any of her family proves impossible and Ingrid is embraced by a rival circus family and changes her name to Astrid. One day Noa, a 17 yr old Dutch girl appears near their practice tent. She is scared, cold and holding a small infant she claims is her brother. And so begins a most unexpected friendship as the two very different women form an unbreakable connection so deep, their very lives depend on it. Endlessly trying to help the other - each thinking they don’t need any help at all. At the heart of it, their desire for family, love and acceptance trumps all the brutality and cruelness that the war brings to their lives. I was completely and unexpectedly immersed into this magical story. Astrid, Noa and a beautiful cast of character’s fight for each other and the futures they so desperately dream of. Highly recommend this UNPUTDOWNABLE novel by incredible, author Pam Jenoff. This very original story brought my imagination to life of a circus life I had no idea existed - and new meaning to the childhood tune “fly through the air with the greatest of ease, that daring young man on the flying trapeze.”

Pam Jenoff’s latest novel, The Orphan’s Tale is a fascinating story of friendship born of adversity in 1944 Germany. When seventeen-year-old Noa Weil becomes pregnant she is thrown out of her parent’s home on the Dutch coast. After giving up her baby son she is fortunate to find a job cleaning a train station. One day she makes a horrifying discovery- a boxcar containing dozens of abandoned babies, many near death. She hastily rescues one boy, and soon realizes he is Jewish. She names the baby Theo and decides to call him her brother. After fleeing the train station Noa and Theo are found in a forest in the German countryside. They are brought to Herr Neuhoff, the owner of a travelling circus. Neuhoff offers the beautiful Noa lodging and a job as an aerialist, even though she has no experience. He pairs her with Astrid Sorrell, an older, expert aerialist. Astrid, formerly known as Ingrid Klemt, was born into a Jewish circus family that was generations in the making. She married a German soldier and lived with him in Berlin for almost five years. Once the war broke out her husband was ordered to divorce her. Stunned by her husband’s betrayal Astrid recently returned home to discover her family was gone. Knowing her reputation as an amazing aerialist Neuhoff risks hiring Astrid and vows to protect her. Astrid is grateful to Neuhoff, but is displeased to be working with Noa. Training her will be demanding and Astrid doubts she can trust Noa. Eventually the rivalry between the women dissolves and a deep friendship develops. When the circus travels to France the perils of love and war test their relationship. Jenoff’s unique plot combined with her skillful writing and intriguing characters work together like the three rings of a circus, making The Orphan’s Tale an exceptional novel.